THE FOLLOWING POEM WAS SELECTED IN WINGWORD POETRY PRIZE 2023 LONGLIST.
Mr. Papier
Is a friend
A lover until the very end
Mr. Papier
Doesn’t mind
If you scribble one day, then conveniently turn blind
That you only come back
When it’s time to unload the sack
Mr. Papier
Is a waiting kind
Patient, mute, still, in a bind
With the writings struck out
And sometimes vigorously erased
Mr. Papier
Is tattered on the edges and visibly frayed
Tiny craters form where your words start
Poking Mr. Papier
Occasionally piercing his heart
Mr. Papier
Lives to be forgotten
And be casually put away
In a messy pile
In a drawer somewhere
Mr. Papier
Hopes to live on
Carrying with him the years long gone
And if one day
There isn’t enough space to write
And if your hands reach for the drawer
To grab a fresh pile
Mr. Papier
Wishes to remind you to turn overleaf
For Mr. Papier
Has two paper hearts that equally bleed