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Marilyn Humbert

Simple Pleasures

the sameness
within these four walls
self-isolation
during Covid days
a fog blurs my mind

For weeks we have been staying close to home, only going out for essentials. Now restrictions are slowly being eased. We drive 30 minutes north to Woy Woy on the Central Coast of NSW.

In sunshine we pedal the cycleway beside the shoreline. It’s mostly flat, twisting between sports ovals, bush and water. Eucalypts and Ti-trees cast shadows, dappling the path. Brown ducks, gulls and pelicans picnic in the shallows, ignore our passing. We stop to rest at the wooden bridge over a tidal creek.

ebbtide
between mangroves
tiny crabs
soft-shoe shuffle
sideways to the sea

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About the Author

Marilyn Humbert lives in the Northern suburbs of Sydney, Australia. Her tanka and haiku appear in international and Australian journals, anthologies, and online. Her free-verse poems have been awarded prizes in competitions, published online and in anthologies.