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