Live Encounters Poetry & Writing 16th Anniversary Volume Seven
November- December 2025
Texting, poem by Alexandra Balm.
Texting
The time, your time, will come
(even before the parousia
when daffodils
recover their fragrance
and kindness is its own reward).
Meanwhile, the cat’s
been sleeping on my legs,
and little is right in the world
But you are home at last –
I imagine you breathing through the walls,
and I pray that your presence gives you joy.
And that the cat befriends you too.
Try treats and chin rubs
(if she’s amenable to that)
while sunning herself
beside the potted daffodils
on sunny days
whose kindness
can’t be questioned.
© Alexandra Balm
Alexandra writes poems and short stories. She received several awards and fellowships, including the Kate Edger Postdoctoral Award from the University of Auckland (2016). Her work was published in Aotearoa New Zealand and overseas. Her latest projects include translating her poetry volume Transformation (Scripta Manent, 2023) into Romanian and completing her novel in progress, A Secret History of the Metamodern. She lives in South Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand, where she teaches at a local high school.