Poetry

Love Storey

Dylan Parkin

May 20, 2022

CityLoveTimePoemPoetry

You can turn some poems sideways
And see a city’s skyline.

Capital letter foundation
For the bottom of a high rise —
An em dash for a spire.

The words betray their static nature,
Offering a breathing, pulsing electricity
To trace your fingers under.

It’s the only time I’ve wanted
To be amongst the bustle.

To live in the space
Between love and you,

Preserved upon a page.
A known and beautiful hurt,
And not a pain kept selfishly.

Just living is congregation enough.
The day lays its thoughts in psalms —
Things to be written by commuters.

The poetry hides in coffee cups.
It cheers on the car park pugilists
And finds time to be behind time.

It sits to rest on a pathside loveseat
And makes awkward glances at its neighbour.

It’s each of these things at once.
It’s embedded in the act of being —
So much so that it’s no wonder

The world becomes word.
That a portion of experience
Trickles down to paper

To subconsciously form a poem
In the shape of the world you live.

Dylan Parkin (he/him) is an autistic creative currently based in Reading, UK. He can be found on Twitter @parkin1901.