I only like imaginary
men,
the ones who think
my art is
the most transporting
thing they have ever seen,
and I am exactly as
hilarious as I actually,
actually am.

Even then, even then
not really. Maybe I’d rather
walk off into the dark,
chew the trees, burrow,
make a hat of yellow fireweed
big as a child (that I won’t have).
Perhaps in the end
forget my own name,
which might, actually, be
for the best.

 

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Belinda Rule is a writer of poetry and fiction from Melbourne, Australia. She has been a fellow at Squaw Valley Community of Writers, USA, and a resident at Varuna and Bundanon Trust in Australia. Her work has appeared extensively in journals and anthologies including Meanjin, Australian Book Review, Antipodes, Eureka Street, Westerly, Sleepers Almanac, Cordite Poetry Review, Hecate, Best Australian Poems 2012 and Orbis.