Accept it as yours

Accept it as yours
then never apologise
self-improvement goals 

'Opening up' lives

'Opening up' lives
after all those locked-down months
turning over rocks

More than characters

More than characters
honest language fills the world
alive with meaning 

Hardened bonds of love

Hardened bonds of love
held by threads of wilful steel
cement a friendship 

Crying through the night

Crying through the night
surprised to hear my questions
no gods for answers 

Threw my knives away

Threw my knives away
begging to make you happy
on my knees with want 

These early mornings

These early mornings
drinking tea and writing verse
my dates with the night

You might be hungry

You might be hungry
success might feel like a meal
don’t go for their scraps 

When you watch the trees

When you watch the trees
some days they’ll move in circles
made drunk by the wind 

Aspirations changed

Aspirations changed
the universe doesn’t dent
let’s make modest art 

By taking action

By taking action
rather than accepting it
that can make it worse

Following the crows

Following the crows
embracing our own shadows
flying on the winds

Across the abyss

Across the abyss
dimensions form boundaries
tangled threads of time

Comfortable homes

Comfortable homes
critics and audience know
artists find their place 

Health through intention

Health through intention
enriching activities
prioritised time 

Travelling while still

Travelling while still
internet mobility
deceiving senses 

Re-writing my words

Re-writing my words
re-articulating thoughts
revelatory 

Chasing those rabbits

Chasing those rabbits
following where their tail leads
opening new paths 

Embodied research

Embodied research
piling the puzzle pieces
finding connections 

Living in feelings

Living in feelings
compiling information
looking for a thread 

Playing with new toys

Playing with new toys
fathers revisit boyhood
through the lens of now 

Uncertain answers

Uncertain answers
left feeling vulnerable
retreat to the child 

Writing reflections

Writing reflections
representing emotions
creating these truths 

You don’t see backstage

You don’t see backstage
encouragements and kind eyes
the source of their strength 

Putting them aside

Putting them aside
very intentionally
letting go of words 

Art is not precious

Art is not precious
at the heart of creation
our passionate mess 

Among dead branches

Among dead branches
blackbird’s clutch of small blue eggs
I destroyed their nest 

Donate your profits

Donate your profits
redefine notions of worth
create more success 

Worthless as people

Worthless as people
egotistical arseholes
some famous artists 

That grating chatter

That grating chatter
flashes of colour in blooms
Rainbow Lorikeets 

Filling paperwork

Filling paperwork
90% drudgery
creative work waits 

Flying through town

Flying through town
cockatoos and currawongs
hungry as spring starts 

Mistakes will happen

Mistakes will happen
entering the unknown
the best accidents 

Trees became a grove

Trees became a grove
steam danced atop the co-op
framed by a sunrise 

Grinding of mortar

Grinding of mortar
as walls shift with earth tremors
my neck hairs rising 

Condensed summaries

Condensed summaries
I write tote bag poetry
vacations in thought 

Among precious thoughts

Among precious thoughts
worthless trinkets demand sight
art is devalued 

Smokier sunsets

Smokier sunsets
poetry’s job is beauty
apocalypse waits

Exiting in text

Exiting in text
thoughts disappear before time
lines are for waiting

Container of flesh

Container of flesh
can I be available
put aside thinking 

Where it will take you

Where it will take you
follow a thing for meaning
don’t think about it 

Deal with mechanics

Deal with mechanics
the less you note those feelings
more feelings emerge 

Planned to make money

Planned to make money
poetry got in the way
in my hours alone 

Consuming ideas

Consuming ideas
throwing sentences on wind
eating universe 

Alone in my thoughts

Alone in my thoughts
as one of my sensations
we walked on paper 

Shadows who we are

Shadows who we are
in this world where we forget
my desires are vague

Gasp and claw for air

Gasp and claw for air
let that unscripted outburst
punctuate your words 

Sometimes the readers

Sometimes the readers
walk alongside the speaker
navigating words 

Creative spirit

Creative spirit
that impetus within us
finds a tradition 

Our lives colliding

Our lives colliding
broadcasting from our bedrooms
sharing our small worlds 

Slipping in blessings

Slipping in blessings
ritual in my systems
spirits power on 

As drums count in songs

As drums count in songs
sets my pace like a routine
rhythm focuses

Rising chimney smoke

Rising chimney smoke
twisting against the dark sky
synced to Blackbird’s song 

Unironically

Unironically
living an oxymoron
at peak rock bottom

My more-able self

My more-able self
judges my less-able self
without compassion 

Pale flesh before me

Pale flesh before me
tenderly I slap her arse
moan colours her breath 

White spots when I blink

White spots when I blink
feels I’m staring at a sun
in her radiance 

Imagine our lives

Imagine our lives
if the sun was like the moon
four seasons each month 

Death cold-called my phone

Death cold-called my phone
I hadn’t known my heart died
her voice stirred something 

Pitch and resonance

Pitch and resonance
music translates into things
emotions emerge 

Future promises

Future promises
free hugs after the vaccine
fatalities first 

Sitting on the road

Sitting on the road
staring blankly at headlights
curious rabbit 

My missus and I

My missus and I
the years have run like rabbits*
emptied our burrow 

*Deliberately past tense
after WH Auden

Her intense blue eyes

Her intense blue eyes
belie a passion for life
the bunny boiler 

Enthusiastic

Enthusiastic
chirrups from the bottlebrush
red-cheeked wattle bird 

When I’m sick of work

When I’m sick of work
my creative nausea
balances my health 

Historic spaces

Historic spaces
museums for changing worlds
fading memories 

Know their noises

Know their noises
dickheads who live among us
want-to-be-artists 

I wind myself up

I wind myself up
working into a problem
then find it’s nothing 

It makes me feel small

It makes me feel small
spaces I usually drive
walking distances 

Paying attention

Paying attention
hiding among wattle blooms
yellow rosellas 

Testing your limits

Testing your limits
pushing on your boundaries
collaboration 

Cotoneaster tree

Cotoneaster tree
their visits have changed my mind
Yellow Rosellas 

Marching up the walls

Marching up the walls
ants occupy the bathroom
spiders look annoyed 

People are messed up

People are messed up
interested in weird shit
refuse to feel shamed 

Recognising chirps

Recognising chirps
in the cool before daybreak
hearing songs of spring 

Releasing my work

Releasing my work
knowing I’m the audience
self-satisfaction 

Finding my meaning

Finding my meaning
adjusting my expectations
finding my people 

Broadcast into space

Broadcast into space
when no one else engages
my work disappears 

It's a lonely street

It's a lonely street
where paperbark embraces 
a cold power pole

At supermarkets

At supermarkets
the checkouts were all open
before the lockdown

You might be hungry

You might be hungry
success might feel like a meal
don’t go for the bait 

It’s not that you’re bad

It’s not that you’re bad
whatever your passion bloom
you’re just not ready 

There’s still time to learn

There’s still time to learn
there are always improvements
and more to unlearn 

This time of the year

This time of the year
firing in all directions
manic episodes 

As she passes by

As she passes by
I'm naked in the hallway
and her breath deepens

Diaphanousness

Diaphanousness
reality around me
I grasp beyond words 

Stay lost without words

Stay lost without words
what we don’t know what to call
we can call beauty

Straightforward process

Straightforward process
feels a logical outcome
hides detours taken 

Things fall into place

Things fall into place
fulfilling expectations
surrendered regrets 

Glimpses of danger

Glimpses of danger
drawn to tranquil mystery
deep ocean water

Moving through dark rooms

Moving through dark rooms
feeling space for a flashlight
finding metaphors 

Shave off bits of time

Shave off bits of time
into a creative act
bottling energy 

Lazy at my core

Lazy at my core
seeking a sense of purpose
finding distractions 

How did I do that?

How did I do that?
my volatile energy
water made from wine 

Imploding my work

Imploding my work
with bouts of anxiety
fearless brief moments 

Mysterious days

Mysterious days
depression is a blank page
who was that person 

When you’re out of reach

When you’re out of reach
while falling into a hole
friends become echoes  

Love is love is love

Love is love is love
one word with many meanings
intimately known 

Wander in water

Wander in water
when I swim I meditate
my mind can let go