By Louis Brierley
from my little window
I watch him leave at five-thirty and arrive at ten-thirty
and I give him my best smile
he turns away
and runs inside
and locks all doors and windows firmly
I sigh and know he is safe
but if problems arise
I have my own keys
*
now
he is peering out through a crack in the curtain and
I know he has found my gift:
the photo I placed on his pillow
*
the next day
I find it in the
rubbish
the rain is ill yellow but
my tears are clear
*
so
that night
between five-thirty and ten-thirty
I walk through rain in my best blue shirt
and unlock his door
but it is bolted
from the inside
I scream into the rain and
strike the flags with
my hatchet
a stone chip cuts the corner of my eye
and I weep crimson
into the rain
whispering I Love You.
*
from my little window
I watch his yard at ten-thirty
but he is not back
and at eleven-thirty
he is not back
the blood has caked on my cheek
and I am having trouble seeing
so perhaps he has already returned
*
I go out again
I am a good neighbour
I am concerned
but as I approach his door
I hear laughing
*
he is with a Girl
not the mother, nor the sister
I know
I have photos of them
but a new Girl
and she is making him
laugh
*
they see me
they stop laughing
and I
with tears on one cheek and
crimson streaming down the other
my hatchet in my hand
say I Love You.
**
Louis Brierley is a young writer of speculative fiction. He is in his first year of English and Creative Writing at MMU. He is also currently approaching publishers with his novel, ‘Flames of Peace’
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…
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…
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…
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…
Leave a reply