Category: Past issues

1 | 2 The Terrace On The Terrace there are no crosses holding roses outside the Colonial Café where office girls talk of dry cleaning and the boss’s hands after his regular with the Minister, their cigarette butts clean in the drains downhill to The Reserve Bank and The Treasury…

1 | 2 SSRI withdrawal For Rebecca I wasn’t depressed eh – just a little anxious, couldn’t sleep. DOCTOR said I can ease off now, SLOWLY. So last night I was a seven-year-old Jedi child being chased by Darth Vader in an old brown Suzuki Swift. The night before, a…

A landscape of shining leaves All the way from the airport the autumn sun touches leaves. They are the dominant feature.   One leaf, one tree. Then they are everywhere. Little blazing shields, little stalwart soldiers. Morals that are so pure they blaze the sunlight back into the air  …

Salt I am a well-nourished New Zealand woman who is thoroughly immersed in waves. Infinite numbers of waves come and go   turn shine like sardines headed for the coast. I float motionless limbs extended in sapphire water like some sort of strange echinoderm.   I hold my breath my…

untitled   Against the wall but not forgotten my ukulele in the black cloth bag. I touch the strings and make a wish – play me some nyabinghi, for you I’ll free a frangipani to sing the air, adorn your ear.       Contents | About this Author

1 | 2 | 3 Henk It takes thirty five minutes to drive home, from his good job as an accountant at the hospital. He sings along to the radio ‘Hey der … girl … der street … fancy free …’  Taps the steering wheel. Remembers their wedding, her shoes…

1 | 2 | 3 In the beginning   Elsa wears a psychedelic bikini, gardening gloves and purple mules. She leans forward digging. Eyelashes, thick caterpillars below wide stripes of blue eye shadow. A strand of dark hair escapes a neat beehive. She stops and draws on a cigarette; stares…

1 | 2 | 3 Party Preparation Elsa pours salt into glass bowls brushes peanuts from her fingers   pale planets await the landing of glasses   speculaas, zootdropjes, hopjes sweet cinnamon wheels, licorice drops, creamy hard toffee   pottery-cram on window sills and sideboards delft clogs set on heavy…

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 The Talk   In the dim hallway his head is full of psalms. When he imagines it, the organ shushes in his skull, but when he plays it, the dark church shudders, his own mute sins bellowed to the crowd. He is gathering…

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 Our sister’s advice on unrequited love   You will come to a place where you tuck a pink hibiscus behind your ear. Just for the walk home, and carrying all those groceries.         Contents | About this Author