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ARTS AND CULTURE

A life of oranges

  • 24 September 2013

suns

my fatheris still in

the househe built

with his wifethose hand

held walksafter work

from three suburbsaway, to plant

a gardenas the bricks

became walls& as the fruit

trees buddedwalls became

rooms, becamea life of oranges

as big as sunsheavy & ripe

just touchingan earth

that was forever

 

giftfor Br James Murray cfc

along the beachthe song

of a tidea wave

& then another& another

unwrappingthe day

at yesterday’s eulogythe Cathedral

bristled with tears

 

line

the shirt tailsof family

the threadsfrayed in the wind

semaphore back& forth

a lineof song

though a suburbof backyards

 

red gum

he hadalready

picked outthe tree

somethingsolid

a red gumon the side

of the roadinto town

or out ofdepending

on circumstances& patterns

a domestic veinor artery

to take bloodto or away

from the heartwhich stopped

beating whenhe crashed

 

slip

this heat in autumnrises off the walls

facing the Gulfflutters surrender

all the rag endsa sun cut in half

balances onthe horizon Rory Harris is a poet and teacher. His poetry collections include Over the Outrow, From the Residence, Snapshots From a Moving Train, 16 poems, and Uncle Jack and Other Poems.