Benjamin Blake was born in July of 1985, and grew up in the small town of Eltham, New Zealand. He is the author of the poetry and prose collections, A Prayer for Late October, Southpaw Nights, and Reciting Shakespeare with the Dead. He currently lives in a cabin, somewhere in the New Zealand countryside. Find more of his writing (and photography) at www.benjaminblake.com

Pinhole Camera

Stolen smile
Through primitive light-capturing devices
More teeth than needed
Eyes cast to the ceiling
Cheekbones illuminated by morning
It pours like sullen rain

Dark Chamber

Collecting fingers and hearts
Say hello to the spiders
The reek of amateur alchemy
And freshly cut flowers
Stocking spun over French limbs
Black cats climb into carnal caves
Somewhere in Utah
A waitress is fatally stabbed
And left to bleed out on the checkered tiles
While the patrons
Just sit and stare