Ivy Snakes

Ivy snakes hiss-humming against
the trees they embrace
sampling rain off slick, moist bark
with their last green tongues of the year
to count down on moss-tuft calendars
the days of warmth
before falling into frozen sleep
full of long, winding snake dreams
of skittering down to the icy lake
leaving sinuous trails in powdery snow

Legs of Fog

Legs of fog climbing
over the fence, over walls
intruding
encroaching upon the city
in an insubstantial disregard
for physical boundaries
bringing a whiff of autumn
into life removed from nature

A Creature

A nameless creature of fog
and rotten wood
pieced together in feverish dreams
yet gentle and bound
by mushroom mycelium: no dark magic

A living fairy ring, benign
dancing through the forest
collecting a fire of autumn leaves
curling up around it, whispering tales
to itself and the occasional wanderer

Stories

There are stories stirring
under my skin
crawling, moving
along sinews and nerves
burrowing, fighting for space
trying to take shape to escape

but they are too young to grow claws

Guitar Ghosts

Small ghosts haunting
guitar strings
plucking, picking
up the music, a breeze
humming away
dust from wooden sleep

The Elegance of Snails

The elegance of snails:
tiny feelers bobbing in a tiny breeze
the urgency to climb a leaf
stretching out to reach a branch
smooth necks craning
delicately sipping water from a tiny dish
taking time to caress moss
after the rain
food on a tiny mind
food food food

oh, a human

Gossamer Summer

Turning to the softer side of summer
bound in gossamer and cassette tapes
replaying dreams of open fields
forests, meadows, mountain days
on the brink of turning to autumn gold
days hanging in the hazy air
between two blinks of an eye
yet endless in their ancient taste
rowan, fern, morning dew
dust tasting of adventure and hey
requesting travellers to roam