ONE SKY — DOES THE SKY BLEED

Do stars tremble in the face of the wind

does the wind roar in the face of the star

if you fall upon a star

what if you land on a point

who decided a star had five points

who first drew a five-pointed star in one continuous line

do you remember how hard that was

what if the sky was granite

what if it was galvanized leaky tin

what if all the birds took to the sky at one time

would it just be a traffic jam or would they eclipse the sun

what if the sky was a crow’s wing

‘raven’ (it’s not the same bird) always sounds so much nicer

the sky would be a satin shelter

what if you dream your room has separated from your house and is spiralling  up into the black sky and now the walls are disappearing and your bed is going to slide  out into the night into space would you be singing twinkle twinkle little star

what if you are in your pyjamas on the stairs and they separate from everything

and fly up into the sky and you are sitting on the edge of the first step

and the bannister has gone

is reaching for the sky an unachievable unrealistic goal

why do they say reach for the stars

that’s a big reach

it’s not like getting a dish off a high shelf

who washes God’s socks

is that when it rains

is falling through space like almost drowning

is falling through space like drowning only faster

if the sky fit

would you wear it

midnight blue

a wattle bird nests in a drought-thwarted tea tree

when I walk past it flaps its way out

cuts a line through space to a higher point in a nearby gum tree

does the sky bleed when a eucalypt pierces it

is that why the sky turns red as the sun goes down

does the sun get a sinking feeling

A draft poem for the One Sky Many Stories project at Belconnen Arts Centre