Breathe ~ Relax ~ Drink Black Tea Often
At the train station
I wait for a ride just gone
The next one is when?
Chalk lines in the park
mark the playing fields for kids
Their scuff life one match
You can hear them
Chattering, singing, fighting
Hiding until flight
On the coldest days
even tea won’t do the trick
Only the sun works
A shoe on the road
speaks of tantrums thrown and lost
Children find a way
A gleaning magpie
makes off with its latest catch
Home decorator
Thong in the gutter
Stepping off without its foot
A sole in limbo
A single black sock
has lain on the grass for days
Where is its other?
Bolts of coloured cloth
droop and slide in disarray
Sale day’s losers rest
Behind a new fence
broken bricks, open door, weeds
Demolition site
On the bumper bar
evidence of drought preserved
Weather permitting
Cottons on display
Every colour equal
until fashion speaks
Although it’s church stop
there’s no Sunday bus service
Foot soldiers welcome
Doves trapped in cement
Decorate my neighbour’s path
We step around them
The shoppingtown blues
sing of full carparks and heat
The last verse is cool
A spill of shadow
spreads from the gum tree next door
and crowds the garden
The cardamom seeds
Older than I can recall
Still their citrus bites
Tea and toast to go
Steamily, saltily waits
Veranda breakfast
A scallopy sky
could take the day either way
Nature loves planners
Gardening women
wear already old straw hats
to soften the blows
A swirl of tarot
awaits a quiet shuffle
and new hands to greet
The comfort of warmth
Everybody’s magnet
A cold cat’s delight
Shadowy fences
confirm sunny intentions
Cold promises warmth
A blade of green grass
Hidden at certain angles
Grows in any case
On a windy day
Snatches of conversations
Gust by each other
air through sneaker mesh and socks
Cooling running feet
Reflections on walls
Visitations through the sun
Minutes of colour
My little grey cat
standing over a grey mouse:
Monochrome fear
From the library
I follow the footpath home
Rest stops in the shade
Anthills filled with rain
slowly dissolve over grass
New housing project