A Maze Ing

A picture frame

a clock

a wok

a cutting board

a mat

were on the list

when I left home

instead

I bought a rat

some finger puppets

and a vase

a bed

a stepping ladder

and if
that wasn’t
quite enough

the thing

that makes
me madder

was the meatballs

set in gravy

with a dollop

of potato

that found their way

into my mouth

when I met

with my friend
later ...

dazed and glazed

and programmed

to join in

any queue

we wound around

some railings

linked
to mass production
food...

following 

all the others

we grabbed
a tray

and plates

piled them high

with mash

and meatballs

bagged a table

sat

and ate!

The Storm

Dark clouds hover 

windows shut

in anticipation

of thunderous claps

and pelting rain

pushed inside

by blustery winds.

Along the Fleurien Way

Parked by the roadside

at Myponga

along the Fleurian Way

I watch pale grasses

dance to Mali beats

as blustery winds

whip garbage bins

into a percussive frenzy -

branches weakened

by the dry summer, snap 

spiralling downward

in death rolls

timed to nature’s beat

their thudding climax stolen

by a shrieking tinny reed

and a voice calling

time for a cuppa.

Naked

Little bushy tops

like sprigs of parsley

bunched together

dot the mountainside -

their summer colour

relieves the stark expanse

of skeletal gums

that stand denuded

seared by the raging heat

of nature’s hell -

they wait for winter cover

to blanket their nakedness

until spring.

Defying Gravity

For a fleeting moment
the simple realisation
that there are
some things
just beyond
my reach
of change
grabbed hold of me
and filled me
with such peace
and overwhelming
lightness
I thought
I would defy
gravity …

Elliot

Elliot,

as he was known,

lithe and brown

and tuneful

with the fullness

of sound

created by his

perfect chest

has fallen prey

to the tyranny

of hardened hands

and hearts

unable to comprehend

the resonance

of the careless throw

that broke him

and the heart

of the little girl

who loved him

from the first time

she held him

in her hands

to make

music.