Rolling the grime between my fingers
It struck a cord
When you told me to wash my hands
And kneel on the gravel outside dads shed
I didn’t mind though
The air was sweet lemon tree perfume
As Nonno ate them like apples
And spat the seeds
Before pain existed
Pastime spent rubbing up on barb wire
So that tufts of hair would collect
And decorate the backyard where my brother used to play
Sen Vanderzalm they/them @Vanderversi Sen is a young queer person who has lived in Naarm Melbourne for the last 4 years whilst studying a double degree in art history / curation and media theory. Their poetry practice has been long standing but emerged publicly over the last year through a series of performances, independent publications and local exhibitions. They have also embarked on producing their own series of poetry reading events in collaboration with Phoebe Greaves. Their writing is personal and at times 42 scathing, but ultimately serves as an abstracted observation of Sen’s personal experiences and the worlds they create.