As side 3 plays, First Bite spins to a close. Massive thanks to Julie, Cindy and Ashley for taking the leap with me… am already excited about the shape our next project may take.
[photograph by Cindy Keong]
last piece of the puzzle
her body nestled
against mine
CK
*
bare foot in the kitchen
her teeth chatter la cucaracha
JB
*
the record spins
gathering blues
at dawn
GN
*
warmth kicks in
the womb
AM
*
first buds
appear under
her t-shirt
CK
*
lips on the wine glass
blooming red
JB
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[photograph by Cindy Keong]
nightfall
grandfather’s stories flicker
in the flames
GN
*
we observe the animal
spines unusually fluid
AM
*
the dam
in full bloom
he feels no pulse
CK
*
sunburnt skin and sweat
beneath him
JB
*
not wanting
to show my heart
this first morning
GN
*
she tries too hard
with bar stool French
AM
*
on the second bottle
a surge
of waves
CK
*
a long walk home
breathing steam into her v neck
JB
*
still cold —
the moon lengthens
my stride
GN
*
a child could measure
and die, like the leaves
AM
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While I have been leading the summer ginko group through their marvellous Snake Weather, I have also been taking part in our Autumn collaborative poem, this time with Ashley Martin, Cindy Keong and Julie Beveridge. To mix things up a little, we decided to write a Triparshva. Enjoy this first bite…
[photograph by Cindy Keong]
the first bite
of autumn
red apples
CK
*
seasoning the pie
it’s raining again
JB
*
a koel calls
we slip into
each other
GN
*
armed with pillows
I like your shadow
AM
*
hide and seek
the moon wears
a golden halo
CK
*
in keeping with tradition
we pray hand in hand
JB
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broken silence
the fall of one
golden leaf
*
gentle breeze
the crackle of gum leaves
across the boardwalk
*
shady fig
the silence
of empty nests
— Lee-Anne Davie
Melaleuca
again an unseen bird
cries your name
*
wetland pool
turns my mind
to tea
*
Easter Saturday
a family barbecue
amuses the kookaburras
— Trudie Murrell
thin path
the strangler fig tightens
its grip
*
forest entrance
lorikeets race
against the traffic
*
choosing a path
ants travel straight ahead
— Cindy Keong
no breeze
grass moves
to the rhythm of butterflies
*
in the creek
moss and rust
years apart
*
back to read another page
copper-bottomed ant
— John Wainwright
*
all photographs by Cindy Keong
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grandfather’s roses
a spot growing
on each leaf
*
family barbeque
teenager texts
from a separate bench
*
wedding in the park
only half
a string quartet
*
dishwasher can’t clean
the lipstick from the glass
things you left behind
*
garden bare of flowers
one curling leaf
*
poems by Jonathan Hadwen
photograph by Cindy Keong
at the edge of
the rose bed
lavender stalks
*
roses in full bloom
the bride sucks
in her belly
*
crowded park
two plover’s
clear a space
*
play date
dogs teach their owners
how to fetch
*
blisters of burnt paint
the summerhouse gone
*
photograph & poems by Cindy Keong
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On Sunday the QWC ginko group headed over to Sandgate, a sleepy little coastal town on the outskirts of Brisbane. And although we are yet to see much sun on either of our ginko, there were some superb haiku written. During the week I plan to feature poems from each of the group members, starting with Sandgate local, Cindy Keong.
autumn haze
cargo ships
ghost the horizon
*
kite surfers skip across cloudy skies
*
one seagull
finds company
in the still water
*
breaking waves
my thoughts
tumble over
*
Cindy is the feature poet at tomorrow night’s The Back Room event at Confit Bistro (4/9 Doggett St, Fortitude Valley) and will also debut an exhibition of her photography. If you are in Brisbane, come along… doors open at 6pm!
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Sunday is quickly rolling around… so before we hit the shores of Sandgate, here’s a handful of haiku from our Brisbane River Ginko from the ‘three Johns’ of the group.
ferry wake
the river
speaks up
cello lessons
under the paper-bark
days lengthen
John Wainwright
baby grasshopper on my page
this autumn morning
it will learn to fly
reading Issa
I kill my first moth
a row of ducks in the rain
even the hermit
must smile
Jonathan Hadwen
full moon
the river rises
with my anxiety
autumn river
a leaf takes
its final voyage
John Koenig
Cindy Keong has also posted two new haiku on her site and they are well worth the click! And while I am mentioning Cindy’s work, here’s a few photos of Sandgate for those who haven’t had the pleasure. Let’s hope the weather holds…
Filed under poetry & publishing
On Sunday, I braved the autumn drizzle and a very large group of cyclists and set off along the bank of the Brisbane River along with six haiku enthusiasts on the first of our planned ginko.
While it may not have been the kind of day that pulls you from your Sunday morning slumber, it is amazing how the small world of an umbrella makes you focus. Here’s a haiku sequence I wrote while out walking:
Brisbane River Sequence
dawn river
my head
yet to clear
morning walk
just enough rain
to give the river voice
standing alone
the puddle at the edge
of shelter
waiting for
the 7am ferry
lone cormorant
whistling at the joggers
the old man’s
hearing aide
magpie song
the day brightens
under my umbrella
At the end of our ginko, we gathered together and shared our morning’s work, each poet presenting their favourite haiku of the morning, then casting their vote to select the poem of the trip. The winning poem from the Brisbane River Ginko was written by Cindy Keong.
lingering heat
my sweat beads
on the lawn
Next Sunday we are off to Sandgate for a coastal ginko. Nothing like sea air in your lungs to start the morning.
* all photographs by Cindy Keong
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I
drinking cask wine
and smiling at her
I inhale the warm summer perfume
of her dress
II
light purrs into the grass
on days like this
I see all men
as brief as birds
III
dusk feathers the day
into vague bits of dream
while the pulse in my neck taps
trouble trouble
IV
naked night swim
our drunken limbs
fumble over moons
of flesh
V
softening skin
our bodies
dance in time with
the river’s heartbeat
VI
skipping stones
across a glass river
each bounce
shatters silence
VII
bird song lost
in the air of morning
we drift home with
the outgoing tide
* this poem was written collaboratively with Cindy Keong. You can view more of Cindy’s work here: http://clk27.wordpress.com/
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