Freezer

Thirteen years, gnawing blind,
Paint peeling outwards, upwards, inside,
Her promise of summer never arrives.

Her essence soaked into layered fabric,
Stitched with lifelessness and despair,
A temple mirroring her presence which isn’t here.

The air hangs low, stifling and unsteady,
Carpets, curtains fraying at the edges,
Living on the cusp of being just about ready.

Sorrow forms into thickly settled dust,
Her jewellery boxes faded, lie untouched,
Dormant makeup bags for her lips and blush.

Hallway lightswitch flickers and flares,
Tripped electrics showing she’s not there,
Speckled sunshine through ripped nets.

Fraying, faded sofas lie in our front room,
Flowers forgetting how to open, bloom.
Locked in forgotten time, gone too soon.

Pride in green, but not with envy,
Muted pinks and plants, dotted Denby,
Pristine in glass and mahogany.

She’ll be back in a minute,
She’s only popped to the shops.
The agony of death, the pain of loss.