Estrangement 

by Frances Gaudiano

                                                                                                           
Dart for the crumb,
Hunger overriding fear.
The winter has been long
And the branches bare.

Dancing on cold feet
The gull taps a worm
From the sodden soil,
Snatched and swallowed swiftly.

I know emptiness.
Gnawing at the backbone,
Loss eats up everything.

Once there was a feast
A surfeit of clamouring children.
Each day stuffed with their noise.
Their needs nourished me.

So long the silence now.
Any morsel, I grasp and savour.
Even if the words be poison,
They are better than an empty plate.


* * * * *

Frances Gaudiano is a veterinary nurse and practicing druid. Her novel, The Listener, was published last year and two other projects are in the editing stages. Her poetry has appeared in a variety of journals and she hopes to produce a chapbook soon. Currently, she lives in Cornwall (England) with two dogs, a husband and a frightening teenager.