My Invitation

Sarah Slean

You are what they call the human season
you are all the alphabet in one
you are every colour of confusion
you are all the silence I've become
love me for stupid reasons
I like those most
wide-eyed but worth believing
God knows

Damn the angry voice that keeps up quiet
the editor whose work is never done
keeping pretty words between my teeth and
sweet confessions
underneath my tongue

drowsy contemplation
do I let you in?
Well this is my invitation
but how do I begin?

She has such an awful lot of soldiers
quite a lovely army all her own
night and day they stand before the fortress
very safe but very all alone