Mannika Solanki, Poetry 2020 Longlist

Seasons’ Meetings

I met you in the summer sweet,

When the sun shined bright on the shrine;

I looked at you and asked your name,

You looked at me, then turned away and smiled.

I met you when it started to rain,

And the petrichor had filled the air;

I offered my umbrella and asked your name,

You took the umbrella and left in a flair.

I met you in autumn auburn,

When it rained leaves on the ground;

I turned to you and asked your name,

You looked at me, then looked away and frowned.

It was winter when I met you next,

Each of us was covered in woollens, socks and mittens;

I looked at you and asked your name,

You looked at me and stood there smitten.

It was Spring when we met last like this,

The flowers then bloomed on every street;

I looked at you, you looked at me,

And handed me a note done neat.

I read the note again and again;

In all the times I’d asked your name,

It had never once occurred to me,

You couldn’t tell because you couldn’t speak.