MARGARET VOS

 

Before and After

 

Before New Zealand
I did not know:
—   that pigs have teeth
—   that abalone has another name
—   that there is a gumboot capital of the world
—   that distance is a cruel deception 

After New Zealand
I know:
—   how to return a stranger’s smile
—   how to wrap my tongue around every syllable
—   how to not be anonymous
—   how to be a foreigner

Electric Silk

 

Cool and soothing
Against
The hot flesh of the city

The electric silk of Hong Kong
Vibrates

In neon red energy
And cobalt blue light

Small and neat seductions
Leading to dim, degraded alleys

The emperor’s fine fabrics devolve
To the shocking voltage of a city
Embroidered with both
Flowers and dragons

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Margaret Vos is a poet.

 

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