Every morning my son was learning to drive
he throttled grey clouds as if set,
for the off in Mondello.
Beside him, I pumped an imaginary brake
on heart quickening curves
to greenery showering the screen,
only unclenching my fists
when he pulled a stop –
perfectly aligned in a parking spot.
At the airport when he sprinted one-way,
I turned, before his last wave was my crash.
Marie Studer is widely published in journals and anthologies. She is a past winner in the Trócaire/Poetry Ireland and Bangor Ekphrastic competitions and highly commended in both the Francis Ledwidge and the Desmond O’Grady International competitions. Her debut collection, Real Words was published by Revival Press, 2023.
More work by Marie Studer
Tel: 028 7126 6946
Email: hueditor@theverbal.co
Verbal, Stable Lane and Mall Wall, Bishop Street Within, Derry/Londonderry, BT48 6PU
companyCopyright © 2026 Honest Ulsterman