they opened us up
the peel of ripe fruit
intricate
burnt jam
little fists
glowing
slivers
chafing
this shadow ache
the remedy
a key that
makes the monsters
you tell me
i know a
safe place
but i’d rather
see
the world
the way it used to be
& just because
i’m not here
doesn’t mean i’m not
here
doing the right thing
fruiting unthought
it was never
dismantled
adjusting to the
tongue collar
acting your
age
your rage
unravelling sobs
giving soft yellows
& bleeding
cherries
UK based neurodivergent writer Jane Ayres completed a Creative Writing MA at the University of Kent in 2019 aged 57. In 2021, she was nominated for Best of the Net, shortlisted for the Aesthetica Creative Writing Award and a Laurence Sterne Prize winner. Her first collection edible was published by Beir Bua Press in April 2022.
photo by Monika Grabkowska (via unsplash)
Crow & Cross Keys 