by Rae White
my white wing stretched over
your shoulder, my arm wreathed
around your waist. beneath
earth isn’t the place for creatures
like us. but your trees
are sunburned and my sky is red
with rain, so our new home
is smaller and darker than before.
camp stove kettle is chirping
and tea bags sit waiting
in cups. our new home is busier
than before. footsteps like falling
hail. still, tea brewing is lighter
work with all these hands, claws
and teeth. and despite the grief
of seasons, your knee still rests
against mine, and my wingtip
can still skim tears
from your cheeks.
Rae White is a queer non-binary transgender writer, and author of poetry collections Milk Teeth (UQP 2018) and Exactly As I Am (UQP 2022). Rae was awarded the Thomas Shapcott Poetry Prize in 2017 and has been shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, Queensland Literary Awards, and Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards. Their debut picture book All the Colours of the Rainbow, with illustrations by Sha’an d’Anthes, will be published by Lothian/Hachette in January 2025. Rae is the Creative Director and Founder of community poetry initiative Uplift Poetry, and Founding Editor of #EnbyLife, a journal for non-binary and gender diverse creatives.
Long Trek Press 
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