Following the anthology launch at Nottingham Academy, Greenwood Road on 18th July, today’s Friday Story features ‘A Pleasure’, which First Story student Grace Power performed at the launch. The group was led by writer-in residence Jim Hall – watch a video of Jim addressing students at the launch here.

You can read more work by Grace and the rest of her group in their anthology, A Kingdom of Words, which is now available to pre-order here.

‘A Pleasure’ by Grace Power

What a pleasure it is
to walk beneath a sun that
once touched your skin and
to feel it touch mine.
Looking up at the clouds I mark
the shapes into which they unravel
and wonder at the clouds that
must have unravelled across the sky
above your head.
I think about what
you might have said to
the moon, late at night
while you sat on the roof of
your neighbour’s house
pouring brandy down
your throat. Sometimes
I ask it (the moon)
but it keeps your secrets well.
I cannot comprehend
how you convinced the stars
to hold their gossiping tongues
and keep from me the
music that must have
passed from your lips
into the sky
for whenever I look up
they are whispering and giggling
amongst themselves.
Never silent, they fall
away from one another
in feud, only to fall
together again soon after.
Are we like the stars?
Will it take only a fall
to bring me to you
once more? What a
pleasure it will be to
find out.