In a Subjunctive Mood

By David Harris

‘Quizas,’ she said. ‘Perhaps. It takes the subjunctive case.’

A light-bulb moment – of course it does. It expresses something uncertain, imagined, unreal with words like possibly, maybe or ‘once upon a time’. While some of the poems in this book were triggered by real events, others are pu

• Language: English
• Publisher: Debbie Lee
• Release date: Oct 9, 2017
• ISBN: 9781760414351

David Harris

David Harris is a historian and novelist for both adults and young people. Among his many books is an account of his own search for the lost city of Li-jien, built by the ancient Romans in China. He lives in Adelaide.

Book preview

In a Subjunctive Mood

In a Subjunctive Mood

David Harris

Ginninderra Press

In Subjunctive Mood

ISBN 978 1 76041 435 1

Copyright © text David Harris 2017

Cover photo – Dreamstime File ID 9778163

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All rights reserved. No part of this ebook may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the copyright holder. Requests for permission should be sent to the publisher at the address below.

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First published 2017 by

Ginninderra Press

PO Box 3461 Port Adelaide 5015 Australia

www.ginninderrapress.com.au

Contents

In a Subjunctive Mood

In a Subjunctive Mood

Subjunctive

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Quizás – Perhaps.

‘It takes the subjunctive,’ she says.

Spanish is more careful with

the richness of its grammar.

The verb in the subjunctive mood

carries uncertainty, mystery.

explores the conditional – the imaginary.

Perhaps, perhaps,

would that it were true!

If only…

If it were possible…

Once upon a time…

Perhaps, with subjunctive –

what better way to start a story

or a poem?

Night flight

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The sky tonight is cloudless,

moonless, black.

Above the haze of earth

the stars are an infinity

of brilliant jewels

sprinkled near and far.

Below me, the city is a

twinkling nebula,

a spiderweb of lights.

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Tonight there’s no horizon.

I’m at the centre of this sphere.

I climb up into a loop.

Venus tracks down my windscreen –

up, over,

the milky way drifts down,

passing out of sight beneath my feet.

Above my head, the city nebula appears.

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Down, down, a dropping stone

towards the glittering city.

Ease back. Level out.

Back to reality.

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To feel the cosmos.

To be an atom at the centre of

my own universe.

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Awesome.

The Law

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Watering the plants.

Hose in hand. The game –

how many can I water without moving?

I point the nozzle slowly upwards.

The stream falls further away,

its advance slowing to a stop

and with further upward tilt

begins a slow retreat.

So that’s as far as I can reach from here.

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Einstein visualised himself

riding on a beam of light.

I become a drop of water.

Bursting from the hose, I join my colleagues.

Together we form a glistening curve,

an elegant parabola,