Respond to 2025: Year of the Snake
Year of the Snake
1.
Wishlist
the day after the sun we’ve made
merciless sent the mercury
& everything else sky-high
all my windows & doors open
so a mid-morning breeze might offer
the possibility of better weather
being: no bombs, no drones
no kids with begging bowls
in war zones, no balaclava-clad men
pecs & biceps magnified, thighs
like rocket ships, swastikas
for eye-lids, no need for women
to cower in corners, no weekly
addition to that pitiless statistic
the shadow & shame
of us all
no long-arm rifles
on our streets & beaches
no permission slips
for protests, a voice for the voiceless
no gaps, Country loved
in every way & more; speaking
of, no bludgeoning, meat-hook
hanging on our ancient earth
an endless night for the parrot
who dreams of these things
no artists with gaffer tape
to keep their whiny little
fucking mouths shut –
oh, this ridiculously hopeful/
hopeless gay heart of mine
beating its dumb-dumb drum
2.
Pop Solace
a breeze, yes, on my rippling
skin, caressing me like luck’s
great lover, or it’s a ghost
readying the gear, I sit
close my eyes, lean back &
listen to twigs of the FKA
kind, rising, slithering
electronically from behind
the turntable & speakers: indelible
rebel, you can sing to me about how
it feels nice
for as long as you like, for all
eternity if you please
because I know better than anyone
it feels nice
to be in the company of a gutsy
someone like you who gives so much
to every verse & chorus
bassline, bridge & glitch
it feels nice
to make a melody with you, even
a harmony but I’ll never be
game enough to try
matching your moves, oh no
it feels nice
now to have a memory of a man
sliding in slowly, gently
jettisoning me to heaven (help us
it’s all we might have left)
it feels nice
to still my bag of brittle bones, breath
held for how long who knows
it feels nice
if only for these brief minutes, your sonic
offering from the outer worlds –
essential as air & water
the day after the sun we’ve made
merciless sent the mercury
& everything else sky-high
Nigel Featherstone is a queer writer for the page, stage, and music. His most recent major work is The Story of the Oars, a play with spoken songs and music, which had its world premiere on 19 September 2025 at The Street Theatre, Canberra. Nigel’s novel Bodies of Men (Hachette) was longlisted for the 2020 ARA Historical Novel Prize, runner-up for the 2020 ACT Book of the Year, and shortlisted in the 2019 Queensland Literary Awards. Recently he has been shortlisted for the ACU Prize for Poetry and the Newcastle Poetry Prize. Nigel is also the founder of Hell Herons, a spokenword+music collective that released its debut album, The Wreck Event, in 2024 (with Melinda Smith, Stuart Barnes, and CJ Bowerbird). His short works – prose and poetry – have appeared in Guardian Australia, Sydney Morning Herald, Meanjin, Griffith Review, Overland, Island, Oystercatcher, Rabbit, Kill Your Darlings, The Millions, Chicago Quarterly Review, and AC | DC: Journal for the Bent (US), among other outlets. Nigel lives with Gandangara, Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country.