The Friday Poem: ‘Keanu is afraid’ by Jane Arthur
New verse by Wellington writer Jane Arthur, who pocketed $5000 last week as winner of the 2018 Sarah Broom Poetry Prize.
Keanu is afraid
I am afraid of the dark. But I mean that in a real
philosophical way. – Keanu Reeves
Keanu must seek out the light.
The dark makes him feel so afraid:
it’s crammed with things concealed from sight.
His eyes are seeking out the light.
He finds small comfort in the shade –
the light that’s forced itself through night.
He desperately seeks out the light.
This dark makes him feel so afraid.
Jane Arthur, 2018
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Jane Arthur
Jane Arthur is a poet who lives in Pōneke, where she co-owns a small independent bookshop. Her first poetry collection, Craven (VUP, 2019), won the Jessie Mackay Prize for Best First Book of poetry in 2020.
