The undoing

Bowl of red roses
One thorn
Field of clover
One bee
Picnic in grove
One ant
Sleeping dogs lie
One flea

Magnanimous reply
One word
Deep belly sigh
One spurn
Long tanned thigh
One burn

One yearns to turn
A blind eye
To all the ones
That lead to our
Undoing
If we erase
One line
How delightful
It would be

Paring down
All nature's will
To living without
One penetrating
Sting
Would deprive us
Of so many
Beautiful things

Dance till we drop

One by one 
Memories come
As first drops lightly
Before a lavishing

At once dissipating
On parched broken land
Then blanket covering
Moving sun's dwelling
Into hiding

Between them both
Daylight quench thirst
One without the other
No dancing dresses
Come out

Parched tongues dip
Into warm clear springs
Going underground
To yield every colour
Known to the eye

Above and below
Bed of growth
Light touch sows
Till sun retires
Dewdrop gathers
For next bow
In the sky
Dianella tasmanica Tasmanian flax lily. Rosny, lutruwita / Tasmania.

Love crush

Think you're flying free
But really, attached
Grounded
Just learning
To spread wings

Until when
One touch
Caving in
Any thought
Of leaving
Ends

Instead sowing seeds
Raising up anew
In case we meet
Again
Caleana Major – large flying duck orchid. Kingston lutruwita / Tasmania.

Starling

A flighty little meeting
Sitting in the eaves
Between two blush breasted
Birds tending nests
Pip the willow wicks
Between their beaks
Stripped ready for next
Round of eggs to brood

Starling, like me
Cannot live alone
Dedicated to keeping
Warm prickled skin
As feathers come in
Giving out always
Longing to take warmth
Within

Can I call you?
Darling, dear?
Babe, beautiful one
Eyes like heavens above
Always mothering
Pieces of me changed
Blood runs through forever
Changed by love
Looking through mirror
Can you see
Scars formed catching
Those fallen from nest
Now they are free
So are we

Smitten

How appropriate a word
Cuteness pervades the look of it
Sound dances on the lips
Dazed awe
Paralysis of mind
Body and soul
A heavy weight like a Great Dane
Sitting on your chest
Adoringly
Lying by your side
With a big heavy paw
Holding you down
Not fighting it
Only getting up
To eat and carry out
Most necessary duties
If I must
So as not to disturb
The dreamlike state
Once bitten, twice high
No other word describes
Smitten by the sight
Of you

Singing the sundown

Everything is going
The same way as the sun
Round and round
Counting its days
Swinging up and down
Lamenting the place
It puts us on the
Dark frozen days
Wishing to be near
To warm us
Knowing it prevents
The wonderland
From freezing over
At your time of year
If all I had were lips
I would speak a warm fire
Into existence
Warm frosted toes
Hold them in the glow
Resurrect solar flares
For the night
Singing up the sunrise
Whistling pot of coffee
Sing song greeting
To all little creatures
Singing lips till supper
Until yours meet me

Our mirror world

In stone quiet hours
Retreat to cosy corners
As real as anything
That happened in
The liquid light
Smallest words powerful
Take over all evidence
To the contrary
Beggars become pleasers
Rigid made into teasers
Doors as hard as
Bruised knuckles
Swing open
With a breath
Sand between toes
Curling fingers glow
A wet coat smell
Pervades with a kiss
The salty taste
Lingers longer
Than the night
As we curl
Like a shell
And miss
Image credit: Suzy Manigian