watching the magic

we wore feathers
and danced in starlight.
our language was that of
luminosity and crystal castles.
we hung diamonds from tree
branches, like earrings
and watched them swing
like pendulums
in the wind.
the rivers, they knew us
and the moon, she smiled
watching the magic
beneath her.

a glass filled with sand

πš’πš 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 πšπš•πšŠπšœπšœ πšπš’πš•πš•πšŽπš πš πš’πšπš‘ πšœπšŠπš—πš
𝚊𝚝 πšπš‘πšŽ πšŽπš—πš 𝚘𝚏 πšπš‘πšŽ πšπš‘πšŽ πš›πš˜πšŠπš
πšπš‘πšŽ πš™πš›πš˜πš–πš’πšœπšŽπš πš•πšŠπš—πš
πš πš’πš—πšŽ πš’πš— 𝚊 πš‘πš˜πš—πšŽπš’πšŒπš˜πš–πš‹
πš•πš’πš•πšŠπšŒπšœ πš’πš— πš“πšŠπš—πšžπšŠπš›πš’
πš’πš— πšπš‘πšŽ πš–πš’πšπšπš•πšŽ 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 πšœπšπš˜πš›πš–
𝚊 πšŒπš˜πš•πš˜πšžπš›πšπšžπš• πš—πš’πšπš‘πšπš–πšŠπš›πšŽ
πš‹πš›πš˜πš”πšŽπš— πš‹πš’ πšπšŠπš πš—
𝚊 πš–πš˜πšœπššπšžπš’πšπš˜ πš‹πšŽπš’πš—πš πš‹πš’πšπšπšŽπš—
πšŠπš— πšŠπšŒπš’πš πšπš›πšŽπšŽπš— πšŒπš‘πšŽπš›πš›πš’
πšŽπšŠπš›πšœ πšπšžπš•πš• 𝚘𝚏 πšπšŽπš•πš’πšπš‘πš
πšπš‘πšŽ πš πš˜πš›πšπšœ 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 πš–πšŽπš›πš›πš’
𝚊 πš›πš’πšŸπšŽπš› πš›πšžπš— πš‹πšŠπšŒπš”πš πšŠπš›πšπšœ
πšŠπš—πš πš‹πš˜πšπšπš•πšŽπšœ πšπš›πš˜πš πš—πš’πš—πš πš’πš— πš πš˜πš›πšπšœ
πš’πšβ€™πšœ πš‘πšŠπš’πš› πšŒπšŠπš›πšŽπšœπšœπš’πš—πš
𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚜 πš”πš’πšŒπš”πšŽπš 𝚝𝚘 πšπš‘πšŽ πšŒπšžπš›πš‹
𝚊 πš—πšŽπš  πš‹πš˜πš‘ 𝚘𝚏 πš–πšŠπšπšŒπš‘πšŽπšœ
𝚊 πš–πš˜πšπš‘ πšŽπšŠπšπšŽπš— πšœπš‘πš’πš›πš
πš‹πšŽπšŠπš›πšœ πš›πš˜πšŠπš–πš’πš—πš πš’πš— πš πš’πš—πšπšŽπš›
πšœπšžπš’πšπšŒπšŠπšœπšŽπšœ πšπš’πš•πš•πšŽπš πš πš’πšπš‘ πšπš’πš›πš
πšŠπšœπš‘πšŽπšœ 𝚝𝚘 πšŠπšœπš‘πšŽπšœ
𝚊 πšπš›πš˜πš˜πš– πš•πšŽπšπš πšŠπš‹πšœπšžπš›πš

obscured by fog

πš’πš πšŽπšŠπšŒπš‘ πšŠπš—πš πšŽπšŸπšŽπš›πš’ 𝚍𝚊𝚒
πš πšŽπš›πšŽ πš“πšžπšœπš πšπš‘πšŽ πšœπšŠπš–πšŽ
πš‘πš˜πš  πšŒπšŠπš— 𝚠𝚎 πš›πšŽπšπš›πšŠπš’πš—
πšπš›πš˜πš– πšπš‘πšŽ πš–πšžπš—πšπšŠπš—πšŽ
πšπš‘πšŠπš πšπš˜πš•πš•πš˜πš πšœ πšŠπš—πš πš™πšžπš›πšœπšžπšŽπšœ
𝚊𝚜 πš›πš˜πšžπšπš’πš—πšŽπšœ πš˜πšπšπšŽπš— 𝚍𝚘
πšŠπš—πš πš–πšŠπš”πšŽ πš—πš˜ πšœπš™πšŠπšŒπšŽ
πšπš˜πš› πšŽπš‘πš™πšŽπš›πš’πšŽπš—πšŒπšŽπšœ πšŠπš—πšŽπš 
πšπš‘πšŽ πšœπš™πš˜πš—πšπšŠπš—πšŽπš˜πšžπšœ πš–πš˜πš–πšŽπš—πšπšœ
𝚜𝚘 πš›πšŽπšπšžπšŒπšŽπš
𝚝𝚘 πšπš’πš—πš’ πš—πšŠπš—πš˜ πšœπšŽπšŒπš˜πš—πšπšœ
πš˜πšπšπšŽπš— πš–πš’πšœπšœπšŽπš
𝚊 πš™πš›πšŽπšŒπš’πš˜πšžπšœ πšπš’πšπš
πš—πš˜πš  πšŠπšπš›πš’πšπš
πš•πš’πš”πšŽ πš–πš˜πšœπš πšπš›πšŽπšŠπšœπšžπš›πšŽ
πšπš‘πšŠπšβ€™πšœ πš•πš˜πšœπš πšŠπš—πš πš‘πš’πš
πš‹πšžπš›πš’πšŽπš πšπšŽπšŽπš™
πš πš’πšπš‘ πš“πšžπšœπš 𝚊 πšœπš˜πš—πš
𝚘𝚏 πšπšŽπš—πšπš•πšŽ πš–πšŽπš–πš˜πš›πš’
𝚘𝚏 πš πš‘πšŠπš πš˜πš—πšŒπšŽ 𝚠𝚊𝚜
πš˜πš—πšŒπšŽ πš‹πš›πš’πšπš‘πš πšŠπš—πš πšŒπš•πšŽπšŠπš›
πš˜πš‹πšœπšŒπšžπš›πšŽπš πš‹πš’ 𝚏𝚘𝚐

my backpack

πš–πš’ πš‹πšŠπšŒπš”πš™πšŠπšŒπš”, πš’πš πš‘πšŠπšœ πš‘πš˜πš•πšŽπšœ
πšπš‘πšŠπš πš—πšŽπšŽπš πšœπš˜πš–πšŽ πš™πšŠπšπšŒπš‘πš’πš—πš πšžπš™.
πš‹πšŽπšπš˜πš›πšŽ πš’ πšπšŠπš”πšŽ πš’πš πšŠπš—πš’πš πš‘πšŽπš›πšŽ
πš’πš—πšŒπšŠπšœπšŽ πšπš‘πšŽ πš›πšŠπš’πš—πšœ 𝚍𝚘 πšœπšπšŠπš›πš.

πš‹πšžπš πšπš‘πšŽπšœπšŽ πš‘πš˜πš•πšŽπšœ πšπšŽπš•πš• 𝚊 πšœπšπš˜πš›πš’,
πšŽπšŸπšŽπš›πš’ πš πšŽπšŠπš› πšŠπš—πš πšŽπšŸπšŽπš›πš’ πšπšŽπšŠπš›.
𝚘𝚏 πšžπš—πšŽπšŸπšŽπš— πš™πšŠπšπš‘πšœ πš•πšŽπšœπšœ πšπš›πš˜πšπšπšŽπš—
πšŠπš—πš πš–πš’πšœπšŠπšπšŸπšŽπš—πšπšžπš›πšŽπšœ πšπšŠπš›πšŽπš.

πšπš‘πšŽ πšœπšŒπšŠπš›πšœ πšπšŽπš•πš• 𝚞𝚜 𝚊 πšœπšπš˜πš›πš’
𝚘𝚏 πšŽπš‘πš™πšŽπš›πš’πšŽπš—πšŒπšŽπšœ πšŽπš—πšπšžπš›πšŽπš.
πšœπš˜πš–πšŽπšπš’πš–πšŽπšœ πšπš‘πšŽπš’ πšŠπš›πšŽ πš‘πšŠπš™πš™πš’,
πšŠπš—πš πš˜πšπš‘πšŽπš›πšœ πš—πš˜πš 𝚜𝚘 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍.

πš‹πšžπš πšπš‘πšŠπš πš’πšœ πš“πšžπšœπš πšπš‘πšŽ 𝚠𝚊𝚒 𝚘𝚏 πšπš‘πš’πš—πšπšœ,
πšŠπš—πš πš πš‘πšŠπš πš•πš’πšπšŽ πš‘πšŠπšœ 𝚝𝚘 πš˜πšπšπšŽπš›.
πš˜πšžπš› πšπšŠπš•πšŽπšœ 𝚘𝚏 πšŸπšžπš•πš—πšŽπš›πšŠπš‹πš’πš•πš’πšπš’,
πšŠπš—πš πš‘πšŽπšŠπš›πšπšœ πšπš‘πšŠπš πšœπš˜πš–πšŽπšπš’πš–πšŽπšœ πšπšŠπš•πšπšŽπš›.

what is a weed?

πš“πšžπšœπš πšŠπš—πš˜πšπš‘πšŽπš› πš•πš’πšπšŽ πšπš›πš˜πš πš’πš—πš
πš’πš— πšŠπš— πšžπš—πš πšŠπš—πšπšŽπš πš•πš˜πšŒπšŠπšπš’πš˜πš—.
πš—πšŽπš’πšπš‘πšŽπš› 𝚊 πšœπš™πšŽπšŒπš’πšŽπšœ
πš˜πš› πšπšŽπš—πšžπšœ 𝚘𝚏 πš™πš•πšŠπš—πš.
πšπšŽπšπš’πš—πšŽπš πš˜πš—πš•πš’ πš‹πš’ πš’πšπšœ πš™πš›πšŽπšœπšŽπš—πšŒπšŽ,
πšŒπš•πšŠπšœπšœπš’πšπš’πšŒπšŠπšπš’πš˜πš—: πšžπš—πšπšŽπšœπš’πš›πšŽπš
πš’πš— 𝚊 πš–πšŠπš—πš’πšŒπšžπš›πšŽπš πšπšŠπš›πšπšŽπš—,
πš•πšŠπš πš— πšπš’πšŽπš•πš πš˜πš› πšπš˜πš•πš πšŒπš˜πšžπš›πšœπšŽ.

πš—πšŽπšŸπšŽπš› πš–πš’πš—πš πšπš‘πšŠπš πš’πš πšπš•πš˜πš πšŽπš›πšœ
πšŠπš—πš πšŠπšπšπš›πšŠπšŒπšπšœ πšπš’πš›πšŽπš πš‹πšŽπšŽπšœ
πšœπšŽπšŽπš”πš’πš—πš πš›πšŽπš™πš˜πšœπšŽ.
πš—πšŽπšŸπšŽπš› πš–πš’πš—πš πš’πšπšœ πš πš’πšπšŽ πš•πšŽπšŠπšŸπšŽπšœ
πšœπš‘πšŽπš•πšπšŽπš›πš’πš—πš πšœπš•πšžπš–πš‹πšŽπš›πš’πš—πš πšœπš˜πšžπš•πšœ,
πš—πš˜.
πš“πšžπšœπš πšŠπš—πš˜πšπš‘πšŽπš› πšžπš—πš πšŠπš—πšπšŽπš πšπš‘πš’πš—πš,
π™Ύπš— πš–πšŠπš—β€™πšœ πš–πšŠπš—πš’πšŒπšžπš›πšŽπš πšŽπšŠπš›πšπš‘.

out-right old

with so many people
fighting time to stay
young, resisting
old age, and the
certainty to come.

why so much shame,
in something that
happens to us all?

why not a celebration
in living for so long?

summer haze

brightly coloured
mismatched clothes and
lop-sided ponytails.
small hands clutching the
chain of a long forgotten
swing in a park falling
into disrepair.

loose strands of hair
whip and whirl in a
wild halo haze as we
laugh and slurp on
iced-lollies and
Mr. Whippy,

telling stories and
singing songs,
never knowing a single
care or misfortune.


picking strawberries

i was sad to see them
wrapped in plastic
after picking them
so freely in the fields
all those years ago.

a girl and her basket,
nose blushed by the sun,
ribbons snapping
in the wind,

mosquito bites and
the hum of bees
as golden light
cast shadows
across tall grass.

in the distance, laughter.
innocence, yet to be taken

provenance

consider the pencil
i hold in my hand
and the decades of growing
now torn from the land
like a babe ripped
from its mother’s breast
what life had to end
for this page that i hold
so that i might scribe poems
with words so bold