The White Onyx Elephant
Listen to Sarah read her poem ...
There once was a white onyx elephant
carved of angles and light,
he sat opaque upon the high windowsill
and gathered the stars at night.
No one knew what to do with him and his
candyfloss coloured exterior, by day
thinking his thoughts very quiet,
sat on his mushroom like a cumulus cloud
perhaps calculating measures and distance
but never saying his sums aloud.
Over the years he’s been tidied away
and several house moves later, I don’t quite know
what’s happened to him but he’s completely
disappeared, perhaps he got in a rocket ship laden
with space age gear, up through the clouds
to stars so bright and maybe he got to the moon,
or maybe he just went away for a while,
and perhaps we’ll see him soon.
carved of angles and light,
he sat opaque upon the high windowsill
and gathered the stars at night.
No one knew what to do with him and his
candyfloss coloured exterior, by day
thinking his thoughts very quiet,
sat on his mushroom like a cumulus cloud
perhaps calculating measures and distance
but never saying his sums aloud.
Over the years he’s been tidied away
and several house moves later, I don’t quite know
what’s happened to him but he’s completely
disappeared, perhaps he got in a rocket ship laden
with space age gear, up through the clouds
to stars so bright and maybe he got to the moon,
or maybe he just went away for a while,
and perhaps we’ll see him soon.
This poem is copyright (©) Sarah Wallis 2025
About the Writer
Sarah Wallis
Sarah Wallis is a writer living on the East Coast of Scotland, a place where the sky meets the sea and you can see the curve of the world. A poetry chapbook Poet Seabird Island is available from Boats Against the Current, which you can hear her read from @EattheStorms podcast. Her work has appeared in Propel, Dust, Black Bough and Full Mood, as well as several of her poems flying with The Dirigible Balloon.
