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Patricia Prime

Unfamiliar World

old photographs—
floating in pale green light
a sea urchin

If I could choose, it would be the summer we holidayed in Cornwall. We travelled there on our motorbike and stayed in a small cottage. Every day we went down to the beach, sand in our shoes. We laughed as we swam in the warm water, shoes deserted. I remember the taste of salt and your touch. The light off the sea overwhelmed us as your toes nudged me. Your voice was strange above the noise of waves.

I don’t know how to let you go into the past. I can still feel the beat of your heart, the warmth of your hand, see the crescent moons on your fingernails, a tiny freckle on your neck.

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About the Author

Patricia Prime is co-editor of the NZ haiku journal Kokako. She is the articles editor for contemporary haibun online and also a reviewer for Atlas Poetica, Takahe, and other journals.