there was never
any doubt of love
in my childhood
dahlias grown by dad
vibrant in mum’s vases

~

Empire Day:
my father in the garden
lighting fireworks
while I watched, enthralled
behind the kitchen window

~

bias binding
one of those dread items
clever mother
wielded when teaching
her dull daughter to sew

~

Grandma
crocheted most beautifully
round the edges
of our linen hankies …
all gone now, every one

~

too late to know
it was always you
from the start …
still, I can cherish
those Elvis recollections

Amelia Fielden

 

Amelia Fielden is an Australian poet and translator of Japanese Literature. She has published seven collections of original tanka poetry in English and fifteen books of translated Japanese tanka.

© 2017