Illustration by Arty Guava
Fingers on a dollar, slid towards the till
Fingers take the dollar with its uncertain will
Fingers on a pin pad, skin to the button
My skin, her skin, their skin, his skin
Fingers hold tight to the handle on the bus
I get off, you get on, put your fingers where I was
Fingers touch my screen as I show you the latest
You grab my screen, touch your finger to my playlist
Fingers to your hand, but you won’t complete the shake
& when you put your arms around me I will shake them away
S.M. Tsai is of mixed Chinese, French and Irish heritage. Born on the Prairies, she lived in China for a year and now makes Toronto her home. A music industry worker by day, she spends her free time writing, growing weird vegetables, and wandering around the city.
Lay Hoon aka Arty Guava is an Illustrator and Graphic Designer based in Vancouver. She grew up in Malaysia and spent most of her adult life in Singapore before moving to Canada. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Bioengineering but chose to make a career switch after about 1 year of working in the field. Art and Design have always been her calling. She is passionate about culture, people and nature and how these themes interact with each other. Her work is available at artyguava.com/illustration