delaying tactics

in one sentence
how do you get a book deal?

if you removed as many responsibilities as possible
what kind of things would you write?

when people ask what’s your favourite movie
what criteria do you use to narrow it down to just one?

on a scale of one to ten
how productive are you during episodes of insomnia?

how many times would you say
you need to test pool water?

how far into summer is too late
to start reading your holiday novel?

would you rather only be able to invite strangers
to dinner parties for the rest of your life

or have to listen to radio segments about protein
for an hour every day?

how can you get a very expensive ring back from a sibling
when you gave it to them as a gift?

after a chain of terrible dates
what happens to your breathing?

let’s say you’re curious
what’s the ideal age to try stripping?

what options are there
for an elaborate wax job?

Louise Wallace

Louise Wallace is the author of three collections of poetry published by Te Herenga Waka University Press, with her next book forthcoming in May 2023. She lives in Ōtepoti | Dunedin with her husband and their young son, and she is the founder and editor of Starling.