Witness

how many times
has she seen him
whittle the child
down to size

it never harmed me
the father says
using the knife to cut out
the curious knot in the wood
slit the vein of red       pare back
pale new growth

shaves his hair to the scalp

the child sticks out
his chin grits his teeth
keeps the pirate costume
on all the time
sword at the ready

at night he sucks his thumb
cries out


Annette Mullumby (Western Australia)

Teeth

Why don’t you have teeth there
Nanna he says pointing to the gaps

oh I say they got worn out
chewing all those apples and nuts

bored with being stuck in one spot
they hungered to explore new caves

I tried to pep them up
twice a day they sang
to the twang of floss
squeaked when brushed clean

but it wasn’t enough
one by one they left

bring them back Nanna he sobs
bring them back

At a loss I make two fingers teeth
march them home
they climb the cliff of my chin
roll on the tongue
sink into the their plush sockets
chatter to each other

on my grandson’s wet face a wide smile


Annette Mullumby (Western Australia)

First published in Poetry D'Amour (WA Poets Inc 2014)

Reading under the elm

A black dot floats into my line of sight.
Sunlight slips along its silk as it
drops onto the cuff of my sleeve
swings to the edge of the page
lands on the back of my hand.

I try to coax it onto a stem
but it’s intent on weaving me
into the landscape.
Just a handy leaf and limb
to hang its airy net on.

Then I reach for the urgent phone
disrupt the slender threads
of this small story too big
for me to read


Annette Mullumby (Western Australia)

Echo and Narcissus

her first love Paul Newman
sees all his films
feeds her heart
with the gossip
of gaudy magazines
festoons her room
with his image

lies on her bed sighs
brushes her lips against his
nibbles the finely chiselled chin
sees herself dancing
in the pale blue pool
of his eyes as he in hers

she falls asleep
startles awake
to the weight
of a clammy embrace
shoves him off
pushes him out
slams the door

tears the pictures
from the walls
shreds with fingernails
flushes the confetti away

hides in the cold cave
of her bedroom echoes

I once loved you
                                    loved you
                                                            loved you


Annette Mullumby (Western Australia)

Repetition

you’ve met someone new
he’s juicy, a sweet plum
then you bite hard
on the bitter pip
spit him out

stumble again
on that first rung

easier to run him through
with your guilt tipped sword

but what if you open
the box under the swirl
of bright skirts
find the faded photo
of you aged four
with that man

whose shadow hands
have partnered you
all these years


Annette Mullumby (Western Australia)

Yesterday I spent the morning

Yesterday I spent the morning dabbling in the garden
deadheading flowers tugging at the straggly grass
listening to the fluting butcherbird

and I thought of all the gardens I’d grown
how they’d become less bordered     more wild
each spring the red surprise of poppies
knotted roses flourishing bright suns
rocket taking off between pavers     and even
suffering the prickly mandalas of weeds

now I want to clear a space
make a zen garden
place rocks precisely
rake sand
sit quietly in the fall and rise of shadows


Annette Mullumby (Western Australia)