Doug Jacquier writes from the Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia. His works of fiction, nonfiction and poetry have been published in the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and India. He blogs at https://sixcrookedhighways.com/ and is the editor of the humour site, Witcraft, as well as the short story site Who Let The Stories Out?.
This day, it begins to rain
Our harvesters are rusting in sagging sheds,
unable to reap our imagined crops
when we try force the utmost
from nothing.
But this day, it begins to rain.
The rain comes in sideways,
driven by the same scouring winds
that delivered new dust to us
and sent our own on a journey
elsewhere.
Rain enough to drown our despair
at fly-blown carcasses in the paddocks
and ancient trees falling
like matchsticks.
This day, that it begins to rain,
brings shock,
a burning stimulus,
in motion,
along our nervous systems.
It brings healing,
finding that fluttering life muscle
behind our dead eyes,
and palpates gently
until hope’s heartbeat returns.
In excelsis
Patti, the Horses-faced harbinger of rock,
who was a girl named Johnny
who said let's dream it, we'll dream it for free, Free Money
who kept Mapplethorpe and Shepard a-muse-d
who birthed children and watched men die too young.
who wrote with Springsteen ‘Because the Night’ said so,
who lost the plot to ‘Hard Rain’ singing Bob at the Nobels.
Jesus died for somebody's sins but not hers
People say "beware!" but I don't care
the words are just rules and regulations to me
and her name is, and her name is, and her name is
G-L-O-R-I-I-I-I-A
in excelsis day-o.
Moving Memories
Memories,
carefully dusted off and swathed,
packed in the boxes
along with the more trivial possessions.
Like the apocryphal cat
they can’t be left behind.
Some you will unpack immediately upon arrival
as handy conversation pieces when old friends call.
Some will remain encased
with only an occasional furtive private inspection
to check for silverfish and mildew.
And some will be ‘forgotten’,
but will only feign death
and, like ancient terracotta soldiers,
will wait in infinite patience
ready to ambush the present.
BIG Patti Smith fan! Love these, Doug!
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