ALEXANDRA-LEE MALKI

And in the space between

With the swaying greens,

Beneath the expansive light

I see through the night,

Of suns and moons ago.

With the bright loud

And the darkened quiet,

Of the Worlds between

Where the hearts sing,

For all that time

You lay by my side.

When the winds grew loud

And the sky thundered down.

As the travellers we once were,

With the things we’d seen

And the places we’d been,

Still by me, you held me

As the world shattered

And my home was lost,

I still felt safe within your arms

Throughout that space between,

Covered as you were in cottoned green

And I in my knitted black.

The world rightened

And I felt a warmth

I thought long gone.

Of a fireplace throughout winter,

Sitting on our woollen carpet

Snuggled deep in woolly blankets.

The howling of the wind

With the snow falling in,

The roof had collapsed

With the shattering of the glass

Spoiling the floor…

Still, I stayed in comfort

With her by my side.

As the days changed

And the season stayed the same,

Of the ever-lasting white haze

Throughout the light,

Of the glaciers passing throughout the night.

The fire lost its warmth

And the blankets decayed.

I looked to her in silence.

As the lights darkened

And our bodies grew cold,

We held each other

For all that warmth,

Little as it were,

And as we sat still,

Shivering in the cold

I felt her hand slacken.

And my world was no more.

So I travelled,

To lands far and near,

In search of …

To thaw my wintered heart.

As the moons passed

And I continued to walk,

Did I further lose myself

Stuck in that white haze,

Till the day the sun came out

Did I meet you.

At distance did we talk

But still I remained in thought,

Of the winter days

And the cold nights,

Of where I lost time

In that haze of moons.

Still, as you continued to talk

And walk,

So too did I.

And we went through flame and fire,

Through cold and ice,

Through sea and stars.

As we travelled

I continued to talk to

And walk with you,

And no more

Did I lose myself.

No more

Did I think of winter nights

And cold days.

No more

Did my heart wither.

No more

Did I look back.

But look I did.

With you by my side,

Seeing all the sights,

Tasting all the delights

Of the stars and moons

And suns and seasons,

Did we see it all.

I stood with you

Side by side,

I in my knitted black,

You in your cottoned green,

And we walked

And talked

Until our time.

Alexandra-Lee Malki is at heart a poet, even though she enjoys all forms of creative writing. She aspires to be a published author, whilst still focusing on her faith and family. Alexandra was short-listed in the 2018 Lane Cover Literary Awards, and her poem Bittersweet is in the 2018 Anthology.