selfsame by Rae White
after Arrival by Luke Roberts
cloud-licked sky hastens
our assured arrival.
our movements synchronise
all the way from clay climb
to precipice: sharp rocks
slicing palms symmetrical,
heart flutters mirrored
staccato, sibling solidarity
as we stumble over
cliff’s slipshod brow.
who are we to ask for
acceptance in this place?
under saucer brims,
twin trickles of forehead
perspiration muddy
our vision,
as we overlook
selfsame skyline
and share one
deep out-breath.
then dawn
in all her glory
breathes us in.
Image: Luke ROBERTS Arrival 2008, giclée print. QUT Art Collection. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Luke Roberts, 2024.