BEST OF ISSUE
Olivia De Lesantis: “Monarch”
orange
i am folding origami from my lips:
tangerine hummingbirds
made of i’ve been great and
i’ve been very busy and
everything is fine and
thank you
i’m photosynthesising
before the copper oxidises
and i’m crusted in bluish faith
that you’ll pick up the phone and text
so i can scrub the paper mush
off my tongue and the rust
of trying to burnish
my womanhood into pretty
papier mache lanterns
whose sepulchres
you will flit into like a corner store.
i am dropping origami from my lips
into the orange
crucible of autumn.
black
i emerge
and my july pilgrimage begins —
i dive from the moon
into starry indigo waters
where the grime on my skin
and my hair sizzles into
smooth nothing
and this is my witching hour
where the water leavens me
into a queen regent of the river
and i am delving, swishing
and darting through silk fronds
and the taste of sorrel and bitter,
of riverbed and winter roots,
melts sweet in my mouth
and i am moon drunk
and my back arcs like a black cat
announcing my arrival
white
in solidarity with galatea
i am shattering the porcelain pedestal
inside this catacomb
and theirs
where i am meant to be crouched
over my paper birds
whispering my sweet sorries.
gentle is power
but gentle is not quiet.
flight
so the hummingbirds are reborn
because the catacombs cannot hold
the magic
of a newly crowned monarch
streaking the air
in a cloud of orange black and white
and moving in rings of hypnosis
and a spectacle and unabashed
and then i tell you
how sweet it is to be a woman
THEME AWARD
Lisa Shen: “A Girl’s Favourite Colour”
When I was a kid, I was told a girl's favourite colour is
pink.
Cherry blossom skirt. Ballerina shoes. A kiss and a curtsy. But the
truth is a girl's favourite colour is
red.
Poppies on the lips. Hot coals in the stomach. Bleed the rivers
scarlet. Strike a match on our cheekbone, set the sky on fire ―
forget that, a girl's favourite colour is
orange.
Soft, like the sunset. Firefly caught in the palm. Marmalade toast.
Melted butter tongue. Just a hint of zest and peel ― actually, a
girl's favourite colour is
blue.
Bruises on the knuckles. Fist swelled shut, still hitting out of turn –
here's the thing, a girl's favourite colour is
yellow.
Bikini strap. Summer sun. All of us sprawling out on our porches ― nevermind, a girl's favourite colour is
black.
Eyeliner sharpened to kill. Leather gloves and platforms. The night
we take back from them ―
you know what?
A girl's favourite colour is pink after all.
Bubble gum pop. Strawberry blush. Basket of roses. Mini skirt.
Hair tied in a bow all cute and pretty ―
you want to know the truth?
A girl's favourite colour is the one she laughs in. It's her best
friend's lipstick. Her mother’s curls. A girl's favourite colour is
every dream she’s ever had:
Doctor. Lawyer. Engineer.
Mother.
Astronaut. President.
Model.
Paint the room whatever shade you want ― because here,
I'll tell you the secret at last:
a girl's favourite colour is
whatever she wants it to be.
ERA 