Off the Cuff 8: From the Platform & A Tool

From the Platform

one sparrow
one pigeon
one willy wagtail
four sparrows
eight!
the pigeon stalks left
willy wagtail dances
for balance
on metal fence -
is it hot to the feet?
slippery?
worn smooth?
sparrows form a search party
a squad on the bluemetal
between rails
going forward in formation
pecking and jumping
the pigeon exits
sparrows flutter
train vibrates
their food platter

NaPoWriMo


APAD 8   prompt: a tool

Gone, now, you
after a light easy lunch
and an energetic session
shearing the garden.

Thank you for the heavy
labour, the lifting and shifting
and the attack on all
vagrant vines.

The way you pruned
the fuchsia bush, I must say,
surprised me. But you've always been
a one hundred percent or nothing boy.

Gone, now, the purple hearts
in their pink skirts. No doubt the nub
of wood you left will re-shoot.
Lighten up! I tell myself daily.

There's more cutting and clearing
to be done, son. When will you
return? And btw, where are the shears?
The patio weeds really do need pruning.