– 84 –

Before my brother in bandages

Before my brother in bandages white
I can see his eyes
He comes to me from a river and we talk
under a fig tree
He says brown eyes be careful
I am

There is a girl running beside a jasmine hedge

There is a girl running beside a jasmine hedge
She clutches her dark purple coat at the front
As she leans against the hedge a cat
firm and ginger white
trickles about her legs
holding her up
She looks into the swimming pool long forever and light
bright blue lines smashing into the wall
She feels it come up on the other side of the hedge cold
Mother calling it's all right dear it's all right it's all right

– 85 –

A woman I stand behind her chair

A woman I stand behind her chair
facing a window I can hear the sea
She is breastfeeding a baby
her breasts are small and the baby is eating
almost swallowing them
There is a man on my right
He has a pen
and pulls the baby down to suck just her nipple
he prods her breast
which is red and tender

Don't that hurts she says
He is interested and pokes again
Here? he asks
Here?
Yes she says

She glaring into the camera

She glaring into the camera
short blond hair very clear features

Your father was a good man he worked and worked
he did things he thought were right