Callum Stembridge was born in Auckland & grew up in a number of its suburbs. He worked in the Theatre in Auckland, Wellington & in various tours around New Zealand before moving his life to Paris in 2004, and later East London. He returned to Auckland in late 2007, where he lives in Herne Bay
3 Seconds
They Hug
Not a fleeting embrace
Not a pat on the back
Not a casual greeting
But A Long Warm Hold
Hands wrapped around shoulders
Heads rested together
Eyes closed in a smile
There's history there
There's memory shared
There's things the world can't know
For three long seconds
They stand here holding
They know who they are
Boiling & Cleansing
I'm doing the dishes
at 11.45
staring down
at another
midnight
attempting to be
silent
You were arguing
with Pete
again
and now things
down
there are
quiet
So I gingerly
tackle
the boiling water
and scrape
disease
away
and all this
desperate
silence
is killed
by a hot knife
scorching my hands
clattering
down
How long can I lie like this?
OVER
The Girl in the seat across the aisle
Stares at the photo She's used as a book
mark
and stares
Asymmetric ravens hair shielding her dark eyes from
the world
and stares
Her mouth open a tiny sliver her lower lip quivers as she draws
sharp breath
and stares
as our transport shudders her body to the top of the hill while the new sun is rising
and climbing
stares
and stares
Stares hard at the photo of A Man smiling in red swanndri
by a shed
door
and stares
a long road north more
then puts Him sideways
on her chapters page
and closes the book
