GREGORY PIKO

Grown-Grey Eyes

He leaves the silence between the walls
pushing his dependable blue wheel
barrow past the angled barn
past the faithful timber posts
of the stockyard, out
across the insistent paddock
to the gate that does not close.
As he walks, he finds the sky
increasingly resembles
his recently grown-grey eyes
until in time it begins
draping itself about him.
With his dripping hands working
steadily at their task he recalls
how grateful he was
to hear she had given
his favourite red rain
coat to her lover.

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Gregory Piko was joint winner of the WB Yeats Poetry Prize. His poetry has appeared in Verity La, the Canberra Times, Communion Arts Journal, Poetry d'Amour, StylusLit, the Australian Poetry Anthology and The Best Australian Poems. Gregory collaborated with Vanessa Proctor in writing Blowing Up Balloons (Red Moon Press). He blogs at www.gregorypiko.com