POEMS

The Gecko

The gecko crawled up the whitewashed wall

It's paws so sticky he would not fall

Fearless and strong did he show them all

Most skillfully did the gecko crawl.

The gecko's tail was worth a lot, yes,

But his life even more he would confess

When Cat came he'd leave with one tail less

And could, thus, escape the claws of death.

The gecko's large eyes were full of dreams

He dreamed of upcoming prey and feasts

All manner of bugs would he eat: fleas,

Beetles, ants, mosquitoes, wasps and bees.

The gecko was not seen in the dark

Conscientious was he, like the lark

Looking down from roof-top or tree-bark

He'd leave no trace not even a mark.

The gecko, cold-blooded, craved for warmth

Found a place in the sun, where he'd bath

Deathlike-still he laid as if in mass

Waiting for Moon, the hot hours pass.

Stubborn Old Woman Blues

I'm taking a walk this morning

Even though the cops are out with their rifles or their helping hands

I'm taking a walk this morning.

I'm going to wear my hat and my yellow scarf

Let frogs and cats rain on all they like

I'm going to wear my hat and my yellow scarf.

I'm going to hold up my parasol to greet the sweet sun

Even if it rains, if it snows or just the sun don't shine

I'm going to hold up my parasol to greet that sweet sun.

I'm going to leave behind all those memories at home

World War II or III, Cold War, Korea in Two

I'm going to leave behind all those memories at home.

I'm going to throw all my worries in a garbage can

I've been draggin' them with me all my woman's life

I'm going to throw all those worries in a garbage can.

I'm going to smell the wet grass and the flowers abloomin'

I'm going to enjoy the act of breathing by

Smelling that wet grass and those flowers abloomin'.

I'm taking a walk this morning

No one's gonna stop me

I'm taking a walk this morning.

The Owl

I am an owl
I wake up when other birds go to nest to sleep
I am the guard of the forest
It is my comforting hooting that acts as a lullaby to the chick swallow, magpie, crow or raven
It is my reliable hooting that acts as the clock does, ticking away the hours that pass until daybreak, creating order in the lives of beasts
I have big eyes full of mysteries I do not share
I have a neck that can go round and round that sends a lost fox cub running (that always makes me laugh)
I have a beautiful face that resembles the Moon
I love the Moon, I often am lost in a nightdream as I gaze deep into his sandy surface
I love the moon because he shines to all of us with the same unjudging light and he has no preferences
Sometimes, when I am very still, I resemble a feathery flower or a beaked bush or a clawed fairy.

I hunt mice, bats, anything small and furry
For they get my blood running hot whenever I see
Such squiggly things
I confess, I cannot contain my urge
To play with them and then, accidentally, in my fit of passion I-
Snap their little soft furry necks
And then I am sad
For a minute I regret and am so sad-
But then I remember that I am hungry, that I have chicks waiting for me and I eat a bit of whatever I have in my claws
With pleasure.

My wings spread across the night, blending in, becoming part of the night
As I fly across the forest
Constantly in the eye out for crawling delights
I am the main inspiration for angels
Heroes are designed after me
The forest is full of life
He is my playground and my nursery
My food and my child
While I kill with one claw
I feed my babies with another
I am too wise for guilt to creep in to my consciousness for long
As I live in the eternal present
And when day comes I shut my eyes and let my head sink into myself
I sit on my chicks, hooting them to sleep
Before I, too, drift off
Allowing my head to sink down even deeper.

I enjoy the warmth of the sun
But I never see it as my own feathers
Gently shade my eyes and eyelids and temple
And transport me to a different kind of night.

White Bear

White polar bear
Where have you gone, Greenland bear?
-Not gone, not yet; I'm still here

Greenland ice bear
Where dost thou go, whitest bear?
-I won't tell you, killer, hear?

White polar bear
Where will you go, white-snow bear?
-Away from men who love fear!

Greenland ice bear
Where will you live, lonely bear?
-Somewhere far, human being-clear!

Poems: Work