Then and now

'Is that a dead thing in my water butt?'

They examined it carefully. Bloated like a gofer, Sporting a fetching dayglow purple and white suit. The drowned squirrel rocked 'High' in it's water butt coffin. He caught the slippery fiend in his net

A thread through a fortnight

They said there would be rain in the air today and it was fair. And yesterday and last week were as wet as wet. There was a whisper that the woman at the top of the block was unhappy with

An unforgettable bathing in Laos

Happy to shower with a hand held soaker Water; clean, cool and clear. A cleansing force. An innocent inspiration. A tiled room. Only separated from the outside By a half door. To a hot world.

Another unforgettable bathing experience. S. Thailand

The bathroom Comprising of amber mangrove water supply Squatting over the unmentionably composting loo I note the early arrival Of the 2 green, 4 legged mangrove locals to this Particular hut

Aspiring

Pen to paper I wait For a wave of words To gush from ink Like a leaky dog's leg It occurs to me that The cog whirrs When the wrist rests And you're not looking.....

Auntie Z

‘Great, great, great great, greeeeeaaat Auntie Zina!’ We collapse into hysterics. Soooo very funny Us kids pickin on you. In your adulthood Happy to field the abuse. Knowing its’ our way

Betrayal

Wondering how A tentative remark, A mere stroke at interaction Unclutterred. Knowing, Sharp edged, self defined by intellect, Wondering how the flowering of this situation became So thickly cloistered

Curious framing

You strode across the river as I did: with help, Michelle All laughing in our achievement. A Mekhong tributary crossing.

David

He Confused by the role of father/farmer/lover Deeply scarred by knives. Awkwardly shown, and earned. Ready to quarrel Or do both. And argue the toss. Who wins.Who loses. Who is to know

Moth trap

I thought I caught a glimpse, a whiff of Something acrid , like a lure Before I came into the frame And now things aren't the same. I tried politely denying its' existence

Wishful Thinking

Congratulatory testimonials and transparency! Raise a toast to the sky! Full of clouds formed as giraffe, grazing Contented by circularity So what will there be For generations to come?

Forgiven and forgotten

There was a scuffle, a knife, some phone calls Then silence To summarize: the scene was set as less than extravagant. Stretched and busy. Breakfasts were had People worked their days

In a Eut.

I remember Driving through the night In the Eut. Discovering new scent and views on that South Island landscape. The kids growing pot by the stream and the possums with their large eyes.
Cherry

I took the pen

I took the pen That filled those forms. Marriage and divorce. Then stood on a safe balcony With a spring turned summer too quickly Steam coming off the hill below Swallowing the trees

We and that

You were the girl Blond and somewhat glamorous in a tractor Or pouring over recipes with an excited mother That guided me over a field with wires, blindfold With the instruction ‘find it’

Grandma!

Grandma! Walking along hedge lines with you and Heidi. Growling I wound her – poor dog, but she’d knick my treats back If I wasn’t quick enough Hotched up on our knees by the back window

We are all the orange

Breakers and drills Shattering, whirring Flicking dirt and dust Feeling fit to bust Fraying tempers and trust When the bit is broken, or lost Or thrown out.

Foolish

There was an ease to their wrongness, which could have been spelt, 'YES', im corporation capitals. A piece of cheese could have slid between them under the grill; bonded them forever

Healing

An angry ripple Expression from an internal volcano Erupting onto an all too human canvas, full of curvature, sinew and blood. A beautiful face. Beautiful faces Morphing in my dreams.

Main course

Shrouded gesture and meaning Demystified in a moment Of galvanised being A reduction in the pans A golden bouillon In the one more substantial The other filled partially With a scaley rust
Cherry

I dream of dogness

If I had A canine lifestyle I would retreat into a Collie bitch pack Rise at 5 for walkies Watch eyes and noses for Movement of other, or weather Or the sweet smell of carrion

The long trip round

They took a long trip Around the subject Danced other dances In opposite directions Surprisingly their perceptions Of the other Didn’t alter that much Just aligned. Came into focus

What to do?

What to do? Everything in Motion Yet no movement Tugging, requesting, sequestering Sounds wash over Daylight bathes Nonsense pervades and Politic stands at the gate

Receipts and Outgoings.

Documents from another era. Almost another lifetime it feels Falling into my hands, In a winter clean up and out mood Bank statements, notebooks, diaries. Invoices. Receipts.