Things burnt on the 19th day since your death; or, it is 2am and I am watching your funeral on a YouTube live-stream, the room filling up with blue light and your absence.
by Niamh Hollis-Locke
Tonight,
on the wrong side of the world,
I am gathering together all of the things
that you were;
the smell of dog and shoe leather,
a joke which only you laugh at,
and butter on too little bread.
Cake with honey in the afternoon when I get in off the train
from London, grain from your hand for the doves in the
garden and
warm,
living,
alive.
I am building a new body for you
to come home to.
Niamh Hollis-Locke was born in England, but now lives in Pōneke. Her work has been published widely within Aotearoa, as well as in Australia and the UK, and in 2023 she was shortlisted for the Ginkgo Prize Best Poem of the UK Landscape Award. She was the guest-editor of Minarets 14 (Compound Press). In 2025 she was awarded a mentorship by the NZ Society of Authors to work on a children's fantasy novel. Niamh holds a BA in English Literature and History, a BA(Hons) in English Literature, and a Master's in Creative Writing.