Saying Hello

Preparing for bed, I hear

the small cat noises I'm used to,

brief conversational murmurs

or a soft greeting.

But he's outside

and out of earshot,

my old black cat.

So I know

which little ghost greets me
from her favourite spot

nearby.

Sun Jewels on Rainy Day

The rain is so steady and the sky so grey

even my cat doesn’t want to go out,

yet the little yellow Sun Jewels

in the pot on my veranda

still reach, bright and cheery, for the light.

Another Rainy Day

The rain falls hard
yet the wind is blowing it harder
slantwise across the street.
The Noisy Miner birds
have changed their usual squawk
to a pitiful cheep, as if
begging for rescue.

The Dragonfly on the Back Step

Great black lacy wings.
Long thin body
like a misshapen wire
bulging at one end,
appearing twisted.

I decide it's dead or damaged.
With one finger
I push it gently over the edge
of the low, flat step
to the ground between step and wall.

Still those big wings extend
up past the side of the step.
'Poor thing,' I think, and wonder
if it was I who trod on it. Could I
have failed to notice?
When I come back, it's gone.

Green Things in Pots

I have a square white ceramic pot of chives and a long terra cotta coloured pot of gota cola. Both plants are thriving from all the hot sunshine interspersed with heavy rain. So is the plant in the small round white ceramic pot. I am pleased to see them flourishing. I feel a responsibility to Karen and Manfred who gave me these precious gifts when they went travelling. I must keep them all alive to show my appreciation. And indeed I do appreciate. I thought I would quickly use up the chives but they keep growing back long and strong. There is always more to add to my salad. And the gota cola is wildly abundant. I know I must have only three leaves a day to help my memory. I could feed the whole town!