Mslexia

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New Writing

‘Do you remember the house with the
green door?’ she asks, teacup halfway to mouth,
shaking staccato on the saucer as if perched
primly on the train tracks as the nine fifty-nine

from London arrives. ‘I never knew it,’ I say, though
of course I have been primed to know the when
and the where, the tall townhouse bleached
to yellow, beige, the spotted curtain just visible

in the window. I take the teacup, because what else
can I do? I put it on the table and it grows cold,
iceberg scum floating and breaking on the surface. I think:
one-tenth above water. She offers me a biscuit.

‘Go on, you must be hungry.’ Even though I can see
teethmarks arranged like miniature
pawprints in the chocolate, I take a biscuit from
the expectant bowl, and know she won’t notice me holding it

as the chocolate melts and I feel crumbs sticking to
my skin. ‘I never see you,’ she says, ‘not any more.’ She
plays a sprigged symphony on the sofa cushion, hands
moving expertly to music playing in the house

with the green door. On the mantelpiece, a new coat of dust
has grown on the little china spaniels. She glances
at the greedy ticking clock and turns her face to the far wall,
where the sky is enclosed in four small panes of glass.

MADELINE WRIGHT, 20, is a student at Oxford University and, when not studying, directs plays. Her writing schedule is very fluid, often fitting around essay deadlines or when she can grab some ‘down’ time. Reading the work of other writers and turning off music help her find her muse; honey, sweetcorn and the theatre are her greatest indulgences. ‘The Green Door’ is her first published poem.

This poem has been selected from the Mslexia archive. For the latest on the writing world, publishing and creativity subscribe now. To sample more Mslexia features or to find out about the latest issue click here.