Decay

Photo of an artwork by Shamsia Hassani. Art shows an Afghan woman holding a bunch of dandelions behind her back while a war tank rolls on in front of her. — Art by Shamsia Hassani, an Afghan graffiti artist. Artwork commission for OzAsia festival in Adelaide, 2022

Shelling left and right,
corroded metallic smoke—
my flowers wither.

—

See more of Hassan’s work on her Instagram profile.

I spy

close up photo of a bird sitting on a railing at the Adelaide Botanic Garden, surrounded by trees

Among greenery,
in quiet contemplation,
human-watching bird.

Growing up

Storm clouds gathering,
taking off against the wind—
child leaves parents’ home.

Confidence

Standing on its own,
unabashed by staring eyes,
bald and bold blue gum.

Fighter

close up photo of the first leaf of a sunflower pushing from the earth, with a shoe print on top of it — My housemate accidentally stepped on a patch we’d sowed sunflowers in, and the next morning, the first leaf had emerged

Smothered underfoot,
weight of the earth over it,
sunflower rises.