In the Garden

What was
that? Moving
in the
garden? As you
spoke so
earnestly? Between the
slow blinks born of
a few drinks with our
fellow, here, and
me?
I'm sure
I saw
the




Truth?




Although, no.
No.
I know
it couldn't be.

Grandstanding

AND THEN my father said well no I'm not going to pay that much for so little HE ALWAYS said exactly what he thought I'VE DEFINITELY inherited that from him NOTHING STOPS me from going out if I want to YOU KNOW the Balwyn shops are absolute rubbish these days WHEN I was growing up in Kew I used to ride my bike to Balwyn and I knew all the good shops for real good quality clothing you know GOOD QUALITY and I was quite good at styling myself you know I'VE ALWAYS had a good eye for these things it sort of runs in my family MY DAUGHTER is the same and my granddaughter too I GAVE my granddaughter $100 for her birthday and for me $100 wouldn't go very far but she was clever SHE KNEW how to stretch that $100 and get some really nice little inexpensive accessories and

he is joining the army

she tells me with the deepest
brown eyes

and something stiffens inside
my chest

something jars and will not
move




and I see him somewhere

dark eyes set on the dawn

my books on my bookshelf

stand as silent soldiers
in the army of hope

waiting for
my orders

The Skivvies

Every year I had to

acclimatise

and every year I had to get used to

being slightly

strangled.

The first days of winter

even cold autumn days

induced a gentle

retching

as I swallowed inside my fetching

skivvies.

Soon

though

I was used to them so

I wore them

the season

through.

Charmi

pushes her bin
between
two prams

See My Hands

See my hands age, see them
pucker, pinch, decay

shedding endless cells with every
dying day, heading to the
heart of death like
April marching to May

See my hands thin, see their
skin wrap a little looser round the
bone, they're being worn in

you see, my hands
are not my own