Early Harvest, Gusto Press

Herewith, the latest selection from dusted-off published poetry and short fiction, circa 1970s vintage and beyond....

Yesterday's Child

Fiddleheads in the garden
slowly unfurling
lilies-of-the-valley
not yet belling
the Manchu cherry
sprinkling white confetti
on the vibrant green
of urgent grass;
swallows executing
their preying arabesque
while beyond, the sun
a pyromaniac's frantic dream
slips behind the house.

Sitting idly on the swing
spring air filters
through the maple's
tender thrusts
as bees target
straight for home
and the mesmerizing hum
of the neighbour's mower
returns growth to order.

The children
never recall other years
only living in the warmth
of the breeze
pulling stray hairs
beyond the spiralling
loops of the bicycle.
Memory of another child
lingers close behind the
flushed faces of
this spring day's children.

c.1980 Rita Rosenfeld