Scorching heat from blazing
blue skies baked town and
countryside alike for two
months of late spring early
summer as the skies withheld
their usual vital rainfall.
Now spasmodic showers and
floods sometimes drench
parched earth far too hot
for grass and crops to grow.
Sheep and cattle stand under
shelter trees eating winter
feed that should have been
stored for several months yet.
Beyond the trees fields
of burnt brown stubble
stretch for miles
bake in searing sun.
Previously posted January 2018
Month: December 2022
Changing Landscape
Green lawn and lush vegetable
gardens sprawled beyond Nana’s
windows and French doors.
surrounded by lush leafy trees.
The lawn sprouted daisies until
mowed, and a random spread
of dog toys ignored by their
elderly owner but still thrown
by hopeful grandchildren.
Silver beet packed densely into
a dark green mass, carrots sent
up a delicate feathery forest,
thick dense heads swelled
from cabbages and cauliflowers.
Strawberry plants covered their
own patch, covered themselves
by black stretchy bird netting.
Nana’s weak heart can no
longer nurture this garden.
The contractor mows grass
over the old back yard.
Previously posted December 2017.
He Is Gone
She rang me from her home
at the far end of the country.
“He is not here,” she said.
“Is he in hospital ?” I asked.
“They take me to see him
at the hospice every day.”
She said no more
did not answer me
hung up.
I wrote to her instead.
________________
She rang me from her home
at the far end of the country.
“He is …… he is ……” she said.
“I am so sorry he is gone,”
I replied.
I persuaded her to tell me
who stayed with her
who cared for her.
The small private funeral
he requested spared her
much distress.
They are helping her
supporting her at home.
But he is gone.
Previously posted November 2017.
A Tortuous Road
Bold confident intelligent
a successful professional
she also lived in her music
evenings and weekends
singing and playing piano.
Midlife at age forty two
an alien octopus cluster
vein burst in her brain
flooding it with blood until
eleven hours on the operating
table finally stemmed the flow.
Survival left her limping
struggling to recall the words
of her once fluent speech,
unable to sing, play the piano,
keep her professional career.
A half life on a government benefit.
The man who had loved her
through the ending of his
marriage at last convinced
her parents to help him
marry him. Twenty years joy.
He stayed alive for her till
ninety, then faded away.
At seventy she was bereft,
abandoned amidst family
friends, lover church parish.
Previously posted November 2017.
Problems With reader
My last two posts did not appear on my reader page, only on my website.
I have checked the settings which appear to be correct. I have gone through various help pages but had no luck so far. this is very strange as I have been blogging on WordPress for seven years now and had no problems until this week.
I have sent off a question to the forum but from what I remember of a previous question, it will take a while to get a reply.
In the meanwhile if anyone has any helpful suggestions I would greatly appreciate them.
Thanks.
Five Feisty Tuis
Five feisty tuis
iridescent cousins of
ferocious blackbirds;
territorial warriors guarding
prolific nectar laden trees
golden kowhai blooms
scarlet eucalyptus spikes.
Five feisty tuis
elegant parson birds
knots of white feathers
curling at their throats
arrive at the untenanted
kowhai tree. No trilling
bell like courting songs now.
Five feisty tuis
streak into the kowhai’s
heart claiming every luscious
nectar laden flower for
their own. Loud raucous
shrieks fill the air.
Speeding beating wings
dart through heavily
laden branches vicious
beaks cruelly stabbing.
One by one the victor
forces them to flee.
Triumphantly he struts
poses on a high branch,
trilling, wooing his beautiful
female to set up a nest.
Previously posted November 2017.
Shaky Isles
Our shaky isles are
shuddering
juddering
scuddering
on earth’s heaving
molten fiery core
cold hard rock jutting
above earth’s vast oceans.
Our shaky isles are
wiggling
jiggling
joggling
as we eat dinner
watch TV read papers
send evening emails
from home computers.
Our shaky isles are
vibrating
grating
graunching
their rocky crusty shards
as they split over surging
boiling magma welling up
receding, grinding between
vast sliding rocky plates.
Previously posted November 2017.
Shaky Isles
Our shaky isles are
shuddering
juddering
scuddering
on earth’s heaving
molten fiery core,
cold hard rock jutting
above earth’s vast oceans.
Our shaky isles are
wiggling
jiggling
joggling
as we eat dinner
watch TV read papers
send evening emails
from home computers.
Our shaky isles are
vibrating
grating
graunching
their rocky crusty shards
as they split over surging
boiling magma welling up
receding, grinding between
vast sliding rocky plates.
Previously posted November 2017.
Clockswoggled
In our southern hemisphere’s
cool dark seasons I read
during the evenings varied
WordPress blogs of differing
topics styles presentations.
At 11 pm I close down
to go to bed for the night.
When our southern clocks went
forward an hour in spring all
was jiggled around so I caught
my breath, adjusted, continued
to bed at 11 pm but had to read
some favourite blogs next day.
I settled into reading these blogs
at new times until a vast north
continent moved its clocks
for winter then my favourite
blogs’ times changed again !
As my feet touched ground
again the other northern
continent jolted its clocks
tipped up its times. So now
I read my blogs all posting
at strange new times again.
I still close down at 11 pm
to go to bed for the night.
Previously posted November 2017.
Dressing for town
An exciting morning – shopping
in town spending pocket money
in between Mum’s errands.
Svelte chic for the eight year
old with close fitting jeans
geometric zigzagged cardigan
buttoned to the neck, hair
neatly tied back, iridescent
pink flats with tiny bows.
Femininity for the six year old
pink shirt pink starred leggings
under smart denim skirt complete
with heart covered sneakers.
Last of all a necklace teamed
with sparkly dangly hair ties.
Mum quickly dons smart jeans
shirt, flats, applies makeup
combs hair, puts on ear rings.
Little brother wears striped
leggings, cowboy sweat shirt,
cute little sneakers, his first ever.
His special comb goes
over his tight curly thatch.
Oh no ! Loud screams !
How could she !
She’s combing his hair !
Three smartly dressed ladies
drive off to town with tidy
tear stained little brother
buckled firmly in his seat.
Previously posted November 2017.
lifecameos 