melon seller

 

our bodies crave what they need / craving tomatoes can indicate iron deficiency
craving strawberries can be a sign of lack of vitamin c / i’m craving pears / and being buried
in the hot sand of my childhood / remember that / our bodies being packed under millions
of tiny grains / immobilised / invisible / only our faces sunward / listening  to the screeches
from the waterside as kids jump on and off inflatables / the baritone murmurs
from the prom side where seniors play bocce after lunch / countdown to how long we resist
until our limbs start kicking the sand from underneath / and we emerge / grainy
and glistening / sticky / we’d walk to the holy water / knees locked / arms outstretched

 

like little undead / and then we’d baptise the Adriatic with our golden bodies /
and then we’d wrap ourselves in towels / careful not to rub the skin / and we’d listen
for the melon seller / the ice cream man carrying a freezer from a strap on his shoulder / skin
more and more leathered every year / i wonder if he knew the last time we saw him would be
the last time we saw him / our lack of sun now turned to cravings for fruit / you can’t kick
free from where you’re buried now / and i can’t bear to see that beach again / the Chinese
say pears symbolise immortality / last week i ordered a whole crate of them / the sweet smell
of decay already permeating every corner of my sandcastle /

 

Dillon Jaxx

Dillon is a queer disabled writer living in Sussex. They have been shortlisted and placed in
several competitions over the last three years, most recently winning the Brotherton prize
and the Wolverhampton poetry prize. Published in Poetry Wales and Alchemy Spoon amongst
others. Next goal – debut collection