woke up hung over
stubbed my toe
on the bed leg
barked my shin
barked the other one
knocked down the letter box
trying to drive to church
came back inside
started a row
felt angry
kicked the bed leg
stubbed the other toe
burnt the roast turkey
smashed my last bottle of wine
opened my gifts
nasty box of tricks
the cat ate my salmon fillet
all I had left
went to bed in despair
but the dog ate my shoes
and the cat peed on my bed
Copyright Sandra Roe
High on the harbour
Australia’s whte house
flaps its wings
Where is my Christmas spirit
it’s in the Midnight Mass
and it’s waiting for me
as I drift off to sleep
it will be there on Christmas morning
under the Christmas tree
in the gifts I give and receive
it’s in the Christmas cocktail
the cream and the brandy
and in the bottle of wine
in my cousin’s potato salad
in my own plum pudding
and I see it as I cross the road
and go round the corner
it’s right next to the post box
and on top of my cupboard
in that old shoebox
it’s among the small children
and in the old people’s home
it’s hidden away in the calendar
hanging behind the door
it’s in the local park
and down along the beach
in the shop window
and the shopping rush
it’s still in my old school
and in a friend’s smile
it’s in my lover’s eyes
and with the fishermen
boating under the bridge
and along the railway line
flowing beside the ocean
Copyright Sandra Roe
The truck stopped
shot out its crane
several storeys high
and it lifted
the dark blue pool
high very high
high up over the tree
on the grass verge
over the front gate
over the garden
over the courtyard
on the east side of the house
over the back fence
and into our neighbour’s yard.
Roe Pix & Poems 