In Our Path
There wasn’t anything more we could do –
the kitten noosed by orange wire lay dead
against the works where a team had fixed a leaking pipe.
Before we lay it beneath leaves
in a peaty shallow, you held the body
with the same care you had cradled Daniel
on that morning everything changed.
.
Star-Gazing
We walked a Norfolk beach
beneath the darkest-brightest sky I’d ever seen.
He pointed to the Plough, the Milky Way,
the Dog Star and Orion.
Follow my finger to the North Star.
Together we traced our way
across the Universe;
joining the dots as we went.
.
Neil Elder has been widely published in magazines and journals; Rialto, Envoi and The Interpreter’s House among them. In 2016 his pamphlet ‘Codes of Conduct’ was published by Cinnamon Press as a winner of their pamphlet competition, subsequently the pamphlet was shortlisted for a Saboteur Award. Neil has a full collection forthcoming with Cinnamon Press, and he is currently wrestling with titles for this. Neil regularly takes part in readings and is a member of Herga Poets in Harrow, Middlesex.
Abegail Morley 
Such poignant poems – perfect balance. Thank you.
Hi Valerie,
Thanks so much for your kind comment – much appreciated. I was concerned to try and get the tone right in both – flirting with sentimentality can be hazardous – don’t want to overdo it.
Cheers.