aubade by Laurice Gilbert

Were there roosters in the yard

crowing their dawn clichés

I could not pretend to

keep you here a moment more;

but the ducks, well,

the ducks quack and the drakes

mumble and they rearrange

their feathers and nests

throughout the night,

pairing and separating at will.

It is 3am, or 4.30

or midnight; dark at least

and not yet time for you to leave.

It is summer – the nights are short

and surely we have time to spare.

Somewhere in the world

an alarm clock does its duty,

but not here, not now.

Listen! The ducks have ceased

their fussing and settled

back into restful sleep.

Later they will assemble

at the gate, begging for breakfast,

their night over – there will be

business to conduct:

splashing and preening,

dabbling and laying;

but not yet, not now.

Published by Muse-Pie Press, 2012

http://www.musepiepress.com/laurice_gilbert_feature.html

Life is a Grocery Store by Laurice Gilbert

My father was a general manager,

stock-controller, check-out man –

a holistic server of people’s needs.

My mother cut cheese, bagged flour,

and weighed onions –

maintenance tasks out the back.

Sometimes Mum filled in at the counter,

protecting the till while Dad

made weekly deliveries.

                                    The Grocer had a car.

In Newtown everyone knew

everyone else – and their business:

“The Grocers have another daughter”

            (The Queen has had another son).

Feelings were kept on the top shelf

where children couldn’t reach them.

Published in the whole wide world ed. Vivienne Jepson (The NZ Poetry Society, Wgtn, 2000.)

Are We There Yet? by Laurice Gilbert

when we get there

there will be bright lights, loud sounds,

a midwife, murmurs and smiles

when we get there

there will be balloons, loot bags,

ice-cream, pizza and games

when we get there

there will be grades, exams,

music, drama and life-long friends

when we get there

there will be speeches, jokes,

feasting, toasting and fruit cake

when we get there

there will be showers, gifts,

long nights, nappies and tantrums

when we get there

there will be car pools, concerts,

sports days, meetings and reports

when we get there

there will be late nights, phone bills

old cars, dating and tears

when we get there

they will be flatting, landing new jobs,

marrying, going on their OE, and fears

when we get there

there will be gardening, bowls,

grandchildren, hospitals and funerals

when we get there                                                                                         

there will be flowers, cards,

eulogies, caskets and asparagus rolls                                            

                                                                                                                    

when we get there   

Published in Bravado 19, July 2010