Live Encounters Poetry & Writing Volume Three November-December 2024
Aotearoa Poets and Writers Special Edition
Cymru meadows sweet, poems Raewyn Alexander.
Many scribbles perhaps best illustrate
Flood and odd sod mix-ups lately, enduring
more and more frequent chaos.
Although in quiet hours admiring daylight still doodling, masses
of leaves and flowers release oxygen
every possible garden or wild place – our saviours.
Much freely lovely grows tall and close upon ruins or
intended plots;
absorbed carbon also weaves moss softening plus….
Laughing to myself around good gusts
of memories and sharing fine times about grand-babies from there while now
here – ours toddle and drive.
We walk various tidy or untamed wonderful – arising.
Trees or undergrowth and any plant stretches meaning into
finer or more branch language;
blossoming visible shouts sometimes fluffy, excited or
shy – a few petals blend.
Flowers gloriously elaborate are crowns the
forest’s regalia – better rulers best seen and
protected,
every human breath and more
Cymru meadows sweet
below rocky hills
their colder sea photographed
family friends brave a windy Welsh day,
away swimming in clear evidence.
Me guessing a tripod camera took
that wide shot with a timer;
inspiring southern day-dreams far distant here in our winter.
While earth may silt over or reveal ancient evidence;
she in any case snail mails deep too from the north.
Me here 12,000 miles away over the world’s landscapes many
time zones and oceans.
Imagining our own personal relics reappear, south,
to sketch in where we met and what for – why not.
Cute op-shop cake tins and lost hair ties surface,
with an empty, frustrating (no longer available), lipstick case.
Dead Kennedy records,
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart concertos, on
Deutsche Grammophon,
symmetrical music, rather like exhibitions’ regular invites back
then;
now retro and we’re both retired forever artists.
My art school friend’s airmail, hugely welcome, with
queen soon king stamps arriving;
famous poetry hand-copied included behind
sailing ships,
particular picture postcards slipped in there.
Breezier times here and anywhere lift
our mood
the two of us breaking sad, corresponding
lately close to eternity.
Both women as bright as polished old pennies.
Our favourite pencils and brushes flick lines or
layer what we find to show
these days old and curious,
with memory’s faded drawings our other treasure now.
Yes, once we held ourselves taller also
glad of quiet help
through fresh full days,
when a time grew too heavy for one or the other alone.
Anyway eventually setting forth
tasselled or hatted or both,
to learn we could stick
weapons of reason hard into any soft bully, their
bellies of bombast.
Smashing into off ideas with narrative drives at
great acceleration;
pop clatter shhhharrmmm….
Trouble also let go as if merely dandelion clocks
fluffy seeds floated from blowing time to tell it.
Growing into bright suns whenever
such vitality settles fine;
then passers-by admire wild beauty and
stop their nonsense.
Levelled back then with cool we’d
meet in arthouse cinemas,
and other deep or challenging water.
Anyway still awake
gathering ourselves daily together and both choosy.
Then salespeople in shops can’t fool about and must stretch, to
satisfy reasonable requests – thank-you.
Delivery of timely kind missives – each sending our light, writing
breezes sweetly too
criss-crossing our planet, so
landing with an upswing
around laughing and breakfast.
© Raewyn Alexander
Raewyn Alexander resides in Tamaki Auckland, a writer, editor, ghostwriter, artist, publisher and educator, world-wide. See Read NZ. Raewyn owns Wah-wah Gallery and wilderness garden, Grey Lynn, performs poetry internationally, collaborates with arts professionals, and sends grandchildren books; they respond with piano jam videos, links to related work, and/or other fine arts, all building a stronger, better arts future.