Highly Commended in the Auckland University Press and Divine Muses emerging poets competition NEW VOICES, 2013

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There was a big moon, hung

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out early above a green

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line of trees, in a purple

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sky, and the houses kept their yellow

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secrets framed in small

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squares.

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You smoked a black

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cigarette and swallowed

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your melancholy like it tasted

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sweet and I set out glasses

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on the old table

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with the same wobble

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that grinded your

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teeth and my

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gears.

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We set out chairs and

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tried to find some

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order in

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our things and our thoughts

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while the blue

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air squeezed a little tighter

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on our chests.

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The big moon showed up

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early and our coloured lights

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framed the windows like

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secrets

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and you felt it too, like this was it,

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this was all there ever would be

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those apocalyptic subtones

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that always precede

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a party.