Still of the night by Damaris West

Outside my lighted house

the darkness waits

with ears pricked.

Trees hold back their breath

and put out feelers.

Black expanses gulp the stillness.

Stones shift, but freeze

as I revolve. The sky

is greyscale bar a single

red planet. There is absolute

silence, until ... a curlew thrills,

and an oystercatcher's taut

stitches pucker the vast

canvas of the night.

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Damaris West lives close to the sea in south-west Scotland. Her poems have been published widely in magazines and anthologies and she was commended in the Scottish Association of Writers poetry competition 2021. Originally from England, she lived for 13 years in Italy before moving to her current home. Her degree is in French and Spanish and she enjoys reading in these languages, as well as in Italian.