In this episode of Australian Book Review's States of Poetry podcast, Toby Fitch reads his poem 'Diva Maintenance' which features in the 2016 New South Wales anthology.

Diva Maintenance

her temper tanty's sus but your mites say sassy
's entering the pleather dome lookin'
poised w/ noose & savvy much obliged to
glorify her cunning firm & tout
its nous for oblivion

where the pert velvet diva never lets you rest
your glass head in which infinite
pools rotating w/ lust
voice toots from the comments field
dissing your angel

figuring abject horror & austerity
measures your crotch slave reared as an infant's souvenir
you stick a bandaid over & own to pervert the
curse of just eyes commerce purrs w/
amour whenever you feign amen

to her abortion you think of Maldoror
honour dents your lava
humbles the dead science of your hairy elephant
violence so reset the dementors
to aim at corporations

her competition in the night sky neuters your who-man
fate reconstellating into dignified rendition
ancient & harmonic it's the
pumiced land! where serum is eeked out
& for the phone of it you make a meme of your self

sharing w/ electric fingers
this poison in your veins to maintain
cut & comb again the veneer her elegant
perm foils you parry & cite
though technically it's lice marbling your corpse

in back alleys they clack like louvres bare-backed
freaking out in a chevvy touché
ah man she's beaut but what an omen: bored
ouija face terrific rack atrocious fan fare all point out
how bent the moonbeams

 Toby Fitch

 'Diva Maintenance' appears in 'States of Poetry - NSW'. You can learn more about States of Poetry and read the full anthologies here

Read Toby Fitch's biography in 'States of Poetry - NSW'