Ceinwen Haydon

 

Her claustrophobic room mulches secrets
hidden beneath piles of frowsty knitwear.
In zipped-up shoulder bags, under squashed hats:
sexed memories lie smouldering there.

Hidden beneath piles of frowsty knitwear
torn letters, watermarked by wine and tears,
sexed memories lie smouldering there.
Brushes tangle knots of curled, auburn hair.

Torn letters watermarked by wine, and tears
shed as her insides desiccated.
Brushes tangle knots of curls. Auburn hair,
once her finest feature: stroked, kissed, top-rated.

Shed as her insides desiccated –
vibrant hues, flouncy frocks now forgotten.
Once fine-featured, stroked and kissed, top-rated,
her mirrored image mocks her something rotten.

Vibrant hues, flouncy frocks now forgotten,
in zipped-up storage bags: mothballed, squashed flat.
Her mirrored image mocks her something rotten.
Her claustrophobic room moulders secrets.

 

Ceinwen lives near Newcastle upon Tyne, UK and writes short stories and poetry. She is widely published in online magazines and print anthologies. Her first chapbook, ‘Cerddi Bach’ [Little Poems], was published in July 2019 by Hedgehog Press. Her first pamphlet is due to be published in December 2021. She is a Pushcart Prize (2019 & 2020) and Forward Prize (2019) nominee. She holds an MA in Creative Writing from Newcastle University (2017). After a career in the public sector, she is now developing practice as a participatory arts facilitator. She believes everyone’s voice counts.