somebody
has been stubbing out cigarettes
in the rumble
of the city
not on the top of the rubbish bin
not on the black top of the road
but in the v of the tree
where the trunk splits
into two
First published in Catchment – Poetry of Place, Sixth Edition.
*
Michael Buckingham Gray is a poet, writer, and creative writing tutor based in Perth, Western Australia. His writing focuses on place, habitat and the points where human and non-human lives meet.
About Michael →
*
Poetry
pearl of polystyrene
between two bricks
perfect as the day
it was produced:
white, round
but soft enough
to curl
into my
dog’s mouth.
Pearl of polystyrene
First published in The Ecological Citizen, 2024.
*
Fiction
And Brings Up Loose Dirt
He kneels in front of the cabin. He thrusts his long fingers into the ground, and brings up loose dirt. The sun illuminates him as he digs. He strikes something hard, and pulls out a potato. He places it in front of him like a prize. He plunges a hand back into the earth. A shadow casts over him. He gets to his feet and tilts his head upward: nothing but blue sky. He considers going into town. But he may see the mayor. More than once the elected official has taken him aside and congratulated him on the polished redwood dining tables he used to make. Then the mayor asks why the business shut down. Each time, he fails to respond. He kneels in front of the cabin. He thrusts his long fingers into the ground, and brings up loose dirt.
First published in Flash: The International Short-Short Story Magazine 7.1 (2014), p. 20.
“It is a masterpiece.”
- Ashley Chantler, SmokeLong Quarterly
*
For Young Readers
Leaf Litter
I crunch on a leaf
that spiralled from a tree
that somersaulted down the street
that slept in a doorway
that heard the honks of traffic
that was swept away by a shopkeeper
that was picked up by a woman in a wheelchair
that was passed to a young man with pimples
that he dropped at my feet
First published in Australian Children’s Poetry, 19 March 2026.
Buy books →
*
From the critics
“Michael Buckingham Gray’s efficiency with words in Cloudy Day makes for a poignant, wistful reveal.”
- Writing WA
“A lovely, succinct haiku that presents exacting imagery and a special feeling.”
- Nicholas Klacsanzky, Haiku Commentary
*
Work with me
Michael has spent more than a decade working with emerging writers, helping them develop their craft and bring their writing closer to its full potential.
Work with me →
has been stubbing out cigarettes
in the rumble
of the city
not on the top of the rubbish bin
not on the black top of the road
but in the v of the tree
where the trunk splits
into two
First published in Catchment – Poetry of Place, Sixth Edition.
*
Michael Buckingham Gray is a poet, writer, and creative writing tutor based in Perth, Western Australia. His writing focuses on place, habitat and the points where human and non-human lives meet.
About Michael →
*
Poetry
pearl of polystyrene
between two bricks
perfect as the day
it was produced:
white, round
but soft enough
to curl
into my
dog’s mouth.
Pearl of polystyrene
First published in The Ecological Citizen, 2024.
*
Fiction
And Brings Up Loose Dirt
He kneels in front of the cabin. He thrusts his long fingers into the ground, and brings up loose dirt. The sun illuminates him as he digs. He strikes something hard, and pulls out a potato. He places it in front of him like a prize. He plunges a hand back into the earth. A shadow casts over him. He gets to his feet and tilts his head upward: nothing but blue sky. He considers going into town. But he may see the mayor. More than once the elected official has taken him aside and congratulated him on the polished redwood dining tables he used to make. Then the mayor asks why the business shut down. Each time, he fails to respond. He kneels in front of the cabin. He thrusts his long fingers into the ground, and brings up loose dirt.
First published in Flash: The International Short-Short Story Magazine 7.1 (2014), p. 20.
“It is a masterpiece.”
- Ashley Chantler, SmokeLong Quarterly
*
For Young Readers
Leaf Litter
I crunch on a leaf
that spiralled from a tree
that somersaulted down the street
that slept in a doorway
that heard the honks of traffic
that was swept away by a shopkeeper
that was picked up by a woman in a wheelchair
that was passed to a young man with pimples
that he dropped at my feet
First published in Australian Children’s Poetry, 19 March 2026.
Buy books →
*
From the critics
“Michael Buckingham Gray’s efficiency with words in Cloudy Day makes for a poignant, wistful reveal.”
- Writing WA
“A lovely, succinct haiku that presents exacting imagery and a special feeling.”
- Nicholas Klacsanzky, Haiku Commentary
*
Work with me
Michael has spent more than a decade working with emerging writers, helping them develop their craft and bring their writing closer to its full potential.
Work with me →