Tuesday Poem - Strangers by Laurice Gilbert

Strangers

Inge said

I have no family

Aah! we said,

how wonderful

No, she said

think about it

If I never send another Christmas card

no-one will complain

and I have no obligation ever

to write another letter

Sounds delicious we said

how can we achieve this?

No, think about it she said

I travel the world alone

Yes? we said

so far so good

And no-one to inform if my plane should crash

or I should get lost at sea

or I should have a heart attack

in a cheap hotel of my own choosing

Sounds liberating we said

how free you are

No, she said

I noticed this acerbic, and charming, poem when it was published in Bravado after being awarded

second prize in their competition. It's like a paper cut, you feel a little sting and then suddenly you

are gushing blood. It's a little bit of perfect. I love the judicious use of punctuation, especially the

final lack of it. It makes the poem zoom out.

Laurice Gilbert lives in Wellington and is the President of the NZ Poetry Society.