Joint Winner of The Letter Review Prize for Poetry
Gather a tonne of oranges
Trucked to Monteverde
Fingers nimble, calloused
Set to work and skinning the fruit
Flesh excused in a heap
Magnifying glasses ready but
Out of visibility from the sun
Inspect each peel for blemishes
Allow for none
Cut the millimeters that are suitable
Perfect in hue
The amphibious shape is scrawny
Legs too thin to sculpt
There is no alternative
With canola oil and palms
Find the give in the orange shell
Until the toad appears again
Sophia Hyland-Wolzak is from Virginia, and lives in Naarm/Melbourne, Australia. She holds degrees in English Literature and Media Theory from the University of Melbourne and the University of Adelaide. She works and volunteers in palliative care.