once

One each year silver gifted

or so I was told

Three remain here nestling

by stainless steel stirring

tea or coffee or mustard

in turn

Two at birth gone now

fighting into this world

from mother's womb

with a retreat

brief

for an hour in between times

before settling into this

grim place of unsettling joy

where still I remain mourning

wood

[ 21st November 2016, for Spoon on the Tracks, “Obsessed with Pipework” #78 ]