Spring Clean

She drenches the mop
she wrings out her dreams
She soaks up the dirt
but not stubborn screams
She wipes away dust

but the tears remain
they settle in corners

thick with pain

She tackles the tub

with its ugly ring

but those ugly words

still stick

still cling

She plucks out the weeds

she feeds her roses

she plants a new memory

when the old one closes

Lilac and Blue

Dear Mrs Jacaranda

you're making a mess

of my front verandah

without sounding rude

and somewhat bitter

would you mind getting rid

of your lilac litter?

For lilac and I

we don't get along

She knows that my feelings

for blue are quite strong

and no matter how hard

she tries to impress

it's blue I love now

and have always I guess

But I must give her points

for consistency

every year without fail

raining potpourri

she doesn't give up

she won't be ignored

until I admit

until she's adored

But it's blue that I love

I'm sorry to say

Blue doesn't give

so freely away

Out of my reach

way up, way high

it doesn't fall down

God forbid it should try

I pray that blue

will bless me each day

I stumble to check

but I'm greeted with grey

and if it remains

for more than I care

if blue becomes sparse

if blue becomes rare

I sulk like a woman

hanging on hope

with no word from her lover

she struggles to cope

So if you resent

my devotion to blue

Deny me your lilac

And I'll yearn for you too

Boots

She loves her boots

With the endless lace

By the time she's done tying

All the blood's in her face

She can hardly wait

for the air to chill

Then she'll dust them off

for her feet to fill

With her clunky boots

She stomps about

She'll find any excuse

To wear them out

Even a trip

to the local mall

she'll dodge the crowd

and try not to fall

And since she's there

She'll have a browse

She'll buy more boots

if her Amex allows

She doesn't need

a very good reason

Apart from the fact

That they're so last season

A Wave for Alice

Alice is taking a trip.

She's stuck smiley stickers on her sneakers

And the basket on her bike

is filled with apples and peanut butter sandwiches

She'll stop and have a chat with you

about her cat

who stays put

when you give him a yellow jelly baby

Come tomorrow

She'll ride through your town

and ring her bell.

Be sure to wave

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

If I was limbless

I would roll

from here to there.

I'd plan my route carefully

so as to avoid

steep hills,

this excludes

grassy banks

The Starving Magician

She's putting on a magic show

For her final act

she'll disappear

right before your eyes

though it may take

a few weeks