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ARTS AND CULTURE

A Timeless Deepness of Silence

  • 28 September 2021
Selected poems

A Timeless Deepness of Silence

(1)

Walking here amongst the trees and steep slopes

of the Alamein Track

Looking into a deep and mystery creek valley

as it flows towards the imposition of Mountain Highway

Seeking onwards its mingling with Narra Narrawong

(the Dandenong Creek)

Able to glimpse Doongalla Forest

as it climbs towards the Corhanwarrable Summit

(2)

Vehicles travelling the highway make sound and movement

yet appear as in far-away dimensions of the unreal

In this experience of place and moment

is a knowing of timelessness

offering persistent invitation into a deepness of silence

Silence knowing and living out

the roots of a self-aware becoming

sometime known as eternity

A Mental Health Visit from Jess

For a considerable number of years

there has been an ongoing love affair

between Granpa (hmmm —- me) —- and Jess!

Don’t know if she dreams of me

but i certainly dream of her —- serially!!

Well Jess is granddaughter’s golden Labrador

and she has not yet cleared up that question for me

However every time i go up the hill to the family place there

i am greeted from a considerable distance

by this vociferous dog-talk which in effect says —-

“I AM HERE AND I EXPECT YOU TO COME AND SEE ME —-FIRST!”

The response from granpa? —- (yes dear)

Well the other day she arrived on my doorstep

as part of a home delivery from Daughter up the Hill

Many effusive greetings on both sides

and then the walkabout (hmmm —- exercise)

The event that made my day —- my week!!

Catherine —- Power —- Woodmason

—- Dorset —- Short —- Central

Variously Streets and Roads and Avenue

Here is my home space —- my home place

where i can show you any number of interesting things

explored at some depth over the years

But going walkabout with Jess was a whole new dimension

You just might be surprised at what you can see

through the nose of a dog!

Haiku and its Place

Haiku is stark work!

Words slashed down to the bare bone!

Arrow piercing deep!

Haiku takes you deep

HERE Discover deepest YOU!

Pulled into yourSELF!

Come little fishes

Come impale cut-open hearts!

On these diamond barbs!

John Cranmer lives in Boronia on the outer edge of Melbourne. He is as a Uniting Church Minister (somewhat retired) and, in collaboration with Denham Grierson, has recently produced a collection of poems, Walking on Bones.