chill surrenders to sun
blazing on a sky of deepening
blue. hour of quiet gathering
batteries fallow
this city
matured in two decades
gallery guards
stalking & pouncing from boredom

behind wire people tie
balloons to funk
neighbours wake
up a renovated *****

saturday traffic gathers
swish & hum, truck
accent. weather collects wanderers
friends missing a year
reuniting like
a week passed

a boy
with toys
of batteries
and musical
smiles & giggles

a bowl
of breakfast
as mum & dad
negotiate clothes
for swimming

lessons of arms & legs
the car back
to play
electronic
notes again

postmodern theories
about words and sentences
make strange bedfellows

something writlten now
might forever be published
because I typed it

only a ***
calls a cigarette that
without blushing
puffing away by the bay
waters lap like cancer
consuming the beast
clouds of now & then
faded
as fog is prone to
morning hours
which never see
me like this

flying away
for a time
warmer climes
those who matter
with a baby
I'll be new
wth a case
of clothes
adorning wine
in an unknown
house then
I can picture
friends in their wild
like they
see me

threads woven around others become
something more than coloureds strands
the picture emerges ever so gently
details of a face late in proceedings
the seamstress, hair severe and concentrated glare
hears a voice outside the window
and the loom paints as her nimble fingers
pull and weave from six woollen scanes
greens for some trees and then
she releases the shades and pushing her chair
proceeds to the door to welcome someone

so many hopeless
musings of yearning writers
scrolling many screens

the castle seemed
abandoned
crumbling turrets
under years
of weather
drawbridge splintering
punctured soles
in the courtyard
faded benches
a three legged table
propped by rocks

door ajar
inside a maze
of mirrors & halls
clutching the bannister
master bedroom with
french windows
grimy glass filters sun
casting
abstract shadows on
a thin man's
gasp

reading runes
game of stones
anxious
since returning
sharing rent
rarely leaving
apart from rations
full fridge
iced over
a pick chipping
softly mining
buried treasure
such facets
licked lips
a spoon chinks
another pan

water flows & flows & splutters
through a weir & a pipe on the sand
with rampant ibis & seagulls with
chips from the hands of children
an iconic beach disappoints in the flesh
the south end where nobody covers
that much skin as there's not lots
to hide while they flaunt & smoke & blister
under sun & ice-cream melts
as the waves roll & roll

night of nothing
but tea
soothing the beast

burn fades
beach company
occupied towel

fish & chips
wealthy postcode
the sky turned black

blanket of hail
cracked from thunder
staccato notes

empty roads
despite saturday
a key in the door

early awakening
clouds outside
winged chorus

sun dim
rain again gathers
hugging the blankets

deciphering tweets
where do birds
shelter from storms

lovely fat free words
strung together randomly
just may mean something

in the mirror
a red face
coloured by wine
often white
with shock
aloe works
for a time
then another
liquid

baptism
from the clouds
washes away
channelling to the harbour

broken branches
in gutters
leaves strewn
across footpaths

wild urban obstacles
puddles stay
wet socks
umbrella struggles

a moment of teasing
blue drifts to
grey portents
time enough

to clear eaves
unblock drains
prepare for
another cleansing

your shape
in the wind
your fur coils
keeps you warm
undergarment weather
reinforcements
taking the strain
beneath the line
no solutions
nobody goes
there

in the cavern
stalactites & fireflys
illuminate
now
a library of theories

chasm cacophony
their massed odour
freshly damp
hanging in wait
for the moon's cue

headlamp highlights
campers' scraps
under earth & rock
a steady descent
strange treasures

that was great
ten years later
lalique recollections
you weren't really there
like most of us
the music
we danced
& drank till we fell
down a new abyss
imax balcony
something to immediately
post

in the corner
a hot beer garden
thirsty palm is sad
holding cigarette butts
their fingers burnt
water scarce
lifting his ale
the regular customer
sees a face he knows
that man
pretends not to notice

soft drops
tickle the leaves
of orchids
moon rising
in a southern sky

day is done
the night enters
she knows the code
red is poured
calm descends

panorama
cut up in shapes
connecting pieces

which bit of blue
matches another
how does a horizon spread

across a table
pictures & words
make patterns

the spire of a mountain
plain in retrospect
seemed like a face

of quiet reflection
building a picture
a hole in the sky

blood runs
fangs in a neck
watching & seeing
stored expressions
stolen events

turning in
tucking sheets
white & crisp
leaving the dough
to prove

the oven
hot
mit with holes
conditions for
a good loaf

red in the streetlight
banksia holds back
garden arch reads the seasons
braille in the night

glow of a lamp
highlights some leaves
no car for miles
can only be peace

for four days
i haven't spoken
it doesn't matter
i know they're there
flowers blooming for seasons
beautiful salt

display of strut, bird-lady departed.
vacuumed in fur during mountain winters.
cocktails at five, tales of life lived.
a modern disease tolled bells.

pecks on a red door, footprints on steps,
twilight brought a royal display from
deep in bush, day after day his noble plumage
green, blue, purple eyes watchful,

a holy farewell.
under an oak at saturday’s end
he returns for an encore of lessons
from heaven. nurture, renewal,

kindness shrouded in ritual dance.
sister protector wears feathers of colour,
imprinted with love, caring whilst fading,
rot taken hold.

peacocks appear, ostentations abound,
another abyss narrowly missed.
evolutionary lessons, true colours unfurl,
she rises from ashes with radiant glow

for Katie



martini of elderflower in a dimly
lit room. 40s tune plays with feminine
harmonies lifting a room. green
tiles and floor lamps, a yellow glow.

alcoves of lounges, retro chairs
contain saturday groups on long
weekend splurges. V glasses, colourful
concoctions, buzz of the mix

in several quiet corners. chatting with
Katie, a beacon in darkness with
infectious regard for pictures and
words. talking planets and spaceships,

a fictional odyssey, silicon storm in
ridiculous glasses. rosemary’s baby, a
theme cocktail infused with thought.
film screen and text gets

the message across. early alarm means
an 8pm ending from hours of
wander and lovely therapy. parting hug
warms a deep fried heart,

plans to disco inferno at a melbourne haunt
in the midst of sydney. donna left,
everyone remembered. amy goes
back to black. records spin. i feel loved

ray peeps around a corner,
playful child reflecting light through
a periscope. lashing gales, umbrellas concave,
ponds dampen scurrying workers.

morning sky was blue, everything
turned with lunch. praise replaced by
a battle back to element of gas.
curtains drape to trap comforts.

again the sun hides, astral signals
unbalance and change. Venus to star
in a celestial ballet. scorching orb
of retina burn the prop and set.

eclipses of dramatic entrances in a single
month. exit from knots and
hibernation from the troubles of others.
a bear stomps to a hollow trunk.

king tides and fishermen endangered, waters
rise hauled by lunar spectacles.
maddening navigators endanger with
skids escaping weather and wheels.

pool at the back door trapped by
leaves on a grate. level rises then cleanses
bricks as a gust clears the drain. A single
dawn ‘til she casts her spell

on a damaged inhabitant. James Cook sailed
with secret plans to record her dance.
pressure on, contingencies set, the
ninth battalion armed and twitching

distant trucks thunder, echoes
rolling to highways. rumble of an infinite snake
re-forms. bulb of early winter flicks a
chill dawn switch.

diet rest. roused by masculine weakness. mind a Geiger
lost to solace. months before, witness to birds searching for a
weathered nest returned to twigs. building new
shelter, stick by stick, between protected branches.

family of fledglings waits & squawks
for bugs & worms. engineer’s toil of wings, claws & beak,
gathering remnants from eucalypts, weaving
& melding a fragile & gradual shelter.

morning sheds light, more cars hum, the reptile
lengthens. blood streams through arteries to a vital *****
without heart, lungs gasp for breath. weary heads of
commuters magnetized to caffeine spill from stations.

roar of trucks, clatter of trains, buses hum and insecure
shouts through wireless devices to invisible nobodies.
green lights, red lights, chicken players. chaos of city stutters &
halts, stutters & halts.

sudden gust beats at coats and dresses, whips ‘round trousers.
leaves limbo as autumn strips summer from trunks. a new nest
hit by a violent burst tumbles, disintegrating to
fragments.

there was a time when we stopped asking
mother stirring on the sofa in the morning
father snoring in a bedroom alone

there was breakfast to be done
school and work to be attended
no time for unasked questions

there were afternoons in an empty house
surrounded by friends smoking cigarettes
teenagers testing taboos

there were evenings at the table
three plates full and another burnt chop
a gambling man at the TAB or the pub

there was a time when the laws changed
hell broke loose with a violent storm
a drive to police with a stranger pursuing

there was never a time that I knew that man
I only saw odd and he seemed an imposter
blind to his havoc and angry from changes

there then was a time of relative calm
possessions gone and a room reclaimed
constant toiling to make sure of shelter

now is a time of mirrors and mazes
light refracting through a cracked prism
realising none of this is any reason

drops from a canopy
musical falling tears
a concrete step
saturated mat against the wall
faded stripes a catchment
rivulets gather & flow
to the ledge. underneath
plants drink, leaves dusted, roots spread
bulbs replace their powers
soon they will bloom

ice chinks a glass
wedge of lemon squeezed
& splashed
clear spirit clouds over
uncatatonic

a sip & chilled lips
soothing afternoon
a pause with a cigarette
the worst things
are the best

in the rain everything glistens
leaves sparkle in the grey
percussion on the roof
from the radio a piano concerto
a bird twitters in the distance sounding a bell
others hidden amongst branches
awaiting the sun

holy water without gods
the cycle of seasons
easter always wet with renewal
and a cross to bear
books of invented legends
rules to ignore
apart from ten

shining pastels and white
innocence discarded
there's a walker passing the fence
covered for this weather
treading slowly with an end in mind
there's a door in the distance
a key under a stone

big city room, streets quiet with
buzz in the distance. someone
awakens to a bladder, they retired earlier.
a siren wails & wails & is gone

emergency words. i don't know how they arrive
then are gone
like a thief stealing thoughts
transcribing the night.

equinox promises
a dance of planets
& there is no meaning unless
you choose to believe that.

still again
time to retire from the page
file things away
alphabetical order

the softest of smotherings
makes a cat purr
louder

slowly she moves into the ether
eaten away by angry cells
rebelling, a civil war
always that way
wine glass one side, cigarette the other
result of denial, a terrorist
bringing all down around her.

there's a time when the hour arrives
to retreat & leave & spare some troops
a losing front after years of battles
back to camp behind fortified walls
abandoned enemy with a taste for destruction.

she will haul it all down
collapsing walls
burying everything
while some sun remains
a well trodden path
escape must be quick

silent echo roars
a chasm of rock
valley empty of air
smoke from so many campfires
trapped & hanging
invisible nooses
loop & sway & attached to
nothing
trapped in lungs the planes of plumes
settle as velvet
drift around corners
tickling crevices, shrouding paths
trampled by history on horseback
beast seeks escape
from a misty tableau
sun at dawn & light weak from clouds
exit puzzle, guide lost a compass
veil descends to a river
the glass skin embraces

before the day the night retires
black tucked in by dawn's pale fingers
lifting a cover of sun
across damp sands
evaporating patterns withdraw to shore.
needle arms salute the clouds
trails of lycra ants
empty heads
from reds and whites
the week's download & lick of salt
night blanket gone
new slate to paint
scene of beacons & vessels floating
seawall haven
man on a board paddles the current
drifting a distance
in reach of shore

autumn comes with drooping arms
promises of stripped branches
shapes confetti & a quilt
rests on a carpet of dewdrops

bubbles melt with the dawn
drifting on currents
air carries leaves
another renewal

rains decompose browns, yellows, reds
winter greens sprout
soil fed & energised
vegetable flowers form

subtler seasons
easier sleeping, slower awakenings
leaves raked & piled
hot gone days disposed.

frost arrives in certain geographies
red replaces white
the tank is full & burners cleaned
warming gas is very close

a lullaby for Finn


fingers clutch air, tickling atoms
restless new boy, limbs long & soft
flakes of skin adjust to atmosphere
sunrays through glass warming his back

a dinosaur suit primary & bright
lunch on a simmer, mother not far
tearing of hair, he grizzles & squirms.
gently swaying pram & springs

away in a slumber wondering things.
back in a dark room hopes are too high
nap that was short is broken by cry
snuggle to neck, respite from the light

rubs eyes with a velvet fist of pink.
lucky new life in a household of care
father, two sisters to also guide here
dream on little boy, a world is out there

flame rose, stick of narrow
possibilities. orange flare
blue core
blackens oak splinter
fingers warm
sap absent
bending spine, a rounded tip,
carbon residue.
burn or extinguish. head splits
ashes glow, table glass & micro
blowtorch. moths left &
specks of grey
reflect in
a single ray of sun

windows blue, brushfire outside frame
lens snaps unfocussed souvenirs
button stuck & final landscape
reel changed in digital camera.

business armour, new & costly
spare strides, fresh shod feet
new path to wear & flatten trail
movement forward, steps with bells.

behind eyes dam pressure, fears of
others, games with blades, paper greed
leather pouch of cards, no perception
rides of ease & empathy bypass.

laundry dangles worn & fresh
warm breeze & sweat beads, pegs support
changing days, transforming month
summer growth for a turn of season

for Karen


raindrops spot a timber deck,
grey early morning, sunless.
twitter of birds welcome a misty awakening,
fridge hums, preserving everything.

magpie glides to rest on a line,
stark black and detailed white.
flies away to a branch unseen,
plates of evening remnants wait.

rosemary arms reach to warmth.
remembering when the light went out.
glow of blub over table in a gentle
interrogation. torture internal.

open shed in the yard’s deep corner
silhouettes of garden tools
waiting to fire, trim fresh growth
leaves of grass.

winter lost to constant storms
whatever’s there. magpie back with
accusing stare of malevolence.
clothes float as ghosts

wreckers arrive, trucks & sledgehammers & ball
on chain, tumbling brick walls
glass cacophony
crystals of sand.

demolition early, everyday ruins, debris
piles hills, constant removal.
wheels shifting loads
burial journey.

gulls fossick mountains discarded, peck at
rocks & remnants. banister
shattered, chunks of steps, rungless ladder.
a park ascends

sarcophagus past. developer opportunity
real estate soars, minion mcmansions.
corner view of water & trees,  haven of
light & ore

when it hits
when the winding road leads to
a cul de sac
reverse & don’t park

later at night, wines on board
didn’t pay the extra leg charge by
the exit
child whines & grizzles for land

solid foundations covered by
mountains & waters
everthing flows down streams & creeks &
all the rivers join

heart pumps, lungs release, fins stomp
over rocky ground, pillars
hold up the whole, stop the waters
receeding, keep them

propping all up. venice in winter
canons fire, lead ***** explode
around people I love. look in the
mirror, see what stares back

a smear on the face of a guilty reflection.
pool of calm lake
narcissus new zealand. glow & frown
& pull in the fish

stem of orchid jewels
hearts white. fronds dangling caressed
clouds obscure. Judas gifts wrap
kitchen. bromeliad pool &
bird chorus, cocteau twins, unwound
clock. himalayan surveyor measures
watercolour, telescopic insight
ginger of blue flowerless season
changing, renewed construction
seeds bloom, a winter pose. house of
possibilities in clear air, away from here
barbeque covered, herbs sprout flavour
zen stone feature a cat’s new bed

i would be OK
if not for the eyes of strangers
Sunglasses black

silver green in a night sky
i've been here before

the soothing scent of mowing lawn
back strain from lifting & hauling
concrete stepping blocks
storing another direction.

wakeful night of dreams crowding
saying things I forget.
labour betrays the promise of a tired body
assisting sleep

fifteen milligrams paid in full
moisture in a drought
the rain holds off a little longer
despite various warnings

ringing something sounding unlike bells
white noise turns the colour of alarm
it's all alright
the mantra some magic
the mantra some magic

chopping rocks
it only takes that
chain gang number not behind bars
blackbirds squawk amongst seeds of grass

gathered symbols or innocent bystanders
white friends fly
proud with the span of their wings
catching the flow.

trip on a stone
the smallest pebble snagging a shoe
lace caught beneath
hesitant step.

hussle to train with luggage heaving
straining the zip, can never hold back
a time to be quiet &
rearrange words

the lessons we hear tuning into
the night
wheels roll back home
some more washing up

overhead squawk of cockatoos
ominous warning of a flight toward freedom
yellow crests flutter in changeable weather
tableau of leached blacks.
half a white disc dissolved
brings anxious, involuntary spasms
not camouflaging venitians
floating on canals, oblivious to currents.
dreams arrive in a dead night
of wakeful & unordered surprises.
busy memories paint cartoon oils
in monochrome.
at dawn a grey horizon
not the blazing yellow orb
of Sunday awakening when possibilities were served
with fruits at breakfast.
riding tracks of the past
a quiet carriage & a mind cacophony.
in the centre potential for
an accord of calm melody
of simpler notes to play.
conductor announcing upcoming stops
unwanted concerns echo through valleys

suits chugging beers
overcompensating
a man rubs his hands with a new deal
capitalist moisturiser
Jargon For Dummies
in search of some
box full of empty rooms
holding tiny humanity
pin-striped warrior factory
they're everywhere these broken moulds
******* the middlemen
fattening bottom lines
bears set free amongst steel & glass
concrete hot under summer gamma
shareholders ruling but not really reigning