Loan us night’s coat while you bathe us maroon, we’re struck.

Flash us the swag from under your belt, we’re struck.

We reached for the hem of your frail sky

nicking out slivers with silver like we owned you. Were we dumbstruck?

Alienated, but I’m still chasing – a mariner to Hellas Basin –

all that sulphur is just waiting for a match: struck.

Dreams of your face light my blackest hour –

and with the might of a galaxy ghosted, I’m starstruck.

On earth we saw you from the beds in our room

but were too-soon jilted for the sun. And fancied luck-struck

Nicky Kippax

Nicky Kippax is a poet from York. Her work can be found most recently in Poetry News, The Rialto and The Alchemy Spoon and she is a recent Northern Writers’ Award winner (2022). After completing a Masters in Creative Writing at York St John University, Nicky now teaches poetry for Converge – the university’s education programme for adults who have experienced mental health issues. She has two children and is currently editing her first collection.