lei fraser

gentle rain falling
against broad emerald leaf
tracing its lines and ridges
down to the slender stem

~

I bent my head down
to write out all of my anger,
frustration and sorrow…
instead my heart spilled out
across the blank white page before me
joy snuck out in streaks of gold
and happiness, close on her heals,
with careless splashes of scarlet and rose
soon the page a chaotic dance
a riot of colour
and between the rain of laughter
I sit shocked by my own blind reverie
~

this star shines
as our love
through endless sky
uncontained
so shall we be
for all eternity

~

water drips down
the side of the glass
like a tear
does it fall out of joy or sorrow?
is it enough that it falls?
sliding down the cool surface
to form a small pool on the table’s face
water drop descends and i am drawn
to your photograph
it shows a deep reflection
of the world outside my window
framed with silver
this sight takes my breath
how is it i have sat
on endless days turned
from what has always been before me?
absently i draw my fingertip
through the fallen drop
tracing an invisible map
of my hand
and then…
one last kiss as i touch
my finger to my lips
and the waterdrop is drawn
within
~

I was the other one
that wasn’t me
the overturned petal
where the light of sun
doesn’t lay to sleep
the entire day away

~

there was a drop of rain this morning
that fell against my cheek
a pinprick cold shock
looking into the sky
why did you fall against me,
wake me, startle me, love me?
your sudden kiss
took my breath,
made me stand still
i almost missed knowing you
with another step

~

laughing with shame
I bowed my head and wondered how
how to answer this question that hung in the air
begging to be heard
complicated knot waiting to be untied
and I think that I don’t have it
the answer found a mate and is hiding
covered in some darkened corner
while I sit open mouthed and dumb looking a fool
and not knowing how to say the right words
because now any word that rolls away
pulls a layer too
exposing raw skin
and I doubt myself shivering
in the glaring scrutiny
who is watching who
and what the hell am I still hiding for
then I remember I do have a voice
deep breath
and the answer comes
even if I am standing naked before you
~

your voice slips behind my ear
the way your fingers might trace
the hair line, down the neck
and curve gently across my shoulders to the other ear
to make sure that no words have escaped
unheard, misunderstood, ignored
don’t ask me to open my eyes
and witness the death of this moment again
just let me listen
let me feel this cool reassurance against my fevered skin
one more time
as your voice fades to memory
and I sit waiting
for the next moment
for the next breath
for the next word

~

eight cups of coffee measure the day
lined up on the table among the newspapers and magazine clippings
i sat endlessly flipping between sips
not sure what I was looking for
except to find maniacal comfort in the glossy pages and
frankenstein faces plastered there
and then the ripping –
pages torn out for a word, a look, a leaf, a colour
in precarious piles at my feet
i should find an envelope for them
a sleek, simple place to put this chaos
i should stop the coffee pot from boiling over
leaving garish brown stains across the stove again
i should drink more water
i should remember to eat
i should go for a walk
i should…
Wait – another crystalline sky reflected in a still lake
azure, emerald, diamond
know thy self,
be,
freedom
love
love
me

~

freedom rediscovered
like an unexpected embrace
the flash of a smile
reflected in a mirror
faith restored
this is what life is
a whisper came like this
with the morning wind
while the sun shone
the bamboo sung
in low tones
and i sat
only to listen

~

The storm on the sea was cliché
I want to reach out well beyond the safety
Of the boat I cower in
Dive through the waves
Down below them
Watch the crash that follows each peak
I want to let the last remnants
Fall from my shoulders
And dance freely among
The angels’ tears
Yet I am rooted by
The battered stubbornness that remains
Clutching frantically at threads
That keep me from being exposed
I am overcome with knowing, with fear
And only the tiny freedom
Painted within me
Is the pastoral vision of a pine
Resting by a fragrant meadow
in the shadow of a majestic mountain
if, if, ,if, only if plays with each crashing way
each crashing wave
it is well beyond what I want now
beyond waiting for the storm to calm
well beyond the next breath

~

that mirror
holds no answer
not for me
I can barely raise my eyes
High enough to meet my reflection’s gaze
So cold to my finger’s touch
While my own skin burns
With an unarticulated fever
Staring hard at my hands
I can ask what is this?
But that same question chokes me
Stops my heart mid-beat
When the emerald pools reach out
And drown me
What do you want?
I scream the question
Until its echo is faint
And a silence dresses it
So deep it is like a well in a desert
Where water is gold
And the search for it leads down
beyond what was once thought impossible
and the answer
like a whisper floating,
barely moving on undisturbed water
is freedom.
~