16 lines
Connection
Upon the shore, I wiped out and swore
the tip of my toes touched my head.
my spine curved, its curl
sank to outline the edge of the moon.
Pebbles of sand created
highlights on my hair, they
claimed and filled my mouth.
my leg thumped the board
salt water drown the noise
Eye closed at the broken white wash.
ocean tunes I cannot and will never see.
the weight of an angry ocean
collapsed onto my chest, taking more than air.
Searched my corpse like a sunken ship.
See they’ve all been replaced. Drawn with intricate detail,
searing bubbles of the truth I thought I sought.
25 lines
Summer Place Day
Not long ago, I woke twice a week to the same
always the crow of the rooster on the lawn
beneath my window, a pale gleam
slipping through the curtains.
Crossing the threshold to the deck
cool wood merges with grass covered earth
a path surfacing as the fire-ants climb up
the broken light post. Pesky little jaws
pinch the source of their demise.
The amazon parrots twist their red heads,
low clicks of grey tongues. Swinging
back and forth under the bowed tree branch,
they call my name.
The baby ducks follow the geese into the pond
lined with dirt-stained stones of emerald cores.
The pink ginger flowers rest upon their leaf thrones,
their shadows etch rocky mountain figures on the grass.
I turn my head, a blue sight.
The sky and the ocean blending crystallised.
Over the dock a calming breeze,
the scent of salt, lime and fresh fish
that I often smelled on my father.
Another mesmerising day beaming at me
through sea sprayed screen doors.
Its crooks hold the times I took for granted.
6 lines
Incendium Amazonia
Black snow drifting to our land.
Heat—red sunset without a star,
earthlings racing for their lives,
tripping over the greed of those
who refuse to behold
the truth in the flames.
12 lines
Wandering souls
Somewhere wandering souls
whisper odes to the ocean as
whistles of the wind buzz
through the sand, wasting the earth.
Somewhere whimpering sighs
take petals from their cores.
Where are you, under the magnitude
of a sky so broad
that bees and birds
loose themselves
in the calling of a song
older than these wandering souls.
12 lines
Comfort Zone
My life, a field of comfort. Dandelions block my view of what’s beyond the line that blurs earth and sky. Reminds me of the plush over which I lay. Without warning, rifting winds blow the fluff from its centre. Low rattling coaxes me to my feet, brisk as I follow in their wake. The seed swirls, hypnotising, drawing me to a chasm of light. My feet stick to the edge as the seed takes descent to the unknown. A rhythmic pounding through the earth, emanates from within. The seed calls my name, echoing through the stone. But my feet remain unmoved, glued by doubt. Inhaling, I thrust fear aside, neglecting its existence. The ground dissipates and I fall. Breeze between my fingers. My breath liquifying with the rumblings of gravity. Regret and fear take my hands as the light brightens. The ground rushes up, but it’s not firm and shattering. I break through. Glowing blues engulf, receive and welcome me into its realm. Glimmering specks of life shining all around and within me. I belong to something more than the universe.
Val Writes 