Ventured too close

By Natalia

Covered in blood and nostalgia
and the many types of anger they felt
Explosions, red, orange, and pink
tinted with regret and justified,
at least to them, revenge.
They hit me at the back of my throat,
and bile rose up to greet their fist.

I should have shielded my eyes
from the sun a millennia ago.

Iron and acid
form a river down my face,
creating a puddle on the concrete floor,
disintegrating the 6th floor, 5th floor
and finally the both of us.

This poem was written by one of our 2025 Year of Poetry students, as part of our special “Poetry Pairings” stall at the University of Sydney Community Festival on November 8. Visitors to the stall tasted non-alcoholic drinks of various descriptions, and paired them with excerpts from these delicious poems!