Botanicarotica: A Collection of Poems
- Words by
- Helen Lucas
- Images by
- Georgina Reid
For me, poetry is perfect for capturing moments in nature. It offers a creative opportunity for the marrying of the careful observation of plants and words. Whilst my poems are not exclusively erotic, they are sensual and emotional which is what gardening inherently is. The physical and creative experience of gardening, and the beauty and diversity in nature are recurrent themes in my work. I find I spend much of my gardening time observing closely and thinking about writing. I love to surprise, shock and delight gardeners and non-gardeners alike with my poems, especially those people who think that poetry isn’t for them.
Manna gum
My man, he’s into natives,
specialises in the
indigenous.
I found him at the local nursery
and had to have him.
I had the perfect spot.
He’s out there now.
planted.
rooted.
my manna gum,
my blue gum boy.
I climb his slender trunk,
strip back his bark,
underneath he’s smooth and hard.
At first he’s resolute,
a sturdy tree of a man
but then,
when I spread his limbs and
fondle his foliage,
suck his nectar,
inhale his heaven-sent
lemonscent,
he’s mine.
His branches sway
gumnuts fall, leaves quiver
flirtatious parrots take flight
noisy mynahs become shy
under the canopy of our
eucalypt affair.
Fig tree
undressed for winter
the fig tree bares
its bones
the summer sound
of the ocean rolling
through the branches
absent
leaves fall loudly
clatter their way through
silver limbs
mattering not
where they go
fall like sheep
from a cliff
unencumbered
by desire
or intention
Stirring
spring springs, windy and hot
gusts blustering streets
hurling perfumes uphill and into homes
through windows and under doors
spring stirs in me
my hands in the dirt
my arms strong
I tingle between my legs
and pull weeds
Poems © Helen Lucas
End
- Author
- Helen Lucas is Melbourne based writer of short stories, poetry and plays. She works as a literacy teacher and grows vegies and herbs with her students. She convenes The Courthouse Readings, a monthly poetry reading, and has published two poetry collections.
- Photographer
- Georgina Reid is a writer and the founding editor of Wonderground. Her prose and poetry have been published in books and magazines nationally and internationally. She’s the author of The Planthunter: Truth, Beauty, Chaos and Plants and lives by the river on Darug land.
