Outback Moods

flowers
even sprayed with cool water
cannot survive the filthy heat
of the outback




i toss the roses and gardenias
into the compost bin
put on the air con



i wonder how
Walter Leslie French
who bought this place in 1910
survived 
and the countless other settlers
before him who called this home



 i dream of iced roses
ever year at this time
while you all complain
shivering in your boots



yesterday
i floated on my back
in the  pool partly covered
by a rusty tin roof and an electric blue sky





framed by giant cactus  and olives
with only the orange and black beetles
buzzing about in the still hush of midday






i  fell in love again
that habanera whistling
in my ears
but with me love is short lived


today i am dreaming of boots
trudging through squeaky fresh snow
log fires roasted chestnuts and crepes
ugg boots and mittens

and tomorrow
well
who knows

The Artist

she was an artist
sold reasonably well
enough to get by

her life devoted
to her art  reflected
her internal struggles

"Me"
they cried
unabashed to the world

 as i drove her through
Paradise
the beauty of which
makes one gasp

for the first time
i noticed
she was blind

T'was The Night After

a million midges
in plague proportion
attack the lamps
on this filthy hot
new year night

ice maidens
waltz
to the blue danube
incongruous
on an infested
crawling tv screen

the radetsky march
in clipped compound
teutonic rhythm
booms on
to the delight
of smiling japanese
at the guilded palace

TURN IT OFF
commands
the cry
from a distant
bedroom


I go outside
look up at the
big yellow cheese
setting the paddock alight
strip off
hose myself down with
icy tank water
crisp dry
in a few minutes
the hot breeze filtering
through the pungent pepper trees
a portent of the
cruel summer to come

JANUARY

never a good month
a month of strategies
to survive
the heat
bush fires
breaking down
of appliances
dust
the  school holidays
the winter escapees
 (tourists)
the Chrismas ghosts

the month of
short tempers
break ups
sun burn
falling out
face the music

and

Australia Day