Shade

low breathing dogs lying in the late light
leaves signal the breeze
dappled images
she lies in the grass, eyes closed
protected from the sweating sun

History circles

The linear appearance, deceptive
some of us are reborn children with other distant memories
she knows places, faces from an unknown past
she dresses dolls in the clothes  I once picked out years ago, exact in matching

Cobweb Thoughts

hanging from the chapters of my life
the dust of history makes me unsettled
hanging from the rooms of my memory
the heart takes a broom, needing clarity
these cobwebs cloud the view, the past is obscured.

Hope

Sometimes hope must be reborn

At a tired two o' clock in the morning

Hope must be forced into the dark room

Like a small spluttering candle struggling to breath

Sobbing words are forgiven

At this eye rubbing time

The stomach acid feeling of surrender

Inevitable, showing how we are inextricably linked we are

Hope must be pulled from the deepest body part

a brutal caesarean bringing new life

This private mourning

Before the morning

Is ours alone to hold with new cries

Navigation

My navigation of the ship of destiny
is faulty, I lose focus in the mist
I consult inefficient maps
and forget guiding constellations at night
I turn against the strong winds
and return to a safe place for a while.

Earth Magnetics

I was eight, maybe seven
the first time I held the fork shaped stick
an ability to find underground water source is rare
a handful have the gift
they feel the fork shaped stick bend,
even against equal and opposite force
I have felt the pull of the earth
under a certain tree, before a rain storm
I walk shaking with bent concentration,
wishing for the gift of finding water,
Finding a deep life source
desperate in the dry season,
cattle putting hopes on my young arms

Mince Pies

The inflammation of my psyche
is momentarily undone by a reminder
the uncomfortable shiftings of the world
disappear for a moment, bent over the kitchen table
with a plate of mince pies, Christmas signals
indicators of innocence
calm inducers