Detail, Poetry, Ricoh RF 500
by Patrick Jennings

Ghosts

Ghost Gum, Stuart Highway, Near Tennant Creek, Northern Territory, Australia
I held you
In my arms
Stroking yours
Skin white and smooth

Like the ghost gums
In the Red Centre
I would come to know
Centuries later

I held you
While you grew cold
Your eyes
Already clouding

My body emptied
Of presence
Hollowed
By your absence

Sitting in a small
Mundane room
My spirit guide
Told this story

From a vision

And like centuries ago
I became hollow
Grieving as if
I’d just lost you

For the first time

Ghost Gums
Stuart Highway
Probably somewhere near Tennant Creek
The Red Centre
Northern Territory, Australia

Taken during travels, 1994