Whimsy

The receipt dances

The receipt dances
on an air-conditioned breeze
at the shop's doorway

Tiny groping hands

Tiny groping hands
take hold of power by a
near hairless margin

(Image from here)

Inside I am wet

Inside I am wet
with warm streams and raging seas
and shifting currents

The laboured breathing

The laboured breathing
and bitter taste in my mouth
as I drink coffee

Facebook stirs sadness

Facebook stirs sadness
as I find friends have detached
their profile from mine

That love is a verb

That love is a verb
reminds me to be present
and to touch when touched

She sings to someone

She sings to someone
at the back of the room and
they're invisible

Get comfortable

Get comfortable
with the feeling of being
uncomfortable

I'm a bit bothered

I'm a bit bothered
that if you're not a sports fan
you're not a real man

Magpies seem to sulk

Magpies seem to sulk
as parrots drive them from the
peach tree filled with fruit

Mopoke owl and frogs

Mopoke owl and frogs
join a choir of cicadas
then a plane passes

I feel for women

I feel for women
who let men stick their dick in
for a roof and food

The wind in trees sounds

The wind in trees sounds
like a wave breaking on rocks
in flow without ebb

It's good to feel sad

It's good to feel sad
as sadness for sadness means
pain will heal the pain

Pale yellow wheat stems

Pale yellow wheat stems
fill the land with beige fields and
set my mind at ease

An ellipsis drips

An ellipsis drips
and like water torture says
to be continued

One more step and I

One more step and I
could have walked into a trap
set by a spider

Paddock of salt bush

Paddock of salt bush
moves like an emerald sea
swelling in the breeze

Weightlessness in air

Weightlessness in air
then buoyancy in the pool
are joys in summer

Got kicked in the shins

Got kicked in the shins
for cornering with logic
my friend's little girl

The birds start their song

The birds start their song
with optimistic chatter
as the sky lightens

The gum nuts rattle

The gum nuts rattle
in a way that menaces
as wind stirs the leaves

In this modern age

In this modern age
gender is distinct from sex
and confusion reigns

Big red kangaroo

Big red kangaroo
emerges from the roadside
and crosses my path

Cicada shell stuck

Cicada shell stuck
to a river red gum tree
abandoned

Lover don't settle

Lover don't settle
for a feather in your cap
pluck the whole damn bird

A drip of white paint

A drip of white paint
appears like a wine bottle
and makes me thirsty

Morris 1998 Durif

Deep crimson colour
disguises rich green flavour
like vine leaf-wrapped fruit

It's Christmas morning

It's Christmas morning
and a sleep-in would be nice
but I can hear mice

My new bathroom door

My new bathroom door
smells like pine as I walk in
to the sun-filled room

Drove over a bird

Drove over a bird
a little plume of feathers
rose as we both passed

Boys who will be boys

Boys who will be boys
can you please stop pretending
it's not an excuse

When you draw the perfect bath

When you draw the perfect bath
searing heat gives way
to sighing relief

The landscape turns white

The landscape turns white
with cotton from passing trucks
on the road to mill

Just after waking

Just after waking
the sky was pink with sunrise
then it turned to grey

Opportunity

Opportunity
to exit during small tasks
day dream in routine

The wind this morning

The wind this morning
is steeped with citrus blossoms
and a hint of rain

The breeze stirs rye grass

A breeze stirs rye grass
the seed heads swirl like water
and suffocate me

Water over road

Water over road
nearly over the bridge too
flooded Widgelli

It is a marvel

It is a marvel
how birds dive under a car
while crossing a road

Tannin from wattle

Tannin from wattle
discolours the rain puddles
Seems spilled tea remains

Full moon glows this morn

Full moon glows this morn
a light that shines through clouds as
rooster crows false dawn

Following a whim

Following a whim
can lead to unexpected
and pleasing results

A pinch and a punch

for the first day of the month

and "no returns" too

Fight patriarchy

"Fight patriarchy,"
she said while stepping outside
as I washed dishes.

Narrow-leaf hop-bush

Narrow-leaf hop-bush
Brings the bees to my backyard
And they're like "Bzzzz"

That time when I flinched

That time when I flinched
as a stranger asked the time
then reassured me

Thalgara chardonnay 1999

Colour worse than piss
this unwooded chardonnay
mellow gold like Beck

Friends getting married

Friends getting married
means you don't see them again
aside from Facebook

Like a distant train

Like a distant train
my soundtrack to winter nights
the dull roar of fire

Puddles by the road

Puddles by the road
reflect sky, their origin
as clouds brought to earth

Rooster crows morning

Rooster crows morning
in the cold, wet, windy night
and it feels early

Winter sun rises

Winter sun rises
and burns a path through the fog
on my way to work

They glisten at night

They glisten at night
in pearl and crystal and frost
Cars under streetlights

I feel cold for them

I feel cold for them
as the temperature drops
and dogs start barking

It surprises me

It surprises me
when the Brindabellas rise
It feels like I'm home

The city won't stop

The city won't stop
growing bigger and changing
I don't know it now

All the unmarked roads

All the unmarked roads
disappear into the night
as I drive back home

The risk of my bath

The risk of my bath
comes from slipping out of time
-- a sink will wrinkle!

The crow’s measured walk

The crow’s measured walk
seems perfectly timed to dodge
my approaching car

Fog in the paddocks

Fog in the paddocks
reveals overnight rainfall
between home and work

Visiting sculptors

Visiting sculptors
worked granite through rain and shine
to create landmarks

A tear in the night

A tear in the night
awakes the birds in the trees
as morning's light leaks

Calabria Wines Montepulciano 2015

Silky smooth with oak
and rich fruit under currant
like merlot with spine

The heel of my palm

The heel of my palm
rests on the bridge of my nose
and sleep soon follows

Move to the country

Move to the country
and find worse air pollution
than in a city

More than usual

More than usual
the neighbourhood dogs barking.
Hot air balloons pass

Driving toward clouds

Driving toward clouds
the foreground becomes a blur
while clouds stay distant

I slap my own face

I slap my own face
in a vain attempt to kill
hungry mosquitoes

Rice Co-op hisses

Rice Co-op hisses
as the diesel train awakes
and it hisses back

Sun-dried Bathurst burr

Sun-dried Bathurst burr
remains by side of the road
as autumn begins

From haphazard hair

the hairdresser sculpts the tufts

from babe to a boy

The birds flying south

The birds flying south
show what I already know
in my anxious mood

The red fox runs past

The red fox runs past
as I speed down the driveway
and flashes a grin

A moth flies circles

A moth flies circles
near pheromone scented traps
looking for a mate

You can have it all

You can have it all
Any flavour you shall choose
As long as it's plain

For the last few days

For the last few days
a kookaburra has laughed
but not this morning

Moonlight races me

Moonlight races me
along adjacent rail tracks
traversing the night

Ahead is darkness

Ahead is darkness
behind me the glow of dawn
lost in transition

Dead roo on hot road

Dead roo on hot road
with big and small winged creatures
from flies to eagles

Once went to Goa

Once went to Goa.
Tripped, hurt toe. Like volcano.
That's Krakatoa.

In a blink, my eye

In a blink, my eye
sees a flattened snake
then a piece of rope

Sometimes I feel trapped

Sometimes I feel trapped
in a web that is my own
design and making

Old bloke at the shops

Old bloke at the shops
offers to sleep with my love
doesn't threaten me

The streetlights seem dim

The streetlights seem dim
without the summer hot breeze
and cicadas song

That point in the year

That point in the year
when everyone looks back
before stepping out

Don't beat yourself up

Don't beat yourself up
Reliving the emotion
Lesson learned. Move on

That 'what if?' moment

That 'what if?' moment
When avoiding disaster
Then thanking something

A circuit is made

A circuit is made
When my fingers touch the strings
Music flows through me

To write a haiku

To write a haiku
It seems I must drive to work
Riding will not do

The sound of the wind

The sound of the wind
as it blows through cypress trees
Hisses like old tapes

A truck passes fast

A truck passes fast
and in its wake a flurry
of seed pulled from grass

Bugs rising like plumes
That disappear when up close
In the morning light

Purple flowers bloom
Protected by poison needles
Gorgeous Bathurst Burr

Mum sits in the ute
At the roadside with her kids
Waiting for school bus

Two boys holding hands
Supporting each other while
Rolling on skateboards