A baby eats a lemon for the first time

Once I sink my teeth in, I have to nurse myself into letting go
I am always overly eager to hold something in my mouth
To own and decide the fate
To grasp and never release
Missing you hasn’t even begun, yet it consumes me
I’m bathing in sour fruits from your garden
Sucking on prayer beads twice a day
Crying like a feverish child
Hunger is so unabashedly human but it vexes me still
I hold hope I can grow from this
Even though I know
I will not

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Kate Aschoff is a queer, Pākehā multimedia artist and writer based in Pōneke. They have a background in theatre, campaigning, and community organising. Kate has poetry in Starling, Turbine | Kapohau, takahē, The Spinoff, and bad apple.