A Small City with Trams
by Michael Mintrom
Speaking of destiny, I come from a quiet crowd. You don’t make a scene, show too much prowess in dancing and sport, or talk about the war. We have our family stories. But plenty died and that’s what you remember. I’ve ridden the trams and caught those quizzical looks, just for being alive. It’s a small city with wooden houses, and light from windows shining through trees. Our ancestors were Vikings. You can figure the rest. I see them on the trams, so much history rattling along, squeezed into seats, swinging on straps.
‘A Small City with Trams’ won third place in our 2025 Spring Short Competition.
Michael Mintrom lives in Melbourne, Australia. He has recently published poetry in literary journals including Blue Mountain Review, Consequences Forum, Cordite Poetry Review, Meniscus, and London Grip. He is a past winner of the University of Canterbury’s MacMillan Brown Prize for Writers.