boy becomes venus

by Tony Norris

I was born         foaming
          at the crux of  
where salt   meets   water
two things your diet needs
but cannot have together
and I the deity of every motivation on earth
       cannot be divined
without being dissected
    not even in my birth
 
but I was born    longing
before you
spent my life
being chased
being made un
til I became
pearl-like which is to say
girl-like which is to say
weary eyed from being
lapped at but rarely swallowed
 and all this time
I knew I was ancient
but forgot I was also  hallowed
 
it is true, what the Greeks think
there is terror in the beautiful
there is beauty in the terrible
 
when you first saw me I saw you
tremble
 
     I was  cradled in a clam shell
 
naked
arm on breast
hand on _____
 
this became my symbol
not for pleasure, not for modesty
but to be born     knowing
what it is like
to hold
            and to be held

Tony (he/him) is a Meanjin/Brisbane-based performance poet. He has been a state finalist for the National Slam Championship and has hosted Rainbow Open Mic Nights with Gold Coast Libraries. Tony started out at Ruckus Youth and Voices of Colour and has been a featured poet at numerous creative events across Brisbane.