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

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

Scenes from my drive to work

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

Mother grass parrot

Mother grass parrot
watches rainbow lorikeets
push eggs from her nest

When rainbows appear

When rainbows appear
in unexpected places
it's thanks to prisms

Pink and grey on grey

Pink and grey on grey
as gallahs fly in a storm
to roost in the rain

In the dark I reached

In the dark I reached
to drink from my alarm clock
but it wasn’t time

The bruise on my thigh

The bruise on my thigh
is purple, red, yellow, green
and shaped like a fish

Grey butcher bird sings

Grey butcher bird sings
repeating three rising notes
"I'll slaughter your young"

Charles Sturt 2010 Reserve Sparkling

Like a dry cider
but a froth like gelato
and sweet like syrup

Soaked in golden bloom

Soaked in golden bloom
the wattle tree collapses
weighed down with new life

Often I will say

Often I will say
music is way too much fun
not to have a go

The way falling snow

The way falling snow
Reveals the gusts of breezes
Makes the unseen seen

Finches scattering

Finches scattering
Easily mistaken for
Leaves blown from the road

Erratic squiggles

Erratic squiggles
across rectangles of green
and brown wide land

Two homeless men fight

Two homeless men fight
over a cigarette pack
as a crowd gathers

Riverina May

Riverina May
Smoke and dust have filled the sky
The moon is frowning

Like some stained painting

Like some stained painting
Sky blue with grey, white and brown
Smokey horizon

Bitburger Premium Beer

Like apple strudel
as it dissolves on my tongue
and cleans my palate

Balmain Pale Ale

Like tinned pears on toast
with a dash of cream and then
pureed for smoothness

Your cunt is like words

Your cunt is like words
on the tip of my tongue but
unable to mouth

Mournful Butcherbird

Mournful Butcherbird
sings the death of the seasons
summer and winter

So much discomfort

So much discomfort
is like prickles in one's socks
Small on inspection

Cicadas singing

Cicadas singing
as the mercury rises
soundtrack to summer

Morris 1999 Durif

Baring tannin teeth,
while hiding softening fruit.
Needs a few more years.

GIFs are the haiku

GIFs are the haiku
of internet media,
compression defined.

Off in the distance

Off in the distance
short rising notes of alarm
sound like guinea pigs

Lying in my bed

Lying in my bed
listening to the rain fall
as the sky lightens

Cloying taste of milk

Cloying taste of milk
as it coats tannins in tea
seems soft like cut pine

Listening to birds

Listening to birds
Their cheerful chirps and chirrups
The roosters crowing

Like folded clothing

Like folded clothing

but on closer inspection

a flattened magpie

I am the lizard

I am the lizard
making short abrupt movements
basking in the sun

Got swooped by magpies

Got swooped by magpies
Spring nears while canola blooms
Hayfever follows

Westend Richland Shiraz 2012

Blackberry prune juice
menthol from windowcleaner
a forest of oak

Aubrey Wilkinson 2012 Tempranillo

Tried Tempranillo
tasted like terracotta
cooked mint tomato

1000 or so kilometres later

I've seen the sun rise
Today I've seen it set too
From behind this wheel

Lazily playing

Lazily playing
on the guitar on my bed
while the phone chirrups

Why?

"Bigots have a right"

"Bigots have a right"
says our Attorney General
yet there's no free speech?

Seppelt 2006 Sparkling Shiraz

The pop and the fizz
illustrate detonating
deeply tanned berries

Hollandia

A hops explosion
clears my palette like a bomb
Then leaves without taste

Celebration Ale

They were not kidding
when they wrote of finest hops
aroma and malt

d'Arenberg Footbolt shiraz 2002

Come in my old friend
drop that tobacco depth charge
and light firecrackers

Blackcurrant gives way

Blackcurrant gives way
to plummier tasting notes
when properly stored

Lawnmowing

Fuel fumes, job well done
Green smell with stained white footwear
Vibrating hands

Planting a seedling

Planting a seedling
earth fragrant with chocolate
reminds me of love

Walking in the park

Walking in the park
My footsteps grow uneven
I've stepped in dog shit

A visit to Valla Beach

Evolving landscape
of rock and sand and ocean
brings daily surprise



Stories of seaside
lines like topographic maps
sediment stanzas



Ancient medium
shown miniature to scale
my alien home

Red gum roost at dusk

Red gum roost at dusk
Galah couples approach first
Noisy kids follow

I love satellites

I love satellites
Today I dodged two downpours
commuting by bike

Droplets on the wing

Droplets on the wing
like the goosebumps on my arms
as turbulence rocks

Riding into fog

Riding into fog
palm tree silhouette ahead
looks like pineapple

Swimming under waves

Swimming under waves
Foam clouds darken above me
Rays of light appear

Carport roof rattles

Carport roof rattles
as though rain lands upon it
Rain of locust feet

In the dentist's chair

In the dentist's chair
my head full of chirps and squeals
like a modem's song

Hill Indigo blooms

Hill Indigo blooms
with a pop and a scatter
nature's moneyshot

In workplace vacuums

In workplace vacuums
talent grows to fill the void
or all morale shrinks

Forbidden fruit

Without knowing why
Like a girl from school I teased
Swoon with frisson

Fog

Early morning fog
cut by straight lines of shadow
on my walk to work

Downpour

A cloudburst of rain
like the thundering of hands
showering applause

Frigid speaker amps

Frigid speaker amps -
they are last to be turned on
and the first turned off

A young snake at dusk
like water running uphill
fleeing from my bike

The Bassling sound

Lower frequencies
and snappy beats to spell out
an entrancing groove

Sunset

Red clouds glowing late
as though filaments alit
on a bar heater

The sun penetrates

The sun penetrates
the wave as it folds over
in a flash of green

Aeolian harp

Aeolian harp
sings something sharper than G
and then goes sublime