Claire Everett

Hourglass

aged seven
between lilacs and sunflowers
I learned to read
without making a sound,
colour between the lines

And soon I forgot about wanting to be a fairy (and checking my shoulder blades for wings). I still loved my father as big as the sky but realised he couldn’t actually hold it up, no matter how strong he seemed. I started to think less about hopscotch and more about chalking up good grades. How loudly and proudly I used to correct the teacher when I found a misspelling on the register, yet now if someone had called me Violet I’d have willingly shrunk into the name. What happened to that tiny, grass-stained, rambunctious me whose days felt right-side-up when she walked them on her hands, every cell of her being twinkling like a sunbeam?

five decades later
I've rediscovered
autumn shades
in the wax crayon palette. . .
and the art of dawdling

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About the Author

Claire Everett has served as editor for various journals including Take Five: Best Contemporary Tanka, the Red Moon Anthology, Haibun Today, and Skylark. She is a contributing editor for Macqueen’s Quinterly. In her other life, Claire supports adults with learning disabilities, autism, and complex needs, and has worked through the Covid-19 pandemic.