Mike Heron

Beautiful Stranger

Mike Heron


Soft lapped the bark boats 
A wounded shoulder hurt me not 
Snake - like branches quietly hid my eyes so bright in the swamp-red sun 
Soft edged the foreign words 
Coloured by the dark waves splash in the mist 
Brown the breasts and purple-stained 
Dye deep-pounded with the stone 
The warm wind now lifts the haze 
I looked and I caught my breath 
And I raised my head up high 
And I shouted out loud in my soul 
Beautiful stranger I'm glad I found you 

Bright the sky above my head 
Streaked with red and yellow wing 
Warm the mud between my toes 
Darkest green the inland trail 
Distant now the bark boats 
Golden beads on silver wire of sea 
Long bathed by salty spray 
Visions float on the dry earths smell 
Drifting back through younger days 
I looked and I caught my breath 
And I shouted out loud in my soul 
Beautiful stranger I'm glad I found you 

Moist and cool the river bank 
Laid me down against a tree 
Remembering as in a dream 
Shoulder cut in the dark waves splash 
In that place no wound there was 
Only a ring of finest bronze there gleamed 
Soft lapped the back boats 
Brown the breasts and purple stained 
River green reflect the gaze 
I looked and I caught my breath 
And I raised my head up high 
And I shouted out loud in my soul 
Beautiful stranger I'm glad I found you