3.11.15

the Golden Goddess [Tabebuia chrysantha] ...








hurry
the eager children 
are racing towards the light 
a quiet explosion, glowing bright
collecting each dying blossom with their hungry hands 
the earth, an illuminated carpet 
for bare feet to skip and delight,
enthusiatstic fingers collect bouquets 
make golden mountains
decorate hair 

this tree has offered of itself, this perfect day 
surrendered its treasure, a gifting of life
so perfect and unanimous, not a single fallen flower is blemished 
they lie so perfect, so fresh, the ground sings forth with life

for a year the children have played about this tree 
climbing its sparse craggy branches 
beneath its unassuming shade 
with no hint of the offering that was to unfurl

a tree can be GOD 
this apparition is worthy of worship
has burst forth, into yellow flames
and the children are running at day’s end, eager parishioners 
school bags discarded 
shoes cast aside 
this is a golden baptism, in the place between two churches
feet immersed in such colour, saffron
petals rain down from above
onto children, dancing and laughing below
every one, 
anointed









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9.10.15

peak-a-boo II [when Venus kissed the moon and the sky blushed...]





It was another rare [perhaps - becoming less rare??] morning when I had again managed to steal alone, barefoot into the backyard.  It was around 5am and the first light of day laid the sky with a luminescent lilac backdrop, covered in large part with low, fast moving grey clouds, softly dripping rain. 

Then the clouds parted in the direction I was [fortunately] starring and I gasped aloud at the unexpected and unanticipated beauty of Venus kissing a crescent moon. 

Almost as soon as I realised the significance of the astronomical occurrence before me - those grey clouds again closed in and whisked the vision away... I quickly reasoned it was worth a race back inside to grab my camera and my phone, hoping I could do so without waking the children [or the dog - who in turn, then wakes the children!].  

Back out in the yard with clouds that seemed to be almost teasing, I quickly grabbed my iPhone and snapped the image above of Venus just brushing the moon's circumference; before a large mass of clouds kept my subjects  out of sight for ten minutes or more... 

Then with my camera and lens in hand I waited patiently for the clouds to cooperate as the sunrise began to work it's magic and the clouds blushed fluorescent... 













Watching the whole scene unfold - a pair of TI pigeons who have taken up residence in the neighbour's lychee tree...




and Djarragun's silhouette against the morning light... 






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1.10.15

Casuarius casuarius ...







                     
                    dawn at Etty Bay
                    a photographer keenly paces the sand 
                    his eyes peeled, fingers poised
                    to create a photogenic memory

                    myriad unacknowledged hues 
                    shimmer and shift between sky and sea
                    jagged silhouettes of rocks 
                    cut into delicate pastel tones
                    the sun departs the horizon line 
                    and begins its upward trajectory
                    crepuscular rays unseen 
                    through the eager lens, searching 
                    the foliage for its subject
                    'when and where will it come? 
                    I don't have much time; how long will it take?'

                    the sun has risen above the cloud line 
                    my answer animated by my shadow
                    some elements of nature cannot be timed; the tide

                    etches its way along an empty beach
                    the cassowary is non-compliant 



















9.9.15

peak-a-boo...




I woke in the faint pre-dawn light to the chatter of Spangled Drongos and children breathing deeply... Sensing my moment was NOW - I carefully slipped from the bed and crept towards the kitchen; and for the first time in a long while, did so without waking either the aforementioned children or our much loved dog whom sleeps by the bed... 

This feat accomplished, I took a moment to raise the kitchen blind and blink into the first glint of the day - my most favourite time... The sky scrubbed clean and filled with the unblemished potential of the new day... 

To coffee! Brewing each cup atop my stove in my old Italian Espresso is a daily ritual and a daily joy... and today - with this unexpected [and certainly limited] time alone I took the chance to steal out to the garden barefoot and pyjama-clad to immerse myself in the newness of the day... 

and there it was - the thin whisp of cloud that took my breath away with its quiet temporal beauty, hovering around Djarragun with the poise and finesse of a lace collar; and rising perfectly through it, as if playing a game... the mountain's peak... 

The morning air was brisk and a fresh breeze was moving through from the valley, I was standing feet in wet grass and smiling wide... The scent of fresh brewing coffee bubbled through the kitchen window and filled the morning air... 

and it felt so good to be alive... 









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20.7.15

the silhouette and the sky ...





It was one of those moments when the sun is setting at the end of a fun filled day with friends and you're heading home with tired children in the car, thinking through the options for quick dinner plans - and there it is! That perfect play-of-light that inspires your attention and action - and a few groans of 'why are we stopping - are you taking pictures AH-gain?!'

...when you have made the leap from the capsule of the car and step out into the light-filled landscape as the day transitions into dusk...

There is the hint of dampness and the chill in the air, the cries of birds both close and distant on their way to their nightly rest, the sugar cane tap-tap-tapping in the gentle breeze, the highway hum of unknown others on their own trajectories home... 

and soon after - as the light has shifted and fluorescence surrendered to greys - and distant sounds are quieter still... the pure joy at having made the time to be open and let the beauty in... 







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29.3.15

firefly ...




Firefly (meditation by the pit) 

Wake at dawn
Sit by last night's fire - still smouldering
Place one dry branch on the coals
Make tea
Drink tea
Listen to red-tailed cockatoos cawing overhead 
Delight in the high blue sky and clear cool breeze
Leave tired children inside watching favourite shows on tv
Drink more tea
Repeat for three hours
Until the breeze picks up
And orange flames burst (suddenly?) into view
Dancing and licking their way over wood
Feel the flames' heat slip under the shade in which you sit
Trace the ash flaking its way into the air
And the smoke twirling through your hair
Here be 
A home
A hearth
A happiness
An archetypal presence
Think of the countless fires
That have given one such grace
A sense of place
A grounding 
amidst often infinite space 
A glowing heart 
A sun
All homes as one