When you let go - that little bird Into the wild, unrelenting sky One must be willing to never see her again To be free means no burden of expectation
They say, there are other birds in the sky The blackened birds that awaken me each morn Alight upon suburban fenceline Sing their well-known song
There is no one like the one you so loved Love tended and fed, doted upon The one who recognised your voice as you arrived Felt the silence once gone Until the caged perch to which it clung Felt nothing like love at all
Daily grind is right Darkness falls and rises Out of percolator Into belly stuck on ache Work tracks play repeat Commute, beat wild heat Rising to neck ignored Cool all the way home.
A rinse cycle of aqua Barely cleanses racing Rabbit thoughts chased By greyhounds the second Head hits pillow Worst-case first out the gate.
All my defences lie In gentle apparition Hovers above me Her curls fall on face Limbs wriggle Flashes of teeth, eyes Giggles, legs, hands, waist.
As long as she's alive Hope thrives disparagingly Mocking my love life-raft Drops of memory Onto tongue like a hack Apothecary of mind Brain cells a bee hive Craving honey
Stillness comes as last leaf drops Though not for long Cupboard bare like grievance aired Empty thoughts, silence comes Like jester and thief Stolen precious time Mock those who weep.
Do not wait for wind to change For your face remains asleep Clumsy hands and feet Lose bits and pieces of me Spill the drink over the one Who tried to sell me to the street
I rise above Beating sense into skins Laid taut by grief Smoothing tallow fashionably Over fine lines and wrinkles of time
Spare moments spent watching Antique shards and bottles Plucked from the bank of the Thames Or the bottom of someone's yard The hand once clutching it Long since retired Now that old hand is mine
I have a friend who makes me smile She makes me walk the extra mile Thoughts flow like full moon tide Naked bathe, nothing to hide Deepest conversations spill Stories beckon mind and will Imaginary friends depart Long lost love letters torn apart Nothing like a human soul To touch the heart To fill the hole
Imagine where such friend may lead Should no opinion dare impede What's the chance that this may grow Not I, nor she, nor anyone knows I cast these thoughts onto the breeze Dandy copters casting seeds Soft warm soil, well watered too The toil of love, well worth the view
The morning is mine Tuck in divine Roll up sunrise blind Unfurl, tip toe hushed Eyes wide in the dark Story teller roused To depths of mind Remnants of life drift Catch dreams in flight Pondering path laid out By wakening of daylight Jolt by time's persistence All resistance falls to floor Don fresh attire A new chance awaits Opportunity born
Do I need to say out loud That you are the closest I ever came to my person If only you didn't Have so many already
A brilliant and kind friend Is worth more than A golden ring inset With diamonds marking Decades of compromise
The most memorable and moving stories May be untranslatable Missed by your average listener Unless they can read body language
Since the unspeakable time One in 100 year devastation I grow accustomed to sitting In a crowded room surrounded by Empty seats of friends I've never forgotten
An artist captures the essence of my heartache Blue china bathed statue Raving about earl gray Other pleasantries In politest company
Handle with Care inspired by Jooyun’s story, 2024. Displayed at Tasmania Museum and Art Gallery exhibit re/JOY. Artist Vipoo Srivilasa.
Count the stars of heaven 