Instruments

Instruments

Mattea Gernentz

I passed the ivied church and
smiled at a woman in the street.
God, forgive me, for
all I’ve tasted and seen. Even then,
I glided through dewdrops on clover,
early leaves pressed beneath my feet.
Children tumbled there, unharmed
on the autumn hillside, blue sky above.

God, forgive me.

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Mattea Gernentz
Poet & Curator

Drawing inspiration from life in Scotland and France, Mattea writes on themes of beauty, memory, and faith, and she has been featured in Solum Press, The Pub, and Little Living Room, in addition to exhibitions and anthologies. Mattea was selected as a 2022 Next Generation Young Makar by the Scottish Poetry Library and acted as Writer-in-Residence at the Château de la Haute Borde in 2023. She is also a curator and researcher at BirdsNest Gallery.

Photography by Annie Spratt