Angela Croft - Isolation

Captive in this barren cell you keep faith
with your friends, imagine you hear them call
your name from the high hill where the cross
holds fast against the wind; see them scan the ridge,
ghost through the trees like winter birds,
while the spy in the corner watches you sap
under the skylight. Your ribs picked clean,
your sweat gone cold, yours the only shadow
on the wall, a lion’s roar trapped in your throat,
your prayers disturbed by the fanciful sound
of a brother’s voice, the earthy thud of a loyal boot.

This poem was inspired by a photograph by Richard Ross and was highly commended in the British Red Cross poetry competition to mark the International Day of the Disappeared (August 30) which commemorates people who have gone missing throughout the world in situations of violence and armed conflict. Born in Surrey and experiencing a childhood split between north Wales, Cornwall and London, Croft was shortlisted for the Bridport Prize in 2009 and is widely published.

Well Versed is edited by Jody Porter. Read more here.

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