HCE received a lot of high-quality submissions for The Green Issue – sadly, too many to fit inside the magazine! So we offered some writers and artists who’d sent in work the chance to be published here on the website. Keep an eye on our social media for more great work like this, in the run-up to the release of The Green Issue…
Sue Johnson
Green Velvet
the hillside is clothed in green moss
like the velvet dress I wore
soft as a kiss on my body
its delicate folds lay sloughed
exposing skin
pale as new leaves
ivy leaves clutched like tiny hands
reaching up towards the light
under slanting sunlight barred with leaf shadow
the earth is the texture of crumbled chocolate
smelling of leaf mould
and bluebells with waxy petals fragile as candles
I dress you with ivy
electricity crackles
quivering raindrops shine like diamonds
our love forms new patterns on damp earth
your body is
a shelter from the rain
Sue Johnson is a poet, short story writer and novelist. She is a Writing Magazine Home Study Tutor and enjoys running workshops and giving talks. Sue’s work is inspired by fairytales, the natural world and eavesdropping in local cafes. Follow her on Twitter (@SueJohnson9). Further details of her work can be found here.