1.
shy girl of the reed water
voiceless as air
distant as sky
does her lover know?
he has been fishing secretly in the mountains
he hopes to catch the shyer fish
that arc the air like rainbows
but does he know
how to hold her?
he has caught her
clumsily by the tail thrusting
her into the light of his world
she will die she will die
in his palms
he holds her with inexperienced eyes
if only he had called her name
softly
from a distance
then she might have come
but he does not know
there are no words to express his coyness
she is shy also cold to touch
she flips onto her belly she slips
through his fingers into the stream
he is left alone
2.
bare-branched girl of river tides
she rides
the cold dark mountain stream down
from the naked crags of his empty eyes
his hands
the bare stone of the highlands
away through the tree swept valley
she moves
far over meandering farmlands
a rake
a cottage
a candle
an open hearth
somewhere inside lovers yawn
the family strengthens
the ageing die
the wrapped babe cries
but does she stop to listen?
she thrills
to shy curves of rounded water
she moves
swift along to a seasonal song
past paddocks and pumpkins
past the child with the streaming grey eyes
wash far over her and her soundless voice
she moves smoothly to the depth
of blue water
through thick ribbon weed heavy with
slime
past flick tailed fish
river rock eels and away from him
now
far away far away
her silver tail catches the light like
fine scales where the willow tip
touches the ice water tickles
her surface skin with breeze
wind and leaves
the voice of shyness
the distance of rivers carries her forward
she is cold & lost like wind
she is shy like leaves and gone before spring
before she can remember him
she is free
and alone
3.
shy lover of the lowlands
she moves into night as the river spreads
wide among leaves
among
the crackle and quiver of reeds
finally
the slow drift deposits
have found somewhere to lie
sand sediment crusts her eyes
she surfaces
opens
looks into the sky
but she has been adrift from the mountains
too long
her song has grown weak
her flesh watery and pale
she must reach back
hold
onto something
the towering distance the first
light
snow
winter
is low
and almost upon her
she calls weakly to him now
the freedom she has sailed
she has found the courage now to love
she needs his words
she needs his eyes
but all too late
her is far away
he has missed her
dreamed
of her but cannot hear her
she has left him behind
she lies in the dead reeds too soon
before her time
the winter has come and the grey water
shivers
4.
he is back in the mountains calling her name
