Samhain

Samhain - end of harvest time
in early Celtic lore
adapted adroitly by the church -
All Souls' Night.
Halloween in our time
commercialism wins
but are we closer to the Celts
than we think?

Stark reality

hunger for connections
all too bloody banal
in lieu of loneliness

we make up stories
we create our values
we procreate to hide

our frustrations with
our own selves
our own mortality

Lucky Friend

"Widow's maker" will take you away
from what you would do today
off-road driving into the unknown
and leave your family very alone.

So you were extremely lucky
somebody saw something yucky
on your tests and insisted
that you would be inspected.

Yep - angioplasty and a stent
prolongs your precious life - lent
to you more time to ponder
what's important, life's wonder.

Little barracuda!

Your rounded head
of newborn downiness
at your mother's breast
suckling - craving her
bonding like all beasts
a little barracuda
for love and nurture.

The fifth season

The fifth season springs forth
it lasts only a few days
spiderwebs, dawn dews
between summer and fall
a warm glow - after night's bend
shimmering of earthly spoor
into Indian summer's daytide
at dusk it flows suffused
into coolant evening moonglow.


To P. who showed me:
Kurt Tucholsky's "Fifth Season"

Elliptical Serendipity

rencontre extraordinaire
souls collision
childhood - early manhood
middle years early - late
the ellipse - the fairy ring
found somewhere
picked up intuitively
gravitating towards
bending the mold
in new strange forms
seen only by merfolks
the globe enclosed fate ...

Rainy lemons in Oz

Quietly droplets
splot the lemons' skins
greenish unriped
sparkling emeralds -
citrously bright
sunloved fruit
comparably to none
lacking the sun's sparkle -
yet in the gray of the dawn
dewdrips' scintillation
awakens all sensory
embellishing these
tiny yellow diamonds
in the rough.

Unsuitable

Musical melodies
meneandering memories
tearjerker's touches
totally tarnished
by bad ballandeer
belting bee-bob barcaroles.

Alexander Ernst

Into this world
beautiful boy
cometh forth by
old wizard ploy
wishes for you
by your farmor
health, happiness
and light armour
not forgetting
the mistletoe's risk
on your own path
to life's trip - brisk
you will walk along
man of the world
singing your song.

Limbo

Pope's power to undo limbo
carries centuries of children careening
away to their parents
instead of nonexistence!
When will the people rip/d
old men
of supremacy over millions?

Cats

One black
one white
one belonging
one not fitting
one male
one female
will they ever mesh?

Sunday Musings

Quiet mundane Sunday
whipping up pancakes
walking to the stores
family visits chatting
taking laundry in
doing brain puzzles
just quietly being
not bad considering
alternatives
war- famine - hatred!

Joel

Oz man of my past
if I could tell you
what a disappointment
it is not to see you
in the name of respectability
and family obligations
I would -

I will not offend anyone
but my dry tears
could soak up the koalas' spit
the crocs white saliva
My sadness has not yet hit
Not seeing you old friend
is like another death.
Not "le petit mort"
but true sadness
- it hurts.

Prahran walk

Sun out - a morning stroll
little shops -French Peugeots
reminiscence - European roots
smell - indigenous foods
a cafe - swirling coffee
paper - rustling
entering Prahran Market
smells more pungent
Proustian pounding
at a French chocolatier's stall
Tasmanian-pepper encrusted
truffles - turned madeleines
to-night after dinner
Prahan transforms to Paris
of my burried youth.

Hello Revisited in Oz

Another past
not mine
has materialized
sometimes
you wonder
if what then?!

To go back
when future was
the past blocks
your own!
I wonder
if not now?

To revisit
the future past
can be sad
so be aware
of yourself
if yes - why?

Vølva in Oz

Vølva is on a spin
to visit a valiant kin
finding his place
in this rat race.

She hopes he will
grind his own mill
for his identity 's need
and his own breed.

No help can she offer
except hope proffer
moral support mayhap
love in a vast burlap.

Second nourisher

Sleep deprivation
in a faraway land
Truly a torture.
Levelheaded
out of the question -
just coping.
Empathy
with victims.

Vic Market

Victoria her majesty
would look shocked
even her stiff upper lip
would quiver
if she saw what
goods we do not need
but heed and want
today -
the strangest would be
that we find it so natural
ironing board covers
with roos on
covers for phones with
Mickey Mouse
all produced in China.
Her majesty would
spin in her grave
if she saw the sex gadgets
you absolutely had to acquire.
Victoria would find
the world wanting.

Man from Oz

Man from Oz, Man from Oz
wails the bitch
it was not to be us
what a snitch
I hear your voice
from far away
let me rejoice
that you are alive today.

Man from Oz, Man from Oz
never a go
many years - a paradox
letters crossed - know
that in our parallel lives
we have found what
we could not have thrived
together like that.

Man from Oz, Man from Oz
smiles the Dane
through her tears and snot
not in vain
have we kept up ship
thus wrote about the self
those drops of tender quips
sustains our wealth.

Man from Oz, Man from Oz
from whence we go
another great loss
when the stop of the flow
of thoughts, our mortality
friendshipped for life
that is our reality
what a strange fife.

To my unborn grandson!

Laden with love and curiosity
a child conceived in lust
a baby grown in mother love
the father will have to share
his thrilling deed of must.

This is a beautiful earth
if you comply within the norms
you will teach two people
to share - to make ends meet
you will become the waging storm.

What burden you have, little one,
you just don't know it at all -
you shall sleep, suck, and poop
you shall smile and observe
you shall smell the world's wall.

You have such potential, wee one,
you will enter the realm of humanity
and that , my grandson, is not all fun
you will see for yourself one day
you will like me ask, why? Insanity?

So if I could wish something for you
of substance of help along your way
keep goodness and gentleness close
make loads of friends - be kind
be true to yourself - that's my say.