Another shirt ruined
the new calf breathing with me
ear to heart
my head on the tree fern curve
each of us too tired to rise
the gully folded about us
sliding down the steepness
to the road’s bend
over to the yards
her mother calling
a mouth finds my finger
searching for milk
eyes wide between
fear and comfort
sepia beyond words
she lets me hold her face
this world slips into gear
resting on the back veranda
arms round my knees
in a hello
the king parrots hang upside down
a shelf of splashed paints
fall to pick the ground
my toes disappointing seeds.
Oh that's one of the best Australian poems I've had the joy of reading
ReplyDeleteOh Thanks so much Linda - that means a lot to me!
Deletethe gully folded about us
ReplyDelete...
title for a book
I have plenty of titles,just no publishers! But I do like the grab, may use it one day.
DeleteWow, James, that is indeed a stunner of a poem. Wonderfully evocative and so vivid.
ReplyDelete... fear and comfort // sepia beyond words .... love it:))