Bitter Heart - New Version

Bitter Heart

That night, time had a bitter little heart

You against the cool river bank me in the grass 

rustling round you


You caught a koura in your hands it warmed and crinkled 

a fresh lantern lighting up the valleys of water

I called you a kind of rural magician an aquatic metaphysician pulling 

crunchy life from soft matter and although you laughed you said

the night is giving me a hard time with its slow arm its 

fast arm

and so I caught your crying legs and cradled you vastly

*

We walked back to the house and your bed was dense with tiny
sad ghosts

last winters mice ricketed in soft crooks of skin and

spring lamb bleated wetly at our finger tips

a swarm of lost bees burned darkly between us

*

Outside the red-eared moon curled again and

nipped at its own thin tail,

dreamed of becoming fat on small edible things like us.

*

Later the river carried the koura downstream to perform amongst

the slick pool of eels while 

we worked hard to resuscitate the day but

Time has a bitter little heart.