Rhyming
Nothing rhymes with orange
Or, so it is said
But what about strange?
Could be a problem with fruit
Things that maybe
It is difficult to suit.
How about lemon?
I think only if
You come from Yemen.
But easy it is to rhyme with pear
And nobody it is likely
Will at you stare.
Or even the common apple
As on your face
The light through the leaves does dapple.
And then there is tangerine
A tangy fruit
That is not often seen.
And so it does go
Depending on how many fruits
That one does know.
Brian Matthews 6-12-23
Farewell
Splayed on the ground
The galah on its back
Covered in little black ants.
No more will it soar
Through the blue skies
Tethered as it is to the soil.
And so it goes in life
Too brief a time in the light
Before the dark rolls in.
Those pink and gray feathers
Lifting its body into the heavens
Until the living thread is cut.
Did it have a partner?
Left bereft by the loss
Children now fully grown.
The cycle of life continues
Without the death of a generation
There is no space for the next.
Go in peace beautiful bird
Your job on Earth now complete
Your spirit free to join the ether.
Brian Matthews 8-12-23
Brian’s Reflections 