I'll Miss (aka Melbourne)

I'll miss trees that remind me of England
Autumn that believes in colours
Coffee that tastes like it should
Markets and fresh fruit
Trams and people who can't drive
Being paid like I never did a degree
Weather that's mindless of seasons
Gardens ignorant of sunshine
Walks where I pluck stonefruit
Drives in the Yarra Valley (sticks winery)
Cherries cheaper then chips
Shoes I can't help buying
Tea that makes me relax
Distance that gives me time
Food that puts me in heaven
Blackbirds that ruin my garden
Bagels I'm only half sure of
Guests on holidays
Melbourne

1 day to go

Hungry butterflies
Are gnawing on my insides
Consuming me
And beating me with
Their giant wings
The swell and rise
Of panic
Full flighted
Sleep startling absent
From my exhausted mind
I get up to empty my head
Onto paper
Lists of things
I should have done yesterday
Ready for the new day
When it dawns

Slow Day

Whispering to myself
In a back room
I close my tired eyes
Wondering
Why poetry and beauty took wing
And left me with the whirring
Of airconditioning
With the flickering
Of a world existing
Outside
Without me
Tick-tock, tick-tock
Doing time
Counting time
On a slow January day
12 hours down
2 to go