ellie hart
5pm on Karangahape in June
the shipyard is bathed in gold
the locals play chess in the cemetery
the sun is an orange slice
wedged between worlds
she drips a half-moon smile
onto a crude amalgamation
of gut-punch familiarity
like seeing your ex on a lime scooter
or a cat on a missing poster
an indelicate reminder
that discomfort exists even
when we ignore the ache
walking single file
cold faces aglow with
dying light
there’s a new memorial today
the third one this year
rest in peace tina turner
god bless us all
Ellie Hart (they/them) is twenty-one, living in Tāmaki Makaurau. One could describe them as a professional giver-upper, or maybe a part-time painter/poet/musician/yearner. They’re pretty new to this writing business.