Letty

Letty is my sunshine friend

Shadows shift upon the sight of her

Scents of summer waft in

Her smile is light

Set in face round, bright

Warming the coldest day

And she is generous with it

Backpack on

She braves Bristol

Its hills, its tunes, its pints, its colour, its green

And all its crazy and broken and creative and beautiful people

Breathes it all in hard

Trailing light rivers from bicycle wheels

Changing the map

And further afield

She takes on the world

Not settling for the easy route

Choosing adventure

Embracing the unknown

Opting to keep on keep on learning

Taking a risk

And she stretches she breaks (sometimes) she mends she grows

And she is softer and stronger and she steps out once again

Letty is my sunflower friend

From small seeds, giants grow

And her heart is giant within a small shell

Loving fierce and listening gentle

Hugging hard and laughing with a South London twang

Plant her in some good soil

Plant her not alone

With regular meals and just enough sleep

She’ll party with the rest of the garden

At festivals and firesides

She’ll bring her splash of colour

She’ll reach up and out

Unfurling

And other flowers will take their cue

From her courage and her compassion

Blossoming, too

And together they’ll leak beauty

And dance

Until the stars come out

And the night is light

Again