Poison dart frog in glass enclosure

~ And Other Poems

            Gabrielle Tse

but poison’s such a common, common sin,
            bottles under housewives’ gleaming sinks
pour like humdrum secrets down the drain
            or pour to kill — we turn aside to agree
such killing is normal, as calendars or tiled kitchenettes
            not at all like what we do
in the dark. breathing behind glass,

            little enemy, more perfect than a set of knives

Gabrielle Tse is a Chinese-Filipina writer from Hong Kong, now based in Edinburgh. Her poetry is published in The London Magazine and Poetry London. Her debut pamphlet, Rustlings, was released in 2025 by Verve Poetry Press. She was shortlisted for the Scottish Book Trust’s New Writers Award (Poetry) in 2025 and previously won the Hong Kong Young Writers Award..​