descending into the honeycomb cities
I am returning to the ground
already wetted by the transient rains
all the windows of our house are wide open
climbing the stairs is like reaching
my face into the fridge
the bedroom is alive with your breathing
the clattering teeth of the blinds
outside the night is perfectly tuned
the slow forcing of the plum trees and their fruit
buzz of motorbikes on the road
undressing to land beside you all night
the winds come over us like intermittent water
Ben I am not sure what I mean by this
but I’ll spend my lifetime coming home to you
Andrew McMillan’s second collection, playtime, was published by Jonathan Cape in 2018.