Simonside Crags

I am a spider, fingering for cracks,
hanging the whole of me on a hand;

palming across the quiet stone, body spread.
Skimming crab-like; hips wide as child-birth,

I am seeking out chinks. I attain you,
inch by inch, poking toes, fumbling digits

in your slot and cleft; everything is climbable.
I put an ear to your sun-washed flank, listen

for the boom of the earth. My cheek on yours;
a callous carved into this whimsy skin.

I leave you chalk – powder prints
that wash with rainfall, yes; but for a while

remind you I was here a moment,
creeping to conquer you.

Jane Burn

Jane Burn is a North East based writer and artist. She spent the first part of her life in South Yorkshire before moving to Newcastle Upon Tyne where she has found love and support from many other writers and performers. Her work has been published in numerous magazines and anthologies and she regularly performs guest spots. She lives with her family in a little village on the Gateshead side of the river – when she is not writing, she spends her time either with her children, horses and dogs or working in a series of minimum wage jobs.