the place beyond criticism
 for my critic friends

it's empty out here 
there's land
but no landscape

a scary tumbling
swimming millipede
seen as the roman bath filled up
re-examined
was a white feather
in moving water

air in trees
made rain all night
in the morning
the dry karoo
noisy weaver-birds
building again

this is the bare place
not even 'land'
not even 'empty'

peacock sound
help! help!


warmwarterberg spa
little karoo
july 1993