All that glitters

Fur babies and toddlers
Ambled up and down
Undulating hills
Edge of grass against
Soft waves of sand
All breeds of humans
Come from sun up to down
I landed on these shores
To start a life anew
To resurrect and hope
For a future
Somehow the shine
On the water
Brightens the day
Even when tears
Choke back the words
A stranger sits beside me
And is more of a friend
Than any
Telling me her story
Without asking
Noticing my tears
She bids farewell
I say goodbye to Ollie
Her dog
She smiles
Acknowledging
Her one and only
Love

Life’s work

Being present
Even if
Mind is elsewhere
What I promised
To my chillins
When born
Their knowledge of love
Comes from this assurance
I am always there for them
No matter where I am
To be present
Even in absence
Is all we require
Of love
If this is too much or
Love is not enough
Better to depart
And allow
The space to be
Renewed
If you will

Chillins, term of endearment for Scout and Jem by Calpurnia their cook, in To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee.

The end

Source: Journal ~ 2015

Affection for a close companion
Can grow should a spark
Be fanned into flame
- if a spark existed at all

So yes, I could reasonably 
Imagine growing 
Attracted to someone 
Based on a mutual friendship
Over a long period of time.
Good looks and physique
Have never been 
A precursor to attraction 
For me

I am mindful of the heart
Of another
- this is all I see 
On the skin and face
The smile and eyes
Come from within 

For the sake of joy
To preserve 
my future life and family
Shortly, my desire to live

I remembered what love 
Ought to feel like.
A careless abandon
That let go of
Self-consciousness...

This ignited in me
A fire that can never
Be put out

Neverland

Never heard a ticking clock
Inside a crocodile
Never seen a fairy nymph
Darting firefly

Never seen a league of beings
Rise up and take a stand
Never felt the heartache
Missing touch of human hand

Never felt this way about love
Though seen it in their eyes
Never heard the silence speak
Revealing a surprise

Never knew with certainty
That life would turn this way
Never knew that happiness
Could lead a man astray

Never met someone who could
Turn heads with words so few
Now never want to hope or have
Another 'cept for you

Blitz

Keeping you at arms length
While holding on to life
Silence so you'll never hear
The danger and the strife

One day V day will arrive
And in your arms I'd fall
To stand on every corner
Friends and family and all

When sheltered under door frame
To avoid roof falling in
Imagining a life with you
A fantasy we're in

Like stepping through a cupboard
Into frozen landscape bare
Meeting little furry friends
Sweet treats if you dare

The realm of fiction is complete
With swords and battles too
But surely it's the safest way
That I can be with you?

Love parade

Darkness lifts like a curtain
Raised to the rooftop
Of palladium
A stage

Dancers, jugglers, seers and wanderers
Mill around in their thousands
Wondering who will speak
On that day

Mumbling and speculation
Fill the open sky with heat
Distress and devastation
Trampled under feet

No authoritative voice resounds
The cacophany dies to a whisper
The only words recited 'tween
The lover and the listener

Evensong

From where 
Does that voice
Of home, of love
Emanate from
For you?

Mine in the silence
Stillness of morning
Liminal spaces
In between times

Waking and falling
Daily repeat
Comfort only
Listening sweet

As waves in chorus
Between the staves
Low vocal tones
Violincello

Hum of engine
Breeze on wing
Chatter of trees
Sky ocean mirroring

I have seen some
Listening for love
From afar, voices echo
From ruins and scars

But mine here and now
Alive and loud
Any less and how
Could I stand so proud?

So I sing evensong
Night and day
Short and long
To remind me and all

To listen to the voice
That proclaims you worthy
That the life you dream
To live is real

If only
Within you
Artists of Tasmania ~ Lucienne Rickard, loss of wildlife on Lord Howe Isl. Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.

As surely as

Leaves are biding
Their time till fall
Soaking in sunshine
Cascading green wall

Clouds cover mountains
Blanketing dew
Drifting to sea
Each morning new

Human way of being
If ever any question
Is we're always feeling
All feel the same as you