The canna lily in the corner

yellow coils of joy
gesture their silent welcome
to compost corner

This once shrivelled canna lilly, stuck thoughtlessly in the ground near a compost bin at the back of the garage, survived to surprise us with these flowers.

The star I see tonight

evening’s first star
a forecast of pleasant dreams
man’s heart light as child’s

Aussie moon shot II

today’s moon shines on
ignores neighbour’s satellite
and dismal broadcasts

What a fabulous day it is outside today.

I bags the cockatoo

surviving oddments
eclectic set of old mugs
quarrelsome designs

Taste’s good inside, but

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White cockatoos are noisy birds.  They spend most of the day foraging, tossing items around carelessly as they search for food and destroying things as they fight and play.

Aussie moon shot

armed with bargain ‘phone
a shaky hand to hold it
moon comes to stand still

The clarity of this snap surprised me.

Ultra processed kick starter

emulsifiers
grace my coffee bargainesque
for that keto burn

I’m a fool for a bargain and this caught my eye at 75% off.  I didn’t even think about the possibility of ultra processed coffee until I looked at the ingredients list after seeing a light coloured grind upon opening.  It was bought to take away on holiday because I’m not taking my Kenwood Chef Premier along with its grinding attachment and coffee beans on the road with me on Thursday.

The taste?  I can’t say because being too lazy to grind more coffee beans this morning I used the bargain blend to top up a half full filter basket of Chef-ground coffee, and also I put cardamom seeds in my morning coffee.  A road test report on the ‘unadulterated’ taste of keto coffee may be issued in due course.

Sage parsely

withered parsley
sauted by late summer’s burn
seeds redemptively

Flat out in Melbourne

thirty eight degrees
[in chaud ‘C’ not in froid ‘F’]
air cons exercised

No air-conditioners were damaged during the writing of this verse.

Julian

estranged hero
forsaken by your country
fight for freedom now

Mug shot of a defender of democratic ideals

The patina of craft-glue

busted boot planter
restored with bucket of glue
dry nest for cactus

After the storm

a posy of weeds
pops its head up quick to please
outstripping strimmer

Yesterday’s man

Saturday is washing day

tops and smalls gathered
just like a marriage in bag
souls washed together

King Parrot

red monastic cloak
draped over head and shoulders
grants nature’s blessing

Alisterus scapularis
(Alister’s scapula)

Usually found in humid and heavily forested upland regions along the east coast of Australia, this male King Parrot visited suburban Springvale recently. He raised my spirits when I took lunch in a quiet spot whilst suffering from Covid-19.

Ra Ra Ra

herbs, grass and flowers
guilelessly bend to worship
profuse innocents

Herb garden at Cafe Vita

A rainbow of lorikeets

‘lorries’ in pear tree
graceful eating laureates
fruit gone yet we smile

What a treat to see these beautiful birds in the garden at Wayne’s place in Noble Park.

But the Deli smells good (a hamku)

quick shopping challenge
small problem not a puzzle
low interest … but

WARNING: this post is not an endorsement of an ultra-processed carnivore diet.

The kindness of bloggers

Jeff Cann, who always entertains with his diverse posts, kindly published a short piece that I wrote after reading one of his old posts. Thank you my friend. DD

Ben – A Guest Post

(If you don’t read mine, read his).

The cabbage moth invasion

a thousand white wings
wake to fly for the day
their flutter up lifting

I tried to take a picture of the cabbage moths in flight today but they were almost invisible against every background. This one settled on a plant, which gave me a brief photo opportunity.

A genetically modified organism complains

damn this groggy head
foreign r n a recant
express some happiness

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Unblocking writer’s block, tip #223: If you can’t think of something nice to say, complain.

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Poetry for Quantity Surveyors

supply correct words
punctuate as per schedule
enforce rhythmic scheme

Before we were six

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Refer Chapter 6 of Winnie-the-Pooh

IN WHICH EEYORE HAS A BIRTHDAY AND GETS TWO PRESENTS

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like Eeyore’s balloon
crushed, put in bottom of jar
deflated, turns blue

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A client told me about the abuse and suppression he suffered as a child. The idea of Piglets’ burst balloon came to me as he talked – the client being the (symbolically) crushed balloon.

If only Pooh (and not the author of the books) had been there, there may have been somewhere better for the client’s substantial energy and intelligence to go than into the creation of anxiety, depression, obesity and disruptive social behaviours.

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