subtle knife

Hebe Kearney, New Zealand

nothing is unchanged
by the coming of night;
in small ways each thing forged anew.

irreverent winds howl empty messages
& I have forgotten more & larger things
than our bridge under the rose-bloomed sky,
our whitestone paths through the valley.

it is not easy. so many things so far
from your razor profile in my dreams,
—turned years ago and turning still—
press at my crossroad lips.

the wasteland of space outside you
is a void resting
& this damp night only its echo.

but a bright day
under a bright ugly star
will rise here

& we will be left only unfurling hours
& each liminality we grasped, so wanting
to let go.

Hebe Kearney (they/them) is a poet who lives in Tāmaki Makaurau. Their work has appeared in several publications, including: Mayhem, Starling, takahē, and the Poetry New Zealand Yearbook.