smells of cabbage, warm damp, and
a hush as if the forest is
haunted. i'm an ant in the gaze
of trees reaching the green sky.
pinpricks of light squeezing
through the canopy gaps. a
rose-window. cathedral nave. a
choir of capuchins sing in the
gallery. waiting in treefrog
silence for the conductor to
arrive we hold our breath in the
sweet smell of rot. me in my
antness. the trees in their
treeness. this is the place
between stillness and sound.
lights switch off to usher in
night. enter the red howlers.
hear them call. a troop of them
whooping before sleep. howling
as if they've set free the
underworld.
Mary Mulholland’s poems have been published in many journals from AMBIT to Under the Radar, and have been mentioned in competitions range from Bridport to Winchester, most recently highly commended in Rialto Nature and Place. Her collaboration with Simon Maddrell and Vasiliki Albedo, All About Our Mothers, is published by Nine Pens and her debut pamphlet What the Sheep Taught Me, will be published this year by Live Canon. www.marymulholland.co.uk @marymulhol