Man and garden conspired to create a maze
in miniature; designed to amaze friends -
or foe - as they stumble about until,
by the toss of a coin, the obvious choice
betwixt Rapaki Drive, Glenelg Spur and
Centaurus Drive opens to a winding path
which leads the mind to imagine secret hideaways
lurking within dry stone walls and under leafy umbrellas
and secretly for the trees won't tell - these mature
English oak, pin oak, copper beech, ginkgo, Australian flowering gum,
magnolia tulip and a manuka with its reminder
of a canoodle in spring where, in the gardens special place,
Daphne whispered to Wisteria of how Jasmine hedged while mandarin,
lime, lemon and grapefruit turned from sour to sweet
at the sight of robust purple Rhododendron
toying with blushing white Camellia.

And a late blue crocus
shyly pierced the hard ground
and opened to the warming sun.