Guest poet: Robbie Coburn

"...into the frozen and exiled night..."

Photo by Matt Palmer on Unsplash

Roan Foal

I woke early and made a path 
through the paddock —
it was already too late.
the roan foal lay on the eroded earth 
of the dry creek, its eyes open 
and filmed over,
legs splayed as if crucified.
I wondered if it had a name 
or if I should give it one.
there was no mother to nurse it
before moving away,
so I rolled it over and folded its legs 
to make it look like it was sleeping. 
I didn’t scream so as not to wake it,
turning away and climbing 
out of the creek,
followed by its ghost.


Shark in Constant Motion

If it must be named, call it
the mutilation of the mind
in an attempt to shut off
the heart. 

the formula didn’t work,
the bones only shifting
and propping up the skin,

the eyes and mouth
closed and immovable.

after dislodging and burying
the teeth,
to no longer smile or connect
to anyone,

I had sliced off a small piece
of the brain
and carefully placed it
inside a wooden box, 

so I could hold onto all the years
I had thought of you
and dreamed of you,

remember the shameful learning 
as I began walking aimlessly
into the frozen and exiled night,

like the shark
who cannot ever stop swimming,
so as not to drown;

stumbling on, exhausted,
carrying the unendurable past
and forcing each step forward,
until the journey, and my body,
ends.

you will see the things
I have left behind.

there is my blood I have collected
and the bottles I have broken —

the shards of glass
I have arranged on the table
as makeshift knives,

and the handful of grass
I pulled from the earth as a child,

when I poured you into my throat 
and discovered my body
was empty.

Robbie Coburn is a poet based in Melbourne. His verse novel, The Foal in the Wire, will be published by Hachette Australia in 2025, and his most recent poetry collection, Ghost Poetry, was released by Upswell Publishing earlier this year. His website is robbiecoburn.com.