H'work for w/e 28.10.13 - WAIT-A-WHILE

[Maureen K Clifford]

Wait – a – while.

Maureen Clifford © The Scribbly Bark Poet

The cloying heat was stifling – stealing the small birds from flight.
Listless, they wait on stark skeletal bough
of blackened ironbark – with their tiny beaks all opened wide.
Small wings held out – seeking relief somehow.

Scattered mnemonic glitter. Captured rainbows from the sun
that flashed on boughs partly consumed by fire.
Each prism softly shaded – a kaleidoscope of colour
caught in draped dew droplets dangling on wire

Droughted, dry and dusty, there was little hope of rain
and dew almost the sole source of moisture
for butterflies that clustered – their sheer tracery of wings
folded, like a Nuns wimple in cloister .

Totally lacking interest the Southern Cross blades moved slow,
directionless and apathetic in the heat.
Just the merest flow of water trickled into tanks below
and none there were who’d call the water sweet.

And in the scattered shadow old man goanna took ease
ignoring ants in columns running free.
The whole place was on ‘ go slow time’ and all waited for rain
they knew that it would come eventually.


Haiku

returning birds
with primordial instinct
seek summer warmth

or

seeking summer warmth
migrating birds use instinct
primordial

[Maureen K Clifford]

Times running out on the use of these prompts - you've only got the weekend folks. Anyone going to join Bob and moi in this challenge?

I'm only going to wait a while