Shield

July 25, 2022

 

 

We dodge sedge and thistles
through overhanging branches
on the riverbank kangaroo trail,

stirring dust of ancient artisans.
I see their shadows,
stone axes ready as they scan
red gums for smooth trunks
with the perfect girth.
Sure-strokes chime, stripping
bark-sheets down to the sapwood.
We find the elliptical cicatrices.

My scars are hidden
behind a cage of ribs
by sinew and muscle
where each slap
each bruise
each angry word
shaves a sliver
from my core
leaving a hollow husk.

 

Marilyn Humbert

Marilyn Humbert lives in the Northern suburbs of Sydney NSW Australia. Her Tanka and Haiku appear in many international and Australian journals, anthologies and online. Her free-verse poems have been awarded prizes in competitions and some have been published.

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