an owl on brown bark
its eyes black zeroes
its face a white heart
it gathers the light
of the stars
if you
are a mouse
it is thinking
of you
From a painting by wildlife artist Jeremy Paul
For children
Poems I think children may enjoy
leaf
I say about leaves
nothing
I’m
thousands
hanging in
one,
composting on
of millions,
wet,
eaten,
churned to mush,
a leaf
of billions, trillions
the sunshine
First published in Uneven Floor
The hanging fronds of my tree
The hanging fronds of my tree
swing with the wind
When it blows a lot
they move a lot
They thrash, slap, whip,
yank at themselves
When it blows a little
they move a little,
back and forth between the pull of the air
and the hold of the tensile trunk
In the odd hour of calm
they hang, simply,
as if it could be calm forever
but it never is
First published in Positive Words