Thuy On

Interrobang

That eyebrow raise
and then a starter
pistol as you jump

towards me a blur
in force so quick
the alarm clock rattles

beside us and beads
of water drip from
your brow into

my waiting mouth
there is salt and salt
to swallow dry.

Pillow Book

Don’t dilettante
like you have a paper cut
we are a chapter over

in the pages
I want us to spill
crumbs and morning after

coffee as we lie
with buttermilk sun
sneaking between shutters

there is a library
to be collected
of what’s unwritten

let’s start with your spine
I want to read History
then Art

followed by fiction
in your eyes
after which those fingers

can flip all the way through
find the right spot
Bookmark me.

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Thuy On is a freelance literary journalist and critic and the Books Editor of The Big Issue. Her work has been published in a range of publications including: The Age, SMH, The Australian, ArtsHub and Books+Publishing.