glowworm grotto
glowworm grotto
in the black dark
we assemble arrayed opposite
a bank of cold blue glowing embers
the little dots shine steady
excepting those reflected in the stream
which waver in the wind
gazing at the electric blue
Mind begins to craft
its own Dreamtime story:
stars sky earth fire song water
but that’s not enough –
love loss betrayal remorse punishment
all leading to
the quiet blue bank
gifted to us tonight
pouch peek
pouch peek
wooly grey fur ripples
in an unsettling way
skin splits and a nose peeks out
suddenly we learn
where koala kids are stored
in a space not as like a pocket
as a furred womb
mother K lazes unfazed
as joey rumpuses about
she’s shared her body
long as she can remember now
making room for him
not just in her heart
inanimate love
inanimate love
our children sometimes
shove and kick each other
speak harshly and tease
they aren’t always gentle
with a brother’s heart
but you would never guess these things
if you saw the tender way
they work together to buckle in
each inanimate stuffed animal
in the car
both openly concerned about
each little body’s
safety, comfort, and view,
their hearts utterly in tune
when they care for these
beings without blood
