Driven
He thinks of nothing else.
Echoes of her thrum in his ears,
drum so loudly his pulse catches time.
Memories of kisses stain his skin like her lips
were irons, branding.
Packing his belongings in a suitcase to offer
up like pearls for her.
Only small possessions that smell
of a single entity. Leaving
children chained to the mantelpiece, smiling
at his retreating back.
The letterbox claps the keys jingle, drowned
by an engine turning.
Echoes of her thrum in his ears,
drum so loudly his pulse catches time.
Memories of kisses stain his skin like her lips
were irons, branding.
Packing his belongings in a suitcase to offer
up like pearls for her.
Only small possessions that smell
of a single entity. Leaving
children chained to the mantelpiece, smiling
at his retreating back.
The letterbox claps the keys jingle, drowned
by an engine turning.
Claire Walker
Claire Walker has been published in various online and print magazines and anthologies including Ink Sweat and Tears, PIYE, Hearing Voices and the Warwick Words Festival Anthology. She fits writing poetry around raising her young daughters and reading other bios from The Curiosity Cabinet makes her feel old!