new material

I think this first one’s s snapshot rather than a painting, but as long as you’re looking for Polaroid rather than Hogarth, I guess it’s OK.

Far Southern Seas

Ice the shade of sulking white
over sullen charcoal waves
Under a moody sky

Turns, when sun emerges, to
a blue whiter than any whites could be
over a deep star-sapphire hue
never seen on any tropic shore.

The sea-lions snore,
oblivious to the view.

The penguins hop and slide to icy bays
content with grays;
When the sun shines and the sea sparkles, they
protest unaccustomed heat.
Head thrown back
wings fanning, they crow,
“Orororow!”

Then crowd up to the glacier’s edge
‘Til one falls in to test the waves.
(Leopard seals
make this no joke.)

And my heart broke,
and was healed again,
strengthened
By the taste of southern seas.
Return me, please?

A rare foray into minimalism:

Life on the Road

Another day,
another adventure,
another hotel.

My only home,
now,

is you.

It’s literally accurate, but I think it might owe a bit too much to Simon and Garfunkel’s Kathy’s Song anyway.

In other news, I think my travel plans are nearly worked out, for the Netherlands in the back half of this month. I will get home on the evening of our fifteenth anniversary, and we’ll have dinner the next day on top of Taipei 101. We even have a window seat. With a bit of luck, I will be able to sleep as well on the plane and the first night after travel as I did for my last trip, so that I won’t be passing out onto my plate.