He dreams of a place over the ocean of time and space, where he lies by her side and interlinks his fingers with hers and feels her chest rise and fall. A place where snow falls gently outside the frosted glass and the fire in the hearth warms the cabin.
Not here, where the merciless sun chokes the moisture from the air. Not here, where the bitter and angry castoffs scowl and bicker over the smallest slight. Not here, where he is alone in the crowds of thousands.
Not here. Anywhere but here.
Paddy Dobson
16th June 2022