This is a poetry and painting collaboration with emerging Sydney Painter Virginia Bucknell
Love
demands absolute devotion
The stage
decorated with charisma and wit
Wild possession
seized by concealed undercurrent
Passion
let it downpour in crimson
Death
gravitates towards eternity
Oil painting ‘Love Story’ by Virginia Bucknell, you may see more of Virginia’s paintings via: Art Lovers Australia Weebly Instagram
An interpretation of Jun’s poem
你总傻呆去想她
青春早过又几载
眼脑心才懂得爱
精神食粮却总缺
徬徨半世总无耐
落花时节更相思
You know the one
The one you once loved so tenderly
Her smile filled your daydreams
When you look back to connect the dots
Your heart leapt for her
Your mind set on ambitions
You eyes were distracted
Now time and place passed
She has long gone
You are hunger for love
You are deprived of spiritual food
You have spent half of your life in wander
Autumn leaves falling in the melancholy of missing her
A new collaboration with Jay – The Fragrance Writer
When we were lonely, we met in the rain
We only stood and stared at each other
We shared comfort in misery and pain
And in the raindrops, our tears found cover
Our own silence was louder than the storm
But we found heat in the palms of our hands
You became the jacket to keep me warm
Is this love? My anxiety expands
But you only love me when you’re lonely
You only call me when you are in pain
You no longer call me like you know me
I guess this is the meaning of “betray”
Friend, there’s times and seasons for everything
For both being away and to embrace
The monsoon season gave no covering
When it subsided we both felt out of place
But every time I met your tear-filled gaze
My reflection was nowhere in hiding
My heart sank deep into a hopeless place
I prayed for our friendship never ending
Photo by Julius Drost on unsplash.com
I have worked with Joey for another fun one: Jay – The Fragrance Writer
He likes me
He really likes me
He really really likes me!
All clouds in the sky is everything wonderful in paradise
His smile makes Zac Efron’s fake
His eyes are a candy store I am lost in
His humour is the centre of an amusement park
His kisses melt on my lips like pink fairy floss
He makes me feel like buttercups
And butterflies dance in my stomach
As I sip from his cup of cola.
I hope our saga never ends.
Three months bubblegum romance
Bursts forth a rich flavour
artificial sugar induced decay
Leaves exposed nerve toothache
buttercups lead to a stomach ache
Just like butterflies lead to indigestion.
Too much cola – I’m too wired to sleep.
And this tired saga needs a finale. . .
Our short lived romance is like popcorn
Never lasts to the end of the movie before they’ve gone stale
What I first craved is now just a headache.
And I’m ready to go home.
As I leave, I turn and give one last glance.
Hey, you never know when you’ll crave popcorn again.
A collaboration with Samantha and Sonia. You may like to visit their work via Instagram:
Samantha (@wordsthatburnedpoetry)
Sonia (@theshaeira_sonia)
Howling
Winds taking
Down the guards
Off my superficial layers
Insecurities
Tearing out
Bitter longing dreams
I rise from ashes
Temporal
Instant gratification
Consoles your loneliness
In an exhilarating whirlwind
Death
A collaboration with Benjamin Grossman
In rainy March
I long for a
philosophical whisper over tea
The smell of possibility permeating
Your gaze an infusion of heaven
Barely we know where we are
Yet we know where we’re going
With some echo of curiosity
On a bed of uncertainty
I inhale your essence
Drink in your presence
Only we temper the inner warmth
Steeped in each other
Rain is threading through each whisper
Tea left unrequited and cold
In the company of drizzling rain
Collaboration with Jonathan Swift Pines
Photo from http://www.unsplash.com
No, I’m not claiming that I always write.
When I do, my heart’s like a jar -sealed tight.
And when it pops ajar, you hear it “thump.”
No, I don’t think I always love you right.
When I do, my soul swells like puppy eyes.
When I write, I snort happily for you.
When I’m bad, I’m bad. When I’m good, I’m good.
I’d love to love you right now, if I could.
But if I’m astray, please try tomorrow.
When I’m sad, I write. When I’m loved, I write.
I’d love to store you in my sealed tight jar.
Only let out happiness than sorrow.
Sorry, love, but this is our last “goodnight.”
I’m not always honest in all I write.
So keep your happy times safe and sealed tight.
Don’t let a dreamer like me steal your heart. . .
A collaboration with Benjamin Grossman
This daily script interferes
with any royal mood
leaving abstract smiles
upon the observer’s space
Each piece reaches the other
with startling ponder
shaking up their normality
signaling the writer’s psyche
demanding a daily dose of encouragement
The bond sparked small
a distant curiosity sated by the choreography of words
a budding denial received confirmation in plain sight
an uncultivated heart given wings to ascend
an untamed mind flew over the boundary beyond the intellectual elasticity
Translation collaboration with Alan Steinle
Moonlit Night is the collaborated translation of a classic Chinese poem (月夜) written by Du Fu 杜甫 (712 – 770), a prominent Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty.
| 月夜 | 月夜 | Moonlit Night |
| 今夜鄜州月 | 今夜鄜州月 | The moon shines brightly on Fuzhou tonight; |
| 閨中衹獨看 | 闺中只独看 | Alone in her room, she looks at the light; |
| 遙憐小兒女 | 遥怜小儿女 | She pities her children, so far from their dad; |
| 未解憶長安 | 未解忆长安 | She misses Chang’an—she’s lonely and sad; |
| 香霧雲鬟濕 | 香雾云鬟湿 | Her long supple hair with perfume is sprayed; |
| 清輝玉臂寒 | 清辉玉臂寒 | The clear moon shines on cool arms of jade; |
| 何時倚虛幌 | 何时倚虚幌 | When, near the curtain, will our hearts soar? |
| 雙照淚痕乾 | 双照泪痕干 | We’ll sit in the moonlight, tears falling no more! |
A collaboration with Jonathan Swift Pines
There are things she sees are pretty
They go beyond her basic needs
The sun is warm and cheery
Too much of it
freckles gather on her cheeks
Charming freckles, like those on a child
whose innocent heart would burst with a smile
The rain is soothing and musical
Too much of it
sadness floods on her soul
Raindrops can harmonize with memories
Too many and the mind is adrift
The world of art is beautiful and enchanting
Too much of it
inadequacy breaks down her creativity
Happiness makes her vulnerable
The more she has, the more she has to lose
There are so many lows after the highs
When all that is stripped away
She realises how much satisfaction
she has in a mundane life
Flicker of Thoughts 