post for dinah hawken

"Bev, it's easy in this crudely driven city to betray what is delicate

and what is deep. I'm writing 'delicate' and 'deep' to you because they're exhausted

words and to avoid them now I know would be a greater betrayal."









-- Dinah Hawken, from 'Writing Home'

masks

"The happy, healthy human being

wears

many

masks."  -R.D. Laing

pet light

Is this cat made of light? Yes,

made of light, just like the far side of my face.

And the sofa, woven storm, is a background to pet against,

to pet light, light against light,

and ears with which to hear the fight.

the power lines are breathing!

In, 

out.

In,

out.

In,

out.

Rhymes with sad

When I left you at the airport,

there were pigeons in the sky.

I don't know how it is they fly,

I don't know how to say goodbye.

false yellow

Wool was trying to keep the fences warm.

Her direction felt painted on.

Gravel was trying to get to the sea.

She kept thinking: where are you? what is it? why can't we? 

Everything red flagged the gravel instead.
















She feared the false yellow had gone to her head.

TIP

You look left for a minute, and your whole world tips.

All you see is white lines...

that show you where the edge is.

A waterfront story

There was once a cheerful, dreamy, shiny young cleat named Sonny.

Sonny dreamed of leaving his post on the dock and having great adventures. He dreamed of climbing up the luminous red steps, just to see where they would lead -

- or even, some day, flying.

You'll do no such thing! said his mother when she caught Sonny journalling one day. No son of mine is going to go gallavanting all over the blessed countryside. You'll stay right where you are young man.

Sonny was very sad. But his friend, Nino Jr, who lived behind the restaurant, wouldn't let him give up.

You've gotta do it, Sonny! You've just gotta! said Nino Jr.

Sonny took a long last look at the bay which had been his home for so long. He gathered up all of his courage, and readied himself for something big.

And some evenings, if you look real hard, you can just make him out in the sky - a dash of bright yellow, against all that blue.

MEMORY is unexpected coloured things touching in your mind.

SEEING is when you realise you've been looking through dew instead of glass.

PEOPLE often turn their backs on you, but even their backs can be pretty.

LOVE is something you want to proclaim all over the sidewalks, even if it gets stepped on.

Oh, winter.

You are almost beautiful in your dewy cruelty.

Through the web of you, I can just make out the ladder against the apple tree.

I might climb it and pick the fruit that isn't there, if I had hands and feet.

If I wasn't such a sheep.