Have you heard of Mary Mary,
the first of the gardening bimbos?
Charlie Dimmock in a frock,
she liked her flowers in rows.
She’d plant them all down the middle,
her borders exclusively grass,
well, you’d be a bit contrary
with your first name the same as your last.
June 10, 2010
Nursery Versus Poetry
June 6, 2010
morning after the storm
morning after the storm
feels as if we are in the tropics
nature at it’s loudest now as then
birds all celebrating survival
The barbecue has 2 inches of rain in it this morning. Last night’s storm is one of the heaviest I have ever experienced.
May 28, 2010
1984 – 1986
The 1984 – 1986 series of poems are ones written in those years. They have been in a book in one of my drawers since then and never looked at. I hadn’t actually realised that there were more than one or two but there are 23 in total and I will be posting them all in the 1984 – 1986 category of poetry.
Having forgotten all about them there is a little overlap in words and ideas with what I am writing today but I thought they were worth showing anyway. I was in my early twenties when they were being written and only a year or so out of college.
May 27, 2010
The Demise of a Co-Human
In scarcely a shelter of frost-bitten briar
A tramp slept soundly his last night of sleep
A bottle of whisky, last drunk of at midnight
Lay empty beside him poor company to keep.
Oaken boughs cracked and small ponies shivered
As the teeth of the wind and the ice made their mark
But this wretch was no wiser to wintery weather
And died in the gutter, alone in the dark.
No searchers came searching, no body was missing
In this soulless black of a January night
And the snow drifted deeper, a ghostly white cover
For the corpse of a brother who lost his last fight.
Sunday
Middle class suburban Sunday
Boredom, traditional and tedious
Black and white film on television
Followed by Dickens and religion.
Outside the rain falls steadily
Clouds closing sooner, a soon
Forgotten afternoon of Monopoly,
Tea and quarrelling with sisters.
May 23, 2010
I’m a Yorkshireman so There
Born in God’s own county, I first breathed Yorkshire air,
was bathed in Yorkshire water, was fed on Yorkshire fare,
but now I live in Lincolnshire, where men are coarse and loud,
not like we shy, retiring Tykes, taciturn but proud.
May 20, 2010
the birds are happy
the birds are happy
remember it’s a sin to kill a mocking bird
joe’s done a good job on the lawn
now he’s watering the autumn fruiting raspberries
they are about 18 inches high
it’s a lovely evening
23 degrees whilst I was on my way home
see that barrow in front of you?
I think we should redo it
the spray is so refreshing,
it’s on the really light mode
out comes a cup of green tea
May 15, 2010
Peter
We were twins.
Dandelion-and-burdock, lemonade, even medicines
would be measured glass against glass.
To each his equal share.
Anything else would have been ‘not fair’.
May 14, 2010
innocent leaves
innocent leaves vulnerable
delicate unaware delicacy
plucked before prime
or
left to harden
grow old venous
ugly shrivelled dry
goddam seagull shit
goddam seagull shit, gets everywhere.
don’t they teach those birds manners?
kissin’ the red
kissin’ the red
kissin’ the red
never mind the yellow
kissin’ the red
kissin’ the red
kissin’ the red
never mind the yellow
kissin’ the red
kissin’ the red
kissin’ the red
never mind the yellow
kissin’ the red
kissin’ the red
kissin’ the red
never mind the yellow
bad dad jack the lad
bad dad jack the lad
shut the fridge door!
shut the fridge door!
bad dad jack the lad
shut the fridge door!
May 6, 2010
goodbye, miss dunleavy
goodbye, miss dunleavy, goodbye
miss dunleavy, miss dunleavy
rolls off the tongue, rolls off the tongue
goodbye, miss dunleavy, goodbye
those words bring a tear to my eye
you did your bit, for my boy
goodbye, miss dunleavy, goodbye
No goodbye
He turned for one last look at the children and walked away. They carried on playing with their friends, laughing and screaming as kids do, taking no notice of the fact that he was going. Turning a corner he was out of sight and soon he could no longer hear them. He shoved his hands in his pockets and quickened his pace.
May 3, 2010
Acceptance
Stormy, obdurate emotions,
hypochondriacal notions,
pustules, piles,
prescriptions, potions,
pills and epidermal lotions,