Two Poems by Jane Roken

Grass

All round the stylish hunting lodge
cool-green lawns extend
smart, smooth, reserved,
-- green dream green --
while somewhere else
a fat little horse is sauntering
in blue-green grass,
belly-high.



Catfish

I'm an old catfish
rolling idly
in the mud
under the rushes
under the bridge

A shadow up there -
a human
a leg
a foot
a toe
mmmmm
a toe
Rise . . . Snap!
yuck -
Tastes like shit
but one must
do something
to keep them alert
up there
one has responsibilities

I'm an old catfish
twisting slowly
comfortably
in the cozy mud
poised near bottom
arching back
relaxing gills
warming
waiting

A twinkle up there -
a fire
a flyer
a dragonfly
banking out
of chrysalis on reed
breathing sun
warmth
light
mmmmm
the light

Life sparkles
on its wings
The lake takes shape
in its eyes

I'm an old catfish
veering sleepily
in my mud
eyeing the dragonfly
up there -
That's what I want to be
next time around

Jane Roken lives in Denmark, on the interface between hedgerows and barley fields.  She is fond of old tractors, garden sheds, scarecrows and other stuff that, in the due course of time, will ripen into something else.  Her writings have been published in many different places, mostly online.