LEAF COLLECTOR
STORY #42 - D Munday NSW
In these premenstrual moments touch and go stomach bloated, dry throated, foggy hazed, half-crazed Depressed, undressed, A wish to be caressed By some dark-eyed star of the silver screen, I try to grasp some reality, To keep the insanity well locked away But as time passed, empty glasses Dirty dishes, forgotten wishes Eyeliner creeps into the wrinkled deeps Twenty four years Confusion and fears Put down the pen And try once again To overlook these premenstrual moments
STORY #49 - Anonymous
The tracks are covered in leaf matter in varying stages of decay. Mostly they're old and brown but there are also the leaves that have dropped from the wind, rain or from animals and these are the greener leaves that still have a bit of life in them. The first leaf I really took notice of was bright green gum with a bulbous fluorescent yellow insect sack stuck to it. I picked it up and studied it and thought about how nature makes the most perfect colours, shapes, and patterns and I think I needed a bit more nature in my life. So, I took it home and put it on my bedside so I could admire it some more. That was leaf number one. After that, I started noticing and collecting leaves of beauty everywhere I went. On the way to school, near the local shops, out the front of my friend's unit block, on the bonnet of my car. Some for their color, some for the unique shape, and some for the way they’d eroded, faded or been stained by the weather. Years later I still have a huge collection of leaves - some on my walls, some in draws, and some have been gifted to people who need them. I still notice the occasional leaf but I don't always take it home with me anymore. I sometimes wonder how I got to 40 without ever noticing the beauty of a leaf.