Elena Chamberlain
In morning light, you might be
forgiven for thinking
a spine pulling itself
above layers of tar and cement
is a shelter.
Excavation always begins around 11:03pm:
a shovel to the stomach,
burial grounds for dying cabbage whites.
Funny. They have replaced the playground
on my pelvis, concrete for cedar.
The primary school in my right palm
is growing exponentially.
Listen. Gravel pits overgrown with nettles,
I can no longer feel my toes,
imagine they have stopped searching
for survivors.
Elena Chamberlain is a poet, creative and student from England. She has been published in stages, pages, and online. Elena was part of Apples and Snakes Future Voices and longlisted for the Out-Spoken Prize for Poetry in 2023.
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