Fragments by A.V. Shepherd

Fragments

I remember the world under the willow tree in my back garden
Fairies and toadstools and imaginary friends
Defending forts from marauders and monsters
Or the neighbour’s cat.

I remember singing songs in school

– Cauliflowers fluffy and cabbages green –
Shouting BOLLOCKS! from a hilltop to warm our voices
For a show I was too shy to perform in.

I remember discovering the joy of a hammock
Its sweet relaxation
As I watched the gently swaying world go by
And learned Spanish from a Shakira CD.

I remember crumpled mountains and endless cacti
Timid velvet bugs and horned toads
That puffed up like tiny Triceratops dinosaurs
In the sauna-like heat.

I remember the warmth of his body along mine
Breath going in and out in the darkness
As the world slept and I did not

And I wondered how much time we had left.

by A.V. Shepherd

Twitter: @ally_esi_s

Editor’s Note: The lovely sonics in this poem slide the reader into innocent nostalgia, but the last line reminds us that even a child knows time is fleeting.