Poetry Magazines - The best collection of poetry magazines online - Simon Armitage

She arranges the mice side by side on the table and studies them carefully to commit them to memory. Calico mouse has luxuriant black whiskers, kind gleaming eyes, a pink body patterned with yellow flowers and green leaves, and a red tail. There is a bell between his ears, which are large, pink and round. Tartan mouse is shy, with sensitive whiskers and one ear that droops. His body is red, yellow, pink and green; she has no idea which clan this represents. His bell is on the end of his tail.

She addresses the envelope to the cats, wraps each mouse in pale pink tissue paper, slides then carefully into the envelope and seals it. For a minute she imagines the mice emerging next morning onto the breakfast table, among the silver toast racks and flowered china. If it is another hot day perhaps the door will be open onto the terrace where the tiny dry leaves of late summer will already be crunching underfoot.

She puts the envelope on the hall table. Outside, it is very hot and the garden smells delicious: privet, roses, grass. She prepares the bench for painting, sanding of f the lichen and watching the dust float away on the hot air. The colour she has chosen is called Bilberry.

It is time to go to the post. The sweet peas she brought in earlier are giving off their delicate scent. She leaves the house quietly, still thinking about the garden bench. She is amazed at the transformation after just one coat.