Published May 1st, 2023
by Valerie
(Brisbane, Queensland, Australia)
i always thought words weren't meant to be sweet
but watching as the snow outside turned into sleet
you said that my charms were impossible to beat
that your thumping heart was forever mine to keep
and if all the world hated me you’d stay by my side,
your affection for me concrete against the roaring tide
a luminescent lighthouse, an anchor in the bay,
you'd always be there for me, lingering in the hallway
i wonder if you'll still be here after the storm;
after the lightning has struck, the canvas torn
to reveal the wooden slats beneath the smooth, still surface:
i wonder if you'll still think me deserving of your courtesy
i wonder if you'll still be there if i'm not splattered;
splattered in alluring, streaky paints of colour,
an impressionist painting, vivid and bright
i wonder if you'll still see something you like
i wonder if you'll still wait in the hall if you see me
when i'm angry, a half-starved lynx on the prowl,
eyes crazed and wide, i speak to provoke,
the words in my mouth emerging as a possessive howl
Biography
Valerie (she/her) is a young poet currently residing in Brisbane.
She loves theatre, Sylvia Plath, and petrichor, and can be found working through War and Peace.
This poem is included in Poetry World #6, published in the Wax Poetry and Art Library.
Previously published in Australia Poetry Magazine:
This is the first poem ever published in Australia Poetry Magazine.
Australia Poetry Magazine is part of the Wax Poetry and Art Network.
- Visit the main Wax Poetry and Art Submissions Page to see all opportunities.
- Visit the Wax Poetry and Art Library.
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