Sky Dancers

They jump up from ocean swirls, from flower buds, from moon dust.

Spiraling into the sky on solid wings

they take the heart of everyone’s inner child

and plant them under the ground to sprout saplings

that will mature and develop hearts of their own.

Hearts that hold on to the fire of imagination.

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Heat Haze

In the heat of summer,

when our throats

are thirsty, eyes unfocused,

sweat clinging to every part,

we hear the hum, loud as an engine

by our ear. It is the fly,

humble, persistent and even

happy in a group.

We often think of flies as dirty

deeply unclean

and unnecessary things,

disregarding

their role in decomposition.

From decomposition

comes nourishment

for the ground, the spark of growth

and life.

Perhaps that is why the fly

makes such a to-do

about its buzz.

Opening credits

Pretending it’s okay

not to be cast

as the main character,

to always be left behind

while others race to the moon

and bathe in its shimmering

light.

 

That’s you all over.

 

I’ve watched you

calmly accepting

year after year

day after day

hour after hour

that you’re second best.

 

I can’t hold back any longer.

 

I reach for the mirror,

grasping it firmly,

and force you to look

into it.

 

You do.

 

Your eyes meet mine.

You realise that you don’t want

to

race

to the moon, anyway.

 

You strap rockets to your feet

and fly

instead,

capturing its light

in your hands

to sculpt

the moon’s tears

one by one,

each different to the last.

 

People pick them up where they land,

marveling at their uniqueness.

 

Finally, you’re proud

of who you are.

 

Finally, I’m proud

of who I am.

 

The Feasting of the Pitcher

Dive into my belly,

you quick-footed buzzing fool.

Let me trap you

among my garden of dead.

No more flitting from

place to place, never

content to rest for more than a day.

Leaving only trails of disease

behind, why would they ever appreciate you?

Let me drown you,

so that your dull hum is finally

silenced.

No-one will mourn you,

but I promise to stand forever

as your monument.