This map has no borders
The grid etched,
a pattern scraped,
windblown,
my mind
unsettled
sleep a vague dream
like a hacking
of thoughts redacted,
I am thrown into a loss
I cannot name –
and your face,
the longest of journeys.
Leni Shilton is a poet, teacher and researcher. She grew up in Papua New Guinea and Melbourne and has lived in Alice Springs for over thirty years. She has a PhD in creative writing and is a founding member of Ptilotus Press, a community publishing initiative promoting central Australian writing. Leni’s poetry and essays are published in journals and anthologies in Australia and internationally. She is the author of two books: Walking with camels (UWAP 2018) and Malcolm (UWAP 2019), a story in verse. Leni works as a community development coordinator.