Art, Creative

Creative: Sparrow by Thomas Gallimore Barker

0 328

Original Artwork by Elysia Womersley

Sparrow:

Autumn had stripped the branches bare, and with it hope;
Leaving leafless shoots to shiver from their nakedness.
Life’s jade swept to the ground, as though merely dust—
Wet scrunches underfoot the sole memorial to its passing.

On some rotting roots you stirred, as though you felt the bitterness.
Throwing berries and leaves skywards as you were born into my dark world.
I first noticed your clean cheeks, framing kind eyes—glistening with affection.
Who knew something in this world could be so bright?

Tweeting like you were squabbling with my melancholy,
You hopped forwards, a fuzzy ball ruffling the frost—
Head tilted with concern, for my heart needed thawing.
Though you could doze in a cup, your aura was stronger than the sun.

I didn’t know that I cupped my frozen hands,
An unconscious movement betraying the desperation to hold you.
Petite wings wafted your sweet scent, like flashes of snow;
Gently lifting them pattering feet into my cold palms.

My hands were the nest to your soft, soothing strokes,
Where your thrumming heart merged with mine.
Blank numbness trickled away by you, such a miniature summer
Illuminating everything, as though curtains were flung wide.

I was fulfilled, soaring high with the warmth and pleasure and content,
Now immune from the cold pangs, you, my healer, flew up into the pink sky.
As someone else needed to find you.

This creative piece was submitted as part of our December theme: Hope. If you would like to submit your own creative work to aAh! Magazine, please email aAh.Editor@gmail.com, and be sure to check our latest “Letter from the Editors” to find out next month’s theme.

About the author / 

Thomas Barker

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More News Stories:

  • A Mural for Mani – Manchester music legend to be immortalised with mural in his hometown

    Following the passing of iconic Stone Roses and Primal Scream Bassist Gary ‘Mani’ Mountfield, there have been growing calls for him to be immortalised in a way that reflects both his cultural impact and the deep affection shared between the musician and his home city. GRIT Studios has answered the calls from fans, announcing plans…

  • London Fashion Week A/W 2026: The new designers shaping tomorrow

    Featured image: Evie Peattie  Often overshadowed in popular narratives by the heritage houses of Paris or Milan, London’s fashion ecosystem has long traded on creative freedom. As London Fashion Week prepares for its 42nd year, running from the 19 to 23 February, the British capital is poised to reaffirm its reputation not simply as a…

  • “It’s easy to lose yourself to this music”: Deptford Northern Soul club lead new wave of Northern Soul

    Featured image: Sebastian Garraway Beats vibrate through a polished floor. Bodies move with a swinging grace, surrendering to the rhythm without hesitation. An instinctual sliding jig sways wide-legged jeans cut just above the ankle. Sweat drips from sharp scissor-cut hairstyles onto porous Fred Perry polos. You’ve guessed it: Northern Soul. The late 1960s phenomenon is…

  • Harry is Home: From the BRITs to a Manchester one-night-only show – everything to know about Harry Styles’ return

    Featured image: Evangeline Causton  Local lad Harry Styles will take to the stage at Manchester’s Co-op Live for the city’s first-ever Brit Awards, before returning for his one-night-only show on March 6 to celebrate the arrival of his fourth album, Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally. When cryptic billboards bearing the words “WE BELONG TOGETHER” appeared across Manchester city…