THOUGHTS FROM A WALK BY THE RIVER (JULY 2008)

Some forgotten Haiku discovered by chance in an old writing book today.

 

WONDER
Such a small planet
in such a vast universe
with so much beauty.

DESPAIR
Such a small planet
in such a vast universe
with so much suffering.

FIRST NIGHT

She wore a dress 

of “Everglaze” cotton that night,   

white with a discreet pattern 

of tiny green roses.

I remember it still.

We walked along the beach

and across the causeway  

to a rocky island

where we sat

above the pounding waves

of the Southern Ocean.

 We were volunteers

at a children’s summer vacation program

and really knew nothing

about each other,

so we just sat and talked,

sharing our two

quite different pasts;

no touching or cuddling.

just talk.

At the end of the program I inquired

“Would you like to meet again?” 

and she agreed –

so here we are,

sixty one years later;

two lives so richly shared,

through so many experiences,

and in so many places;

so many memories,

so many friends

and our own wonderful family.

How fortunate we have been.

A MEMORY

It was a tiny church
in the valley, by the creek;
a place for those who search,
a haven for the meek.

This quatrain is about the little church where we were married, located at Aldgate Valley in the Adelaide Hills in South Australia. It has now been sold and incorporated into an almost palatial residence on the site.