Monday 11 November 2019

2 Poems by Amelia Walker

A recipe for teardrops

As a child, I wanted

a recipe for teardrops

because I liked their taste

and how they could wash so much

away

As I grew, I discovered

the recipe lurked in countless places

and had many variations,

each with its own unique tang.

I swallowed so many

they made me sick

like cheap liquor, and yet

in moments I still thirst

for their salt,

the sweetness they throw

in relief


Game

Why is it, the older I grow,

the less certain I feel

of all that I am meant, by now,

to be, and know?

Only one certain thing:

when you touch my arm

like that, and smile, I hope

we are both playing the same game

by the same rules, and even

if it is all make believe, let's stay

beneath these sheets a little longer,

keep dreaming, keep believing

in these shadow shapes

of shifting limbs

and creasing skins


Bionote:

Amelia Walker is a South Australian writer. She has published four poetry collections, most recently Dreamday, and currently lectures at the University of South Australia.

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