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14th Anniversary Edition, Live Encounters Poetry & Writing Volume Two Nov-Dec 2023.
The Bush Orchid, poems by John Robert Grogan.
The Bush Orchid
From Yeo street,
in the back seat
of the car, whispered
all delicate and mousy,
in my ear. It knew
that it was moving on
to other places.
Take care of me, it said,
like you know how.
And so, I drove home,
like I had a newborn
strapped in
for their maiden voyage.
That orchid
has stories to tell,
but it’ll keep them to itself.
Now, is not the time
for sowing seeds.
Almost Always Blue
So many have left
and have lost their homes.
We think, it is the beginning
of the end.
The rain will continue,
the world feels so undone.
Why can’t you send
a raven north and tell me
that you love me,
one more time,
in case it’s the end
of what we’ve known?
The lump in my throat
that came when I spoke of us
has gone, and what is left
exhausts me. I finally let go
of the shoes I bought,
before the day we met.
Now, months later,
in the cafe window,
I am all lavender blue
and the day outside
is too bright for a winter’s
day, and in a way
spring bites the heels
in the conversations of many,
but the pen is not ready for the
sunshine, and perhaps I fight
being blue, all too often.
© John Robert Grogan
John Robert Grogan (aka: JR) is an Irish-Australian poet based in Sydney, Australia. Life in country Ireland and his global wanderings have cultivated a curiosity and love for the natural world, including the connectivity of all things. Find on Instagram: @jr_grogan