Cassandra
Lisa Davis
Art by Lauren Smith
A droning like miniature chainsaws
Is it the solar converter?
No, it’s bees in the maple
A great disruption is coming
The baby’s reflux screams finally cease
I can’t move, else he’ll wake
Never alone, yet lonely; then
Bellbirds – ping, ping, ping
She’s been trying to warn us since the 80s
What does it do to a soul to know?
Her body, hardened coral, bleached by impotence
Should we build a bunker?
Some days I don’t leave the house
I am but a character in his story
Lichen fades, sap drips to sting
The act of survival is time-consuming
Even so, I would bury my feet here next to yours
Our roots entwined for as long as we are allowed
A tiny spider gliding down a zip-line from your bough
Even fire cannot destroy grass
Lisa Davis is a writer and bookseller living and working on Wurundjeri Country. She is the author of the contemporary novel Yes, Chef! (under Lisa Joy) and the owner of Ramarro Farm, one of Australia’s leading market gardens. Find her on Instagram @lisa_davis_writer
