Two Poems by LAW Fraser

The Train

Toot -- we leave Picton

surrounded by a placid bay and palm trees.

Clank -- rock around the bend

gray skeletal tree trunks

line the beach beside our car

Squeak--Squawk

around the curve, verdant hills with

tree hedge wind breaks.

Clank--Clunk

sheep run from the tracks

their young close behind.

Squeak--Squawk

back to the beach where turquoise green

surf breaks upon black sands.

Clank--Clunk

across wide gravel river beds with

Maori names that run into the sea.

Squeak--Squawk

a village appears with a history of

violence, now tranquil by the road.

Clank--Clunk

through a dark tunnel running

under a tall hill.

Squeak--Squawk

fur seals basking on rocks, or

swimming in a seaweed surf.

Clank--Squawk--Screech

We have arrived in Christchurch after its quake

a city in rebuild mode.

 

 

Channel Crossing

Upon finding the book of practical princesses

And pathetic princes,

We sailed off across the Cook Straight.

Two oceans meeting in this not always calm sea,

we see no storms today.

The South Island’s sun-streaked banks

with dark green tops peak above the fog.

No cities or signs of life do we see upon these sandy spots.

Soon we’ll dock and seek the sun that shines upon the bay,

and try to spy the many sheep we are told

that graze upon this place.

Practical princesses carry their own bags and

search for the perfect sorbet,

While pathetic princes follow in their wake

through the dust raised by their feet.

 

LAW Fraser

Saturday
South Island
New Zealand