The Heart Whisperer
You won't notice the difference at first
Just the smallest of change
Quieter than the breath of a candle
A ripple across a pool
Nothing to see here
But you will see it
Later rather than sooner
Long time later
It will be clear
I was there with you in that midnight place
Though you don't remember
I will always be there for you
Now, in the sunlight you laugh
Putting it all behind you
Moving forward, stronger than before
A bright bowl full of hope
There was something someone once said...
And you will wonder who it was
And I will smile and say
It must have been the heart whisperer
Netsuke Dream
I dreamt of two dolphins and two seals
Near the grey granite waterfront
Red, black, grey and white mottled under a crystal blue sea
And as they swam past, these strange pairs
They told me these things
Dolphins:
We see ourselves as small whales
Our skin is the colour of jasper and obsidian
We are your ocean cousins
You see our form in your mind
Our needle nosed beak and round bellies define us for you
But we are superior because
We are talking to you in your sleep
Seals:
Their eyes stare into me
Profound and unfathomable
As deftly drawn as any high tide
And as smooth as a polished stone
They are talking
But not in any language humans know
I can see what they mean though
Here I am
Stranded high and dry on the grey ground
While they are still free
Uncluttered
The estuary sparkles
Crystal cut waves and yachts
Vying for attention
Wind tunes stir in the tall firs
And the air
Full of the cobalt sea
Feels uncluttered
Here, we are certain of the tide
times
Of shells in the sand and hairpin
roads
Leading only to water
No running against the traffic
And running out of change for the
parking
No corridors full of coffee and
despair
Air conditioning and the wrong
lift doors
Life all gone wrong on the wrong
floor
Clutching at hopeful straws
Caught in the clutter
Trying to keep our heads
Above the tide of our turning
health
For a moment our feet
Are in clear water
Searching rockpools
For small fry under a blue sky
And the air
Full of the cobalt sea
Feels uncluttered
Now
A tidal flow of ideas
Each generation finding expression
For the herald's song
While one hand pulls down the old stones
Another shores up the walls of love
And where we meet for a moment
Now, our feet on different roads
