Poem: Of Those Things

Of Those Things

Of those things I’ve tried to find,

may I let them go entirely.

I searched for fame and influence.

How goofy.

May I only search for the little licks

the whitewash gives

when it starts its descent from sand.

The politics – it revved in me.

May that keep to being idle.

May my gaze be on the feathered wings,

for they only lift the present up.

They must leave the lump behind.

I’ve wanted to be wanted

by all the girls in the room.

I’ve had my grand designs.

May they keep to toppling down

so I see the show completely.

I’ve waited for fate in the form of career.

May I only wait

for the quiet breeze

at the end of a climb

at the edge of a town

that puts dust on my boots

and peace in my pockets.

Peach is a well-known performance poet living in Adelaide, who has also performed around Australia, in New Zealand, the U.S. and U.K. He founded Adelaide’s Tatenda Open-mic Poetry event and has published three books of poetry in When We Were Young, A Book of Prayers, and Forever Again. More of Peach and his work, can be found here.

Readers’ original and unpublished poems of up to 40 lines can be emailed, with postal address, to [email protected]. Submissions should be in the body of the email, not as attachments. A poetry book will be awarded to each accepted contributor.