The Saturday poem: Finally

by Andrew McMillan

'You’ll realise that the beach was not the place where horses tore the sand to ribbon' … from 'Finally'. Photograph: Alamy

Saturday 25 July 2015 The Guardian

a day will come when
woken by the xylophone
of sunthroughblinds
you’ll realise

that the beach was not the place
where horses tore the sand
to ribbon

that the scent of him has lifted
from the last of the sheets
that he isn’t coming back

that it hasn’t rained
but the birds are pretending that it has
so they can sing

• From Physical by Andrew McMillan (Cape, £10).