Europe...
touring the village
Mum always lived

alone with rain
waving down the platform
to the train

farmhouse
a meteor passing
leaves its light

saxophones
beneath my cat nap
dad's low vinyl jazz

resisted...
reading a pen-pal
at the letter box

dance class
before the music
a soft-shoe shuffle

deepening leaves
grandmother's autumn
beyond her

needing teeth
this smile
should be framed

rainbow trout
plucking water-striders
to grow itself

wedding Oak
next generation
the kid's tree house

pen pal's address
checked again
at the post box

office lift
the girl's first day
over perfumed

cactus
the rain drops
on sharpened needles

the old girl
feeding ducks
in unkempt clothes

as songs
turn to a chorus
summer sunrise

around the great hall
a prayer bell rings
chants from the grey monks

to the rooms of monks
the early bell peels
cold in a grey fog

a tarot reading
her bangles and chains
jingle... jangle

electric drill
his jagged holes
behind the picture frame

tarot night
the black cat licks
her white spot

I know only
after the rain
enough seeds will be parents

on the earth
after rain
enough seeds copy the parents

I know only
no matter how cute
most turtle young will be food

twilight
in the same time
the sick friend has not phoned

butterfly and mate
stirring the dust
in a sunbeam

afternoon picnic--
our canoe shifts
in its mirror

wheat fields
waving in the oceans
of a breeze

holding the trickle
cupped in hands--
the sweet brook

home-made kite
still trailing string
on my backyard lawn

chain-sawing trees
should fall closer
to slap your face!

in the time it takes
the seeds must find
the answer

even walks to school
across the park
on the crunches of autumn

streaks of dawn
on a reed in frost the butterfly
knows no beauty

Blockbuster...
quieter
in the credits

window breaths
the tot nearly fingers
a tree of stars

the theatre cleaner
rubs over
last night's applause

twilight fades
feeling insomnia
begin to worry

out of school
the same hail dents
in mum's old car

Zen garden...
Buddha
where all the paths meet

in the Koi pond
the perishing food
of leaves

alone with winter...
a brew of coffee
letting me sit it out

rock pools
free from the tide
free from the sea

afternoon clouds
an eagle
arrows a dove

rainbow
bridging the hills
I drive to

lawn frost
hardens the hose
I left un-wound

church bells
split my eyes
in a Sunday sleep

goldfish
peeing damn pee
in the bowl

hailstones
redden the bed
strawberries lay in

a kite's tail
chokes the church saint
I believe in

in a sunbeam
I could not know
the moth so close

the coffee pot boils--
I cannot join
my Zodiac stars

our coffees boil--
lost in the stars
the Infinite

from the egg
its first cheeps
making the parents forage

jazz music
through the window
late summer heat

grey dawn
a drizzle of rain
the bird sings through

songs of dawn
the nestlings
don't yet know

bird songs--
and we are both lighter
for our dreams

colours of dawn
all at once
the echo of songs

her songs--
to start the day
the magpie's cracked egg

solitary faces
along the river--
I row into the sun

visible
through the midday rain
tulips bending

she soars--
in the air of mountains
the eagle...cries

lily pads
lifted by the wind
lifted by the skirts

birthday balloon
she could not know
it escapes

seagulls
light as the air
I breathe too

in the end
waves dump the power
of steam

close of day
the Minaret's
last call

webs
rainbows shift
on the window

icicles thaw
the patio joined
in puddles

horizons
lure the geese
to the days beyond

a small tear...
my pocket's
front door key

after dawn
dodging spears of sunlight
in Dad's old barn

old dog from the park
the neighbours he knows
greeting

full moon
pulling tiny seas
to rock pools

gold leaves
the Maples fall
to slumber

summer scents
under the trellis
grapes between friends

moon
the ocean moves
in its mirror

school bikes
Mum's good-bye
in gentle snow

bat squeaks
the cave shaped
to their sounds

school breaks--
the river's
rope swings

Wednesdays...
pruning her roses
she left me

in the late sun
I just faced
a butterfly

her brush--
silently in sunshine
a butterfly's... touch

our long weekend
painting the room--
the baby's future

tools--
she's tilling
to free her roses

long weekend
the weed's hold
pulls back

confessional
our new priest
slow to forgive

after lightning--
beside the river
a cracked boulder

talking alone--
in a word
she has no future

a wing beat--
the hummingbird
catches my eye

sunset
the last prayers
the Minaret calls

wind all day--
the web repairs
the spider is caught in

un-gloved--
for all to see
the pledge of her diamond

perfumed
all at once--
the office lift

the family car
we polish monthly--
the reach of the tots

spacing them
should fit the shelf
Father's urn-- his model boat

Father's church
in the sea of songs
an empty praise

Father's church--
I will not agree
souls need saving

after church
Father carving
our Sunday roast

oh! my! departing geese
a feather
crosses the sun

cupid's arrow
in the coal mine
in the timbers

grey lake
salmon quietly gulping
for misty air

snow bound
the windowsill's
white kittens

down any mine too
--I should expect--
a heart's name

sleep-out
Mum brings to the lawn
a spread of blankets

pencil eraser
rubbing me
out of a haiku

end of drinks
her birthday's
middle age

bonsai garden
flies here too
polish their wings

open window--
she lisps quietly
"Journeys of the geese"

in his studio
your painting
with your naked sketches

eyes of the snowman
in a melting spring
children's laughter

crime novel...
the geese honks
across my windows

a summer's heat--
our watermelon's
shared chill taste

peach tree buds
overnight
our future in pies

sound of joggers
the guard dog's
snapping chain

Sunday patio
the tuck-in sounds
of our dinner plates

with tourists
she sips an iced green cocktail
under her red sun hat

no stars
I cannot count
the fireflies

in the web
due a spring clean--
I remember the cricket's fight

feathered pillow
my curved
summer heat

Friday solitaires
the neighbour's daughter
home late

open window
in lamp light
her games of solitaire

green hills
I can't count
their grains down the river

Theology
with frail thoughts
to answer

pool party
the dragonfly's
late arrival

star full sky
man of earth too
keeps re-creating

vacation
the last emails
I choose to answer

rain
I cannot answer
which drops were once in me

during Mozart
the cat claws
her scratching pole

dolphins
shooting the waves
I sail alone

in the poker games
a luck most absurd--
driving home late

holidays...
I will plant
our apple tree's clone

Maple
suddenly
no future to fall

rain all day
the window sill cat
I run...by

a dawn breeze
the shadows move
to seperate

in dropped figs
I can only say
which might seed

river crossing
a horse steps on
the sound of pebbles
Re: Basho'

late night drinks
loose in my pocket
our hotel key

August thaw
the wet ice
I walked to work on

Aurora lights--
the silence starts
on our cruise ship

truck cafe'--
through the dark of night
the road hard--frost

'til sunset sinks...
the cabbage moth sits
overlooked

the neighbour's lawn
from my sickroom
turning green

all night rain
the face in the mirrors
seen on the garden

toddler
touching stars
on the pane

mountain camp
just sounds of the snow
freezing the wind

garage sale---
the midday rain
reducing our prices

river thaw
a rainbow arcs in
the fall of water

new to my weekends
pruning the roses
she left

first to dance
apple blossoms
in the breeze

within
the goldfish bowl--
nowhere

the Universe
has written all my poems
before I start Re: Sarah Kay

horizon
cloud composed
sunset

what if
all the returning geese
could take this silence!

alone now...
yet someone beyond
looks to the returning geese

what fun to show!
the apple blossoms dance
in their first breeze

what if
all full moons could infuse
the river so!

such a low moon
framed
by the doorway

low moon
shadows of me here
in the doorway

a leg bone healing...
here in these countless shapes
the sunsets bring me

midnight storm
the smallest pushed
from the doves

clenched hands
the Oak leaves too
in autumn winds

first light
composing me a shadow
in the shade

one eaglet
pushing a sister
out of the nest

garden pond
sprinkled stars
food for the Koi

Jasmine petals
dancing with others
in the park's whirlwind

an immense sunrise
the sparrow near me
adding its chirps

droning with insects
my eyes crack open
from a garden nap

I phoned her a photo--
an open yellow rose
with a tiger moth

held so tight!
one red Oak leaf
in the winds of winter

river bend
our speed-boat's
spraying foam

wind shifts
in a spider web
the butterfly wings

patio naps--
the sound the twigs scratch
on the old tin roof

travelling circus
the folding of tents here
has a meaning

chill wind
the park swings
weeping our eyes

the roughhouse birds--
our shared breakfasts
of toasted crusts

my pets and I...
the twilight moving
the cat inside

rainbow
on the window pane
one last thunder

what flavours
are apples composed
of sunshine!

first light
motions the shades
from the shade

a merry ant-trail
over the sundial---
spring afternoon

drinking hole
a gazelle stoops to
the stare of lions

apples
suns pulling on
the earth's sweet water

apples
utterly composed
by moisture

dawn moves
bellbirds to sing
in the backyard shadows

autumn starts
the rustle of leaves
into slime in the pond

dog
barked holes
all night

a fog rolls in
still enough of dawn
to walk to my bus stop

boathouse
slowly outwaiting
winter

summer starts--
geese from their fatherlands
GLIDE to our lake

summer breaths---
the magnolias swaying
in the scented rain

autumn flames---
other backyards too
smoking before it rains

to greener pastures---
the still born curled
where the herd left it

the hours pass--
the fireside spits--
a winter night

drying winds
in a ribcage
left by the herd

trellis grapes--
each globe ripened
with summer

behind the restaurant
the bin cats...
an old fight

school park
the increasing pitch
in squeals and swings

thunder
clouds rushing
the summer showers

black-edged winter sky
no sound to the dog
slinking to shelter

night of winds
as far as sleep goes
nearly lifting the tin roof

the moon peering in
lifts the well water
to curve itself

morning in fog...
the breakfast passes
to lunches for school

wet
on the new laid path
the smell of old bricks

my slow lightening
at the forest's edge---
winter fire-wood

a pot plant tumbles--
heading the storm
rustles of the red leaves

wet weekend...
my slow attentiveness
to rigging the model ship

old motel sign--
no end to its flickers
on the single beds

first hint
of the orange dawn
a trill of bellbirds

passing town--
the sticks and stones
of first rains

covered in white...
the melt beneath
passing under the bridge

the break into school
through demolition tape---
my old writing desk

no words for it...
such white roses with a dove
cooing in the last light

sweating hands
from a dark dream
no parts real

alone up-hill
a stray dog at heel
... while it pleases

bowl of strawberries
some haiku
passing my lips

dreams
composed
of silence

choir practice
through the lead light window
a flawed sunset

duck pond
the bread an old girl takes
to bring them

strawberries
our after-lunch picked
from Mum's clay pots

an overnight snow
the hills
divided among themselves

first talk of divorce
I follow her outside
into the dusk

light house
over the beach of pebbles
the yacht's--- pieces

the storm flees...
the moon puddles
at cloud speed

babbling brook
a dragonfly clicks wings
over the lichen rocks

turning the yard
the futures they must
the new seeds

alone in cabin fever
the snow melts and melts...
out of the cabin still alone

a canoe rows
the moon river
tides keep moving

adding her screams
screamed before her---
the ghost train

long dangling
threads of sun dew...
then the spider's face

clouds rush--
through a sky of orange
the sunset --- sinks

composing the sound
held in water
the frog's leap
Re: Basho'

slowly autumn--
the street Maples too
clenching their hands

mountain
the moon comes over
as snow

from the movie
a thousand rain drops
to the car park

Twilight chill
the owl sees the mouse see
the owl see.

Midnight
in the en-suite mirror
her shadow stays and stays.

Last puppy sold
their birth blankets burning
one by one.

Curtains open
just for these few hours
the moon joins our bed.

Sudden showers
watching my watercolours
run into a Picasso.

Bull-ant's nest
a fallen fledgling
no mother comes to.

Attic sun
a paleness comes to the doll
each afternoon.

Dinner table
coming in with the dog
his sad hungry stares.

Entering dusk
a nun slips into
the priest's confession.

Hospital bed
on my return from the tunnel
of enfolding white light.

Diaries found
each hope so neatly written
in our grandmother's hand.

Travelling salesman
the scent of unclean rooms
too far from home.

Pet shop
for a while an old girl
with her Christmas list.

Just junk mail
knocking frost beads
from the tight wire fence.

Limp sails
after the fog lifts
the curves of porpoise.

A full moon tide
lapping at the jellyfish
pushes them higher.

Crowded bus
the tot showing the inspector
her rag-doll's ticket.

Card night
your laughs move our peanut shells
across the plastic table.

Chasing joggers
just barbed wire
in the guard dog's eyes.

Herb garden
the wife hosing Basil
fills my head with scent.

Her red silk kimono
waiting for waves
his sprinkled ashes.

silk kimonos
pausing lovers
the thinness of paper walls

The Puma's cage stinks
its eyes drill with a fierce brain
crammed dull by pacing.

Its flesh bites my knife
the boar's Heaven rending squeals
to remain a pig.

Slide me whole to waves
no hillside grave with dank soils
creeping down to sea.

The apes chase, flea search
beg for nuts in the long game
to please behind bars.

Beware jelly-fish
we know you quietly hunt us
with clear poisoned barbs.

Balcony breakfast
we watch the park glow with dawn
beside her packed bags.

In the scheme of things
great shading trees know their worth
to breathe out man's breath.

Hunting for green fly
the salmon slide silently
shaped by the water.

With claws locked on bark
my stance is proud beyond kings
I hawk, primal made.

The parson's wife swears
the blonde's hairs found on his coat
is known to their church.

A cool winding road
you drive between peach orchards
with their ripe fruit airs.

I hawk, cannibal
in these mountains of the gods
kill whom I damn please.

Your headlights split night
a little town of hamlets
with a bridge beyond.

Picnics with Laurel
of youth, the canoes
of the wild blackberries picked with purple hands.

midnight wind
fire light throbbing
over her crime novel.

Midnight swim
our hands wiping moonshine
from each other's face.

Coffee break
reading a fashion magazine
the sculptor's nude.

Home renovations
my husband discovering
another woman's letters.

Stooped to stones
rubbing their dank soils
from a thousand years.

Midday breeze
passing a stand of sunflowers
I smile and nod back.

Boy's tennis ball
the hallway vase
tipped to fall.

I saw her
the lime bikini blonde
writing love in the sand.

Sculptor's nude
polishing her finger
it suddenly breaks.

Dawn opens
the faintest sweep of willows
over the river mud.

Stray dog
first to the school yard
at holiday's end.

Birthday party
sliding down the polished handrail
past all the oldies.

City outskirts
less brightness now
on leaving the stars.

Little league soccer
beside his mother
the father's urgent voice.

Home renovations
a child's growth-marks
found in fading chalk.

Summer drought
washing the taste of ant
from the copper saucepans.

Fallen nest
a sudden sadness
to the stooping child.

Magazines down
on our crunching stone path
late guests.

Morning chill
a dog barking a hole
into Sunday.

Garden breeze
shadows start stirring
around the toddler.

Magpie
letting the light gather
around her cracking egg.

Wrapped chocolate box
the discounted price
catches her eye.

Aphis
suddenly on the roses
Spring ! ah ! Spring.

In the jade Buddha
almost a heartbeat
almost heard.

Morning rush
the lift operator's cough
for the pretty girl.

Lightning
choking the howl
from the dog's collar.

Clear cold light
on the kitchen table
only the passage of the moon.

Mouse in the corn
some scarecrow shade
under the old girl's dress.

Wolf whistles
faint rustles heard
from her nylon dress.

Girl's night out
our lay-in morning
with her wine and smoky breath.

So ! she was at home
reading love poems that rhyme
out in the garden.

Job interview
returning home
in and out of shadows.

Office party
the little sound of a slap
sweeping around.

Horror movie
your ice-cream falls
with a sudden scream.

Lily pad
pink for the moment
a breeze lifts its skirt.

Retirement home
the sun room fades
into daydreams.

Along the coast road
sunrise sweeps
from wave to wave.

Starlight campfire
the near sound of horses
shuffling for warmth.

Exam papers
out in the corridor
some hints of laughter.

Shed clean up
the blind litter of a stray
we thought was a tom.

Grandmother's garden
wiping the damp mosses
from her sand-stone seats.

Windmill in the sun
deep water spilling
cool to my hands.

Home alone
gluing mother's vase
he says a little prayer.

Lily pad
in the frog's eye
the dragonfly's measure.

Sea cave
felt in one touch
like an dark eel moving.

Village hall
first night dampens
the girl's violin.

Sunday heat
the garbage bin wheeled
into a million stars.

Her front step swept
recycling themselves
the crushed brown ants.

Distant thunder
behind dripping trees
shadows of the red apples.

Late train home
street lights disappear
into autumn fog.

School holidays
scattered on the table
their rushed breakfast.

Dentist
a cry too quickly muffled
behind the glass door.

Sunday lay-in
the corner spider
now with dots of her young.

Beyond the mower's edge
leaning back
the daffodils.

Summer mornings
quaffing mashed iced mangoes
from a tall green glass.

Taxi horn
in a moment she'll turn
in the hall to leave.

Exercise gym
all his hard work
stretching tattoos.

Christmas dinner
the lime ice-cream finding
grandfather's new shirt.

Removalist
all our years packed
in this single trip.

Race course
two dragonflies drawing round
to the long strait.

Young visitors
the cat's white tip tail
through the French doors.

Summer afternoon
still pencilled on the stone
yesterday's haiku.

Summer afternoon
just before iced teas
the cicadas start.

REM
yet sleep softens each fall
of her breast.

Sunday lunch
dropping the family album
laugh lines slip out.

Dance auditions
the winter window
polishing their shoes.

Sunlit lake
the salmon swallows bugs
from the hole it just made.

Distant thunder
hailstones still melting
from the sparrow's nest.

Sudden storm
a tumble of rose leaves
down the crushed-brick path.

His office
next to the water-cooler
she smooths her skirt.

Midnight turns
a cricket in the walls
of wake and sleep.

Currawongs call
in the meadow dew
the birth and rise of mushrooms.

Cheval mirror
Tangerine twirling
in her long lemon dress.

Little reaching fingers
the bread's butter-side up
so close on the floor.

School holidays
spitting on her daughter
to wipe the rouge away.

Ship rails
to the far green ocean
falling for a moment.

Snow melt
quietly murmuring
about stones.

Back from school
me following me into
our shabby house.

Family lunch
arranging thin ripe tomato rings
around the cool white plate.

Rain drizzles
clouds parting at times
for the moon's aura.

Southern Aurora
the ship's cat
stepping more lightly.

Midnight swim
in the dunes between beer bottles
our summer clothes.

A dry wedding
the old sailor fidgets
inside his necktie.

River walk
thrashing to the middle
the dog finds his stick.

Thai remains
on the throw away plates
cheap motel.

Train platform
an ant crack just wide enough
in the slanting sun.

Interstate bus
milk for her babe
back behind her blouse.

August
rain mist slowly gathers
at the lily's mouth.

Elections
around the public speaker
his stretched coat.

Day winds down
through the stretched canvas
the sunset she is painting.

Garden Buddha
a sliver of moonlight
has crossed to the feet.

Tension between us
listening if her dreams
may set loose a name.

Bathroom mirror
the day brushed into
her tousled hair.

Dark hallway
with a fruit bat giddy
at finding each corner square.

New year
finding rust gathered
in the widower's car.

Meeting old friends
our coffee-cup talk
in and out of shadows.

Grandmother talking softly
her tea-pot's coloured
old and knitted cosy.

Puppet
sitting up in his trunk
where the show-girls are.

Solitaire card games
next door's daughters
all home safe tonight.

Ocean road highway
stretched to the horizon
the long scent of summer.

Shoe shine man
another sneeze held
with his polishing cloth.

Shopping with mum
dragged behind the tot
her naughty doll.

Pretty tot
with nothing but chocolate
to shape her mouth.

Art class
a lace curtain blowing
around their nude.

Grandmother's gift
the brooch clasp
losing its gold.

Thunder rumbles
the calf's after-birth
shaping clouds of flies.

Blue summer lake
too gentle to stir its surface
the breeze moves on.

A warm barn
out of the sudden storm
onto her straw breasts.

Old school rooms
the little sound of a boy
attending quietly.

Shopping with mum
one last tiny sulk
outside the pet-shop window.

Railway cafe'
the ordered breakfast
shaped to fit all.

Low tide
exposing the underarm odour
of the sea.

Icicles drip
but the verandah
is bathed in a cold moon.

Mountain bath
little flakes of us in the stream
going to the sea.

Wind in my hair
sunset clings
to the sea-eagle's back.

Neighbour's dog
barking at shadows
until they come home.

River's edge
his dog retrieves
the school boy's ruler.

Full moon
crooning to the cattle
their favourite old tunes.

Ceiling fan
finding just bedroom heat
to twirl and twirl.

The chairman's pen poised
over the merger contract
ice melts in our drinks.

Girls picking tea
their rustling saris
silky as their songs.

Late night drinks
her flicking red hair
at his jealousy.

A rock climb
brushing my shadow
the tumble of a stone.

Ending my apology
the fountain pen blobs
her photo facing me.

New teacher
this year how my violin
has sweetened.

Bees buzz the flowers
before I can call out
the child steps back.

Beneath the Gum trees
father's tin shed
rusting his tools.

Health spa
the pampers of wealth
around their wrinkles.

Tiny scolding tot
her old dog's laziness
in the midday shade.

Such unnatural desires
to reach the sun
Pine trees growing straight.

Spring winds
finding odd tunes to play
over the barbed wire fences.

Winter morning
leaving the train station
a friend's last wave.

Sensing winter
the flame trees also
litter the paths around them.

Bubble bathed
the birthday doll taken
into her bed.

Dance class
then the Latin rhythms in
our long walk home.

Incoming tide
sky blue seeps
into horse-shoe bay.

Fast but
tarantula just missing
the monarch's escape.

Bay tide ebbs
just the usual pelicans
sifting near the shore.

White frost
remaining below
the speckled mushrooms.

Vegetable garden
snowflakes with the cabbage moths
becoming cold.

Tangled garden
green snake coiled
in the apple-jack tree.

Perspiration
spots darken the wood
in the spinning lathe.

The full moon
gathering light
out on the sea another.

The fig tree is
a tethered brumby
the storm gathers.

Spring begins--
spreading from the magpie
untried wings.

First birthday
radio songs
turning his head.

Raspberries
pink with the hailstones
oozing away.

Road curb
the old man squints
before his dash.

Burnt-out neighbours
yet was their chimney
just whistling wind.

Train window
the way the single mother
keeps biting her nails.

Jealous quarrel
a bruised apple turned
in the fruit bowl.

Gurgling stream
with the just the moon to follow
...following.

Dawn opens
hunter calling hunter
around the zoo.

The queue jostles
as I form it
school sports bus.

Lead-light windows
only the dawn
crowding our church.

Sunset spreads
husband's last coat of paint
to our front fence.

Street cafe'
a newspaper wind
bending at the corner.

White rapids
roaring at the boulders
before the river falls.

Clothes line - -
cormorants drying
outstretched wings.

A favourite song
still playing
with the radio, off.

In today's picked flowers
a thorn
has found my blood.

Ice-cream parlour
a passing school girl's
sudden pirouette.

Await my atoms
to be buried whole at sea
with waves to become.

A tiger moth settles
the green
of the black cat's eyes.

Office meeting
berated by her boss
with a pimple on his nose.

On the orange sea
sunset
sliced by the horizon.

River's edge
the snake a stick
in the crescent moon.

Neighbour's terrier
half inside the rat hole
for its young.

Sea waves
until one rises
merely the shapes of singing whales.

Mountain eaglet
it dawns on her
this urge to fly.

Out of the windstorm
whistling
from the cave's mouth.

Mother's visit
suggesting new colours
she touches every wall.

In baby
the joy of a sigh
suckling my breast.

Winter storm
night collects
behind father's urn.

Cornfield
the scarecrow with the wind
in his long red coat.

Second hand book
a pencilled name
faint among the poems.

School days
until the trot home
on my old grey mare.

Ah! almost summer
a school boy fishing
from the old wood bridge.

Moon on the lake
a carpet snake
sips at its reflection.

In frost
the hay-warm scarecrow
in his new red coat.

Snow at dusk
the shape of the dog's blanket
he drags inside.

Rain all day
nothing for her
but the romance novel.

Red-breast Robin!!
the black cat is inside
your shadows.

Autumn leaves
slipping over
wet bends of the road.

Meditation
a letter fluttering
through the door flap.

After school
grandfather behind
the to and fro of her swing.

The Cathedral
woken
with a thunder clap.

Barn doors
squeezing daggers
of moonlight.

In the garden breeze
my coffee alone
unsweetened.

Un-blessed wines
how the cabernet lingers
with the priest.

Week day harbour
the glinting of boats
only gulls come to.

Wafting breezes
a cloud canoes itself
along the river.

Midday heat
the sugar ants rushed
along the grape vine.

Linen closet
between the blankets
last winter's flu.

Mountain stream
how visible the brightness
you crossed on stones.

After the rain
moonlight growing
in to mushrooms.

Christmas gifts
white kittens
chasing snowflakes.

Auction
how the fall of the hammer
takes father's shabby house.

Red-flowering Gum tree
a bee hum following
the bees hums in.

My crime novel
geese cries returning
in the death throes of night.

Bathroom mist
after you
unsafe talcum across the tiles.

Another wave
again the lighted buoy's
bell rings out.

Empty school yard
just the rubbish-bin calls
that the crows let out.

Swooping hawk
the mother cat's
pink hiss.

A long horizon
working on the same catch
the herring gulls.

Road rage
coloured and coiling an arm
his snake's tattoo.

Coins on the snow
how loved as she gropes
in school girl gloves.

After the downhill run
so much rests on the engine
finding its steam pounding throb.

After snow
our crushed-brick paths
treading quietly.

Mushrooms rise
from the dewy earth
its other hushed births.

This scent of rain
breaking out
the frog's urge to mate.

Padded bar stool
her long green iced drink
alone.

Harvest
a row of cabbage heads
pops out of the fog.

Bed of sunflowers
absorbing bags
of blood and bone.

Clouds mingle
soaking into the forest
the smell of leaves.

Family court
a pooling in the child's eyes
being brave.

Park bench
under a cicada
One of us listens, one of us.

All is winter
the stillness of the snow
drooping Pines.

A dawn lake
spreading ripples
our silent oars.

No hint of surf
only the feel of quicksand
between the child's toes.

By degrees
the glint from the window panes
bedazzled with dawn.

Dusk stealing
small shadows
the mountain moves.

Spider
only the male suitor
understanding her web.

Fanning around
their tails' scent
two dogs in the park.

Ah!! Paris
sipping our long cool drinks
under our white straw hats.

Midnight rain
the holes crows make
moving in the trees.

Her birthday puppy
counting its black spots
in licks and giggles.

Stone mason
in his thousand chips
the beginning of names.

Country town
train tracks leaving
the urge deep within.

Wet long-weekend
only the smallest stones dry
Tuesday morning.

First date
bubbles leaving
the warm champagne.

Old friends
they have the shape of you
red lingerie drying in the wind.

Her dance class tonight
such joy to utterly flirt
in these Latin rhythms.

In the kiln
firing the thoughts
I shaped for the vase.

Dance auditions
from the dark seats a thank-you
just that once.

Long drive home
the sleeping tot's doll
just nods and nods.

Hot sultry morning
the naked peach tree
pregnant with buds.

Into a great silence
a whale rising
among the loose ice.

Winter morning
the inching of a snake
out to the sun.

Un-aware
the sky brushes the lake
until the pelican leaves.

Playground
a wind returning their sand
under the swings.

Dog chain
the taste of his biscuit
a tongue away.

Family courts
outside the creaking rooms
a child in frilly socks.

So headstrong
gunning into the life of a Pine
the wood pecker.

Hunting
the cat's ears
a lizard in our raked leaves.

Waterfall mists
giving the fairy ferns
their rainbow tears.

French windows
the rose-petal breeze
following Laurel inside.

Sunday afternoon
giggling
her dog's quick shake of its bath.

Sea-front cafe'
waiting for friends
two moons approach.

The Sunday carved roast
from father's bedroom
his shuffling slippers.

Drifting canoe
the urge to sleep
on the tides to the moon.

Winter is all white
no sound
but the tin roof shrinking.

The mountain stream
carrying it to the sea
grain by grain.

Startling a jump
out of the cricket
the Temple gongs.

Palm reader
a strange disturbance
hand to hand.

Such is wind
to let autumn's last gold leaf
flutter in vain.

Country roads
bending into the stars
our motor-bike lights.

Endless giggles
her kitten chasing
the wall's torchlight.

Deep sea dive
loosening small bubbles
the battleship's bones.

Summer showers
a scatter of dragonflies
chasing mates.

In owl hoots
traces of fruit bats
across clouds on the moon.

Stone path
the gold autumn leaves
shoe shuffle deep.

Zen garden
turn after turn silence
of the green water-wheel.

Iced drinks
the clothes-line billows
of her little black dress.

Camp winds
the stillness of the stars
above our flapping tent.

Bush walk
my torch no longer
over father's back.

Unopened
next to your letter
a butterfly on the table.

Circus lights
seeping from her balloon
'Its tiny orange breaths'.

Pleasure boats
below the harbour tides
their bottoms in touch.

Mangrove mud
letting the tide return
in small sun flashes.

Ancient pond
a fading struggle
from the snake's mouse.

Autumn leaves
in and out of the rustle
falling between trees.

Thin mountain airs
letting the wedge-tail eagle
fall onto the dove.

Morning jog
turning up a collar
to the touch of frost.

School picnic
our walk downhill
to join the games of the others.

Old jailhouse walls
a rose-vine goes over
with the dawn.

Midnight lake
a salmon leaps from
its hole in the moon.

Homeless man
following him around
the windy corner.

Vegetable garden
itching with eggs
the white cabbage moth.

Midnight
graffiti drying
along the old girl's fence.

Suddenly awake
blinking at the lightning
city lights.

Headstone
a crow shaking black rain
out of its coat.

Holiday cottage
the sleepiness of tots
carried inside.

Boy's butterfly kite
with nothing to snare it
but a summer cloud.

Bright orange dawn
with the others
the fading star of Venus.

Powdering
over the cafe' tables
windy Paris snow.

Empty church yard
the way the wind sounds
inside confetti.

Sky dive
every fear at the door
coming together.

Fewer migrating geese
out of the storm
out of the rainbow.

Summer dies
listening in
the cicadas' hot hearts .

Stopping me
photographing the lorikeets
an Emperor moth's arrival.

Autumn wind
closing Tennyson
on a maple leaf.

Spring sprouts a sunflower
leaving the garden stones
in their dank black earth.

Sunday morning
a tiger moth in danger
of my mower blades.

Cafe' breakfast
stirring around sunrise
the autumn winds.

Prison walls
the silence given
to falling snow.

Passing fruit bat
the moon in a birdbath
bringing her near.

Zen garden
the bonsai too drawing
its first spring sap.

Almost home
in the high cool country
our Pine scented street.

After the movie
a park bench bearing fruit
a small red apple.

Peach orchard
picking the ravages of the hail
that taste as sweet.

The spider must wait
carrying her eggs
the fly escapes.

Twice on Sundays
Father's leather prayer book
binding us.

Cathedral bells
their sounds so urgent
the cicadas will wait.

Cemetery
the weight of those things
stopped being said.

Midday meal
the scurry of the mud-crabs
sensing our intent.

His first school day
I must wait, pruning the bonsai
in the patio's sun.

Our Sunday's roast
father first winding
the grandfather clock.

Pointing for the child
along my arm
the Southern Cross.

Storm ends
the starfish releasing
each other's fingers.

Family reunion
our stories growing bolder
in mother's kitchen.

Ankle high leaves
gathered around the park bench
autumn blows.

Kitchen sink
drying the red skins
of our hot peach pie.

Fair grounds
from police to the cola can
the lost child's stare.

Moon clouds
moving with the rustle
of the harvest corn.

Morning winds
from yacht to yacht
their roll in shared waves.

Showers return
hosiery on her line
crosses its legs.

Sprinkled ashes
out on the next wave
his wreath.

The blonde's pony tail
sweeps over her shoulders
exercise gym.

Opening night
over the city
lightning fingers.

Autumn chill
after her funeral
finishing my aunt's crochet.

Storm passing
a few sunflower shadows
drawn by the moon.

Front verandah
counted disappearing
the trees into dusk.

Garden table
Wordsworth melting
in the April showers.

Coal-mine town
hearts throbbing
between the siren wails.

Vine-choked Temple
the breeze in one crack
whistles from another.

Early breakfast
an already summer dawn
baking the kitchen.

Crossing
on the new sheets
the barbed claws of her kitten.

We climb again
the waterfall sounds
becoming lost.

Fire side
the corn popping
its little surprises.

Christmas alone
turning carols
on the radio off.

Bus stop seat
travel brochures opened
to some palm island palms.

Autumn evening
ironing father's only suit
I try on his warm coat.

Picnic coming from the trees
smoothing her jeans
she offers me a flower.

Drought ends
bubbling under the bridge
a gaggle of stones.

Office party
two cocktails melting
in an empty room.

Comet
the whole sea of stars
to roam alone in.

Serving the wedding cake out
so girly again
in her tight pink jeans.

Too slow to move
the falling Pine slaps
at the axe-man's face.

Two loud shrieks!!
the child's torchlight
into the parrot's cage.

Camp fire
brewing our coffees
of mountain snow.

Feet up
the slow turn of the lime slice
in her rose tea-cup.

Rain puddles
the school boy running-in
his new shoes.

Wine festival
a few of the tourists
learning when to spit.

With the stick
with the dog
with the river.

Tugging more sea
at the end of its chain
the pleasure yacht.

First circus
scowling her face
the balloon's sudden pop.

Cicadas
filling the summer sunset
with the last chorus.

Fifth birthday
yawning as she yawns
her black puppy.

On the canvas
yet to brush in her flesh
the artist's nude.

Desert winds
wearing a different shape
the stone-age boulders.

Grandparents
their marmalades spread
with the silence of the jar.

Old Labrador
leaving one small bark
at the hen-house door.

Eggs on toast, coffee
a nearly forgotten dream
coming to mind.

Drawing the dank
from our holiday house
opened windows.

Pouring a white wine
the way her bracelet charms
tinkle our glasses.

Mountain waterfall
the morning sun
distilled in it.

Strawberries
melting
Laurel's tongue.

Lifting their praise
from the Sunday choir
the boy soprano.

The scent of rain
our late night hunger
at the motel door.

Meeting old friends
our shared scandals
in and out of cocktails.

Bubble bathed
the tiny tot wrapped
in her towel's cartoons.

The river forks
going along with the moon
to the sea.

Home again
moon and I meeting
on the old wood bridge.

In the park
the old dog smells
in and out of the shadows.

The roaring is found
sunlight in a waterfall
dissolving stones.

The slow softening
under stones
a wet weekend.

After lunch
an octopus tugging, tugging
at the angler's sleep.

Morning winds
all the yachts rocking
with their share of the swells.

White water rapids
unable to delay
the urges in salmon.

Star crushed sky
walking it home
over our shoulders.

Wild winds
my mind measuring
the loss of sleep.

Vase of flowers
creeping to the sun
on the table cloth.

Temple Buddha
with a lap to sit in
the frog is given the fly.

Paper coffee cup
the whole cemetery
moved with the wind.

A grey day
then towards dusk
a snowfall from the white Pine.

Custody week
she counts the panties
into her case.

Attic sun
the quietness of a doll
losing its face.

Baby-sitting daughter
the scowl on her face
Saturday night.

Alone
as she likes it
bed and her romance novel.

Sunday's alter
the candle for our sins
keeps blowing out.

At drought's end
moonlight
from the spilling dam.

Kindergarten
she makes any crayon
her coloured sky.

Incense cloud
the priest raises the Cross
shaped by His nails.

Busy corner
the mix of our shadows
in the rising sun.

Quiet studio
as it becomes a portrait
around his sketches of you.

Silence
slumped in the kindergarten
with summer heat.

Still smoking
sifted from the house
unburnt treasures.

Rendezvous
in the night fog
your car parked by mine.

All set to rustle
the oak leaves corralled
by a rake.

Fruit bowl
no student yet painting
the apple's bruise.

Red lights
waiting to pass
the polished hearse.

Lunch
the ring around mother's kitchen
a family circle.

In the chatter; the clatter
on her best china
mother's friends.

Buzzing
with chain saws
the rain forest splits.

The moon
the frost crackles
in a puddle of ice.

Hallway wind
a sudden slap
from father's portrait.

Putting the dog out
stopped by her howl
into the stars.

Screen door
his bark at the letters
falling inside.

A quiet read
warmer when the log splinters
near night's end.

Polishing an opal
its light from a thousand eyes
pressed by violent earth.

Damp with cold
our noses touching
another new year.

Grandmother's wake
her faded gold band
loose on my finger.

The funeral wreath
mixing with the others
before we grieve.

Art class
the sound as students
paint outside of it.

Crematorium
a fine grey dust
wiped from the chairs.

Her holidays start
suddenly with the red suitcase
suddenly she's gone.

Autumn starts
everything in the garden
that can rustle.

Burning hotel
smoke on the water
too tall for the sky.

Reading Wordsworth
the whole back yard
in autumn leaves.

After church
the pigeons peck around
in confetti and rice.

Just ignoring
the cat food bowl
until their visitors leave.

So gentle
the faint sea echoes
of the conch-shell's ear.

Sprayed cockroach
soiling a pillow slip
the last one.

Hacienda heat
she brings us thin sliced figs
on a frozen white plate.

Evening stroll
the full moon
shouldered lightly.

Washing-suds
cling to her elbow
our talk of divorce.

The horses graze
under a blowing tree
our picnic spread.

Snow sprinkles--
a plum afternoon
my stroll to the library.

Brand new house
our first sunset
falls silent.

Autumn sunset
gaining height now
the last sight of wild geese.

Hot showered
the shampoo fog
dissolving her.

The house locked
Sirius the dog star
on guard.

Autumn ends
oak leaves fluttering
in a butterfly's dance.

The campfire glows
her birth stars pointed out
along my arm.

Sunday lay-in
lashings of a storm
on the French doors.

Winter sleet
off the white highway
towns in the frost.

Tumbling
over the waterfall
the moon white river.

Winter mists
crossing the lake
with silent oars.

Lily pad
also green with dawn
the old frog.

A foggy lake
she dives in
still alone when she rises.

The park's doves
sharing loneliness
in my sandwich.

Tossed sleep
the passage of the moon
across the window.

Drawing the curtains
to stand in it
my vacation's first dawn.

Grandmother's chair
her knitting needles clack
into the night.

Autumn dusk
the kitchen light deeper
into the garden.

Rocket by rocket
midnight burns
in the new year.

Midnight clouds
a moon spot
steps off shore.

Gift book
its next delight
the smell of flipped pages.

So much harvest rice
waits in the rain
for the red hand cart.

Drying cement
the fun to their handprints
of adding the date.

Country town
inspecting it
the rise and rise of the circus.

Library books due
back to my childhood
a walk through the snow.

A priest
sits
at the end of sins.

Theatre emptied
only the rain before us
to the car park.

Fresh from the oven
our peach-apple pie
in the soft window breeze.

Greying bachelor
in the private jokes
of the bar girls.

My loud sigh
the cat's stare turns
from the yard bird.

First buds
pulling her milk tooth
for the fairy.

Retired dancer
opening
her red curtains.

Wife's garden
in her straw basket
our dinner picked herbs.

Eyes open
the window mannequin
beside her pile of clothes.

Sail board race
how the colours reflect
the afternoon's spring.

Circus
in the ghost train ride
her hummingbird hands.

Moon-edged clouds
across the pond
the glitter of fireflies.

Canoeing
ahead of us
the storm rushed clouds.

The cricket chirps--
trapped in the curtains
another breeze.

Thunder storm
how the rose petals cling
to the garden path.

Slender waterfall
her lip-licking sips
from my cupped hands.

Dumping waves
the force of the storm
we fled last night.

Strange fruits
kittens frightened
up the pomegranate tree.

School boys pass
the dog's bark pops
his eye balls out.

All day alone
then sunset gilds
the autumn leaves.

Russet street
I remove the chimes-damper
from the grandfather clock.

Tides returning
the mirror of a rock pool
beneath the moon.

Curtain breeze
and how the moonlight swishes
around the lace.

Meteor passing
a sign the earth
is still of the stars.

The fragrant candles
our dinner
small talked out.

Lime-stone caves
letting my phone film
a million years.

No winter as cold
as those concrete seats
grandmother's garden.

Children's beach
our 'Come back out loves'
lost in the wind.

Around the bay
an immense sunlight
expands the tide.

Loneliness
The moon departs
with the lake's shine.

Canoeist
hand baling
the white water out.

Web tight,
spider
feeling all the butterflies pass.

Outdoor concert
a wind swaying
the wildflowers.

Another fire fly
circling in the dusk
around us.

Mountain hike
bees show the way
into wildflowers.

Coal mine
at the end of earth
a chalk love heart.

Furniture restore
new wood under
the old brown paint.

A patch of moon
another wrestle of toms
in our garden bed.

The dam's lake
sunset burning
canoe after canoe.

Dusk darkens
the quickening of bus stops
approaching home.

Swarming with stars
an unblinking Mars
alone pink.

His first school day
so alone
pruning her few bonsai.

Summer garden
about a dozen glow worms
being the light.

Red sports Jaguar
the blonde's long cool glance
over mine.

Windy church yard
the confetti spirals
dance with themselves.

Bedroom corner
by moonlight
the crowded spider's young.

Cat-walk music
the out-rush of models
in the role clothes play.

Plastic bags
kiting in the wind
the autumn brings.

Pencilled
heights of the children
behind the laundry door.

Un-rented house
the autumn change too
hovers in its trees.

Window's fly speck
coming from behind
the pink glow of Mars.

Streetlights
still wind ruffled
the quick red fox.

Paused in the parade,
the wheeze of the bagpipes
marching again.

Listening
no traffic trickles
through the front-yard hedge.

Scotch on ice
the whisky-grained caw
of a crow.

Mantelpiece
new frames
the old faces.

Crescent moon
an enchantment around you
of fireflies.

Star spelled
fairy ferns sprinkle snow
to the breeze.

Diamond necklace
how visible
is the woman's desire.

Heaven high
a wedge of geese turns out
of the dawn.

Camp fire
making my grotesques
dance with its light.

tis ever so!
the cat must play and play
with its injured bird.

Migrating geese
somewhere below night
the restless sea.

Solitary
grey moths circling
the wet streetlights.

A raven caws
the ways to the bird bath
under snow.

Winter snows
tomato skins stretched
in the hot glass house.

Harvest moon
the tom cats frozen
with snarls.

Laurel's moved in - -
now hers are the wet prints
from the shower screen.

Novice nun
confessing
her sins have run out.

Interstate bus - -
the city lights pour
into puddles.

All day alone
next door
their sunflower nods and nods.

Old man's books
his pages turned
to paper lice.

Rolling on home
eyes closed in the train seats
with the moon.

Breathless heat
all the night tossed
dream to dream.

What the tea leaves tell
three months after
the last affair.

Waiting their turn
the quietness
of the string puppets.

Clouds rush
sunspots caught out
in the garden.

Tumbleweed
on tracks through the desert
finding the winds.

Clouds weep
the night fragmented
to street puddles.

Train station
a friend's goodbye
lets off stream.

Lift operator
whichever pretty girl
he coughs.

Morning star
the first light
becomes the blue.

Intersection
it's the vintage car
most see.

Last guest leaves
a faint mist gathers
at the streetlight.

Forest breeze
the sudden affinity
of a shared breath.

A brew of coffee
letting me sit
alone with winter.

Kitchen lights on - -
the spider's moth
fights harder.

Deep waters
a mirror of the moon
I row across.

Bridge views
the lake in silence
pulled by the moon.

Breezing in
the summer unfurls
a flock of swallows.

Screeching about
the tight corners
roller coaster.

Broken sleep
the mosquito whines
one cheek not the other.

Deer hunting
in my gun-sights
the falls of autumn.

Zen garden
the cicada shrills too
diminished here.

Highway curve
the full white heart
of a full moon.

The romances gone,
our surprise
in the book sale.

from the birding cat
my eyes pass over
the sprinkled parts.

winter's end
the plum trees bloodied
in hail.

kitchen calendar
our coloured-in birthdays
ticked off.

concealed track
the forest breeze
keeps me in birdsongs.

our canoe rows past
horses sip the river
one at a time.

first snow
crows shaking off
their mottled coats.

fine music
the waiting room's cream
leather lounge.

house auction
a bid from the telephone
raising ours again.

library book
the curl of pressed black hair
uncurls.

book of insects
a cricket's mate calls
under the floor boards.

in salt-pan smells
dragonflies mate
along the breeze.

sunset streets
so fragrant the honeysuckles
halt my jog.

fizzing up the sand
toe to toe
the faintest surf.

late night jazz
in saxophone notes
my whiskey on ice.

retching waves
Laurel sifts the debris
a piece at a time.

autumn turns
a leaf abandoned
to the windy web.

the gap in her smile
one more bedside story
before the tooth fairy .

fire fly lights
dots on the lake
at the foot of stars.

how moon-bright
the ice melt
held in stones.

feather floating
the boats on blue water
clouds.

beekeeper's shed
jars of gold
highlighting the sun.

season's turn
the gold everywhere
ankle deep.

harvest moon
the humming of a stone well
in the wind.

in that moment
the well-water moon
shines back.

mountains of clouds
finding in the sunset
some homeward geese.

without a bucket
a well dropped
stone.

the scarecrow turns
on the horizon
a sliver of the moon.

the scarecrow whirls
nearly in the corn
a summer wind.

one wind pile
after another
of crinkling leaves.

in chalk dust
the weight-lifter just holding
the seconds.

born hearing them
the tiny turtles scramble
down to the waves.

last orange rays
how the stars wheel
about creation.

a winter storms
the bobbing of daffodils
under the downpipes.

sunset hour
the weight of a freight train
steaming to town.

flickers of sleep
in late-night blues
the radio's jazz.

home late
grabbing at my sleeve
the sharpest rose thorn.

moonless
the window to the stars
we dream in.

grandma's window
grandfather's peach tree
in fruit again.

bridge traffic
moving beyond me
the honk of the geese.

geese in the clouds
how effortless to leave
our summer's end.

wind whispers
in the stone well-water
glimmer of the moon.

waiting room
a book of haiku
beside poems that rhyme.

ancient pond
a firefly leaps among
the stars of the water.

coconut beach
the holiday's end
rushing toward me.

strolling alone
the hearts a moon squeezes
between the rose leaves.

moonless
back to my childhood
naked in the surf.

train window
the child's face pressed
to her breath again.

first light
the ebb fondling
a wave at a time.

a floating mist
first light spreads into
the whiteness.

dairy drought
milkweed sap
suckling the wind.

dawn gathers
in the green of the trees
eyes open ' blink.

last-ray of sunset
our bird cage covered
indoors.

jazz trio
ice in our cocktails
melts in silence.

swinging curtains
in the cheval mirror
a hummingbird's panic.

sunset glory
the gold Minaret calling
a final praise
.

coming home
your portrait hangs with
all his sketches of you.

painting it morning
snow falls behind
the curtain lace.

man-made lake
the flicker of fireflies
stars.

the blue lakes stretch
to nothing '
then the wild geese returning.

pottery kiln
the cracked vase
showing my mistake.

sepia photos
imagine me a young man
destroyed in his war.

a full moon
clad in white
the stone nude.

in the midday lake
we fish at times
a snow-topped mountain.

river narrows
the force of a cloud burst
white with boulders.

forest clearing
I come to a hand saw
dull with rust.

darkening '
the end of a summer
the geese left behind.

pool lights
our skinny dipping
to the brightest middle.

the week-end drizzle
composing us mushrooms
between the trees.

cactus plants
daddy pruning
my needle stings.

raked leaves
daddy's smoke
following me.

poker night wins
leaving the city
as it wakes.

bridge night
the weight of my partner's
losing score.

daughter's visit
her gently raking
my autumn leaves.

right where I stand
the caressing fall
of the maples.

beekeeper's jars
changing the gold
of the light within.

sea breeze
a wing filled
to raise the gull.

losing the sunset
still the fragrance
of the frangipani.

the rustle of leaves
ploughing through autumn
the push bike and I.

wall of fog '
in the whiskey bottle
my Saturday night.

high dive
the boy leaps out to
the rush of water.

dentist rooms
watching sunlight
fill the chairs.

annual leave
my slow warm love
of the afternoons.

summer horizon
the tumble-weeds
barely moving.

our small town
the immense starlight
wheeling slowly.

tooth fairy
the gap that whistles
from her yawn.

past their eyes
dripping her lime bikini
up to her towel.

scooping the Galaxy
in the ice-melt
I prepare our coffees.

between towns
the immense starlight
around, before us, ahead.

stiletto heels
no escaping
in the tunnel.

meteor
back to my childhood
the earth is a star.

shower screen –
at my love drawing
her cute smile

red wheelbarrow
so much of the roses
in its horse dung

dung covered –
in the garden bed
the blush of roses

red wheelbarrow
on my climbing roses
its hosed-in dung

wet
around my canoe
the mountain and clouds

holidays
the skis glide on
the sounds of the snow

my kite
takes to its struggles –
autumn in the park

garden path
a patch of first snow
the thaw left behind

living alone…
'A spring thaw'
I whisper to the dog

rows of grapes
I stroll beside
with the horse‘s reins

late afternoon
the ebb tide gathered
returns to the shore

tickled palm –
the tot returns a beetle
to the tree

ant acid
how quickly
foes end

I turn the winch –
and the well-water pail
comes up dancing – jazz

on the horizon –
so large a moon
leaving the sea behind

red wheelbarrow –
strawberries grown over
touching the earth

our bed –
through beams of sunlight
her plain hair – gleams

meteorites –
through our breathing air
the big bang‘s – matter

bird songs –
at grandma‘s window
the toddler's mimic

up drafts –
I hold the hawk‘s feather
where it entered the wind

a bird of birds –
in the swoop of starlings
a bird shape – forms

still here –
in the waiting-room hush
the fish-tank… turns

dawn colours
each bright nestling
eyes up face up

stepping from cloud to cloud
to the horizon
the journeys of geese

sunrise is over –
how virtuous the stream
spilling over stones

steel bridge –
in the city of lights
the rattled trains – unload

season‘s change –
through the open window
a butterfly – floats

log cabin –
through the open window
a snowflake – floats

warmed through
the cabin window –
a snowflake – sliding

log cabin –
the whiteness dripping
across the thaw

insomnia
wall to wall
the sounds of midnight

camping out…
in the waterfall cold
our gooseflesh – showers

living alone –
my dog and I
lick our plates clean

living alone –
inside the fridge light
my midnight – snacks

green walls –
over the garden shed
the Gum trees – mildew

insomnia
the whispers-in
of the lace curtains

art class nude
unable to liken
the folds of her hair

childless
no end of the hoarding
to fill her home

father‘s portrait
a bolt of lightning
flashes on his stare

the Basilica
leaning toward the Pieta
for my selfie

old folk‘s visit
working the rust off
their garden tools

sunlit barn
a filly
snorts in the bran

lucky fountain
the wish invisible
on the coin she throws

loneliness
mother‘s house
she keeps on hoarding

blankets of rain
inside the glass door
honey-tea for my cold

plastered leg
magpie calls
healing the long winter

attic sunshine
all the school year things
they left to us

most
of the road curve
a gathering of leaves

never the gardener
I tend the herb beds
she turned

afternoon swirls
the gathering snow
leaves our prints

before our jog
the Oaks stripped
by autumn winds

in the bay tides
only the moon goes to
storm debris

the winter rains
circling in the street lights
small grey moths

ahead of us
a motel light
opens the fog

autumn falls
and how the sun wanders
around our kitchen

old horse barn
the strapper
sniffs a sunbeam

lead pencil
surrounded by haiku
without any me

interstate bus
in the window mist … waking
city lights

mountain heat
an eagle leaps onto
the rise of summer

travelled waves
the last of the holidays
around her feet

from yesterday
my haiku still-pencilled
the up-turned stone

shadowed river
a white canoe
bends the light

from a light sleep
my bed coloured-in
the orange dawn

a mantelpiece rose
just to the right
its photograph

returned
the geese glide to
the sounds of the lake

from the bus home
a sunset
paints the clouds

first light
streaked by the lines
of migrating geese

red dragon wings…
his birthday kite
hugs the wind

comb
hairs
becoming
sparse

garden
Buddha‘s
eternal
smile

kitten
circling
kitten‘s
tail

attic
doll
losing
face

butter
based
rainbow
trout

grandpa
pushing
schoolgirl‘s
swing

moon
tightening
apple
skins

jazz quartet
their crinkled return
to the refrain

lead-light windows
a sunrise
swells the church

sunrise
a dust beam
sweeps the church

state funeral
before the rain
clouds of canon

lily flower
its life force
out of the pond

a white morning
our bus shelter
floats on frost

winter wood shed
a mother cat‘s
mountain-lion hiss

a grey breeze
the Tulip cups
spilling some drizzle

warmed by stars
the owl‘s a mind
of mice holes

dinner for two
whispering
Laurel‘s orange dress

grandma‘s garden
our shadows moving
to touch and talk

the praying Mantis
so stiff
in its praise to dawn

potter‘s wheel
spinning the earth
from clay to vase

the snow‘s turning
of our back yard
--- the bare branches

midnight
junk mail into the wind
into the streets

the hour glass
releasing its sand
releasing its time

she is surprised
her birthday on Skype
--- only one

hibiscus scents
on a Sunday afternoon
the thin white clouds

clouds in a breeze
the moon
tattoos the sea

dart of light
a firefly circles
the frog-pond mist

glass house
the push of tomatoes
out of time

thaw loosens
the mountain snow…
cabin‘s fireplace out of wood

passing your house
in shadows
the door key under that red pot

grandfather clock
the chimes
stirring my hair

spider sting
in the thrashing of the moth
its life-force

cold back yard
our potted herbs
scent the moon

idle traffic
the leaves of the late autumn
passing by

guiding us
into safe harbour
buoy lights in the rain

the tenth reunion
trying to recall
other school faces

the sky‘s
squinting light
behind the eagle wings

parting the waters
to glide into rest
the geese‘s long journey

mantelpiece
all our photographs together
before that divorce

the sunset‘s bled…
taking my partner inside
the rhymes of Blake

winds of hail—
the kitchen windows
pinging with stones

garden Buddha
the snow painting morning
behind the curtain‘s lace

just parts
from our birding cat
the fresh mown lawn

a wind leafs
my haiku pages…
Jane Reichhold clearer with each read

catching my breath
the quietness an owl brings
along with the breeze

before dusk
a quick green wind
shows the underparts of trees

cramming
the streams with winter
the hungry ice

squinting at the pond
the dragonfly‘s wings
cellophane with light

how composing
is the garden Buddha
cloaked in moonshine

the widower‘s sports car
he weekly waxes…
the last one

autumn leaves burning
we play hide and seek
in grand-pop‘s garden

jazz album
letting the vinyl track
past midnight

of smells recalled
grand-pop‘s raked and burning
piles of leaves

seaside jog
I follow the shapes
the dawn runs to

awake! drowning!
the pool of moonlight
through our bedroom pane

ancient caves
the bats sweep out to
their sounds of the night

winds turning autumn
in the rushes of litter
my daughter and I

timber cabin
only the far far snow
making me write

While I passed their rooms
the school of Geisha
serving perfect teas.

open window
my clarinet solo
our to Saturday night

a shower shared
she smiles at the parts
as I name them

sea breeze window
between me my R.E.M.
and the tides of sleep

a dawn light jog
starting my stop watch
at the front door

the storm
lashing at sands
to the cry of gulls

jazz music
my aging hearing
its gentler arts

his snake tattoo
strong armed
by weight lifts

in the rabbit hunt
bloodied drops
from the snow line on

home opened for sale
the way they scattered
our children‘s toys

the moon glow
near Venus
guiding the lover‘s touch

meteor
back to my childhood
the earth is a star

stiletto heels
no escaping
in the tunnel

the long rains end
all over my guitar
unfamiliar notes

my star sign
moving across the pond
I thought… were fireflies

between towns
the immense starlight
around, before us, ahead

the moth flutters
between us
touching a window pane

scooping the Galaxy
in the ice-melt
I prepare our coffees

past their eyes
dripping her lime bikini
up to her towel

preserving peaches
how the halves slurp
into the vacuum jars

tooth fairy
the gap that whistles
from her yawn

our small town
the immense starlight
wheeling slowly

summer horizon
the tumble-weeds
barely moving

annual leave
one sunset seen
from beginning to end

annual leave
my slow warm love
of the afternoons

dentist rooms
watching sunlight..
fill the chairs

late dusk
the swings to moon-glow
the swing and I

nursing home
now father and I
leaning to each other

high dive
the boy leaps out to
the rush of water

the rustle of leaves
ploughing through autumn
the push bike and I

losing the sunset
still the fragrance
of the Frangipani

sea breeze
a wing filled
to raise the gull

changing my view
of the puddle
lightning

beekeeper‘s jars
the light changing
all the gold within

right where I stand
the caressing fall
of the Maples

daughter‘s visit
her gently raking
my autumn leaves

bridge night
the weight of my partner‘s
losing score

poker night wins
leaving the city
as it wakes

house auction
the bidding begins
under Bougainvillaea

cactus plants
daddy pruning
my needle stings

the kiln cools…
the vase and I waiting
to break the mould

the week-end drizzle
composing us mushrooms
between the trees

pool lights
our skinny dipping
to the brightest middle

darkening…
the end of a summer
the geese left behind

forest clearing
I come to a hand saw
dull with rust

river narrows
the force of a cloud burst
white with boulders

in the midday lake
we fish at times
a snow-topped mountain

a full moon
clad in white
the stone nude

sepia photos
imagine me a young man
destroyed in his war

pottery kiln
the cracked vase
showing my mistake

the blue lakes stretch
to nothing…
then the wild geese returning

man-made lake
the flicker of fireflies
stars

painting it morning
snow falls behind
the curtain lace

coming home
your portrait hangs with
all his sketches of you

our liaison
parking my car beside yours
in the moonlight

temple grounds
the smile of the Buddha
wanes with the moon

star guided
the wild geese forsaking
their fatherlands

sunset glory
the gold Minaret calling
a final praise

swinging curtains
in the cheval mirror
a hummingbird‘s panic

last-ray of sunset
our bird-cage covered
indoors

a rising dawn
woodlands breed life
from the shadows

driftwood waves
in the sea and the sun
gulls dipping…diving

dawn gathers
in the green of the trees
eyes open… blink

well water
never able to ebb
with the pull of the moon

a floating mist
first light spreads into
the whiteness

a transient moon
the well waters lay darkly
in stillness

first light
the ebb fondling
a wave at a time

well water
our town-folk‘s habit
of dropping a stone

train window
the child‘s face pressed
to her breath again

drawn to a stone mouth
inch by inch
the well bucket moon

strolling alone
the hearts a moon squeezes
between the rose leaves

spreading the sun
from the honey jar
our kettle whistles

coconut beach
the holiday‘s end
rushing toward me

ancient pond
a firefly leaps among
the stars of the water

darkening winds
the summer canola
everywhere unzipped

if well waters
shimmer
curved by the moon‘s pull?

temple Buddha
yet I think if most stirs me
is the lake‘s silent mist

waiting room
a book of haiku
beside poems that rhyme

wind whispers
in the stone well-water
glimmer of the moon

geese in the clouds
how effortless to leave
our summer‘s end

bridge traffic
moving beyond me
the honk of the geese

grandma‘s window
grandfather‘s peach tree
in fruit again

moonless
the window to the stars
we dream in

home late
grabbing at my sleeve
the sharpest rose thorn

flickers of sleep
in late-night blues
the radio‘s jazz

sunset hour
the weight of a freight train
steaming to town

a winter storms
the bobbing of daffodils
under the downpipes

hearing the night
sousing with winter
in the downpipes

last orange rays
how the stars wheel
about Creation

winter moon
his graffiti tag drying
in the wind

in chalk dust
the weight-lifter just holding up
the seconds

one wind pile
after another
of crinkling leaves

the scarecrow whirls
nearly in the corn
a summer wind

the scarecrow turns
on the horizon
a sliver of the moon

between sips
the taste of old rains
from the stone well

mountains of clouds
finding in the sunset
some homeward geese

in that moment
the well-water moon
shines back

harvest moon
the humming of a stone well
in the wind

season‘s turn
the gold everywhere
ankle deep

beekeeper‘s shed
jars of gold
highlighting the sun

telescope moon
the pitted craters
of the ancient plains

sea of stars
the desert palms under
wave in a breeze

feather floating
the boats on blue water
clouds

how moon-bright
the ice melt
held in stones

the gap in her smile
one more bedside story
before the tooth fairy

autumn turns
a leaf abandoned
to the windy web

scent on the wind
in the honeysuckles
my summer‘s doze

midday heat
out of the stone well
tastes of the earth

retching waves
Laurel sifts the debris
a piece at a time

fizzing up the sand
toe to toe
the faintest surf

sunset streets
so fragrant the honeysuckles
halt my jog

in salt-pan smells
dragonflies mate
along the breeze

book of moths
opened on the table
a windowed sun

book of insects
a cricket‘s mate calls
under the floor boards

house auction
a bid from the telephone
raising ours again

fine music
the waiting room‘s cream
leather lounge

first snow
crows shaking off
their mottled coats

spring breezes
bees to the apple
blossoms again

our canoe rows past
horses sip the river
one at a time

kitchen calendar
our coloured-in birthdays
ticked off

winter‘s end
the plum trees bloodied
in hail

From the birding cat
my eyes pass over
the sprinkled parts

After the re-union
with school friends
her muscatel breath

The romances gone,
our surprise
in the book sale

Zen garden
the cicada shrills too
diminished here

Deer hunting
in my gun-sights
the falls of autumn

Broken sleep
the mosquito whines
one cheek not the other

Pantomime - -
our daughter charmed
by stardust

Screeching about
the tight corners
roller coaster

Bridge views
the lake in silence
pulled by the moon

Deep waters
a mirror of the moon
I row across

Kitchen lights on - -
the spider‘s moth
fights harder

One star
the guide geese find
for the journey

A brew of coffee
letting me sit
alone with winter

Last guest leaves
a faint mist gathers
at the streetlight

Intersection
it‘s the vintage car
most see

Morning star
the first light
becomes the blue

Hitchhiker
a hint of story
in her highway tales

Lift operator
whichever pretty girl
he coughs

Clouds weep
the night fragmented
to street puddles

Tumbleweed
on tracks through the desert
finding the winds

Clouds rush
sunspots caught out
in the garden

Puppet show
I make eye contact
with their star

Waiting their turn
the quietness
of the string puppets

Breathless heat
all the night tossed
dream to dream

Rolling on home
eyes closed in the train seats
with the moon

Old man‘s books
his pages turned
to paper lice

Cocooned
the stones of the stream
becoming ice

All day alone
next door
their sunflower nods and nods

Novice nun
confessing
her sins have run out

Laurel‘s moved in - -
now hers are the wet prints
from the shower screen

Harvest moon
the tom cats frozen
with snarls

The weekend‘s soaking...
her suds for a blanket
her bath for a bed

Winter snows...
tomato skins stretched
in the hot glass house

Solitary...
grey moths circling
the wet streetlights

Migrating geese
somewhere below night
the restless sea

An all over love
licked whenever
the puppy‘s tot stumbles

'tis ever so!
the cat must play and play
with its injured bird

Half through
concerto
the Steinway in lights

Heaven high
a wedge of geese turns out
of the dawn

Diamond necklace...
how visible
is the woman‘s desire

Star spelled
fairy ferns sprinkle snow
to the breeze

Crescent moon
an enchantment around you
of fireflies

Friday night is stormy
yet in our seance
the taps paint another world

Scotch on ice
the whisky-grained caw
of a crow

Listening
no traffic trickles
through the front-yard hedge

Paused in the parade,
the wheeze of the bagpipes
marching again

Streetlights
still wind ruffled
the quick red fox

Latin dance class
the impossible stir of hips
for the next tango

Un-rented house
the autumn change too
hovers in its trees

Pencilled
heights of the children
behind the laundry door

Plastic bags
kiting in the wind
the autumn brings

Cat-walk music...
the out-rush of models
in the role clothes play

Monday fog...
the girl at the bus stop
with a daisy in her hair

Windy church yard
the confetti spirals
dance with themselves

Red sports Jaguar...
the blonde‘s long cool glance
over mine

Summer garden
about a dozen glow worms
being the light

His first school day...
so alone
pruning her few bonsai

Being dawn
tree after tree
the shadows stretch

Dusk darkens...
the quickening of bus stops
approaching home

The dam‘s lake
sunset burning
canoe after canoe

A patch of moon...
another wrestle of toms
in our garden bed

Furniture restore...
new wood under
the old brown paint

The storm lulls, wakes...
I feel the pattern
over my sleep

Mountain hike
bees show the way
into wildflowers

Another fire fly
circling in the dusk
around us

Outdoor concert
a wind swaying
the wildflowers

Web tight,
spider
feeling all the butterflies pass

Migrating geese
middle of the wet lands...
middle of the year

Loneliness
The moon departs
with the lake‘s shine

Around the bay
an immense sunlight
expands the tide

Children‘s beach
our ―Come back out loves‖
lost in the wind

No winter as cold
as those concrete seats...
grandmother‘s garden