Sigil

(for Holly)

A copper pin worn on the chest,
unburnished, nicked, chipped, proud.
Blazoned with the slogan of the best,
on their feet, facing the fight unbowed.
The jagged line that gives you life
through the nonsense and the strife;
a ready mantra that resonates
through the laughter of the Fates.
Invoke this magical incantation
when you feel you might disappear,
there’s nothing left to express –
save yourself with this affirmation:
“Still here. Still here. Still here.”
That’s what your heartbeat says.

(I wrote this for Holly, inspired by a present I gave her, from the recent National Theatre production of Follies — a pin badge with the words ‘Still / Here’ on it.)