missing

missing

something you missed in the dawn
like a wind fallen away from
the crest of a hill
a find brought out on the
long rivers of dream to
the brink of
waking.
years unable to touch it
remember it though in
the light on those clouds
the gaps that would
close with brilliance.

something of the hill
in the dawn
the grass waxed over with sun
pine grown in the shaping hand
of storm branch rounded back
the westerly tethered in its knots
cloud smoothed along a blade

man, word

man, word

the cloud
at dawn
raw with
the breaking
sun.
winter
the space
is tangible.
feel it out
in open dream
a creeper
overbalancing
into shade
the sky lifting
bright pieces
off the harbour.
feel it out
in the patience
of word.
to have carried

poets and autumn

poets and autumn
    to Dean English, the Kaikoura poet & painter who suggested it

acknowledgement to the website of the General Office of Hubei Province for the use of this portrait of Qu Yuan

i like that
thought
of poets
and autumn
the ink wash
and the frame
just a hung
scroll on
a wall
of sky
poets
and autumn
hanging around
each other
for centuries
now eyeing
each other
across a drift
of leaves that
could be blood
spilt into sand
a burning fire
on a river breeze
just leaves turning