Sarah Jane Justice | The Wise Owl I Cerulean & Gold Edition

the waves beneath the pier

distort my face like broken mirrors

I look for her through splitting shards of fallen time

my eyes aim down;

stretch; squint; search

reach out in seeking spotlights

my sight sinks forward until I find her image

my mind grabs wild through warped wood gaps

where she appears

I see the face I once reflected

I see the girl who proudly wore my name

its letters dressed in childhood scribbles

a written sign of a surer self

an age held tight on a bright round badge

a gift she dropped

and left behind

to lie in camouflage of burst balloons

her face changed with the way she wore her name

today her badge is a piss-up passport

a number used for proof instead of honour

it gifts a crumpled wrist-worn tag

a paper bracelet used until expired

and left behind

to lie in camouflage of burst balloons

Sarah Jane Justice is a multi-disciplinary writer and performer. Her poetry and short fiction have been published by outlets such as The Bombay Review, Capsule Stories, and Eerie River Publishing. As a spoken word artist, she has won numerous awards, including performing at the Sydney Opera House as a national finalist in the 2018 Australian Poetry Slam. She has also been nominated for a Pushcart Prize in short fiction, created an ekphrastic poetry/photography exhibition, and recorded two studio albums of original music.