Browsing Tag

#vicpickup

Poetry

My New fridge

is taller than my head
wider than my wingspan
bigger inside than out.
 
You could keep a corpse inside
(once you’d cut it in half
and frozen the legs.)
 
My new fridge/freezer
was a rocket in its former life.
Smooth, sleek, white
various logos emblazoned
on its aerodynamic sheen.
 
Brace yourself and wear weighted boots
before you click open the door –
in tinted visor and factor 50, be prepared
for arctic blast and halogen glare
to bleach your earthly senses.
 
With gloved hand
enjoy the smooth, seductive glide
of durable plastic, translucent shelves
laboratory clean
 
no carrot top fronds
or congealed yoghurt crumble –
everything is
exactly where it should be.
 
If I move the wine rack up
and hold my breath
I can just about fit in
 
and close the door.                                                                                        

Photo by Trifon Yurukov on Unsplash
Poetry

What it meant for the girls

The women stopped wearing make-up.
They didn’t bother with the office clobber,
heels pushed to the back of the rack as
flipflops and crocs came to light.
 
They became flat-footed, slow treading feet
spreading against the laminate, the stone,
the grass. Some days they didn’t brush their hair,
roots reaching up from within, dark and natural.
 
They immersed themselves in old crafts;
crochet, knitting, watercolour – leaving the phone
to vibrate in another room. They began to read,
knead, blanch, blend, stir, separate and taste.
 
They planted seeds and couldn’t believe their eyes
when a seedling broke the earth. Taking delight
as they watched wild birds peck, take flight,
a fresh green tendril in an orange beak.
 
They stood outside in the world and listened
for what seemed like
the first time.