Templar Phoenix Literary Review

Templar Phoenix Literary Review - Volume 1, Number 1 - Spring 2000

MARIA STEYN

full moon

the distant roof top
slowly releases in birth
the age-old new face
of a large orange-yellow
pollen steeped moon

i watch as it
slowly, effortlessly
pulls itself free
into the youthful sky
of night

then, relentlessly
caught in the traveling
footsteps of time
growing smaller, silvery wise
ascends silently bright
through illuminated
skim milk clouds

and somewhere afar
my soul seeks sweet release
from horizons of pain and fear
to follow the silent
silvery
peaceful
accepting
steps of the moon

breakfast visitor

eyes caught your
royal splendour
on my winter-brittle lawn
rarity in the bearing
cream feathered stockings
brown mottled pride
impassively purposeful

vigilant
aloof
arrogantly hungry
talons curved deep
into life-warm flesh
tossing fur and tiny bones,
efficiently carving breakfast
sun-dappled on the lawn

then, as if to a signal
clutching limp
life-free body
off to safety
in a sidewalk tree

all the while
deserted silence
on the otherwise
feather-busy scene

visitor from cool blue silence
this morning after dawn

captive

life has shrunk
to the size of
a postage stamp

dull black tiger
pace confines,
knowing every mar
every cranny, every corner
muzzle testing every bar
of scalloped edges

four corners, trace path,
90 degree turn,
round and round
black cat pacing
slow, sleek, strides
circling on itself

set in sticky paper of
a 3/4 by one inch stamp -
small luminous green eyes
wistfully staring through curtains
at the forest moon, strung
above the white expanse
of the envelope
on the bedside table
in my room

moon rain

sprays of
moonshine sift
through trees
collect in puddles
pool on leaves -
fine white pollen
drifting sifting
into souls,
almost unseen
incomprehensible
but there -
flooding the garden
with such sadness
as even the flowers
can
hardly
believe

full moon, breakfast visitor, captive, moon rain - Copyright © 1999 by Maria Steyn

it was there . . .

at dawn
next to the pansies
this morning
an angel

kneeling
wings hanging limp
dripping

on the lawn
sparrows unamazed
hopped round its feet
while early morning traffic
passed

behind the wall
sun filled the garden
dried the drizzle
of the night

with wings
spreading dry
it finally
heavily took

flight
like an ibis
calling up
into the light

About the Poet

Maria Steyn lives in South Africa with her husband, young daughter, two collies, a cat and a variety of wild garden birds. As a student, she had poetry published in the university's literary magazine, won a poetry competition, and became editor of the student magazine for literature. She attained an honours degree in Philosophy and then furthered her studies to become a language teacher. After a few years of teaching in Soweto and various private schools, and some more years raising a small child, she has taken up writing again in 1999. She has a passion for poetry, stories, books, children, nature, the fine arts and music.

E-Mail: chameleo@iafrica.com