Terence George Craddock (Spectral Images and Images Of Light) (16 November / Westport New Zealand)

down the rabbit hole
of childhood memories
we tumble into lost world

watching Father chase white butterflies
which eat our growing cabbage leaves
with a tennis racket with foot work

leaps bounds serves volleys never seen
upon famed centre court at Wimbledon
butterflies fly float move in fluttering

unpredictable motion dances with gravity
overcome baiting my father into youthful
dances on past childhood hot summer days

this game I too played mastered but why
so rarely in retrospect such fun so seldom
played among a host of unpattented games

to up the stakes for mass extinction Derris
dust sprinkled on cabbage leaves discolours
leaves white butterflies land leave unabated

but knocks out the sucking and chewing
insects for a six at caterpillar dinner time
when rain has not washed powder sprinkled

off cabbage leaves alas it is a no-win game
set upon set waiting for new service white
butterflies as they fly in from neighbouring

gardens the game goes on until we tire or
new balls spread danger word signaling with
broken garden bodies in game we can't win!


Copyright © Terence George Craddock