Written by Regan Chern
After Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (Act II, Scene II)
Our ships directed to the same harbours,
Our weapons drawn—forever tied.
Witchcraft coaxed out the flesh from our armour,
Sparring stories, sweat drenched, with transfixed eyes.
Inherited hate, though ‘hate’ we would trade,
And had forfeited our two ink-rich pens,
For night, with nimble tips, undid this braid,
When such nibs interlock, we’d come again.
This place, where war ships nourish each other.
And only night gave us time to pair stars,
In day, we’d deny the name ‘lover’.
Unsustained, we’d wade the world as halves.
We gave in to wearing feigned white veils,
To court a bleak world that love had failed.
Author bio:
Regan is a Brisbane/Meanjin-based writer in the final semester of his Bachelor of Fine Arts (Creative Writing) degree. You can find his work published in ScratchThat magazine, encompassing everything from poetry, memoir, fiction, audiobooks, and artworks. He is now a member of ScratchThat’s Editorial Board. He also tutors children from pre-Kindergarten up to Year 12. When he is not working, you will most likely find him with his two cats or hiding behind a mountain of plates from his favourite (and secret) sushi joint.
If you’d like to get into contact with him, please do so through his Instagram page @regancchern. He has also started a book club named the Lemon Lime Readers (@lemonlimereaders), which is currently seeking new members… please…