BILL NELSON

 

The greenhouse

 

Back then we lived
on the tang of tomatoes

and jalapeños, leafy companion
herbs. Back then it was still a subject

in fourth form geography, volcanoes
and megacities, Mesoamerica,

lessons on inorganic
chemistry. Back then

there was nothing to be angry about
but we were anyway

and didn’t realise how heated
it had become, the windows

jammed, the glass
unbreakable from the inside.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bill Nelson lives in Wellington and studied at the IIML where he was awarded the Biggs Family Prize in poetry. His first book of poetry, Memorandum of Understanding, was published in 2016.

 

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