Holding Vellum to the Light
The pages of the city
unfold its secrets
like holding vellum to the light,
a palimpsest of the past.
Who walked here on sacred ground?
What foundations lie under
that coffee shop all birch and glass?
You may see
a piece of broken railing,
the bronze of a sword.
This step led to an open door –
kettle’s on, teacake still warm –
a girl, flaming hair and rough linen.
The open space above you
was a window:
a woman called children to dinner;
there, that corner,
a man waited for a lover
who never arrived.
Take a minute.
In the blank spaces
look into the light:
you can see footprints, a torn letter in the wind,
a field of buttercup and burdock,
willowherb and silverweed
underneath the paving.
Watch your step, consider
what marks the trail you leave behind.
https://soundcloud.com/cassandra-voices/holding-vellum-to-the-light
Lynn Caldwell’s work has been published in The Irish Times for the Hennessy New Irish Writing Award; Dedalus Press’s anthology WRITING HOME; FLARE; and The Antigonish Review, and has featured on Irish radio’s Sunday Miscellany. She was a runner up in Aesthetica’s Creative Writing Award 2017, has a BA in creative writing from the University of Victoria, Canada and blogs at http://kennedystreet.wordpress.com.
Featured Image Daniele Idini.