Some people say
that you can lose yourself in a book
When I dive into a book
like diving into the harbour
I do not lose myself
I find myself
I don’t know how it happens
but when I have a need
A problem to solve
A situation to put right
A relationship that needs sorting out
The very next book that I dive into
has the answer
or part of the answer
or a step on the way to the answer
And so I find myself
Of course I lose myself again
But then there is another book
or a poem
in which to find myself
Poem © Marion Rego, 2020
Pohutukawa blossoms red
And evenings stretch across the blue suburban skies
Light pouring throughout this valley of green
As the year turns once more
Toward the limitless future beyond this day
Sea wrapping around the shoreline
Sure of nothing but this moment
Gazing at the horizon far away
Longing for certainty and new hopes to come
Somewhere to rest and wait for a change of scene
As days stretch on until the dawn
The circuit of the ages, above and beyond us here and now.
Poem © Alex Jeune, 2020
Relationships can’t survive
With long distances between them
Communication by text is incomplete
Leaving gaps in conversation
The space between words
Leaves much unsaid
Real communication
Requires eye contact
And meaningful gestures
Which change the meaning of words
The tone of voice is all important
Sarcasm can be softened
With a smile
Much that is unsaid
Can be read on a face
Or in body language
Distance misconstrues silence
And creates awkwardness
Between people
Real or imagined slights
Become magnified
Creating barriers
To meaningful communication
Poem © Margaret Jeune, 2020