Long Weekend
The people who live here
speak of attractions some miles distant
appearing not to know
those closer ones we have come to see
like the ancient woodland
or smaller nature reserve nearby
whose tiny waterfall
we much prefer to the boating lake
in that holiday park.
True, everyone’s friendly and means well
but they have cost me time
in this place I travelled to for rest.
It might be different
if those with whom we spoke were other
than professional types
relocated to begin new lives:
true locals would, I’m sure,
appreciate what’s on their doorstep
though I’m pleased to notice
fund-raising events for refugees.
Living room
Pillowcase, pillowcase
what do you have there?
I have here the sparrow
pulled from the air.
The removal men used me
to catch it mid-flight
between your bookcase
and tall standard lamp
making of me a seal
that halted its heart.
Now, fearing disease,
they say I should burn.
Look, your pillow is bare.
Passageway
The melt we cause indoors
on coats and under shoes
might seem the end of it
but house-warmth that transforms
crystals into fluid
we cannot hold is worth
preserving.
The contrast
introduces tenses:
the gone, the now, the look
ing forward to return;
freedom from the moment.
So let us celebrate
these droplets in the hall.
____________________
Tim Youngs is the author of the pamphlet, Touching Distance (Five Leaves, 2017) and co-
editor with Sarah Jackson of the anthology, In Transit: Poems of Travel (The Emma Press,
2018). His poems have appeared in several print and online magazines, including The
Interpreter's House, London Grip, Magma and Poetry Salzburg Review.
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