Kristen de Kline
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Somewhere in the cut and blow-wave
I have hidden a thread of girlfriends
thrown away mail from Undisclosed Locations
slipped out of the Court House
stolen a vehicle
rammed a cop car
been sectioned at Regional Hospital
burst into flame
While you stand there running your gloved fingers
through my hair
ask about my husband
how long we've been married
don’t you notice I never use a pronoun?
spit out obscenities like a shock jock:
if-people-don’t-want-to-speak-English-they-should-go-back-to-where-they-came-from
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Somewhere in the suburban salon
two silver spoons
one stint at the disorderly house
three admissions to Sunnyside
four grams of speed
have been flushed
out of this narrative
deleted from the backstory
as I listen to my hairdresser’s plans for the weekend
why Fountain Gate is better than Chadstone
her last trip to Kuta
the anti-vaxxer hubby
don’t you just hate those words?
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Somewhere the massage chair is set to vibrate
all my life I have tried to play at being normal
my neck straining over the backwash basin
straight-acting white bread picket fence
staring up at the exposed ceiling beams twisted lights
law abiding John A Citizen
as my hairdresser slags off dole bludgers African gangs vegans lefties
Oh God pour me a drink
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Somewhere in this sequence
the hairdresser sprays MUK
through my crown
splashes fire-engine red
on razored sides
I have broken down
we have come undone
I have burst into flame
(again)
Kristen de Kline writes poetry by night and lectures Criminology by day. Their poetry appears in a range of publications including Backstory, Other Terrain, Pink Cover Zine, Press: 100 Love Letters, Guide to Sydney Crime, MAD Poetry Anthology, Australian Poetry Collaboration, Hermes, Have Your Chill and Project 365+1. Kristen’s debut collection Lawless was published by Girls on Key in 2021.
Old Water Rat Publishing 