51. Lizz Murphy's 'White Petals' - inviting Jenni Kemarre Martiniello into the conversation

 

WHITE PETALS

 

1.

A storm of white flowers sunwarm centres

waits silently for a bride white as leadlight

windows arching on an overcast afternoon

Filigree-patterned borders stained

green as the grass slopes below

yellow as stamens and tomorrows

white petals fingering white lace

 

2.

Poets spread themselves on lawns

under umbrellas red and magenta

Read from paper sheets petalwhite

Behind them

snowtrails of climbing roses

engulf old stone

and a woman

in white dress glides silently

I walk to the other window stand close

Heavy black leading makes small frames

of large scenes as the woman in white

reappears near picnic blankets

and folding chairs

looks furtive illusory

Now there is nothing but poetsong

and three white blossoms in trees

growing past a slate grey roofscape

Details to take away

the expansive straw hat she wore

The books she carried close to her breast

 

3.

In the pond next to the chapel

water lilies pinkfinger the air

Underneath they are white as new flesh

the water’s surface still as ice

latticed with shadowpoles

Here the women are black silhouettes

nymphs sliding among reeds

invisible to the naked eye

They play to the camera

carry their poems in their heads

and durry bags

Inside is a long gallery of cellos

listing necks blanched shoulders

swan wings feathered words

falling petals

 

—    from Stop Your Cryin (Island Press)

 

 

Lizz has published fifteen books. Her tenth poetry title Bitumen Psalms was recently released by Flying Islands Pocket Poets. The Wear of my Face (Spinifex Press, 2021) won the ACT Notable Award for Poetry (Big Press) 2021. Born in Belfast, Lizz has lived in Binalong, rural NSW for a long time.