Monday Morning

then
we’re driving the ford cortina
352 kilometres 
from the chook coop
the dew drops
red boots
mamas eyes all
milky lenses 
and strain

forget the eggs
forget the warmth glow of early morning
forget the breeze that doesn't bite

we buy half a dozen eggs 
for a compliment and 20c
from the man across the road
and
they're cold to the touch

we were unburying 
straight out the chook
warm eggs
dew drops settled on
red rubber boots
and mama’s got the kitchen window
wide open for the 
“fresh air” 
chill bumps
run like 
mole hills up her arms
there's a determination
in her 
monday morning eyes

Sara Al-Bahar (she/her) is a third year student from the Waikato. Her work featured in Mayhem Literary Journal and in Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024. She clutches onto the dream of a peaceful world and a quiet home overlooking a large body of water.