Upkeep

We walked by the waving reeds along the river bank

His sigh both putrid and fragrant

A hissing duck and her ducklings so darling

This fine day in November

My shoulders shine against the midday sun

Warm and brown as an hen's egg in hay

Liquid ambers boasting with green so green, so green

And the water dragon high on frozen toes remains

While our shadows grow along the Morning Glory

Drowning hills

And I am reminded of nature's power

Kept at bay



Death and TV

Silence so inviting

Stillness tempting me

Darkness eternal and comforting

Alluring

A warm bath

Never cooling

Knowing nothing

Not existing

Not in now nor in memory

Nor what may be

A fleeting thought

A memory

Words spoken

A smile

But then the dishes and your favourite tv show

He's Not Anywhere

He was here

Not so long ago
Dragging a body breaking down
In silent betrayal

But still with a smile

And a chubby hand-shake

With a well-padded, callous palm

I can still hear his voice
It's almost outside my head

The silly things he use to say
Again and again

His empty chair, smelly - like he often was

His shoes, old - like he always seemed to be
His tools, retired - finally

I see him sometimes, when I'm driving

Shuffling by in a black, leather jacket

I check the rear-view mirror

But he's not there

He's not anywhere
He's just not

 



Out Smarted

You had a hold on me

For oh so many years

But then I changed

So it's not me

You've got a grip on

Anymore

Table for One

She had lunch alone in a crowded cafe

Turkey on rye with a soy latte

It took four minutes

For someone to ask her

If anyone was using that empty chair

Sea-Burmese

Down on the jetty splintered and grey

Boats were nodding on a choppy bay

I loaded the hull with fresh supplies

When a brown Burmese with golden eyes

Charily climbed aboard to choose

A comfortable spot to take a snooze

Next to the tackle and smelly bait

This feline was happy to contemplate

So I started her up and off we putt-puttered

A brown cat and me in my little boat cluttered

Packed to the brim with all the stuff

One needs to survive if the going gets rough

And while I ponder all of nature's flaws

Golden eyes licks his salty paws

Begging a scratch on his belly exposed

His response - typically well-composed

When I planned this rare vacation

I don't recall sending him an invitation
I'm the discerning type, my heart's always closed

To selfish guests that have often imposed
But there is one guest I do prefer
The kind that comes with lots of fur.

The Little Things

The little things she did
"It's the little things" she said

The little things she'd sweat over

It was the little things that did in her head

Relinquisher

Why did you stop running?

The chase is all I know

I shall avert my gaze

When you reveal your heart

I'll pretend I didn't hear

The terrifying truth it speaks

Some things are better left to ponder

For when your heart was well a-hiding

My seeks were happiness providing

I don't profess this is all-well

To exist in what some consider hell

And yet these blazing walls for me

A welcoming familiarity

The Greater Thing

The greater thing

Is toying with me

Such a cunning yet gracious playmate

But I'm still scared

It's like King Kong's got my back

Eyes Tight Shut

Soul snatcher

Catch my joy

With every pound

You greedy boy
Is that a grimace or a grin?
Eyes tight shut
While you wear me thin

Spirit Dance

Wash me clean

And I will spin in travelling pastures

Silvery

And silent to the common ear

How loud it rings
Percussion of my spirit

With tiny bells

From heart to fingertips

And I will spin in the blue blades

Sleeping wildflowers

Pretending not to hear

How loud this wind

That carries me

My steady drum in the distance

Black tree smiling with spying owl

And I remain in splendid company

Midnight Encounter

I shant forget one night last Spring

The moon cast a light blue as a raven's wing

And your long black hair like a sticky feather

Splayed across my breast as we slumber together

A bat breaks blind rhythm as it swoops from secret limb

And your hand wanders gently, gently away from him

I stroke your belly

My mouth you caress

Ephemeral pleasures

My eternal temptress

Echoed upon every glint of blue

Or balmy night

Spent apart from you

Picture Book

My flesh quivers

When grainy paper stirs together 'tween thumb and fingers

And the smell of musty serif

Delights

The childheart in my mind

And I forget

For as long as the spine is split

And the weight

Of another world

Of another time

Is poised between my hands

And unburdens my mind

Dandelion Heart

My dandelion heart

Will you ever sit still?

For just when I am settling

You drag me away

Again and again

Exposed to the Elements

The rain licks the sheets on the line

As they flick back and forth

Against the breath

of an autumn gust

And the sun so ashamed

By this display

Has averted his eyes

Behind a grey cloud

The cloud doesn't mind

He's more than happy to watch

Naughty rain

Cheeky wind

Perfectly Flawed

Little bird with sweetest song

The notes you hit

Are never wrong

I don't recall

you ever stumbling

or forgetting the words

You're never mumbling

You don't follow notes

Or a sweaty instructor

The dawn is your cue

And the sun your conductor

There's no applause

No awards, no cheer

Yet every day

Without fail you appear

I try my best

To echo your song

But no one is listening

or singing along

They only react

When they pick up a flaw

But to your perfect pitch

No response at all!

The Lie

My smile it lies

You think I care

The fatter you are

The better we fare

As long as the yellow

As long as the red

Are counting their pennies

We'll all be well fed

'Try this stuff

It's been our best seller'

We'll say anything

To a desperate fella

My smile it lies

You think I care

The older you are

The better we fare

As long as the ugly

As long as the grey

Are paying for potions

That rub time away

'Try this stuff

It's highly effective'

We'll say anything

To reach our objective

Reclamation

Curse you numbers!

Look what you've done

You've killed my pretty words

1 by 1

Be Gone

She's convinced

That time will shine

A telling light

On the murky corners

of her mind

So she must run, run far away

To preserve her truths

and keep you well at bay

To make you love her

To make you laugh

She must only reveal

Her better half

And if, Lord forbid

You start to catch on

The time will come

For her to be gone

Chasing It

Ghost gums bend with the lonely wind

Seeking my company on this weed-strewn road

Where I walk

On a grey, summer morning

Collecting gravel in my rubber tread

And leaving nothing of me behind

Not even the scent of my damp back

Beneath my flapping tee

From where I stand

I can see your TV

Your sillouette

And this house

And this street

And the pebbles in your driveway

Are like misplaced notes from a fragmented melody

Recalled by a wafer of my gluttonous memory

Dreamer

Dreamer

She lies beside you

But she's never there

To catch her

You've got to let her go

Drifter

She walks beside you

But with the shadow of her heart

To keep her

You've got to walk faster