Llama drinking

Bending to the water,
two graceful curves meet.

a belligerence of llamas

A belligerence of llamas blocks the road.

They are at once ridiculous and intimidating:

more paper cranes

With rainy weather and colder days keeping me out of the garden I’ve been adding more origami cranes to the wall. I also painted in the railing for the one that hasn’t taken off yet. There are still a few more cranes to go to get a whole rainbow flock. And then the long wall to do. I just hope I have enough brown paint left to do the long railing! I was going to put the uprights further apart to save paint. I’m using sample pot size mis-tints from Bunnings and mixing them to get the different shades I want – so it’s very hard to get the same colours again. But, my son said the uprights needed to be close enough together that he couldn’t climb through them – so they are what they are.   

cloud bed

A cloud has made its bed
in the valley behind the house.

SMART wishes

We stand in the autumn gloaming
watching the sun drop below the ridge
as the currawongs and kookaburras
farewell the day.

paper cranes

These are the first three of a flock of origami cranes that I’m painting on the wall of one of my son’s room. The plan is to have a flock in rainbow colours, starting with a blue one perched on a railing, and the rest flying up the wall. I haven’t painted in the railing yet, but I felt like painting cranes today so I started with the flying ones.  It wasn’t possible to get all three in shot at once, so here they are separately. You’ll just have to imagine them arranged in an approximate diagonal line going up the wall. The aqua is the lowest, then the green, then the yellow one is up high on the door, and currently the leader of the flock. The plan is to add an orange one, then a red, then a violet, then a dark purple one.

 

Morphia (an aubade to sleep)

Of late she has taunted me,
teased
and played coy,

burying the evidence (what problem? I don’t have a problem…)

I sneak out while no one is looking,
bulging paper bags
(the evidence of my addiction),
tucked under my coat.

Brittle gums II

Steadfast,
the stringy-barks
acknowledge no seasons.
But the brittle gums
have sensed summer’s end.
Their silver bark has darkened
and fallen away in curls,
leaving them naked,
smooth and white,
amongst their
rough and dark,
but stalwart,
companions.

Brittle gums I

Darkness flows up
from the gullies
and creek beds,
climbing the ridge,
ending the day.
The brittle gums glow,
like golden pillars,
reflecting the sky
in brief defiance
of the rising night.