REVIVIFICATION

When I saw the shadow of death
I had not realised I was in a valley.
Yet all around me were savage mountains
And a river of curses coursed the lowest plain.

But, I hear you say, valleys teem with life,
While mountains are soaring wonders
From which the rains run down
To fill rivers with bounty.

All that you say, I know.
So a menacing shadow did not scare me.
Instead I was afraid of what would survive
What was required to keep me alive.

ARCADIA

Uncomplicated childhood games,
Climbing the mulberry tree on summer days,
Reaching the ripest fruit,
Careless consumption — the crimson juice
Staining bare arms and dripping
On to shirts and dresses.

Fibro and weatherboard houses —
Proud behind picket fences and flaking paint —
Fronted a dusty road
With edges of powdered clay
Bordering a grassy strip
Dotted with clover, paspalum,
Dandelions and daisies.
We shaped miniature highways in the dirt,
Racing our replica cars
And arguing which was the fastest.
Sometimes the girls would make mud pies
And offer murky water from plastic teapots.