Poetry By River Snowdrop

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CLEARING WEEDS

the tall grass was a choking hazard,
the long green rope. it sprang in our
throats, making liars out of us, like
silence is the same. shame was just
a certitude, a common byproduct.
we mustn’t speak. we couldn’t. 

   vines,
   like lies, grow in your voice’s absence,
   make home of your larynx, local lodger.

we got older, and the unsung only
louder, only more obvious gap. the
first whisper was a slap, was a swift
knock to the cheek, an acerbic serving
of acid blame. the second choir was
arranged, a wider blast radius.

   cut
   the buds off the flowering tree, toss them.
   we didn’t need decoration.

ancient soil sprouted truth stems and 
we watched our friends grab their 
smile back, saw light return to drawn 
faces. spaces opened, our trachea free, 
we had enough room for the poison to 
leave. 

   come 
   and go as it might, the choice was ours now,
   the telling optional, mine.





THE CAREFUL CHILD

bathe in the maternal pool, dark
waters of you. i cannot cling to
slippery skin or dig my fingers in
to memory.

cemetery of my love for you, tin
spoon. a holiday paid for by an
other mother, like a makeshift
nurturer, that was nan. 

did you understand i wasn’t
fitting right? ocean-side and
walking on, chasing unseen
mermaids to the midlands

and back, a crack in my hair-
line, put there by a cousin.
why couldn’t you see the scars
mama, why did you turn away?

sought salted safety in a sea-
view town. each summer you
sheltered me from the rough
waves, pulling me far

from the cliff’s edge instead;
demonstrating care with one
sharp tug of the hand.

​

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River Snowdrop is a queer non-binary poet from Manchester, UK. They have been known to write about herons, lemons, and human’s capacity for love. Snowdrop believes in everybody’s fundamental goodness and is working hard to include themself in this worldview. Their work has been previously published in Free Verse Revolution, Querencia Press, orangepeel literary magazine, fifth wheel press, and more. They are a 2023 winner of the Mulberry Literary Fresh Voices Award. You can find Snowdrop on Instagram and Twitter @riversnowdrop.