Live Encounters Poetry & Writing September 2025
Answers, poem by Stephen.
answers
i had some realisations earlier today
though i’m not entirely sure what they were
but i know they began the instant i woke up
and continued over the rest of the morning
the beginning came from a few music clips
on the screen of my phone at dawn
as i lay in my bed scrolling social media
trying to work out how to deal with some stuff
i put down my device and went outside
to sit in the garden with a cup of coffee
where a magpie landed right beside me
and sang a song in a beautiful warble
by the seat where i sat an orange flower grew
and beside it one the same was dead
i reflected on both for about half an hour
which bought on sadness that led to acceptance
on the concrete path a line of ants marched
in and out of a crack probably leading to nest
their attention to task was almost hypnotising
as they never rested from their dedication
in a yard behind mine a woman called her cat
and became distressed when the cat didn’t show
eventually her pet dashed through my garden
and to the woman’s delight leapt into her arms
i left the garden inspired and somewhat informed
for in a cryptic way i felt answers were coming
and i walked out the front in only my sarong
which saw a jogger stop to comment on its design
the jogger asked if my sarong was from indonesia
to which i said yes and explained i once lived there
he was from there himself and shared his town
and smiled wide when i said i’d spent time there
a cloud drifted over the summer sunny day
and in no time the sky turned black
without any warning it started to rain
and i stayed outdoors and got completely wet
eventually i went back inside my house
and saw i had a missed call and two messages
i ignored the call and replied to the messages
one from my partner and the other my son
as i dressed i saw am odd connection of themes
that came together without any answers
and i went for a walk relieved i’d been given
some living snippets to ponder on for awhile
this morning’s encounters offered much i think
with plenty of life-changing moments delivered
so i’ll keep wandering around alone all day
allowing more unexpected surprises to find me
© Stephen House
Stephen House has won awards and nominations as a poet, playwright, and actor. He’s been commissioned often, with 20 plays produced, many published by Australian Plays Transform. He’s received international literature residencies from The Australia Council for the Arts to Canada and Ireland, and an Asialink residency to India. He’s had two chapbooks published by ICOE Press Australia: ‘real and unreal’ poetry and ‘The Ajoona Guest House’ monologue. His poetry is published often. He’s performed his acclaimed monologues, ‘Appalling Behaviour’, ‘Almost Face to Face’ and ‘The Ajoona Guest House’ widely. His play, ‘Johnny Chico’ ran in Spain for 4 years.