Reflections

photo of a can of pale ale from the time of the First World War, with the words, "God 'elp all of us" inscribed in it

Gulping down a beer,
mundane summer afternoon—
god help our soldiers.

Strong

photo of a singlel gumtree on an empty brown valley, on the way from Adelaide to Central Australia

In desolation,
in vastness of highway hum,
grows a steady gum.

Light

photo of the morning sun shining through autumn trees that have lost most of their leaves

Filters through your limbs:
kiss of love; ray of sunshine—
early winter trees.

Surrounded

photo of small town Melrose as seen from halfway up Mount Remarkable summit, surrounded by gumtrees — Melrose, South Australia, as seen from halfway up Mount Remarkable

Flanked on all four sides,
eucalyptus aplenty—
tiny island town.

Emerge

closeup photo of the peeling bark of a tree

Our layers crumble—
when who we were fades away,
who we could be, comes.