In the vein of Ovid's Remedia Amoris
Don't let me near a bumblebee
A lizard, owl or slimy leech
No butterflies or hilltop scree
Invertebrates nor anemone
Away with bells of pink or white
Dangling in the dappled light
No trudging through the crunchy snow
Or campstove fires in cabins glow
Pandani, fagus, kangaroo grass
If you want to air the grief
Far away from nature's best
Put this cure-all to the test
Nature lover, wandering free
One never forgets an ecologist!
Humanity divided
By shade and hue
If only so inspired
What art we could do
Only comes out
On coldest days
Wild wind snaps
My face into shape.
Any passing stranger
Notices cool change
Friends embrace
Challengers turn tail.
It holds space
Though never filled
Gravitates to places
Where eyes first locked
Pockets turned inside out
Lint was spilled.
Gaze darts from butterflies
To fleeting smiles
Peering through the aisles
Of best sellers.
Silent goodbyes
Are all that linger now.
Hesitant
Tentative
When the hurt is all you had left
Step into grove of golden flowers
Tread the path that leads
To roaring waves defending sea
Hear the words fall upon soft ground
Mingling with memories of another
Gently lapping morning tide
Safe harbour sunlit, teeming with new life
Steer your own way out
Return to me, steady turn of rudder
Double back if your heart is sore
Come alongside save rocky shore.
Who knows what
Tomorrow will hold
All the while
These hands
Strive to let go
Past is behind
Empty hands
Listening heart
Brave as the deep
Incline is steep
Willingly foreword
The answer in mind
May your winter be as long
As you need to take off
Like a snow angel basking
In its glittery softness
May your climb be as steep as
Your knees can appreciate
To release the adrenalin
High peak's view appease
May alpine flora be abundant
Endless stands of snow gums
Far as the eye, twisted delight
Interspersed bouquets of colour
May twittering friends be close
Watching over your steps
Light feathered entertainment
As you stop and catch your breath
May adventures be far enough
To exhilarate, yet close
So friends can safely join
To share a tea along the way.
All this time
Tracing the edges
Watching the lines
Ink fills empty spaces
Candy bar colours
From head to toe
Siamese dream
Waking slow
Starlit darkness
Winter solstice smile
Blue morning
Colour me blind
Memories permeate
Through reclaimed
Rock walls
Of the present
Illuminating
Iridescent morn
If I pour my heart
Out to you
Is it too heavy?
You see, I need
A good strong woman
A big heart
For if she wishes
To pour out too
I have grown strong
From holding on
For so long.
'There is freedom within
There is freedom without...
Don't dream it's over
When the world comes in
They come, they come
To build a wall between us
Don't let them win...'
Lyrics to Don't Dream It's Over by Crowded House'
Count the stars of heaven 