Widowhood

Through twenty long years
of widowhood Joan’s life
spread out around her sons,
their wives and children,
neighbours, fellow senior
citizens in their gatherings.

Her brothers and sisters as
time went on all passed
away and were duly interred.

Yet the funerals continued
to Joan’s stunned shock
as her sons succumbed
to their father’s faulty heart
genes. They too passed away.

Her numb despair defeated
her grandchildren’s best efforts.
They could not lift her out
of her weighty misery.

Left behind by her husband
and children she withdrew
inside herself, speaking little,
and her heartbeat faded away.


Previously posted May 2017.

Joan And Fred

After WW II Fred came home to
Joan and their two young sons
returned to his old prewar job.
In the forties they camped
in summer holidays at a
beach well north of their
home city. In the fifties
they bought a little section
above the beach to camp on.
Gradually Fred and the boys
built a little cottage room, by
room then sold the caravan,
staying weekends in the cottage.

On retirement Joan wanted to
stay in their cheery little home
in the friendly suburb with
families who had been her
family for over thirty years.
Fred was adamant they retire
to the cottage. In the end they
moved to the cottage at the
beach now joined to the city
by mushrooming new suburbs.

A year later a massive heart
attack took Fred from Joan’s life

leaving her alone in a new
suburb still feeling uprooted.
Her old home was now occupied,
another move was beyond her.

In her rage she walked the
streets, striding, fast, furious,
venting the anger and despair
erupting inside her, walking
until her rage burnt out

leaving her hollow inside.


Previously posted May 2017.

Forks In The Road

Sue split up from mundane
college boyfriend Bruce at
nineteen, became excited by
her exuberant bond with Tom.
At twenty she asked Tom to marry
her but wanting to wait till he was
thirty he moved on to other women.

Fay enjoyed their sparkling time
asked Tom to marry her at
twenty three. He turned her
down and she travelled alone
to Asia to spend Christmas
with her parents who ran a
profitable business there.

Soon terrorist bombings broke
out there, to global headlines,
stopping personal letters.
Frantic Tom visited her house
mates often to compare their
infrequent letters, to wonder
aloud how she was surviving.

Overjoyed at her safe return
they married at twenty four.

Devastated, alone, Sue told her
friends “Tom wasn’t ready for
marriage. I should have waited.”
She married kind safe Bruce.

Fay and Tom had a few big
upheavals in their marriage
over the years. Were they
wondering …. “What if ….?”

Together Sue and Bruce attended
Fay and Tom’s twenty fifth anniversary
celebrations. did they all wonder
“What if …. ? What if that far off
terrorist conflagration had
never happened …. ?”


Previously posted May 2017.

Paua Rescue

Kaikoura’s coastal sea bounty
thrived with large juicy paua*,
crayfish, on the shallow sea bed
replenishing themselves to the
joy of local restaurants and diners.
Whales in the nearby chasm
mingled with smaller fish from
shallower seas round about.

Until this under water terrain was
heaved high in the air by the earth’s
crust’s powerful jolts breaking
up land and sea bed alike.

As tremors weakened two days
later local divers stared in
shock at the rocky shore now
high in the air, swathed in kelp.

“Never thought I’ld need a ladder
to collect paua,” muttered one to
his mates. “We have to act now
or we’ll have no more.”

Back home mates phoned mates,
gathered buckets and ladders
then returned to rescue the paua.
They filled their buckets, climbed
over rocks to the water’s edge,
tipped their earthquake victims
into the sea, repeating the trek
many times each very hot day.

No illegal catch above quota
was taken for fisheries
inspectors watched closely
throughout.

*paua – New Zealand abalone.


Previously posted April 2017.

Sunday Lunch

Ron and Betty took Brian
and June for a pleasant Sunday
outing, two middle aged couples
enjoying sun and coastal breezes.

At shallow rocky outcrops keen
diver Ron slipped over the side
to gather paua* for lunch and
dinner for four – nothing to exceed
their quota should fisheries
inspectors arrive to check the catch.

No inspectors appeared but the
three on the boat stared as long
dark shapes converged on Ron
down under the sparkling waters.

Ron standing up faced three
orcas nose to nose as they
snooped into his bag, his gear.

“Close enough to hongi !” he
gasped as they hauled him up
with his catch for their lunch.

The traditional New Zealand
Maori hongi signifies peace and
good will as the participants
touch noses to breathe the same air.

Did those orca pranksters mean
goodwill or mischievous teasing ?
Ron ended his diving for the day.

*paua – New Zealand abalone

** Very loosely based on an incident
reported on national news in March 2017.


Previously posted April 2017.

Dolphin Encounter

Surf lifesaver Dad took
fourteen year old daughter with
her two friends on a beach to
beach swim to increase life
saving ocean swimming stamina.

Swimming close to the shore
lest stamina fade the fourteen
year olds splashed among rocks
grazing knees as they passed.

Crossing deeper water past a
wide bay, dolphins encircled them
containing the humans while
banging the water with huge tails.

At last Dad escaped the circle,
saw a shark shadow deep below
as did another young life saver
swimming out from the beach.

Looking down at the shark, the
men then looked at each other,
swam back inside the circle.

After 45 minutes the dolphins
ceased their uproar having saved
fellow mammals from a vicious
shark attack – from skinned knees.

…. five weary swimmers slowly
swam up to the beach.


Previously posted April 2017.

Notice To Cyclones

Lately you have exceeded
your job description surging
so far south of the equator.
Your duties are to stir up
torrid humid air down as
far as the Tropic of Capricorn
at latitude 23 degrees south
while unfortunate island
dwellers must tolerate you.

You strayed beyond
latitude 34 south
smashing our continental
neighbour’s south eastern
estates to smithereens then
drowning vast acreages.

Beyond latitude 34 south
our shaky isles, always
unsettled, have lately been
heaved up to great heights
then dropped down low,
shattering towns, roads,
countryside and coasts.

Now twice within four
weeks your violence has
battered and flooded us !

Go back to your home
stay on your equator !


Previously posted April 2017.

Cappucino

Leaving the hospital after
regular blood tests I
follow an unfamiliar route
home past a cluster of
shops where a cafe exhales
a rich deep robust aroma
of sumptuous dark coffee.

My previous enjoyment of a
substantial cappucino in bright
cheerful cafe surroundings has
not favoured me in return,
bringing nausea, dizziness,
headaches later on, unless
accompanied by a large meal
to soak up the caffeine.

All this is long forgotten
as I succumb to the rich
cafe air, consume that
cappucino with a sandwich.

I have a quiet day, no
dizziness or nausea. that
night I go to bed, read,
turn out the light, lie awake,
breathe deeply, slowly, count
sheep, read, turn out the light
again, lie until dawn arrives.

I have not slept all night.


Previously posted April 2017.