EDGE OF THE SKY

TREATY DAY Waitangi @ Waikanae
Deb Burton

It’s the 6th
and I’m watching a Royal Spoonbill
patiently scything the sandy sludge for snacks

Small seagulls
swoop to sip the brackish stream
then splash and s-wiggle
the soup through silver feathers

The spoonbill pauses, stops
to spread his Easter bonnet,
then steadies to task
until a squadron of canoeists startle him
And he zoops off
straight in black beak and feet
With perfect whiteness of sleek body between

A cormorant cuts the sky
with a clear cross
Is Easter early this year?

 
FRIDAY

The sun has only its red hem left
and the stars are beginning to
prick out their usual patterns

A pukeko squawks!
The moon is accompanied by lovely Venus
and the world breathes its excitement
of the evening to follow

 
FLIMSY

Autumn leaves twibbling, bowling
catching the late golden clouded sun
Is that the hat and trews of a little man
dancing his heart out
on the grubbly gutter road,
giving me a wee flutter of whimsy?

 
PEN-SING

What does the eye of the storm see?
That place in the centre
of tumultuous tearing in a
howling hurricane?

It sees what is important
what you can bear to let go
what would tear you to lose
Is it pearls or your person?

Would you risk paralysis for them?
Would you count coins
or the heads of children?
Would a hovel hold enough hopes
to keep you from despairing
if it was all you had left
to shelter
life
limb
love?

What does the eye of the storm see?
This place of peace
The precise point in the present
when time touches eternity?
Is it the eye of God?

 
PERFECT POTS

God makes wonderful pots

alike as peas in a pod

peas
in a pod
there's pots for you

Pots, you say?
pea pods hold peas
peas hold powerful packets of protein

Living pots
plant material
formed from clay
drawn from the earth

What a potter!
Wonderful!

 
not bad

I'm not bad and you're not bad
Satan's bad, but I'm so glad
Jesus died to save our lives
and make us right in God's sight
day and night he brings us light!

PEACE POEM

PEACE! PEACE! PEACE! - chanted the protesters - steamrolling the roads and fences
but not changing a thing that really mattered enough to stop their protesting

Peace, peace intoned the lawman as he sold judgements to the man
with the biggest purse, and the most power, and the highest position
Peace, peace - quipped the lawless as they went out
to seek pleasure wherever and however they could get it

Peace, peace, peace - clipped the moneyman, middleman, businessman
as they quickly got back to their wheeling, dealing, greasing, fleecing

Peace? - questioned the children as they tried to find
enough adults with the same answer

Peace! Peace! - demanded the dictator as he shot his opponents down
Peace! Peace! - shouted the war-mongers as they blew the world to smithereens
Peace, peace! - pleaded the fearful as they ran to hide in the rocks
from the unaccountable actions of madmen beyond their control...

Peace said the Prince of Peace as He came to bring order and
to rule the world with justice, truth, mercy and peace - and with love for all mankind...

Deb Burton