High Time

by Janine Lehane

The hot wind fastens
on sunhats and shirt flaps
and grim, glowing cheeks.
Red bulldust blears our vision
and the veiled shapes
we label truth.

Creatures of the coastal region,
we salvage at the shoreline
and for penance we ride
the inner dead seascapes.

Enough of that for a lark.
Go back to the cool spray
of tidal prayers and sunburnt
offerings. Let our stark wisdom
find you in a stream
of unguarded moments.

Janine Lehane is a poet, artist, and horsewoman from Brisbane, Australia. She completed postgraduate study at The College of William and Mary, in Virginia, in 2006. Her poetry has been published in anthologies by Telling Our Stories Press (PA) 2012, and 2013 (along with her cover art, TOSP, 2013), and The Write Place at the Write Time (MA) (Autumn/Winter, 2014). She also co-edited a selection of writings by the eminent teacher and community organizer, Suzanne Radley Hiatt (Seabury Books, NY) (May, 2014).