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Melaleuca

Number 18: December 2010 Editor: Phillip A. Ellis

Table of Contents

Forty-Five Lines of Childhood Stuart Barnes 03

There Is no Such Thing as Accident; it Is Stuart Barnes 04

Fate Misnamed

Choking Mike Berger 05

Lady in Blue Mike Berger 06

Pleading my Case Mike Berger 07

The Flame Malobi Sinha 08

Gifted Malobi Sinha 09

Smile Malobi Sinha 10

All works are copyright by their respective creators, 2010; the arrangement of this collection is

copyright by Phillip A. Ellis, 2010.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works

2.5 Australia License .

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Forty-Five Lines of Childhood

2/6/89 Dear Diary, today I visited Eagle Hawk

Neck and took several photos of the Devils

Kitchen, the Tasman Arch and the Blowhole.

Then I visited Nubeena and saw the Roaring

Beach. I then had lunch and visited EagleHawk Neck again to have a lot [sic] at the

Tesselated [sic] Pavement. I found the trip

very interesting and saw some wildlife such as

swans and ducks. 3/6/89 Dear Diary, today

I went down to the Scout Hall to sort and

stack the bottles. After that I came home

and had a hit with my hockey stick. I had

lunch and for the rest of the afternoon I

listened to music and drew animals and a

hot air balloon from the book The Fantastic

Flying Journey. 4/6/89 Dear Diary, today my

Dad ran in a 7km fun run out at Lauderdale.

While I was there I played with some

friends that I made. While I was down there

I had lunch and on the way home I finished

sorting and stacking the bottles at the Scout

Hall. When I came home I went around my

street asking for sponsors for the World

Vision Foodbusters. 5/6/9 Dear Diary, today

I made a visit to the State Library and borr-

owed quite a few books to read. When I camehome I had lunch and for the rest of the

afternoon I drew some birds and read my

library books. 6/6/89 Dear Diary, today I made

a visit to town and I had a look at some Tin-

tin books. After that I walked up to the

State Library to return and borrow some more

books. When I came home I had lunch, read

some books and had a hit with my hockey

stick. 7/9/89 Dear Diary, today dad and I

visited the glassworks and we saw how the

champagne and premium lager bottles were[sic] made. A man took us around the works

from the start to the finish. The temper-

ature of the furnace was 1200c. I found

the whole tour very interesting. 8/6/9 Dear

Diary, today dad and I went to Risbys to get

some to build the new wardrobe in mum

and dads [sic] bedroom. For most of the

afternoon dad and I built the wardrobe frame.

Stuart Barnes

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There Is no Such Thing as Accident; it Is Fate Misnamed*for two dear friends, artists, who, on December 2, 2010,

survived a three-vehicle pileup; we laud the Moirae

1. Its all fun and games

until someone loses an eye, she crows,Nefertiti moulding sweetened hospital pillows;

but the screws and plates, the pills and bills, the lawyers.

O wise Osiris, keep her bold as Sawyer!

This fingered snags tornadoed such unrest.

What happens next is anybodys guess.

2. Resentful Perceptions

They see onlybaby blue plaster

from toes to knee.

I see the squeal

of brakes, listen

to the highways

incandescence,

touch the petrols

thunder, smell

the passenger

handles resis-

tance, taste the

blood funnelling

through Ruths

mouth and nose.

3. The Wonderful Lack of FlashbackWe feel so blessed; its a turning point in our lives

says my sister, a filament blown behind one iris.

I know its only been seven days since the collision,

but its not the morphine talking Martins the same:

every time we fall asleep, every time we blink our lids,

all that flare are illustrations, all that flare are paintings

Stuart Barnes

*Napoleon Bonaparte

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Choking

Me and me mate were

crawlin the pubs.

We settled next to

a table of Sheila's.

They were laughing and eatenchicken and downen suds .

We eyed them and offered

to buy them a pint.

They looked at us and laughed.

Then one jumped to her feet

She clutched her throat

and opened her mouth.

"HELP", cried a Sheila

poundin her friend on the back.

I jumped right in, "Can you

breath ", I asked

she shook her head; she

was turning blue.

I grabbed her skirt and her

undies and jerked them to

her knees. I gave her a lick

on her left cheek.

She screamed and that stuck

chicken came flying out. She gasp.

Me mate smiled and said, "I've never

seen the hind-lick maneuver before.

Mike Berger

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Lady in Blue

Lunchtime came, and I went to the

deli. I ordered a Rubin sandwich

for lunch. I was immediately taken

by an attractive lady dressed in blue.

She wasn't in the traditional gorgeouscreature. She had a round face and

long blonde hair.

She was eating alone. I ask if I could

join her. She nodded yes between bites

of her salad. I looked into her eyes and

asked, "What is that perfume; it is

intoxicating.

She smiled at me and asked if I was

hitting on her. I replied, "I certainly was.""I have a boyfriend," she replied. "How

big is he?" I asked. She laughed and

nearly choked on her salad. "You don't

take no for an answer," she replied.

"I have reservations for two at the best

restaurant in town," I told her. She

smirked and said, "You came prepared."

"No," I said. "I don't have reservations

but I will in a moment." I dialed my

cell phone and made reservations for

two.

She laughed and seemed pleased; as

she smiled she showed up one huge

dimple. I pushed away my sandwich;

I wasn't interested in tucker I put my

hand over hers and she didn't move

away.

"I have to get back to work," she said.She took a slip of paper out of her purse

and scribbled something on it. She stood

and walked away. I enjoyed the view.

I read her note and this is what it said:

"Nice try; by the way my perfume is opium."

Mike Berger

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The Flame

Ravaging and burning

The cyclone washes over

The world at large

Like a giant plane

Of fire; I sit in my houseAnd wonder if it

Will engulf the planet

As all burns in shame

Or whether we have enough

Good left in us all

To weather the flame

Malobi Sinha

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Gifted

The fire ripped through

The apartment

Destroying everything

In its wake;

The charred remainsOf the curtains

That had shut out

The light for so

Long lay crumpled

On the ground; The

Pieces of silver

On the mantelpiece still

Shone as they had

The day they were

Gifted on her wedding

Malobi Sinha

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Smile

When was it, the

Last time that I saw

You smile; was it

When the goblins and the

Monsters had leftThe last time you

Smiled; or was it

When the angels came out

To play, golden halos

Shining in the Sun;

Know this, my dear, that

The word is indeed a

Brighter place

Because of your smile

Malobi Sinha

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