Terrifying
The beauty of it all
It’s overwhelming
There’s so much of everything
And so much of it so beautiful
I can’t even…
The bees
Stored in our bodies
For all this time
As cruelty reigned
Cold and hard
And we knew those soft and warm among us
Were not safe
The bees
Buzzing inside
Out-noising our minds
Keeping us stiff
Alert
Afraid
The bees
Vibrating constantly
So that our jaws may never unclench
The bees
Tying us up from inside
Nervous system overdrive
The bees
So long they resided within us
We forgot that we were not made from them
The bees
Swarming
Storming
Stripped of warning
The bees
Explode from our mouths
As we sigh in relief
At the end of the season
Of harsh tyrrany
The bees
Roaring
Imploring
The noise in our heads
Spills out unchecked
As at last
The women of Australia
Release
The bees
(C) Zoe Xanadu 2022
On the occasion of our historical release from an abusive government.
And so
Late stage capitalism closes in
Sputter stumble grip squeeze…
We heave and try
We trudge and sigh
Bound, and on our knees
Conditioned slaves to a broken system
Acutely self-aware
Of our own pathos
as we participate in the continuation
of our own oppression
How could we make a poem with rhythm
When jolting discomfort is what is now so deeply familiar?
When removal from so much of what is natural and beautiful about the human experience has become our accepted reality…
How has it come to this though?
Our ancestors would not have wished it for us.
The legacy we stand to leave does not look great.
And yet, here we are, rubbing our noses in sea-trash-to-be, as fossil fuels burn on.
Eat shit and die. Could we at least soften it with a comma, or even two, for Oxford?
Bananas
Your fruity pungence permeates the kitchen
I feel the guilt
It’s not even current yet
But it will be soon
As you all become over-ripe at once
Cute lil hand of ladyfingers
Honey
Yummy honey
Local bees
In my tummy
Yes please
What’s in my tummy?
The honey or the bees?
Or the whole of the cosmos?
What a squeeze!
(C) Zoë Xanadu 2021
And now
Presenting:
This moment
Welcome to your appointment with life
Thank yourself for making time
in your busy schedule
to be available to notice
your breath
coming into your body
and leaving your body
Your belly rising
Your belly falling
Your mind slowing
Your tension releasing
Your heart opening
Your shoulders falling
Your smile relaxing
Your eyes softening
Your hair growing
Your forehead clearing
Your organs rejoicing
Your freedom expanding
Breath coming in
Breath flowing out
Yes
How lovely
Looking deeply into things
Opening your perception up to the beauty and miraculous perfection all around you
Remembering your innate intelligence
Savouring the elegance of life
And your self as part of the miracle
Here you are
Right here
Right now
Breathing
Breathing
Calm
Smiling
Present
Wonderful
Worthy
Welcome
You are as perfect as that leaf
That shell
That star
That sunrise
That breeze
You are all of these things
With gratitude and love
You belong
Bear
I was a baby bear once
But nobody stole my porridge
And so I need neither therapy nor vengeance, indeed, I can share.
Teacher
I make the space for the brains to thrive
Creating safety
Encouraging fun
Being a peripheral part
of the excited buzz
Of the hive of minds
as they pollinate each other
Witnessing their outrage,
their passion,
their determined agency
in the wryly augmented world
that they know to be theirs
Celebrating the brilliance
in every one of them
In all the manifestations it makes
As it shines through
via their unique and essential imprints
It’s like resting in a forest
As I survey in wonder
the miracles surrounding me
All these perfect human trees
Growing amongst one another
I am in awe
I am humbled
May they thrive
I whisper in my heart
As I meet their eyes and say their names
Text message poem
I have to leave the house for stupid errands
Call when ready and we’ll see what works
Bloody wind
Wall
I look out the window
And there
Is a wall
How do I crane my twisted neck
To find the freedom
That I know is in the sky
Spritely Musings 