A deep natural harbour
East of Macau,
On the opposite side of
The Pearl River Delta,
Surrounded by the South China Sea.
An expensive skyline unfurls
Over the world’s most vertical city.
Immensely inventive and beautiful architecture
Copes with the limited space.
Smog drifts across the bay
As the sun tries to burn it away.
From this junk,
It resembles a ghost town…

The Palm Tree Swing
When I need to collect my thoughts,
I return to the palm tree swing.
The sea comes in,
Goes out.
It soothes and collects my ideas.
The rhythm of the sea
Is a touchstone,
Gathering in each inspiration
In time with each sway of the seat.
There is a palpable sense of solitude,
Yet I do not feel alone.
Just peaceful.
I have a sure sense that I possess space,
Space to be myself.
Space to reach the right decisions.
I can always count on the palm tree swing.

I love my old, rickety bicycle,
But it has definitely seen better days.
So I decided to give it a facelift,
To use it in different ways.
I set about painting it yellow,
So it could be seen everywhere,
Then I gave it a practical purpose,
Turning it into a jardiniere!

We are all waiting to hear what you have to say,
About living on our terms, leading life our own way,
But believe us now, dearie, when you get to our age,
You’ve done your protesting, got past the road rage.
A quiet existence of serenity, charm,
Is our raison d’être, our comfort, our balm,
We have fought all our battles, we’re happy to be,
Alive, happy and kicking at 93!

A tender touch,
The last feel of you,
My hand on your cheek
To impress my sense of you
Deep in my heart.
Nothing else exists.
Just me,
And you,
And this moment.

I have waited here for you.
Not long today
But this day is just one of many.

I have waited here for you
Because this spot is where
I remember you last.

I have waited here for you.
Wondering idly
If I will know you now, after all this time.

I have waited here for you.
Will I immediately feel a sense of you
The moment you walk back into my world?

I have waited here for you.
Why did you not return?

Venus is known as a Chimera Cat,
Which essentially means she’s her own twin.
Four cells* fused together and that was that,
It created this beautiful thing.
A cat that has the characteristics of each embryo,
In one package quite distinct.
And these features strengthen as the cat starts to grow,
All the chromosomes interlinked…

* 2 embryos or 2 fertilised eggs

A frond,
A tiny cartwheel,
Slowly unfurling,
Perfect, simple.
Resembling
Sea horses, paisley.
Growing, you stretch into
A living feather.
Unfurling…
Like a lizard’s tongue.
The koru,
A symbol of strength,
New life,
Rebirth.

With you I get a tingle from my head to my toes,
That out of everyone else, it’s me that you chose,
That with each day that passes, my love for you grows,
This is happy…. and I like it.

You walked into my life and swept away woes,
The door to unhappiness started to close,
Our love is spiritual, both of us knows,
This is happy…. and I like it.

It’s as if past misfortunes suddenly froze,
We have high after high and very few lows,
You restored trust and faith and oh, how it shows,
This is happy…. and I like it.

You’re a merchant ship laden with precious cargoes,
You’re a melody, poetry, my purple prose,
You’re a ditty that Gershwin chose to compose,
This is happy…. and I like it.

You’re the pot of gold, and the rainbows,
You’re the headlining star and the sideshows,
You’re a brilliant photograph about to expose,
This is happy…. and I like it.

So yes, I confess it, it’s not hard to disclose,
You’re my stunning white lily, my perfect red rose,
With each day that passes, my heart overflows,
This is happy…. and I like it.

I feel safe if I hold your hand in mine,
My hand curved round your finger, like a columbine,
If I clutch you hard and hold you fast,
This feeling of protection is sure to last.
You’re my security, you’re my rock,
You feel like a comfortable glove or sock,
With you I feel brave and so secure,
You give me the grace to feel sure.