Two Poems|Stephen House
his cafe
at midday
i walk through the crowded inside room
of his cafe
and go to the backroom
where we meet
the two guys that work here
must know what’s going on in the room
or they wouldn’t let me in
there is clarity
about the safety of this time
for us
he has a wife
she is never here at midday
i am
twice weekly
i enter the room
he is not in here
i go to the sideboard
pour a cup of water from a red plastic jug
and look at the shrine to Lord Ganesh on the wall
Om Shri Ganeshaya Namah
i whisper to the image
i gasp
drop the cup
as i am pushed in the back
turn around
his wife in a sky blue sari
is standing only inches from me
she looks me in the eye
cold hard and emotionless
takes a knife out
from the folds of her shimmering material
points it at me
and says
i am going to kill you
my heart ignites
my mouth goes dry
i go to say something
but nothing comes out
is she magic
a witch
her hair is burning red
her eyes are glowing violet
her teeth in pinks and mauves gnash at me
temple bells ring in my ears
go from here now and never come back
or i will kill you
she spits
and slaps me hard across the face
holding my cheek
i leave the room
the two café guys stare at me
i hear them laughing
as i exit his cafe
her husband
is sitting in his car out the front
smoking a cigarette
he gazes straight ahead
as i pass
not even a tiny glance at me
i stop and quickly look back to him
i’m sure i see him wave
i wave
his wife appears
i turn and walk away from him
and his café
three billion
three billion creatures killed
by bushfire devastation
leaves me gasping in sadness
for wildlife burnt alive
and while i also grieve loss
of human life and construction
amount of animals not escaping
incineration screams horror
and although i was outside zone
not victim to furnace
silent suffering as i ponder
still plagues me each day
nightmares of heat blazing
howls of terror from scorched fauna
brings on distress and anxiety
one year on no relief
and as i attempt accepting
extermination of three billion
i must endure deniers spouting
climate change is not real
politicians refusing
to place planet before money
confirms we humans who care
must continue to rally
stand up vote accordingly
against nature disappearing
weather changes now rapid
greed is always placed first
halt uncaring destruction
stop ignoring extinction
unsure how we retaliate
join together may help
throw scientific proof in the faces
of those who won’t listen
they refuse to hear figures
dismiss proven data
shout in one season of bushfires
so much wiped out forever
and will continue to vanish
if world leaders won’t hear
Photo by Matt Howard on Unsplash
Bio
Stephen House is an award-winning Australian playwright, poet and actor. He’s won two Awgie Awards (Australian Writer’s Guild) , Adelaide Fringe Award, Rhonda Jancovich Poetry Award for Social Justice, Goolwa Poetry Cup, Feast Short Story Prize and more. He’s been shortlisted for Lane Cove Literary Award, Overland’s Fair Australia Fiction Prize, Patrick White Playwright and Queensland Premier Drama Awards, Greenroom best actor Award and more. He’s received Australia Council literature residencies to Ireland and Canada, and an India Asialink. His chapbook “real and unreal” was published by ICOE Press Australia. He is published often and performs his work widely.
