Poems by Priya Kahlon
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Wildflowers
Girl shifts in her dress Tugging at the invisible cords around her neck Skin the colour of driftwood and eyes like emeralds in a pool of black Where are you from They always ask Here and everywhere She always says Her mother would wear wild flowers in her hair and run amongst the trees Chasing a storm that never came Searching in the looks of strangers in whose eyes she could not belong Girl was once kissed softly By a boy who smelt of the earth after it rained Whose breath would flow through her Whose touch would help take her pain She tried to find her way within his folds A home in his bones Though it never came As if left abandoned To dry on the seafloor To drench in cold black darkness With only the waves to offer warmth Until all that was left was a girl With unbroken lips and a too wide stare Emerald eyes and driftwood skin Where are you from They would have asked Here and nowhere She would have said Dear Stranger Dear stranger, who blocks out the stars at night Replacing it with the dark That seeps into my bones Creating hollows in my heart So that when I wake I drip salt and ash, leaving puddles on my doorstep Could you please leave one light on? To find my way home So I do not need to stumble Clutching at the moonbeams weakly weaving through the black Just until my eyes have adjusted To the movements of the shadows |
Born and raised in Perth, Priya Kahlon is an Indian Australian poet who was selected to be part of the Indian Ocean mentorship program for emerging writers. Balancing a career in law, Priya's poetry explores the ideas of identity, belonging and the use of language to break free from the structure and expectations of modern society.
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