in amongst the reeds and things,
crouched like a feral cat,
with muddy calves and ankles:
this is how i learned you.
this is how i met you.
mosquito bites on knobby elbows,
big-eyed and foul-mouthed
and determined to fly rather than fight.
in a summer you are a dream,
a wildchild hypnosis,
something foreign and familiar
suckling on field flowers and daydreams.
grown now, dressed up,
hemmed into collars and wool,
you are startlingly beautiful.
in a summer you are a hope,
but these days you are closer to malaise.