Poem: Brief Chat Before The Poetry Reading in Palmerston North

I arrived early enough to start reading through my book to choose some poems

and one of the audience members spotted me doing exactly that and called me on it

“Yes”, I said. Just reminding myself of what I have written.” And she said, “I suppose you

are looking around the room, thinking are they National or Labour, you know…”

and I said, “well, it’s a poetr…