Familiars

What home creatures do you keep at home?

For renting we can't have pets!

So we have familiar pests

There’s the daddy long legs,

That moved from the shower cubicle

To underneath the commode,

I disturb it ritually

Every week while vacuuming.

There’s the ugly black cricket

That keeps popping up everywhere

Despite being carefully put back

In the garden where it should belong.

Stubborn little creature!

Lastly there’s the large night moth

That refuses to follow the lights

To the safety of the garden

And keeps flying directly

Into one's face.

So this place is not so unfriendly

As I first thought.

But I still miss my dogs.

L. Bailliet ©

22/01/2013

Humdrum pets

The beloved returned to work

After two weeks of holidays.

I am like a lost soul

Wandering in the netherworld

Of the empty house,

When suddenly the fridge's humming

Reminds me that I am not alone.

I charge the dishwasher

And its happy whooshing

Follows me in the kitchen.

I load the washing machine too,

For good measure,

And its whirring accompanies me while

I vacuum the place

That one is no company at all

As it intrudes on my mind.

It is a purely mechanical device

With no mind at all,

Except to be contrary

When not following where I lead.

While all of my familiars

Are working nicely in the background

I put up my feet to read a chapter

While relaxing to some meditation music.

I love a busy household!

L. Bailliet©

9/10/2012

Le bien-aimé est retourné au travail

Après deux semaines de vacances.

Je suis comme une âme perdue

Errant dans le monde indisctinct

De la maison vide,

Quand tout à coup le bourdonnement du frigo

 Me rappelle que je ne suis pas seule.

Je charge le lave-vaisselle

Et son humide ronronnent

Me suit dans la cuisine.

Je charge aussi la machine à laver,

Pour faire bonne mesure

Et son vrombissant m'accompagne partout

Je passe l’aspirateur, mais

Celui-là n'est pas un de mes familiers

Car il empiète sur mon esprit

Il s'agit d'un dispositif purement mécanique

Sans aucun esprit sauf  de se montrer contraire

Quand il ne me suit pas où je le mène.

Alors que tous mes familiers

Travaillent bien en arrière-plan,

J'ai me repose pour lire un chapitre

Tout en relaxant à une musique de méditation.

J'aime une maison débordante d'activité!

L. Bailliet©

9/10/2012

Nostalgic Walk

Nostalgic walk in Royal Park

After a week of rain

The grounds are waterlogged

And water is freely running  on the track

Creating shallow puddles

Against which my holey shoes cannot block

The water flowing in transforming

My walk in a swimmingly swashing watery one

Unfortunately the wind is icily blowing

And the feeling was one of disagreeable cold wetness.

For an unknown reason

I had a flashback of walking

With my dog freshly arrived in Melbourne.

Not wanting to walk, play or explore this new playground

Given a chance she would have gone home

And would have surely bolted but I was her only known element

In this new environment she followed me

More terrorised by the walk, the crowd of people and dogs

Than by the three day trip we'd just driven South.

I miss her dreadfully she was such a brave one

So lovely and so trusting.

L. Bailliet©

4/07/2012

Promenade nostalgique dans Royal Park

Après une semaine de pluie

Le sol est gorgé d'eau

Et l'eau court librement sur la piste

En créant  des flaques peu profondes

Que mes chaussures trouées ne peuvent bloquer

Le débit d'eau transformant

Ma promenade en un clapotement liquide

Malheureusement le vent glacial 

Rend l'humidité froide désagréable.

Pour une raison inconnue

J'ai eu un flash-back  de la première promenade

Avec ma chienne fraîchement arrivée à Melbourne.

Ne voulant pas marcher, jouer ou explorer cette nouvelle aire de jeux

Étant donné une chance, elle serait rentrée à la maison

Et se serait surement échappée, mais j'étais son seul élément connu

Dans ce nouvel environnement, elle m'a suivi

Plus terrorisée par la promenade et la foule des gens et des chiens

Que par le voyage de trois jours que nous venions de parcourir vers le sud.

Elle me manque terriblement, elle était tellement brave

Si belle, si aimante et si confiante.

L. Bailliet ©

4/07/2012

House spiders

Dead flies husks laying 

On the bedroom windowsill

Showing the silent if deadly

Activity of the resident black spider.

It does not go AWOL as others

Tend to do, so our paths

Don't cross that much.

It is certainly shyer than the huntsman

Who loves to stretch herself

As much as possible in order

To display her flat velvety body

And her infinite legs

And always seems to be in one's way

Especially at night time when one's hand

Is blindly searching for the switch

And when it is revealed, it is within

Short distance of the said hand

Thankfully she scatters off hurriedly

How many times when the weather turns cold

Have we met at night-time?

L. Bailliet©

24/05/2012

The Cloudy Cat

During my afternoon nap

A white fat cat came to the window

To visit me

As soon as I woke up

His supporting cloud recessed

And it disappeared on

The horizon of my reality

Its white thick and silky fur

And its tail tightly wound around

Its body could neither 

Wipe nor hide the smile off its face.

Thank you for your visit

Curious little cloud.

L. Bailliet©

12/05/2012

Cet après-midi durant la sieste

Un large chat blanc vint à la fenêtre

Me rendre visite

Dès que je fus réveillée

Son nuage de support retraita

Et il disparut sur l'horizon de ma réalité.

Sa fourrure blanche épaisse et soyeuse

Et sa queue bien enroulée autour

De son corps ne pouvaient pas

Ni cacher ni effacer le sourire de son visage.

Je te remercie de ta visite

Curieux petit nuage.

L. Bailliet©

12/05/2012

Lilly and Rosie

                                            Lilly left us a year ago

Today was Rosie's turn.

Lilly was our trail-blazer

Always running and exploring in front of us

Coming back to urge us forward.

A bit bossy and imperious of manner.

Rosie was our herder always making sure

That everyone was accounted for

If she spotted a laggard

She would stop walking until the slacker

Had rejoined the party.

Rosie had not a bad bone in her

When Pongo, our ferret, tried to steal

From her bowl, she simply took the bowl away.

She was our little capitalist

Burying her bone and eating Lilly's.

Lilly was the most delicate one,

Asking for permission before jumping

On one's lap

While Rosie would jump directly

On the shyest of our guests

Starting licking their hands or face with enthusiasm.

Together they were fearless

Facing German Shepherds thrice their size.

Lilly would run wild and explore all the rabbits’ warrens

While Rosie would try to gather Punch and Judy,

Two sheep on the property that she terrified.

It was hilarious to see them trying

To hop after wallabies.

Working in shift in order to make sure 
That I always had one of them around
While studying
Or looking after Mim's early sleep.

For fifteen years you have shared our life

Our daily walks, pains and happiness 

We are grateful to you for bringing us

So much joy, love and companionship.

You are deeply missed

Bless you.

L.Bailliet ©

9/05/2012