Competition - May 2011Various

Death’s Call - Janinka Diverio

Shadowy light and
Water, engulf me
Ease my pain

The dagger pierced
As the cry of the cowering beast echoes
And resonates faintly into the pitter, patter of the rain, now gone
Faded into the dusk evermore

Water, rippling, coat me, hold me
Cloak me, be my balm, cool and calm

Trees shelter me, keep me
Shade me under your branches long
With wisdom, wounded eye
After all these years, old now with salty tears

Tireless age
Pillars, statuesque, elders, protecting
Frozen in time
Take me now
Tow my line

Janinka Diverio


Torn Trees - John Buchanan;

The silence – is deafening.
...No birdsong,
no fish jumping,
not even a chirping cricket.

The ‘Great One’ stands defeated
It’s magnificent head severed
in a blinding flash
as Zeus vented his rage.

A few trees remain,
buttressed against the onslaught,
they stand tall,
discussing terms with the clouds.

Stunted stumps of others
cut down in their prime
Jut from the surface
as if hewn by a mighty scythe.

A long breath is drawn.
Water flows across the battlefield
Gently clearing away
evidence of the fray.

Reflections lie motionless
too exhausted to shimmer
on the still water’s surface.
Waiting for a different light.

John Buchanan