The Friday Poem: gooseflesh, by Antonia Smith
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A new poem by poet and student Antonia Smith.
gooseflesh
today the clouds drift
like torn fish
flesh
submerged whale shift
if not cloud it is sky
if it’s not either, it’s
night
if it’s not night
it’s a distant ceiling
or a housing development
it’s an unfamiliar sound
take your pick
if I wasn’t here
I’d just be somewhere else-
if the street sign says Clark
it’s a street sign
if it says Clark
it’s a sign
if it’s a sign-
leave him,
fuck him,
buy a house on the end of the street
strip your bed
of sheets you are
clean, unclean
if you wash your bed clothes
you better scrub your skin as well
seal up the cracks,
if the room is breathing you are
unclean
if he looks like a man he is
a person if he is a person
meet his eyes
if you imagined it all
you are clearly unwell
if the air is thick it is
filled with something
The Friday Poem is edited by Chris Tse. Submissions are currently closed and will open again soon.
Antonia Smith
Antonia Smith is a student of law and history at Te Herenga Waka. Her work has been featured in Landfall, Takahē and Right Hand Pointing.
