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.’