Before I found the matchbox
filled with exes and ohs
which fluttered to the floor
like blown love when open
to be caught one by one
or picked from the fluff deliberate
as your intent and accurate
as your aim, I was kept awake by palpitations
the expectant glow of porch light
tricky as the squeak
of a wind-pushed gate.
‘Hinged’ is published with permission. I first met Saradha about twenty years ago when she stayed with our family in Golden Bay. She was a talented and interesting young person then and now she is the author of two collections of poetry. A young poet who deserves to be noticed… of her first collection Wit of the staircase (Steele Roberts 2009), Hamesh Wyatt (Otago Daily Times) said “…highly articulate…Her focus is razor sharp.” Doris Malech, University of Iowa, said “The quiet lyricism of Koirala’s poems adapts to a range of materials…eschewing verbal fireworks, melodrama and unnecessary commentary.”
“A baby grows from a poppy seed, a lizard is chased into dust. Remembering grandparents,dreaming of houses,contemplating nature and the nature of contemplation…This is the stuff of Tear water tea,” ( Steele Roberts 2013)
Saradha Koirala lives, writes and works in Wellington and is of Nepali and Pakeha descent. She has a Masters in Creative Writing from Victoria University’s International Institute of Modern Letters and her poetry has been published in The Listener, broadsheet NZ, Hue & Cry, Turbine, Sport and Lumiere Reader. She has taught English at secondary schools since 2005, but still can’t believe her luck in having a job where she can speak in and about metaphors all day.
After a very successful Wellington launch last week,Tear Water Tears will, this week, be launched in Nelson. Saradha and publisher Steele Roberts issue a warm invitation to any who would like to be there.
Place: Nelson Provincial Museum, cnr Trafalgar and Hardy Streets, Nelson.
Time: Between 5.30 and 7.30pm, this Friday 30th August.
To read an excellent interview with Saradha by Tim Jones please go here
And now please return to Tuesday Poem where this week’s editor is Kathleen Jones, with a poem by Ali Alizadeh.
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