Mere Hobbyist

Demelza

Taroona, Tasmania

Australia

 

Picture It Competition Entry – Picture B

The seeds of regret
Fell beside a river
And the river nurtured them
Wild and inviting thoughts splashed up from the rocks
Spilling onto the river bank
Soaking their roots
Feeding them thoughts of freedom
Turning them lush and
Palatable

The river carried their perfume to me
And I desired their knowledge
I sought through my mind until the river became clear
Reaching in I grabbed recklessly at the foliage
But it was beyond my reach
Struggling for liberty I tried again and again
Until all hope was gone and I cried a river
Humbled I knelt beside the flowing waters and made a harvest

I bathed naked in the river and
Bore my soul to the life giver
No one saw me
And there was no shame

I took the harvest to the market
Where you called me a hobbyist
Because I was old
But you are naive and your mouth has not yet savoured regret

You labelled me such
Because your craft is your breath
Both pleasure and pressure are your companions
To create is the essence of your survival
And you flourish like the perfected waterlily on a warm lake
Spreading your beauty abundantly over mysterious shores
Spilling your harmonious colours into creeks and rivers
Oh how I fill with pleasure at the sound of your voice

Call me tardy or late
But my beginning was delayed
And the path already strewn with debris and discouragement
My feet bruised and bleeding with no place to rest
I had to work with my hands
Suppress my imagination
Never allow my dreams to surface
So practised was I that it became second nature
And without thought I denied myself
More than was necessary

Always being available for you
Growing together and apart
And together and apart
Now allow my passion to weave its tendrils into your world once more
Let the vines creep along speaking quietly of my forbidden love
Let the blossoms fall as carpet under our feet
Let never the beauty of age be seen as bitter or discontented

I wish you well
You inspire me
With your beauty and your bluntness

Hobby or not it shall invade me
Until I’m over whelmed
Until my words become compulsive
Until my alias speaks
And I am no longer an old women looking for success
But your equal
Where age is irrelevant
And we sit shoulder to shoulder

Albeit mine are more rounded than yours

Bio: Demelza says this is a last ditch effort to be published by pouring her heart out trying to reason with the age old issue of raising children and being an individual in her own right.