2026 Edited Version
By Hannah Rachael Hudd
When I’m gone, I shall paint the skies for you.
I’ll dance in the clouds and swirl on the breeze, flashing neon pink, burning bright.
Fierce splashes of blood sinking into the inky-cold depths of the crashing sea, and I shall be gone.
Far, far out of reach, suspended in time, floating in the silent black.
And you’ll scream, and you’ll cry, and you’ll tremble and shake.
Regret capsizing your stormy heart, as I languish senseless in the echoey void.
But soon enough, the dawn will break, and I’ll float back up to your world on bubbles and wishes.
Lured back by your siren-like wailing and desperate prayers.
I’ll spiral high in the sky with the spirits once more.
Climbing and swooping, blending, and scattering, upwards and upwards, wispy, and free.
Colours bursting through the clouds like celestial graffiti, spraying the heavens with our story.
Our epic escapades blazoned across the skies, for all to see, and none to understand.
And then my message to you from beyond the grave will fade away.
Scorched by the sun, swallowed by the moon.
Evaporating once more as you busy yourself with mortal pursuits.
Consumed by the trivial task of trying to survive, crushing your spirit until it’s as fine and loose as the dust that you will one day become.
But whilst you squander your precious time and health, neglecting all that truly matters,
I shall be watching over you.
Shaking my ghostly head in despair and loving you from afar.
I’ll visit you with the tides, hoping that occasionally you will look up and feel something.
Something that for the briefest of moments you know is me.
My presence, love, and protection,
and the infinite peace and wisdom that only death can bring.
Now and again, you may catch a tiny glimpse of me.
The playful butterfly that flutters around your head, majestic clouds morphing and glowing above you.
Fragrant flowers that bloom as you pass, sweetening your steps,
and the polished pebbles shining on the beach.
I promise I’ll always be with you, my eternal energy buzzing around you,
swarming amongst starlings and playing in the orchestral tempest whistling through the trees and hammering down outside.
Just breathe and be still,
tune in to nature's symphony and you’ll find me,
waiting patiently at the start of our next big adventure.
Hannah Rachael Hudd 
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