By the winding Wollondilly where the weeping willows weep,
And the shepherd, with his billy, half awake and half asleep,
Folds his fleecy flocks that linger homewards in the setting sun
Lived my hero, Jim the Ringer, "cocky" on Mylora Run.
Jimmy loved the super's daughter, Miss Amelia Jane McGrath.
Long and earnestly he sought her, but he feared her stern papa;
And Amelia loved him truly -- but the course of love, if true,
Never yet ran smooth or duly, as I think it ought to do.
Pondering o'er his predilection, Jimmy watched McGrath, the boss,
......
1
I carved your name on my watchband
with my fingernail.
Where I am, you know,
I don't have a pearl-handled jackknife
(they won't give me anything sharp)
or a plane tree with its head in the clouds.
Trees may grow in the yard,
but I'm not allowed
to see the sky overhead...
......
The days will rally, wreathing
Their crazy tarantelle;
And you must go on breathing,
But I'll be safe in hell.
Like January weather,
The years will bite and smart,
And pull your bones together
To wrap your chattering heart.
......
ONCE more the storm is howling, and half hid
Under this cradle-hood and coverlid
My child sleeps on. There is no obstacle
But Gregory's wood and one bare hill
Whereby the haystack- and roof-levelling wind.
Bred on the Atlantic, can be stayed;
And for an hour I have walked and prayed
Because of the great gloom that is in my mind.
I have walked and prayed for this young child an hour
And heard the sea-wind scream upon the tower,
......
MANY ingenious lovely things are gone
That seemed sheer miracle to the multitude,
protected from the circle of the moon
That pitches common things about. There stood
Amid the ornamental bronze and stone
An ancient image made of olive wood --
And gone are phidias' famous ivories
And all the golden grasshoppers and bees.
We too had many pretty toys when young:
A law indifferent to blame or praise,
......
‘Neath the air, its cold puff, the plough & its tough
In the oval moon, the pacing dandelion fluff
In this window & flower pot & a handcuff
Seeing the oceans of white waves, paves the ashes
Sea shells & the crabs laughed ‘neath the
Canopy . . . the itchy irritation butterflies
The poor gum, immaculate flowers, illusions
The captains mangle, its luring a stray skeleton cat
Its refuge in a cave of bats, whose limbs torn, sing melodies
Blind & with bleeding chests, lays pieces & the pests
......
Shutting the door with a sigh
Running from insanity
A close call, as claws clatter and click
Fanged jaws snap, and fling snotty saliva
Unhinged hounds of lunacy
A ravenous pack, carried on my shoulder
Feverishly followed by fatuous feelings
Never far from crazy
......
His methods were almost simplistic...
He seemed anachronistic...
His attitude totally chauvinistic...
His words often linguistic...
He lost his large enthusiasm...
No longer using sharp sarcasm...
His thoughts going into a strange spasm...
His bruised ego triggered a chasm...
......
In the morning
she jerked him off
and had him
cum in the cups of her
bra and then
he watched as she put it
on and went about the
rest of her day like
that
......
daisies in my hair
red and pink yellow and blue
the fields of frolic
vases hats gardens
trailing sun from window box
swaying to summer
anytime daisy
dawn sunset red midnight black
......