As I sat in my childhood room for the last time listening to The Cure and thinking about all the other 23-year-olds who soundtracked their goodbyes with Robert Smith, I realised that I am a part of the lucky few who will be moving out during UK lockdown number three. Up until this point, I had only felt excitement about leaving the four walls I had spent the past almost-year staring at, willing...

Winter whispers to meHer chill caressing my cheek as I stand on the deserted stepsof this churchHer reassurence is interrupted by the laughter of tender memoriesFloating down in the early dawnThe haunted pain in my soul groansAnd I look down at your footprints next to my ownHow long did we dance in the volcanic ashOf this courtyardNever seeing past the next season?But here we are againI track ...

Some nights I don blonde hair, the next I will mask as another. This time I might be so charming or a me I have yet to uncover. In the morning, I’ll be someone new: a better, more sensible me. She will dress smarter and speak much more eloquently. She’ll not forget the woman she was the night before – remembers her light with fondness, envies her playfulness in amour. They locked eyes for an mo...

Since I was bornA tornado warning humming thru the hospital I’ve always understood that Our lives are full of rain And instead of sitting at my window Pressed against the paneI chose to playMy mother watched, terrified As I danced alongside the lightning Knowing I wasn’t afraid to be struck Now, I am the one who is petrified Though I was never struck by lightning The lighting went out I’m shaki...