Three Poems by Julia Kaylock

 

Little fish

 

weekend adventure

down to the creek

 

we took jam jars

to catch tadpoles

 

proudly showed my brother:

'Maggie and I are growing frogs!'

 

he peered into the green slime

said, 'Well they're all dead.'

 

adventure soon over

I emptied the jam jar

 

flushed the toilet, saw

small wriggling things

 

wagging tails

as they went—

 

didn't know he was lying

I just thought he was wrong

 

it took years to realise

I’d been played.

 

At the intersection of receding lines

 

Our paths crossed

as, inevitably, they would—

being the nature of things

 

I saw you first,

hesitated, then told myself

it was not me

who turned away, before,

and I would not now

 

You may or may not

have noticed me stall,

but I doubt you did,

deciding instead

on a diversionary tactic

of your own

 

As our paths advanced

close enough for me to see

the anger in your eyes,

I could only offer

a silent, impotent prayer

that peace and love

would find you.

 

Water always wins

 

I am water, I flow
always down, never up
come fill your cup
choose a mid-stream spot
not too cold, not too hot
as l ripple over stones
filtered, vital, you will see
when you take that drink of me

but be careful, you may find
flowing water has a mind
watch out for the slipstream
it will trip you while you dream
as the whirlpool spins a curse
you may find your luck reverse
like a tide I come and go
I am water, don't you know.

I am water, twisting, bending
defying patterns in your mind
you'll find no favours in my rhyme,
my rhythm has its reasons
that are older than the seasons
in fact, this planet is so blue
because it's mine, you're here
at my behest,
your rent has fallen due.

 

Julia Kaylock has had poetry and prose published by a wide range of publications. Living in north-eastern Victoria, Australia, Julia is also an editor and publisher at litoriapress.com. Julia co-edited (with Denise O’Hagan) anthologies of poetry Messages from the Embers: from devastation to hope (Black Quill Press, 2020) and Poetry for the Planet: an anthology of imagined futures (Litoria Press, 2021). Her memoir in verse, Child of the Clouds was published in September 2021 (Litoria Press). In past lives Julia has worked as a career coach, counsellor, adult educator, journalist and feature writer.