Stick-Stuck

 

by Liz Dean

 

My thumb won’t stick

the stamp at the right angle

– it’s impossible to perfect –

and surely the Queen’s head

should not be purple,

or first class, or Mister Men.

Your hand-written name

is not parallel with the upper

edge of the envelope.

The words slope downward,

a plea for a safe landing:

your hallway, your hand.

By the post box,

I hold my letter at arm’s length

until I’m stuck enough to let go.

 

First published in The Writers’ Cafe Magazine, issue 15, “Letters”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life on the Moon

 

She wears her moon dress

flashes light of lunar day

walks a long midnight

 

Liz Dean’s prize-winning haiku inspired by artist Helen Schell’s solo exhibition Moon-Shot: Woman on the Moon at Norfolk Street Arts, Sunderland, July–August 2020.

 

‘…I believe art and science must collaborate for humanity to fully understand that we live in a space-faring society and are witnessing the most astounding change in

“being-human” through space exploration in the 21st century.’

 

–Helen Schell