Make believe
Laying on a bed of stuffed toys
gently strumming a ukulele
my daughter’s head rested on my belly
I’d like to think her eyelids softly meeting
melting into something resembling sleep
but I never learned the ukulele so
we’ll just stay here
and make believe.
Monotony
The wooden stakes
propping up fresh growth in the garden
are our microphones
after our duet you lead
me through a gap in a bush
more suited to your two-year-old frame
than my own
move towards a tree with low growing branches
perfect to climb
I take a photo to send to your mum
you start pulling buds from flowering plants
hug a tree stump
and burst onto the open lawn
snatch a fistful of lavender
sprint across the rocky garden bed
to the wooden stakes
we perform an encore
you guide me through the shrubs
to the shin high climbing branches
tear some buds to bar the flowers blooming
embrace the tree stump
and emerge victorious
on the spacious lawn
pick your lavender
pace across stone ground
and land back at our microphones
through the shrubs
little climb
prune the flowers
tree hug
pick lavender
rock bed traverse
to the microphones
and we dance like this forever.
Seahorses
Above the sink
where I am washing dishes
is a collection
of scientific illustrations titled
“seahorses, sea dragons and pipefish”
the diagram shows
in detail
their dorsal fins and snouts
and the distended brood pouch
of the pregnant males.
I imagine myself
carrying my daughter
for nine months
and my belly button slowly turning out
exposing the lint that was inside
and the hairs around my nipples
growing further and further apart
as my skin is pulled taut.
It is the day before
my daughter’s second birthday
and I see myself
in my wife’s place
two years ago
in a cold hospital
the nurse looking for somewhere to put her fingers
and tell me I’m a centimetre dilated.
I finish cleaning the last plate
float into the living room
and give my wife a gentle kiss
on the forehead.
Tyler is a husband, father, poet, artist, uni student, uni drop out, uni graduate, former yoga teacher, washed up athlete and retired unenthusiastic warehouse worker (among other things). He lives and works on beautiful Ngarrindjeri/ Ramindjeri land with his loving wife and vibrant daughter; who, besides meandering walks and extended periods of time staring out his living room window provide the inspiration for much of his creative work. His current project is ARCHĒ – a group exhibition for emerging artists. Tyler’s contribution is a series of poems shared in various visual expressions. Find him on social media at @tylerjackson_art (instagram)
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