Man and Wife

I lie with you beneath this willow tree;
Whose viridescent branches hide us here,
And listen to the shrieks of surfers, free,
Unfettered by the burdens that we bear.
This gift of time allows my thoughts to ease.
I sigh; relax and watch you drift away,
Enchanted by the shadows of the leaves,
That dance upon your face in gleeful play.
I slow my heart in time to beat with yours,
And marvel at each gentle breath you take,
I feel the rising swell of inner shores,
And turn my back upon some distant ache.
    For in this magic place no worldy strife,
    Can take away our love as man and wife.

Mandy Edwards (c) 2015
(Edited version)

Return of the Tui

Last Summer we cut down our pines,
so tall they had become.
For years they'd nurtured native plants,
but now their job was done.

Alas! No longer did we hear,
our Tui's joyful song.
He'd teetered on the spindly tops,
and warbled loud and long.

But now he didn't have a place,
to serenade his mate;
as silence fell upon us,
realisation came too late:

That Nature has a purpose,
beyond our narrow sight,
and human intervention,
doesn't always get it right.

Yet Time can be benevolent,
and smaller pines have grown.
Today I heard that bell-like chime,
Our Tui's come back home!

Mandy Edwards (c) 2015

A Gift.

There is no poetry in my life
without you.

My muse, my light, my soul -
Where have you gone?

One short glorious year
I knew you,

And words came tumbling forth
in joyful song.

But then you left. As quickly
as you came.

And though I've begged you:
Speak, please speak to me.

All I've ever heard
Is silence.

No-thing but silence. Oh.
Is that your final gift to me?


Mandy Edwards (c) 2015.

Tempest-Tost

A patch work quilt
in greys and muted blues
unravels in the dark horizon.

The wind-whipped lake
foams at the mouth like miniature horses
drowning in their freedom.

Tawhirimatea (God of winds)
bursts his bellows.
Each squall a heaving primal breath.

Mother Earth, Papatuanuku
bows her head in deference
to her offspring:

Who Is Wild,
long since released
from her embrace.

Sky God, Ranganui
shakes his fist with untold fury;
Eyes flash fire

And rent in two an old man pine.
The heavens open.
We taste those first fat tears, then run.

Mandy Edwards (c) 2015

Shine your light

When I was but a child,
I would read all day and night,
Shine my torch beneath the blankets,
Create shadows with the light.

Why now afraid of shadows?
They're just illusions of the mind,
If you shine your light upon them,
Truth and beauty you will find.

Be filled with light, not darkness,
Keep that torch switched on,
And whenever you resist it,
Chase those shadows right along.

They’ll slink into the corners,
Til your light scares them away,
Keep them running, do not waver,
Soon they won’t be back to stay.

Mandy Edwards. (c) 2015
(Edited version)

Bits and Pieces

I looked into my fridge tonight and all that I could find,
Were lots of bits and pieces, which had me in a bind.

Oh, what could I create, to satisfy the rumblings,
From lots of bits and pieces and associated grumblings?

A cup of curly pasta, a grater full of cheese -
A dash of chilli sauce - yes! Surely that will please.

A bowl of last night's rice. A chunk of pepperoni,
Onion, pepper, ham - hands off. That's for adults only.

How about an omelette? Whisk up the milk and eggs,
Eyeball down the wine bottle; sniff sadly at the dregs.

Two tins of spaghetti! Oh, what a find!
Toast the crusts of stale bread, nobody will mind.

A limp looking lettuce, grated carrot and some rocket,
Sorry 'bout the bits and pieces! Today I'm out of pocket.

Mandy Edwards (c) 2015

Learnin' the guitar

Three little birds

Gotta get the rhythm

da da-da da da-da

gotta keep in time

da da-da da da-da

no more thoughts

da da-da da da-da

a–crowdin’ my mind.

Changin’ to an A

da da-da da da-da

fingers in pain

da da-da da da-da

it’s gonna be alright

da da-da da da-da

kinda sounds the same,

Don’t worry ‘bout a thing

da da-da da da-da

searchin’ for a D

da da-da da da-da

 “three little birds”

da da-da da da-da

are singin’ to me.

Changin’ to an ‘E’

ah ah-ah ah ah-ah

haven’t gotta clue

da da-da da da-da

it’s gonna be alright

da da-da da da-da

that's the message
for you.

Mandy Edwards (c) 2015