Sidelines by Donna Campbell (United Kingdom)

I long to touch her but fear
the lash of rejection
my touch may
incite.

Sometimes, she needs a mothers
love, though to voice
such a need would leave
a soured scent on her
skin no amount of
perfume could
erase.

Occasionally, she emerges
like a frightened rabbit
from the grip of the
unreliable narrator
claiming squatters
rights in a recess
at the back
of her
head.

And all I can do is wait.
​
Wait on the sidelines
in the hope one day she’ll
throw the ball my way
and I will still
have it in
me to
catch
it.

Donna Campbell is a performance poet who has showcased her work widely across the UK.
Her work has been published in various magazines and anthologies. Her first collection of
poems “Mongrel” was launched in 2021 and her second collection, “Looking for Mae West”
came out on the 27 th March 2023. (Seahorse Publications) She is one of the Wanderlust
Women whose first collection toured the U.K and Europe and the second collection “Extra
Baggage” launched in June 2023, and toured the U.K and Europe again this year. Donna is a
proud Glaswegian.