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Poetry in the Cities of LiteratureMaxine Beneba Clarke

Please, meet Maxine Beneba Clarke from Melbourne City of Literature.
Maxine Beneba Clarke is the author of over fifteen books for adults and children, including the short fiction collection Foreign Soil, the memoir The Hate Race, and the picture books When We Say Black Lives Matter, We Know a Place and The Patchwork Bike. Her poetry collections include Carrying the World, How Decent Folk Behave, It’s the Sound of the Thing: 100 new poems for young people, the recently released Beautiful Changelings, and Stuff I'm (Not) Sorry For: 99 more poems for young people. Maxine was the inaugural Peter Steele Poet in Residence at the University of Melbourne (2023-2025).
We invite you to listen to the poem performed by the author:


the end of the affair
poetry and i / we broke up last week
we just kind of grew apart
it wasn’t him / it was me
well/ ok just quietly / between me and you
it was wild while it lasted
but poetry / he got all single white male
for the last part there on me
it’s true
he wanted to me my everything
i wasn’t sure i still loved him like that
and needed some time to think
but poetry / he said
i am not gonna buy that let’s have a break schtick
poetry knew i wanted out
and started following me / everywhere
i couldn’t work / or leak / or eat / or sleep
walk without him calling one me
you know poetry
at times / he can be so damn needy
after we split / i’d be out somewhere
and poetry would just happen to turn up
he'd pull that fancy meeting you here crap
as if he hadn’t been hiding outside the house
to see where i went / all that time
i never thought it would end like this
i could see poetry and i / old
in rocking chairs together
hands wrapped around steaming mugs
reminiscing about the good times
when we first met i was always thinking
now poetry / he is beautiful
you know what i mean
i mean it was like: poetry
could have anyone he wanted
and poetry chose me
(not that i have low self-esteem)
people were always saying
girl / you and poetry
were just meant to be together
you are so lucky to have found each other
and poetry would smile my way / as if to say
i will never leave you / maxine
we will be together always
you and me
and now
i am starting
to understand
just what that
might mean


The project was created by the Odesa UNESCO City of Literature and being implemented with funds raised by .Reykjavík Bókmenntaborg UNESCO as part of the readings initiated by Milano City of Literature Milano City of Literature “Not Just Words” (Reading for Odesa) on February 24, 2024

Illustration

© 2026 Odesa UNESCO City of Literature

Website courtesy of the Ukrainian Cosmopolis

All rights reserved

Illustration

© 2026 Odesa UNESCO City of Literature

Website courtesy of the Ukrainian Cosmopolis

All rights reserved