He said don't write a poem about this

This poem was Highly Commended in Live Canon's Young Writers' Competition 2022 in the Year 10-13 category.

He Said Don't Write a Poem About This

no one writes love poems anymore

but when I first kissed a boy, snow fell,

it crowned us

when I opened my eyes he was frost-capped

like the larches and beech

which arched round our heads

later he said it was perfect

I watched the flakes melt and damp his hair

moisture settle on his cheeks from the thaw

from the heat of his skin

the drips in his fringe, his misted eyes - a wilderness.

He travelled all day for this,

a frozen moment, brief happiness

two figures in a snow globe, a first kiss

did he also feel like he was looking in, bearing witness,

wondering if beyond the lips and the mint,

all the pristine drifts, this was it?