Secret

she tries desperately to listen
he looks hard but cannot see
i will never speak a word
your secrets safe with me

Sea

"I guess that's the sea then..."

"Yes. The sea."

"Do you remember it?"

" I remember sand so hot your feet would melt.
Lips salty from those blue blue waves journeying to shore.
Minds wandering through the past and dreaming about the future."

"I think you should get out more."

"Maybe you're right."

 

Anticipation

I had this dream that I would write a
poem tonight. A silky smooth to say
poem. And I smiled nervously saying
I couldn't wait for the words to come
for me. And she said that she knew
they would.

Our Classroom

B11
Social Studies

We sit in murky darkness watching projected images.
I see the people around me fuzzy, like a static T.V channel.
The windows are large and cut into quarters. Covered with thick old curtains.
The sills are chipping with paint that's bubbled from summers heat.
I squint to survey the walls which are masked in posters with squiggly lines, colourful dots.
The desks have ink embedded into their wood.
We make make tattoos on our victims as we wait for the lessons to end.

He Is Leaving

Ghosts fly down the chimney, their crying loud and shrill.

His desk, once overflowing now lets its papers roam the halls.

The rocking chair he made last year will stay forever still.

The house is quiet.

He is leaving.

The path to the forest has disappeared. Vines and bushes taking back what is theirs.

Fruit from the trees is sour, they disapprove of his absence.

His pride and joy the vegetable patch turns to seed without his careful attention.

The garden is thick with resentment.

He has left.

Every night the Tui's chirp indignantly. No longer does he come to feed them.

Deer invite themselves to graze on the grass that keeps on growing. No more must they fear his bullets.

And the river runs. As fast as her banks will allow. Hair tangling in the reeds, eyes tired from searching, she is to slow to catch him.

He is missed.

Sarah Nicole

24 Jars

Out of twenty four

There was left not one more

On the flat

By the crack

That's where they went

Back

To a fraction of a whole

They fell, did not roll

The ground they hit

And were instantly split

I've Been To A Place

I've been to a place where the waves are mean,
where the sand glows green,
where the sea grass whips tall and lean.

I've been to a place where the seagulls play,
where the rocks fill the bay,
where the sun hits the water in pastel rays.

I've been to a place where the surfers go out and the seashells come in,
where the children grin,
where the drunks drink their drinks and swallow their sins.

I've been to a place where the sand flies bite,
where the stars shine bright,
where the moon holds the scars of the Taniwha's fight.

I've been to Te Arai.

Bad Forest

Walking through forest
I hear leaves crunching underfoot
Flames licking small children

The High Line

At the tops of the shortest trees in this concrete jungle.

I am above the streets that are peppered with thoughts and opinions of the people who live in this city.

New York, the people's city.
The High Line has expanded.

Further, further in both directions.                        
                                                                          
                                                                                I am below the sky.
                                                                             So blue on this dark day.

              Does it reflect your eyes...?


On the path ahead peeks the rusty tracks that have been re-born in this project.

The trees and flowers,
                       the buildings,
                                   the culture of this place.

Walking inside visions...
                                           
                                                I have been inspired.

God Flicked The Switch And The Moon Lit Up

God flicked the switch and the moon lit up. God had never seen such a bright light. He wondered how long it would last. Then he got up off the sofa and walked into the kitchen. God opened the fridge...Nothing. It seemed Jesus had forgotten to go food shopping. "God damn", said God, then he remembered the Hawaiian pizza in the freezer. God's tummy grumbled so he hurriedly put the pizza in the microwave and pressed the button.

From somewhere close by a dog barked. God was surprised and somewhat confused. He did not own a dog. He twitched the lace curtain and peeked outside. A stray mutt was digging holes in his yard.
"Oh God", muttered God, banging his head against the window pane. Then the microwave binged and God decided pizza was more important.

Car

Your car is a deathtrap
A human eater
A roadkill greater
Satan's seven seater

Your car is a deathtrap
A gas guzzling
Exhaust making
Lake polluting
Tree hitting
Monster

Your car is a death trap, a road ragging drunk
It's battered and broken and smells worse than a skunk
Your car is not safe to be driven around
So I ordered it away
To be held and Impounded
Turned into scrap and continuously ground
Into a pile of junk no more than a mound

I'm really so sorry but there ain't no way 'round it
No more will the evil of Satan surround it

Your car is a death trap

The Sun Is My Friend

The Sun is my friend.
It whispers warm secrets to me.
Knowing I will not share them.
I hear about the martians on Mars.
And how Saturn has lost one of her rings.
And Venus's new lover...