Andy Breckenridge

Carrying a Torch Along the Shoreline

After Neruda

The battery is failing and maybe
I’ve taken it for granted this January.

It feeds light that leads along
the track where the owl hunts.

Waves consume its wing beats
and boot soles suck up mud

leave heart shapes that fill in soon enough
with solid ground in summer.

My breath creaks, pinched with a dusting
in the throat; these pillars of sunlight steal

moisture from language, and my larynx is locked
and keyless. If I could walk to where  

it hangs, on a hook inside your door
true north from here, all this sea might flatten.

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Andy Breckenridge writes about self imposed exile, cultural identity, memory and how this connects to our relationships with the rural and urban spaces we inhabit. His debut pamphlet, The Liquid Air, was published by Dreich in July 2021 and the Chris Riddell illustrated version came out in August 2022. His debut full collection, The Fish Inside, was published by Flight of the Dragonfly in March 2023. His poem “You, Faustus” was awarded first prize in the 2023 Indigo Dreams poetry competition and “Abertawe” was voted Poem of the Month by the readers of Ink, Sweat and Tears. He has been nominated for both the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net. His poems have been published in a wide range of print and online journals.