a carved bowl of wild cherry wood
sits upon the scrubbed pine table
in my kitchen, holding a glory
of woodland fruit, raspberry,
rosehip, crab apple and bitter
blackberry, its live

edge—the stilled rough bark—
outward mark of the cherry tree
that gave its grain to make this gift
sings a boat shape, a soft
lullaby to rock itself to sleep,
and dreams of trees sighing in the dark

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Sarah Wallis, based in Scotland, creates poetry, flash fiction, hybrid art and theatrical works. Highlights include theatrical residencies at Leeds Playhouse, staging of her works, The Rain King and Laridae, a poem film, Orpheus as a Fish, (@fly_press, 2020), and work in Yorkshire Poetry Anthology (Valley Press, 2017). Her 2023 works include poem art at Osmosis, podcasting (Eat the Storms), and an award-winning story at The Welkin. Chapbooks include Medusa Retold (Fly on the Wall Press, 2020), Precious Mettle (Alien Buddha Press, 2022) and How to Love the Hat Thrower (Selcouth Station, 2022). Sarahwallis.net or @wordweave on Twitter.

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