Abstract
Needle Eileen Chong (bio) But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. —Proverbs 5:4 She lifts amber to her lipsand speaks of roses and light.Eyes broken as k aleidoscopes,histor y spliced and repeating— a torrent: pain like a forestsprung from needles tossedfrom a basket. Tangled threadsglisten and vibrate, taut as webs. Listen: we can hear the fiddlers,urgent at their strings. The windwill carry music across the water.The river has worn a hole clean through the stone's heart. Everydrop relentless, hungr y for the sea. [End Page 115] Eileen Chong Eileen Chong has published eight collections of poems, including most recently A Thousand Crimson Blooms (UQP). Her work has been shortlisted for the Anne Elder Award, the Australian Arts in Asia Award, the NSW Premier's Literary Award, the Victorian Premier's Literary Award, and the Prime Minister's Literary Award (twice). She lives in Sydney. Copyright © 2021 Wayne State University Press
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