Garden of Evil – Paige Jenkins

In the lead up to the winners reveal for our 2023 writing contest, Tertangala is showing some of the work submitted by UOW talent. Our first is a poem from Paige Jenkins. Enjoy! 

I tiptoe down the green sea od

fading blues to yellow as

the darkness gives way to

the eerie discolouration

on an aging arm

making rings around the 

make-belief garden in your

palm I fall into the 

funnelled web

of your clenched fist

as you squeeze and squeeze

a stressball my eyes

pop and pop and pop

with every day

I did not stop to smellthe daises

and I never wanted to wake up

to the roses

but I bathe in my crimson 

with the IV of thorns

Regardless of the salt washing in

mixing and folding me un two three four

million pieces

Pieces of mirror fragments held up to your

eyes and you did notlike what you saw.

You did not see me and my pain.

You saw yourself.

You only saw the stains

I made on your skin.

The mess simply would not do.

What would the neighbours think?

As if they mattered more than the

broken porcelain ragdoll whose hand you held 

as you tiptoed down the stairs

to listen to conversations not meant for your

ears. 

I hate that I do the same.

I hate that I pick up your pieces,

patching them with stitches I pulled from my own

surface, sewing lenses to my eyes and

melting ice to my heart

so I won’t see my wounds bleed

and I won’t feel the betrayal you placed on my neck

A gold medallist you said.

I’m so proud of my good little girl.

My easy child.

Well done.

You’re perfect.

Just.

Perfect.