Cockroach City

it was a childish mind
spinning a story behind the dump
no tiny embryonic souls
these hosts eating out our minds
taking clean clear thoughts, darkening them like ink blotting
sucking joy, licking the ice cream remains from these lips
feelers primed to find soft skin, and take hold.

Star Fishing

There are too many to count
She says
Of this fallen sky, these nocturnal sparkles
She dips her string, coiled carefully around a pencil
Gently into the water
The paper clip makes small insignificant ripples on the water

blurred

bar codes become
grey seas
A's become W's
bones become flesh
blood becomes water
words lose all their strength
lost memories
turn to water

Bridge

I am second best
but you remain my number one
chords balance
like a well engineered bridge
join the arrow to the star
a maze of roadworks
multiple lanes, regrets pour from the windshield
waiting in the traffic
wiping water, the wiper blades only on the outside
wiping the mistakes
singing away the waiting
tapping at the time we left between
bridging the raging water of unsolved

Reviving Ophelia

she has gone
wax like, her skin
drowned to madness
almost too sad to be tragic
the madness eventually found her
let her go, left that space where she walked alone
there are many like her, nameless
the case studies, slimming to vacant perfection
self mutilations, masking pain of parental divorce
Pinning plastic cookie shaped identity
we have brought her back, she looks outside
asking the world, how do I look?

Birdsong

The bird, alone against the heat
The call ricochets off the rock face
Persistent
Long after the others have retreated
Resting
Persistent
A nudge, deep, far in my remembering
Buried under the recipes, the equations, the nightmares
The bird continues, uninterrupted
Piet my vrou
Piet my vrou
Long into the afternoon shadows
As I search through the dark pool of sounds
Looking for that same call.

birthday

they raised a flag for you
early on that windy morning
the ocean stayed calm
when you arrived, screaming
blonde, an older understanding look
in you eyes
nothing has changed
time as crept past in silence
a jacaranda has blossomed this morning
the flag is still raised, in the wind
for you, after four years
signalling a salute to your secrets, your dreams
your celebrated strong life.

Lost Memories

Ripples of time
Ricocheting echoes
Without name or number
Betray the recollections under the ice

Sunset

The rays have become irresponsible
they sparkle with a more subtle shine
the colour becomes darker, seductive
as they spread across the evening skyline
waiting for the stars to dance