LJ Ireton – The Final Sonnet of Mary Queen of Scots
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A candle lights Latin exhales
In one corner of the castle.
The memento mori clock chimes -
These are cold hours before sunrise.
​
She knows.
​
She shapes a sonnet of shadows
To seep through the stone floor into centuries,
Skilled in sculpting sounds,
She offers beauty with her bitterness,
Both heavy enough
To be traced in the ink
When searching for her
Even now.
​
The words are preserved
Under a lit-up casket of glass,
The poem on a parchment bed -
A Grimm fairytale of a living thing
To be awoken.
As I read it now
Her heart is beating against
The dark window
Of tomorrow.
LJ Ireton is a poet and bookseller from London. She has a 1st Class B.A. Honours in English Language and Literature from The University of Liverpool. Her poems have been published by Marble, Minnow Literary Magazine, Green Ink Poetry, The Madrigal, Noctivagant Press and Spellbinder Magazine.
Photograph by Mathew Harrison
Photographer Mathew Harrison brings his love of the natural world to his photographic work. A member of the Royal Photographic Society, he has an exhibition of his work at The Yorkshire Arboretum in November. With his other hat on he works with a team leading one of North Yorkshire's most respected and ethically driven visitor attractions. You can say hi to Mathew on Twitter @iphotomat