in your mouth my
name
is a jawbreaker. a hard candy
lacking
the sweetness you’re used to.
you gnaw it
cracks fragment the surface, a
shard breaks off, cutting your
gums, leaving a
sour taste.
you spit it out in
disgust. i’m supposed to be
thankful
you tried it at all.
About the author
Alexander Te Pohe is a Māori writer. They mostly write YA fiction and angsty poetry and almost always have a book/poem/article/essay brewing. They founded Ruru Reads, a website dedicated to publishing work by People of Colour and Indigenous people. You can find them on Twitter.