Inklings

by Angela Arnold

They may even have names,
amongst themselves, the people
peopling our dreams.
Could have things to discuss,
when our backs are turned
into the legitimate light of day.
While we type and shop
and Zoom, in parallel
to their insubstantial
doings, or not doings.
Could be holding their own
council meetings, for all we know.
Aliens of the imagination.
Ancestral ghosts.
First inklings of a beyond.
Breeding grounds for angelic visions.
They coax us toward flight
and hold our hands as we jump
from one reality to another
just before sleep, just as we half-
remember them, our doubles
and strangely mutant selves and
friends long lost shining again
in this place witched-different
and yet so much itself:
no worn-out sameness there –
just life as fluid, seeping itself
into every possibility.

Angela Arnold is a poet and artist. Her poems have appeared widely in print magazines, anthologies and online, both in the UK and elsewhere. Collections: In|Between (Stairwell Books, 2023) and Soul Places forthcoming with TPL. Pamphlet Otherdays (Alien Buddha Press, 2026). She lives in Wales. Angela’s social media handles on X: @AngelaArnold777 and Bluesky: angelaarnold777.bsky.social.