Poetry

Alexander Csontala

By

Ian Fletcher

The Return

The gale rages against the windows

of the old house and of my mind

as if this is the force that has erased

those dear to me over the passing years.

This tempest seems to care not

whether I have lived well

or sinned in my long absence

its fierce purpose seeking

merely to extinguish my light

and blow away my soul.

I cannot sleep tonight thus harrowed

by memories of those who are missed

and the pitilessness of the wind.

Ian Fletcher

Born and raised in Cardiff, Wales, Ian has an MA in English from Oxford University. He lives in Taiwan with his wife, two daughters and cat. He teaches English in a high school. He has had poems and short stories published in The Ekphrastic Review, 1947 A Literary Journal, Dead Snakes, Schlock! Webzine, Short-story.me, Anotherealm, Under the Bed, A Story In 100 Words, Poems and Poetry, Friday Flash Fiction, and in various anthologies.