Kelly Pilgrim-Byrne

Kelly lives in Perth, Western Australia. She has a BA Arts and a Postgraduate Diploma (Creative Writing) from Curtin University. Her poetry has been published in print and online journals. Her first collection of poetry, People from bones (with co-author, Bron Bateman) was released in the UK and Australia in June 2002 (Ragged Raven Press, UK.)  Her poem, “Venus of Willendorf” was selected for the anthology, The Best Australian Poetry 2009.  

 

 

 

 

Evolution Fail


A mule is the hybrid

result of the doomed pairing
of a male donkey and female horse.

The challenge for every mule
is to live a life with an uneven
amount of chromosomes.

Knowing beyond anything else
their legacy to this world
will never be borne of them,
but that their parents were revolutionaries.

 

Dance of the Seahorses


The parade has begun

his belly plump to exploding
water steed prickles
and prances before his maiden.

She takes his tail in hers, curls tight,
hangs on as they stretch
necks long and supple,
rising together in a rush of love-sick blood

to the idle surface.
Ever so deftly, he opens his pouch,
she delivers, releases and is gone.
 

Perspective

 

At a distance the photo
appears like a parachute of red and yellow,
laid upon the ground with dancers, long and lean,
limbs quivering on the centre podium.

A closer inspection reveals stamens and pistols
and pollen thrumming in the breeze, keeping time.