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9 December 2020

NS Poetry: Car Park, Christmas Eve and January 1st

Two new poems by Alison Brackenbury.

By Alison Brackenbury

READING, UNITED KINGDOM - NOVEMBER 08: Nordman fir trees lie wrapped in plastic netting ready for distribution on the Yattendon Estate on November 8, 2007 near Reading, England. Workers harvest 50,000 trees in a three to four week period before Christmas. Approximately 1.6 million trees are cultivated on 510 acres of land in the county of Berkshire. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

Car Park, Christmas Eve

Red, quivered sky, first rain sign, blurred to purple,
drops rinsed around a glass before the rest.
Wrapped bottles clink. How unpoured wine tastes best.
 

January 1st 

Flashed by my torch, white petals,
fine rain which leaves no mark.
So this is our new winter,
roses in the dark.

Alison Brackenbury is a poet based in Gloucestershire. She is the author of nine poetry collections including “Gallop” (Carcanet) and the winner of an Eric Gregory Award.

[See also: The NS Poem: Mam Tor]

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This article appears in the 08 Dec 2020 issue of the New Statesman, Christmas special