Tag Archives: walking

The Trunk Series (No. 2) — Buzzcut

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A landscape photograph from Day 2 of the Cape to Cape Walk, showing a rolling hill in the section between Yallingup and Moses Rock. The hill is covered in low, scrubby bushes that have the appearance of a 'buzzcut,' which perfectly matches the post's title. The image captures the rugged coastal heath of this part of the walk beneath a cloudy sky.

Cape to Cape Walk; Day 2

The Trunk Series (No. 1) — Maatcha Slice

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A vertical photograph of a group of vibrant green and brown fungi with a tiered, layered structure, growing on the side of a tree trunk. The fungi's color and form resemble a slice of matcha dessert, which directly reflects the post's title, 'Maatcha Slice,' the first in a series focused on tree trunks.

Cape to Cape Walk; Day 6

5 km on deepdene sand

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A mid-distance photograph of a small wave breaking on a wide, sandy beach. The tranquil water and sand contrast with the post's title, '5 km on deepdene sand,' which describes a difficult trek. The image also serves as a visual backdrop to the poem, which makes a cinematic reference to the classic movie 'From Here to Eternity,' starring Burt Lancaster.

If they tell you
(them that’s done it)
     before a job or a challenge
     or contemplating an unsuitable lover
it’s a walk on the beach
     turn around and take
     the uphill trek
     the stony path
     the vale of tears
     instead

The only one what’s told the truth
that old Lancaster guy
     had it’s clear
     actually done it
(Kerr, the beach, the movie) 
    immured by silken powder
    reason he knew to call it
    From Here to Eternity

Cape to Cape Walk; Day 7

spelunk

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the white out mandates 
a dark house 
(as theatre types say)
a lazy no-walk day

later 
rains abated
we go caving

on the cool
cavern floor
calcite clads
conundrums

stalactites seem
to angle the air
sharp and incisive
or dangle with care
ancient Nervous Housewives

flowstones might
attain the calm
of stupa
or rather the trek 
on sabbatical
gather cellulite
A close-up photograph of a large, textured white cave formation, likely a flowstone or stalactite, with layered, dripping patterns. 

Cape to Cape Walk; Day 5 (housebound at Prevelly)

eco fail

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A close-up photograph of a dark, gnarled tree trunk with a twisted, curved shape, standing amidst a lush, green wooded area. The image's focus on the raw, natural form of the tree serves as a backdrop to the poem, which humorously explores a moment of ecological guilt and anxiety.

i threw out my crust at lunch
flung it in the bush
only to have nightmares
of headlines years on
native australian species blighted by
strange ailment 
thought to have been 
introduced by 
half-eaten ham and cheese 
sandwich
Cape to Cape Walk; Day 4

timepiece

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A photograph of a piece of old, rusty, and decaying farm machinery, with a large, circular cog lying on the ground in the foreground. The image was taken at the historic Ellensbrook homestead on the Cape to Cape Walk. The visual decay and the cogs of the machine serve as a powerful metaphor for the post's title, 'timepiece'.

Cape to Cape Walk; Day 4; Ellenbrook

Pointing to Gracetown

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A close-up photograph of a spiky green plant, taken with a shallow depth of field, blurring the background. The plant's angular leaves and branching form create a distinct shape, which the poem describes as 'diamond lines' and 'dinosaur spires.' The image and its title together poetically point the way toward Gracetown on the Cape to Cape Track.

diamond lines
dinosaur spines
shark teeth
anything but leaves

 

 

Cape to Cape Walk; Day 2

Juxtaposte

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A low-angle photograph taken on the Cape to Cape Track in Western Australia. The image shows the silhouetted outline of native Australian shrubs and bushes against a wide, overcast sky. The photo's quiet, observational quality sets the scene for the poem, which juxtaposes various moments and observations from the walk.


it happens that
Lady Gaga plays
Do What You Want 
as I drive pass
retreats Seventh Day Adventist
and Anglican in turn

(featuring R. Kelly [Explicit])

 

with ped on pedal
at a constant 90
that moment ticks faster
in an instant of klicks
than the driver’s wit

(debating adjectives)

 

24 hours later
turning onto Smith’s Beach
footsore from first legs
it happens that they drive pass
2 white haired grannies
gleefully lick magnums
in a white elantra

(incongruous)

 

*walking the Cape to Cape Track

Days 0 and 1

 

 

 

Six Rhinos Sighting

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One late morning in Tintswalo
six rhinos stepped onto the road
only minutes from the lodge
while our eyes were on the warthogs
i felt it, the rush, the stir
the fist around my heart but
it was my first trip out
and the moment’s grip on me
was stronger than mine on it  

Tutta is 9 years old
a young black who’s already lost one calf this year
her number one, three years old, has left home
alone she alternates seasons in the Palmweg
we’ve driven three hours through volcanic sere
to hear the walkie talkie tracking 
of a sighting 
a family 
two boys
and a spot under Mocampo tree
this time i know better
i snap her up

 

A lone rhinoceros stands amidst a rugged, rocky terrain under the dappled shade of a sparse, leafy tree. The rhinoceros, a striking pale grey, is positioned slightly off-center to the left, its powerful body facing mostly towards the viewer. Its horn is clearly visible, sharp and pointed, and its large ears are alert. The ground is a mosaic of red-brown rocks of varying sizes, interspersed with dry, brittle-looking vegetation. In the background, a more substantial tree with a pale, gnarled trunk

Continental Slide

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it would appear (after all the big talk, slick walk)

that only today do we touch Antarctic proper

 

no islandic rock no more

it is continental shelf we tour

a glacier so frail

with a rumble and a roar

it sheds a slice

as we scale its shoulder

to perch near its eyes

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before we take the tobbogan down

 

at the top i stayed a while

napped in warm snow

atop continental plinth

lapped in fortune’s gift

 

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