Khyber Pass

Khyber Pass

Kiss me, stop me trembling on the stair
Hush and hold the soft
Yellow moon for the dark angel ball

Break the day in two for the boy who
Eager-handed touches and sighs

Rest and keep me locked up in a heart cell
Pressgang me, love punch-drunk against the wall

After moonfall, on the narrow steps
Suspended in the witch-draught from the shore
Send love into the dark, safe haven and sail away tight and full.

Gabrielle Barnby, Feb 2017