Taryn Frazier
Pursuit
A miracle: we five are all alive
And clean and timely on our way to church.
The kids complain about the boring drive
Until, with moan and shriek and lurch,
A laden hearse pulls up in back of us,
A silver bullet aimed our way. Of course
The middle child becomes hilarious
And claims that he can see the corpse.
His anxious sister hunches up her shoulders
And sinks down grimacing and unamused.
The other spits the venom of an older’s
Disdain. The youngest sits confused
And wide-eyed, vague on terms like grief and death.
For half a mile he asks the whys of five
Years old. I grip the wheel, then take a breath
And reassuring tack. I dive
Into some stiff and sterile explanation
And let our teeming van accelerate
Until we reach our final destination.
No one wants, I say, to be late.
The objects hovering in any mirror,
Like all my children’s puzzled, cut-flower faces,
Are closer than they appear, or
Why else run these mortal races?
Incisive
Something was lost. Quite accidental.
At five, he is not sentimental.
Toys go astray, so why not this?
All beings are deciduous.
Something was found: a gap between
Two things, a gum I hadn’t seen
Since nursing days. Back then, milk-stone
Cut fresh pink flesh, bone of my bone.
Something was lost. He doesn’t mourn,
So why grieve firsts of my last-born?
Face sharp, white truth: growth isn’t gentle.
These bodies are not sentimental.
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| Avila Gray is a self-taught illustrator, specialising in fine ink pen and watercolour paintings. Avi is based in Sydney, Australia, where she operates a stationery business called Erlenmeyer, selling art prints, greeting cards, playing cards, stickers and colouring books. Erlenmeyer is also the name of Avi's storytelling animal kingdom; a futuristic utopia where sentient creatures live in harmony across 12 cities on Earth. All of the compositions from her illustrative range depict snapshots from this story; her body of work shows the animal characters that colour the Erlenmeyer world, as well as their culture, values and how they live. Avi has been selling her illustrations and products since 2014 and became a resident at Australia’s iconic Rocks Market for many years, developing a loyal customer base and social media following. After several years of trade shows in Sydney and London, her designs can now be found in more than 80 shops worldwide. Many of Avi's designs are licensed by the international greeting card company, Moonpig.
For additional information, please visit www.erlenmeyer.com.au.
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