Emerging poppy...

A day of reflection and recovery, so instead of thinking of something to write, I bring you this poem written by Lesley Mountain, a poet from the north-east of England

I am about to push off this rain-stained carapace
and display the flamboyance of my scarlet youth.

Should I do it today, in this damp light
or shall I wait for the best of the sun?

I know I look cool but inside I'm scorching -
my mascara longs to assail you.

Crumpled silk and dark-red veins crinkle
with the effort of escape. Already my outer petals

are curling at the rim, vermilion fading to orange,
fragile as the skin on the edge of a wound.

Oh God, what if you fail to notice
my nail-varnish lure?

What if I fail to shock you?


I couldn't fail to notice...