(Near) Death

someone died
in our village

( yes so near )
but far off

a little gasp
like a test tube unstoppered

then the thin cloud drifts
and distance resolves it

turns out it happened days ago
( wonder how they… glad it wasn’t… )

and those days unexceptional but
now we know and time’s a liar

in that window certainly
there was someone

alone at a kitchen table
( like they were always… as if they’d never… )

a loud clock in the hallway
their history in blown glass

but not you ( … )
and not me ( … )

as gratitude settles
like a plague

---

Luke Palmer is a poet and author. His debut collection, Homunculus (Broken Sleep), was released in 2024 and was highly commended in the Forward Prizes. His novels for young adults have been shortlisted for the Brandord Boase Award and the Carnegie Medal.