Illustration © Kaitlynn Copithorne
3am Sims when it is too hot to sleep
We have two babies. Then three. Then four. Then we lose
count. There’s no
stopping us. The sun shines, the snow falls, it’s as
basic as that. Everything is how it’s supposed
to be. There is no birth strike. There are no strikes
at all. Nothing will ever get hotter - except you
as you age - or colder than it should
be. There is a balance even my moods cannot
shake, nor the wind as it
ruffles the flowerbeds that are blooming
in March
in Scotland.
Elspeth Wilson is a writer and poet who is interested in exploring the limitations and possibilities of the body through writing. Her debut poetry pamphlet, Too Hot to Sleep, is published by Written OffPublishing and was shortlisted for the Saltire Society’s 2023 Poetry Book of the Year Award. Her debut novel, These Mortal Bodies,is forthcoming with Simon and Schuster in 2025. She can usually be found in or near the sea.