Tomorrow saps my strength before she dawns,
as you're not there – you're not born of her reflection,
and the cynic in my stomach knows you never will be.
Should I die here – in this ecstasy of dreams?
Frozen blue/green diamonds in my thoughts,
Make me a promise that you will not fade,
and promise me you won't forget my name,
and what I have within my chest for you.
Promise me a second of your thoughts,
one distant day, when I am cold and clammy,
bruised and bloody, lost beneath the waves.
Promise me the joy of crying in your name –
Promise me you'll hold me when I fade into
that night that never wakes.
Be there when my last tomorrow breaks,
and when she sets, and in your arms.
In dreams regret can play no part. O Lord!
Promise me the stars will not forget what
they have seen ...
and promise me you won't forget
that dusty rose that grew from
clumsy roots around your heart.
[This poem appears on page 3 of Who Said the Race is Over? and is therefore not unpublished; but it was Anno's grandmother Judy's favourite, which she wanted to read at the launch last December but was too ill to do so. Jane read it at her funeral last Friday, and reduced us all to tears ... ]
To read Anno's original draft, CLICK HERE
To read past Poems of the Week CLICK HERE
To hear Molly Nynam's Song for Anno CLICK HERE
To see more of Anno, CLICK HERE
