Janis Freegard

The poems in Janis Freegard’s new collection take their starting point from the poet’s daily ritual of reading the tea leaves while writing in the Ema Saikō room in the Wairarapa. This leads to unexpected discoveries about the world around her, from spider visitors to the writing room and a papyrus-fine gecko skin in the nearby wildlife sanctuary, to news...

"I am two people now. I have split. One of us will be seeing Caroline's fiancé later this evening. The other is smiling politely. He is a square of dark chocolate, my morning espresso, a Kahlua cocktail on a Friday night. He is muscle, sinew, heart, blood. Pump and beat and flow. He makes me spin." When the porcelain dolls...