To Be

-David Cox

I want to be a stone

Pretty, smooth, hard to break

If I were a bird 

I’d find the highest tree

And fly above any problem

I long for a mouth

Meant only for food

And not for arguing for a better world


What use is capitalism to wolves?

They already know how to kill the sick and poor

How can the grass feel anything

But the existence of itself?

The only weight it bares

Is a footstep that comes and goes

And then the grass grows back


When the world ends

The tides will still devour the shoreline

If only I could have a fraction 

Of their endurance

Life would be smooth like sea glass

Fine as a worn bush track

And beautiful as a bright blue sky

a hand-drawn artwork by Juliet Phraser. Image is drawn in tones of yellows, oranges, blues and reds. At the foreground are a pair of eyes—surrounded by intertwined legs, shells, computer keys, and lobster claws. There is a feeling of entanglement and slight chaos.
Illustrated by Juliet Phraser, 2024

David Cox is a neurodivergent poet, photographer, and educator living on Whadjuk Noongar Country. He is a spoken word poet who has performed on stages in Australia and the USA, and has been a WA finalist in the Australian Poetry Slam three times. His passion is teaching people how the Australian political system works.

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