{"id":3976,"date":"2023-11-14T17:12:03","date_gmt":"2023-11-14T07:12:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?p=3976"},"modified":"2024-02-03T10:01:41","modified_gmt":"2024-02-03T00:01:41","slug":"watching-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?p=3976","title":{"rendered":"Watching Me"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Four in the morning, I\u2019m leaving for the airport
In the mirror I see you standing at the door
Watching me,
crying<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My eyes feel the prickle from
the stab at my heart
Go back to bed darling
I\u2019ll be home soon<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can you believe me
when all you know is loss?
This is your truth
People leave and don\u2019t return<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Go back to bed darling
I\u2019ll be home soon<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To read more of Amanda’s work, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Four in the morning, I\u2019m leaving for the airportIn the mirror I see you standing at the doorWatching me,crying My eyes feel the prickle fromthe …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3980,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[19],"tags":[9,56,62,198,254,8,21,15,10],"class_list":["post-3976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-poetry","tag-amanda-gambas","tag-children","tag-family","tag-loss","tag-love","tag-mountain-ash-chapter","tag-poetry","tag-travel","tag-writing"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pff1uY-128","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":676,"url":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?p=676","url_meta":{"origin":3976,"position":0},"title":"The Walls Are Splattered With Blood","author":"Amanda Gambas","date":"April 5, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The walls are splattered with blood.My bloodmy husband\u2019s bloodtoo much blood spilled tonight.Grey ghosts we call them, orWhite walkersNew arrivals, pale, nearly invisible,\u00a0evil A gentle snore,maybe human or canineNot loud enough to keep me awakeI begin to dose offNervous system spiked alertby the spine chilling zzzz in my earSmack, smack\u00a0with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Poetry"","block_context":{"text":"Poetry","link":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?cat=19"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/logan-weaver-lgnwvr-tIQ7_YFHId4-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/logan-weaver-lgnwvr-tIQ7_YFHId4-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/logan-weaver-lgnwvr-tIQ7_YFHId4-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/logan-weaver-lgnwvr-tIQ7_YFHId4-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/logan-weaver-lgnwvr-tIQ7_YFHId4-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/logan-weaver-lgnwvr-tIQ7_YFHId4-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":620,"url":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?p=620","url_meta":{"origin":3976,"position":1},"title":"Don’t You Think That’s Odd?","author":"Amanda Gambas","date":"March 18, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"You\u2019ve never met my kids Don\u2019t you think that\u2019s odd? I flew interstate to see your new baby only weeks after she was born But I didn\u2019t give birth did I? My kids who are not of my womb But very much of my heart, my thoughts, my all These\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Poetry"","block_context":{"text":"Poetry","link":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?cat=19"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/IMG_3396-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/IMG_3396-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/IMG_3396-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/IMG_3396-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/IMG_3396-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/IMG_3396-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2060,"url":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?p=2060","url_meta":{"origin":3976,"position":2},"title":"The Boy and the Azure Sky","author":"Amanda Gambas","date":"August 9, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The boy\u2019s orange shorts stand out against the azure skyHe has one foot on his skateboardas it balances on the lip of the bowlI crouch down low to film his first drop-in on my phone.Beyond the grey cement, I\u2019m distracted by the immense vastness of everything above usA few clouds\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Poetry"","block_context":{"text":"Poetry","link":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?cat=19"},"img":{"alt_text":"Azure Sky","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/andrei-lazarev-YXYbkRNwbkM-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/andrei-lazarev-YXYbkRNwbkM-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/andrei-lazarev-YXYbkRNwbkM-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/andrei-lazarev-YXYbkRNwbkM-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/andrei-lazarev-YXYbkRNwbkM-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/andrei-lazarev-YXYbkRNwbkM-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":757,"url":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?p=757","url_meta":{"origin":3976,"position":3},"title":"Once There Was a Village – Now There Is Selfcare","author":"Amanda Gambas","date":"April 22, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Meet JaneJane is struggling to keep things togetherJane reaches out looking for helpThe People shake their heads and say I know it\u2019s tough isn\u2019t it?It\u2019s normal,We\u2019re all struggling.The People say Selfcare is the answer, are you looking after yourself?Jane asks What is selfcare?The People tell her to go away on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Poetry"","block_context":{"text":"Poetry","link":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?cat=19"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/guy-stevens-dEGu-oCuB1Y-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/guy-stevens-dEGu-oCuB1Y-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/guy-stevens-dEGu-oCuB1Y-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/guy-stevens-dEGu-oCuB1Y-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/guy-stevens-dEGu-oCuB1Y-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/guy-stevens-dEGu-oCuB1Y-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3960,"url":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?p=3960","url_meta":{"origin":3976,"position":4},"title":"Mourning for Mallacoota","author":"Maggie McLaren","date":"November 7, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Dead trees rise from the hills like grey hairs on a bald man's head,New leaves cling in clumps to straight black tree trunks,Wattles emerge under burnt forests,\u00a0randomly scattered like plump golden cushions upon the earth,Blanched tree bodies lie on steep ochre banks,\u00a0patiently waiting to decompose. 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