Content Warning: death in childbirth
Stone age mother and baby burial with a swan's wing,
circa 4000 BC
It is not the young woman’s
skeleton that fascinates,
the trinkets carved from tooth
and shell, nor the infant
nestled at her hip – mosaic
of tiny bones, the flint knife
placed upon its ribs. No,
it’s the wing that intrigues:
strange cradle, a memory
of feathers, now dust.
The mess of death wiped clean
by time. No trace of blood.
Corinna Board teaches EAL. She grew up on a farm, and her writing is often inspired by nature and the rural environment. She particularly enjoys exploring our connection to the more-than-human. Her poems have appeared in various journals including Anthropocene and Spelt. Find her on Instagram @parole_de_reveuse or X/Twitter @CorinnaBoard.