The Corner
A poem by Rhiannon OliverThis poem refers to challenging home circumstances ...
There’s a corner where I stay some days
Those days when the doors have to hold their breath
As they swing - fast, sudden.
Those days when mum’s feet threaten the floor,
An unpredictable pattern.
When dad trails her like a darkening cloud
Ready to burst
When the windows shake
And words I swear I shouldn’t know break
Through the air, slam into walls –
On those days I make myself small
Knees under jumper, eyes down
I block sound
As my headphones swiftly gift me silence
And I push back through the sharp corner
Disappear through a crack in the wall
And escape, escape from it all.
Those days when the doors have to hold their breath
As they swing - fast, sudden.
Those days when mum’s feet threaten the floor,
An unpredictable pattern.
When dad trails her like a darkening cloud
Ready to burst
When the windows shake
And words I swear I shouldn’t know break
Through the air, slam into walls –
On those days I make myself small
Knees under jumper, eyes down
I block sound
As my headphones swiftly gift me silence
And I push back through the sharp corner
Disappear through a crack in the wall
And escape, escape from it all.
This poem is copyright (©) Rhiannon Oliver 2024
About the Writer
Rhiannon Oliver
Rhiannon is an actress, poet, workshop facilitator and playgroup leader based in Cardiff. She started writing for children in 2021 and has been published in The Caterpillar, Tyger Tyger, The Toy, The Dirigible Balloon, Northern Gravy, Paperbound, Little Thoughts Press, Parakeet, Buzgaga, and Launchpad (Australia). She has publications forthcoming in multiple anthologies. She has also written and created performance videos for The Big Welsh Rhyme Time (Book Trust Cymru) and her poetry has appeared on TV (Only Boys Aloud Christmas Concert, S4C). She is part of Literature Wales' Representing Wales 2023 scheme and is currently developing her first collection for children which explores Mental Health and Well-being.
