THE KING’S SPEECH

The boat skips over the breaking waves
racing to the sighting of the waterspout
and the waving fin

whales diving deep into the sea
lifting their heaviness
with splendor and majesty

the leader swims to the boat
he is within my reach
the ocean is his Kingdom
I see sadness in his eye

time stops
frozen in awe!

no ancient regalia to be seen
the finest silk
encrusted with previous gems
no golden ring to kiss

no need to curtesy to a tiara
glittering with diamonds
worn on vulnerable heads
for decades

barnacles his only adornment
they hitchhike a free ride for life
a place to live and access food

he says to me
“my Kingdom is in danger
Humankind is
destroying our home
can you help?”

“but I am only one”
I whispered

he replied
“spread the word in a poem
Poetry is the voice of the
Universe.”.

AWAKENING

I see a boy on the verge of
manhood
finding the curves of a girl
to his liking
more than the curve
of a cricket ball

climbing out of his bedroom
window
just before midnight
pillows forming an awkward
shape,
the shape of a boy he was
yesterday

today he turned sixteen
suddenly a man
with a man’s desires

his love waits for him
at the local football oval

the sweetness of first love!