When I am young, say seventeen or eighteen by Ann Cuthbert

When I am young, say seventeen or eighteen (after Marilyn Longstaff)

When I am young, say seventeen or eighteen,

the day will open itself to my face, and the

runnels at my mouth will uncrease.

Restlessness will not seem out of place -

I’ll waft and wander but I’ll know where I am going

when I am young. Scars will unpucker under

a purple velvet dress which I will buy with

savings from a Saturday job at the Co-op

and I’ll dance Jig-a-Jig in soft black boots to

East of Eden in Middlesbrough town hall crypt.

This will occur one night in November and I

will hold your hand with my flawless hand

and run on feet with only an inkling of

bunion to catch the last train and on the

platform I will push my arms inside your

greatcoat and press against you and breathe

sweat from the hollows of your neck and I will

kiss you with my mouth open and my eyes closed

and I will think we’ll always be together,

when I am young, say seventeen or eighteen.

Ann Cuthbert's poems and short stories have been published in a wide range of magazines and anthologies. This year, she took part in her first poetry slam  - The Vampire Poetry Slam in Derby - and her stand up poetry show Granny Apocalypse will premiere at Durham Fringe Festival. Her current themes seem to be based in the more than human world and  growing old powerfully.