In March I worry my emotions are medically too large

It’s that time of year, I could be a heap of blossom

in the gutter or a bird picking up twigs. I want to brush

all the poems I wrote for you into a corner,

tip them out of a dustpan into the wind.

Can you tell me, if you didn’t love me, then you felt

me loving you, like heat in metal or an animals’ eyes

catching a headlight, getting bright in the dark.

I hope your friends are meeting up, hating my guts.

telling you I’m not that pretty, I’m not that good.

I could get drunk on adjectives showing you they’re wrong,

but you already know. The sun might come out,

there’s always that possibility. Something better

might come along. I keep my little tablespoon

of hope in a miniature jam jar. I feed the flame incrementally.  

Phoebe Stuckes is a writer from Somerset. Her pamphlet, Gin & Tonic was shortlisted for The Michael Marks Award 2017. In 2019 she received an Eric Gregory Award for her first collection, Platinum Blonde, which will be published by Bloodaxe in 2020. 

Rosie Michalik-Denny is a Textile Design graduate and freelancer based in Monmouthshire, South Wales. On graduating she produced work for fashion industry clients including Diane von Furstenberg and Rag & Bone. With a love of writing and poetry, she is currently studying for a second degree in English Literature with The Open University as well as exploring her passion for photography. Rosie plans to study for a Masters next and has dreams of traveling more with her camera. She hopes to find ways to make a positive difference in the world.