Theo Grange

Study: BA English with Film, Faculty of Arts & Humanities

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flowers and tealights

white dust sheet and a moving
van suddenly takes me from where
i called home. front step of a house
empty coffer where it was and i ask
my mum where i’m going she says
its where the heart is. the last train
no return ticket yesterdays carriages
reflected in dark tunnels. vena cava.
upstream swimming strangers head
back to the station where i said i’m from.

your neck red blazoned tells us that
we are family our bus taking us to
where we’re from. sharing no blood
exchanging no words but maybe just
a glare or a nod or a smile or a wave.
standing in silence it stops we step
the same pavement the same path
the same place that we say is ours
until we depart but not departed
just departing. my mum told me
home is a place that people leave.

white dust sheet and a moving
van suddenly takes her from where
we call home. front step of our house
empty coffin where it was and you ask
me where she’s going and i say
she’s going home. our necks red
blazoned tell us that we are family
that we do share blood that we can
exchange words so we stand in
silence when our heart         stops.
in the same place you ask me where
she’s going and i say she’s still here.
standing. us as flowers and tealights.