ISSUE TWO: July, 2019

MASS & MOMENTUM

by SHONA HAWKES

until taught otherwise human instinct is to count
in exponentials: 1, 3, 9…
to see the world propelled by mass and momentum

so why do we tell ourselves
that the distance between 1 and 2
is no greater than 98 and 99?

I watch her crumble piece by piece
like an ocean wall

the distance between 1 and 2
everything I want to say
but can’t

I stand outside a hospital ward
with its thick metal door
holding my keys and my wallet and my cigarettes
wondering what can be salvaged
how much is enough
— a critical mass.

SHONA lives in Meanjin (Brisbane, Australia). Her poetry has appeared in Cordite and SideWALK and she was a finalist in the 2018 Bruce Dawe National Poetry Prize. She is also a radio-maker and podcaster.