Poem: Oasis
Alana Potgieter reflects on the sanctuary of her garden in this week’s Poet’s Corner contribution.
Oasis
The water chorus of the birch leaves
tumbled silver by the breeze
celery chrysanthemums
tall feather grass swaying beneath the eaves
Under a cloudless azure heaven
a portable rain cloud falls sprinkling
sparkling spectrums over shrub and tree
From Outside hardly an inkling
intrudes into this quiet sanctuary
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Yet this garden moves in its own silent riot:
the spotted doves compete
with sparrows for the summer sound
the ratchety crank of the wee willy wagtail
Rosella ripples
Honeyeater flitters
a blackbird chimes a wail
tiny compost armadillos crawl upon the ground
the rhythmic snip-click
of your nickel-backing shears
In the fullness of our Eden
You are the only Adam
and I the only Eve
Living in South Australia, Alana Potgieter is a veterinarian from South Africa who takes immense joy and inspiration from the natural world and feels a deep connection to it. She is most often to be found in the garden that she and her husband have created from the soil up, or reading a book with one of her spoilt kitties on her lap.