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

Salt

She made breakfast and wondered, quiet at the table

Who swept away the salt spilt yesterday?

And did they remember

To toss a little

Over their left shoulder?

Losing You(th)

Youth had left her like a lover before dawn

Nary a rustle or the chink of a buckle

Loose

She is left with its scent

And its silence

And oh!

The memory

Sunny

Sunny was a very fat canary

He loved pound cake and all things dairy

The wild birds would gather and chirp in mock

But Sunny didn't care for that cliquey flock

On his sturdy perch he would sit all day

The odd little chirp from his breast would stray

So began a diet, strictly apples and seed

But Sunny's fussy palette over-ruled his greed

His stubbornness however, proved far more effective
Regardless of how, we had reached our objective

From his golden throat sprouts a brand new song

The wild birds struggled to sing along

So nimble was he, hopping to and fro

Too busy was he putting on a show

Too proud to stop for a snack and a nibble

I offered his favourites and the very best kibble

By the following 'noon his song grew weak

By the next morn' there was barely a squeak

I offered some cake but he couldn't be swayed

His glossy black eyes began to fade

I cradled him close and without protest

I watched it sink - his bony breast

His eyes exposed at half the mast

I smile when I think of his jolly past

I lay him down his shaggy plume

And bury him where the dafodils bloom

And every springtime when they sprout

A sunny yellow song they softly shout

One too Many

The walls have cracks

and dustballs drift across the floor like sailboats

on a glassy lake

But there is life here

In a pot full of simmering promise

Boiling over on the stove

Slippers left peering out from under a sloppy bed skirt

Still warm

Some quiet groans and a whimper

And I feel most unwelcome

Shadows

The warmest shadows

exist only

beneath my coat

And with your body

closer

We'll cast more warm and dark shadows

Casuarina Casualty

Beneath the Casuarina tree

The grass is sparse and the earth dusty

It's not a place I care to rest my body

Poor Casuarina with his tired canopy

He seems wearier than me

A Little Less of Me

I don't like the browns of Autumn

I don't like the greys in her skies

I don't like the cold in her breezes

Stinging my watery eyes

I'll put on my shoes and start walking

I'll take a bottle and turn up a song

Quenching my thirst and my thirsty heart

Looking for a place to belong

My body it moves in circles

My head in the straightest line

In a while I'll be back where I started

With a little less of me every time

Legacy

She's got a flabby belly

and her tits tend to sag

But her wit's intact

even for an old bag

Her bladder's weak

And her temper - short

You'd never know it

but she was once a good sort

Her teeth are false

and her hair is thinning

She's got arthritis

and Dementia's beginning

her ears are still good

her advice is sound

she's got no regrets

and when she's no longer around

Her picture will sit

on her daughter's shelf

Taken when her mother

was not much older than herself

She'll teach her own daughters

What her mother taught her

She'll tell them all about that world

and the way things were

But they're not really listening

They can't relate

They're too impatient

They've too much on their plate

They're not concerned;

"That was before we were born!

We didn't know her,

do you expect us to mourn?"

Painful Beauty

A brisk, early walk in the new, summer sun

Ripe enough to cue cicada's eager song

I greet a row of marigolds swaying by a fence

and shade my squinting eye from their yellow too intense

The gods are blowing just enough to rouse the old, fan palm

Rustling it glistens while an old man waters on

I wave a bright good morning

My heart it pains my chest

A dog on a leash and a soap-sodden car

Now I run in clear protest

Searching for some ugly

to stop my welling tears

I head toward the highway

And comfort fills my ears

Blue Beret

She's going to Paris

It's raining there

She's going to Paris

With tres bad hair

When she lands in Paris -

without delay

She'll hide all her hair

In a blue beret

And now all the girls

On the Champs-Elysees

are tucking their hair

in the same, clever way.

Carousel

In my dreams I'm riding

My horse goes round and round

I'm naked without a saddle

his hooves don't make a sound

We take the road less travelled

By everyone but us

When I yearn to see the highway

My horse kicks up a fuss

He doesn't like to venture

discover different sights

We take the road less travelled

Endure long, silent nights

One day I'm gonna lose him

This horse called Deja vu

I'll slip right off his plastic back

and do what so few do

I'll snuff the song stuck in my head

for years it's ugly drone

I'll write a tune that no-one's heard

one of my very own

And then my feet will tap along

I'll dance a brand new groove

And I won't claim my rights to it

We've all the right to move

Spring Clean

She drenches the mop
she wrings out her dreams
She soaks up the dirt
but not stubborn screams
She wipes away dust

but the tears remain
they settle in corners

thick with pain

She tackles the tub

with its ugly ring

but those ugly words

still stick

still cling

She plucks out the weeds

she feeds her roses

she plants a new memory

when the old one closes

Lilac and Blue

Dear Mrs Jacaranda

you're making a mess

of my front verandah

without sounding rude

and somewhat bitter

would you mind getting rid

of your lilac litter?

For lilac and I

we don't get along

She knows that my feelings

for blue are quite strong

and no matter how hard

she tries to impress

it's blue I love now

and have always I guess

But I must give her points

for consistency

every year without fail

raining potpourri

she doesn't give up

she won't be ignored

until I admit

until she's adored

But it's blue that I love

I'm sorry to say

Blue doesn't give

so freely away

Out of my reach

way up, way high

it doesn't fall down

God forbid it should try

I pray that blue

will bless me each day

I stumble to check

but I'm greeted with grey

and if it remains

for more than I care

if blue becomes sparse

if blue becomes rare

I sulk like a woman

hanging on hope

with no word from her lover

she struggles to cope

So if you resent

my devotion to blue

Deny me your lilac

And I'll yearn for you too

Boots

She loves her boots

With the endless lace

By the time she's done tying

All the blood's in her face

She can hardly wait

for the air to chill

Then she'll dust them off

for her feet to fill

With her clunky boots

She stomps about

She'll find any excuse

To wear them out

Even a trip

to the local mall

she'll dodge the crowd

and try not to fall

And since she's there

She'll have a browse

She'll buy more boots

if her Amex allows

She doesn't need

a very good reason

Apart from the fact

That they're so last season

A Wave for Alice

Alice is taking a trip.

She's stuck smiley stickers on her sneakers

And the basket on her bike

is filled with apples and peanut butter sandwiches

She'll stop and have a chat with you

about her cat

who stays put

when you give him a yellow jelly baby

Come tomorrow

She'll ride through your town

and ring her bell.

Be sure to wave

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

If I was limbless

I would roll

from here to there.

I'd plan my route carefully

so as to avoid

steep hills,

this excludes

grassy banks

The Starving Magician

She's putting on a magic show

For her final act

she'll disappear

right before your eyes

though it may take

a few weeks

The High Life

He's in a frenzy

he's in a whirl,

did he stop for lunch?

He can't remember

Did he bathe?

It doesn't matter.

Has he slept?

He's only paused

to jot it down

so he doesn't forget.

Black and Light

She scours old photos

Searching for her face

To see what it looked like

Before ego

Found her

Before fear

Choked her

Before hate

Consumed her

Before love

Destroyed her

There were only a few

Crab Apple Tree

I like you Crab Apple tree.

I like the cool of your dappled canopy,

it pleases me.

I want you all to myself

and to be sure no one else

discovers your appeal

I'll hide you under a giant marquee.

Running Out

She's going to put on her shoes

and run

She runs to escape familiar sights

Her desire to explore the unexplored

will prevail over her pain

And take her to places

she's only ever seen on TV

Sitting Pretty

I watched Pretty in Pink

and developed a sudden longing

for unrequited love

Second Skin

If this body had a zip

I would slip

right out of it

Forever Young

Where has it gone

the folly of youth?

Did it grow old

and long in the tooth?

Our sagging jowls quiver

in condemnation

of brazen young men

without obligation.

We gasp and we scoff

with values antique

while girls oozing gusto,

chutzpah and cheek,

challenge a system

where rivets cry rust

and question the doctrine

of theories unjust.

But sadly that fervour

of which we once thrived

will be snuffed like a candle

and never revived.

Smooth Criminal

Her bush is lush.
Her bush is thick.
He's not accustomed
to a hairy chick.
When she makes an advance,

(if he could be so blunt)

he recoils

from her shabby cunt.

But despite his gripes,

his constant objections

she's not deterred

by his candid rejections.
She won't be swayed

by his demands
and so they remain

those wiry strands.

But little did he know

while he was busy protesting,

she met a bush fancier

who found her arresting.

Her secret lover

had not a want,

for a smoother smoo

he was nonchalant

Winter-Weight

His love is like a heavy coat in winter

She likes the warmth

but not the weight

Adirondack

There's a lonely Adirondack out back,

blistering.

Between a cocky sunrise and a jealous sunset

she is met

with a gaze always

waiting for the next wave.

Upon his grassy mound he sits

Approving dogs with gritty sticks,

and kites with smacking tails.

Blue by moonlight

blushing by dawn,

my lonely Adirondack's

salty embrace

welcomes my grateful frame

like a patient friend.

Speculate

Look all you like

But you won't find me,

I'm merely a spec

on your upholstery.

Just a little spec

on a big black stain,

where millions of specs

work hard to remain.

On Foot

He's like wearing

a pair of comfortable, old shoes.

But she yearns

to walk barefoot

Private Function

All you click clackers
you stem strokers
and wine sippers
All you scowlers
look-me-up-and-downers
you fake-chucklers
and pretentious talkers
All you name-droppers
brand-name exposers
and posers
All you food-disorders
self-obsessors
you - the new blackers
and chip stackers
All you blue blooders
cold hearters
and queue jumpers
All you snorters
you gold diggers
designer baby makers
and husband takers

Wave your hands in the air
Like you just don't care.