A new poem by Tokyo-based poet Brent Kininmont.

‘Nothing to Write a Yarn About’

What are the working parts of a story?
Not this goat you imagine nibbling rocks
on the trail; the kid not alive on the ground
beside her, eyeballing your father.
Then you spy, on the shore below, the same
nine families that crowded the jetty
to go round this headland the two of you
have nearly crossed. The ferry returns
in 50 minutes. Still time for your dip
in that green edge of their blue cove. And for
that fib your father, lying drowsy on
the sand, will tell the couple from Taupō.
They might hike back, and will ask if
an eight-year-old would come to any grief.

The Friday Poem is edited by Chris Tse. Submissions are now being accepted until 30 September 2023. Please send no more than three poems in a Word document to chris@christse.co.nz