Stirling Graveyard

Author: James Howard, highly commended entry for the George Buchanan Creative Writing Prize 2024

1
The stone pyramid draws the
warmth from your soul
A small price to pay for a quiet mind
Overlooking the graveyard, there’s a sense of peace,
as though the souls here freely extend some of
their eternal sleep
2
It can’t last for long, it could but
bodies barely hold any heat as it is,
so cold sickness slips into your marrow
3
Sometimes, on a clear evening,
this slight distance from the city’s street-lights
there are stars
A glowing tapestry of constellations
all yours for the naming
4
Not tonight, there is nothing
but a blanket of clouds above your head,
as the walls of fog close in around you
it’s strangely settling
The quiet sounds of Stirling
murmur like a living body of water,
when your eyes are closed
Your mind slips into a pleasant numbness
as the frost sets in
It’s time to go