Live Encounters Poetry & Writing Volume Three November-December 2024
Aotearoa Poets and Writers Special Edition
Taste, poems by Khadro Mohamed.
Taste:
//
i think my tongue was born here
because i can taste the stillness of the winter
the way it cuts through my skin
i can taste the sunset
the budding of the kowhai
the redness of the wilting roses in
the garden beds of the botanics
the sharp sand of karaka bay that rips my sole’s
wide open & leaves remnants to be washed away
i think
if i ever lost myself
i could taste my way
back
notes from my old self
//
that time you ate so much at iftar that you could hear the fluid in your
stomach move when you stood up. it made this sound, like the ocean.
that time in summer, when you sat on the grass at mcallister park
and the smell of freshly cut grass filled the air & washed away the
stickiness of nostalgia.
that time you thought about swimming in the harbour as the wind
thrashed the waves, but you were too afraid to move from the concrete
sidewalk of oriental parade.
that time you sat at home while mum went shopping and you thought
about packing your bags and starting a new life in a far away land.
that time you looked for a large tree to hide underneath as the
summer rain burst from the clouds. you were somewhere in denmark.
you thought it wasn’t going to rain when you checked your app, but you
forgot to change the location from wellington.
that time you promised to commit your pain, your mundane and
your thoughtless moments into poetry because it was kind of fun
to beautify yourself.
that time you wanted to take scissors and cut your hair off because it
hurt too much when mum braided it. it’s kind of funny to think about
now, in a sad kind of way.
that time you memorised your father’s lineage, the names of your fore-
fathers linked together like a daisy chain, looped around your five year
old neck.
that time you went to egypt and saw spectacular sunsets, day after day.
only to later learn that the bright oranges and deep reds were from
pollution. you still thought they were beautiful anyway.
© Khadro Mohamed
Khadro Mohamed is a writer and poet from Wellington. Her debut poetry collection We’re All Made of Lightning won the 2023 Ockham Award for Best New Book of Poetry. She is passionate about the beach and the colour purple.