Violent violins of Vancouver,
Dangerous double basses of Boston,
Poisonous pianos of Portsmouth and the
Terrifying trumpets of Tunbridge Wells.
November 7, 2010
Violent violins of Vancouver
October 30, 2010
floating into the day
breakfast consumed and I am set for the day
except for a state of casual undress
that eases into a Saturday full of promise
frictionless state, free of strife
October 25, 2010
the frosty overhang
the central heating clicked in
and it was warm, at last,
the days of shivering
under bedclothes,
frosty hanging red nosed breath
relegated now to history
October 20, 2010
The Ex Drip
The drip is no more – it has ceased to be.
No more sleepless nights for me.
Tap, tap… taptaptap….. tap… taptap….
The duvet over the head, the radio on,
Tap..tap..tap..tap..tap…..
At last a rhythm to take me to oblivion.
But the drip is no more. It is an ex drip.
It rained last night. I held my breath….. nothing !
The guttering’s fixed.
The drip is no more. Will I be able to get to sleep without it ?
October 6, 2010
The scout drop-off
Wednesday nights
the drop-off
car slows down
passenger door opens
stick of kids jump out
in full uniform and ready for action
door shuts behind them
car drives off
leaving scene of incident
kids run straight inside
looking neither to the left nor the right
street returns to normal
life resumed
as if nothing had ever happened
August 23, 2010
sentry I
The wind beats my cheeks and blows back my hair as I stand on the breakwater gazing out to sea.
sentry I
wind: pummels cheeks
blows hair, unkempt, across face
catching eye, distracting not
as I search the scudding clouds
and foaming waves,
a swirl of whiteness, green and grey,
the cormorant and black guillemot
patrol their beat, cry for my attention,
ignore me and plunge
for their cold fish supper.
after five hundred years of watching
a lone sail sets its course
and now the fishing boats return
men in industrial overalls
Foillan Beg, Lenague, Coral Strand 2nd
Genesis of Peel, Aleena,
stocky, thick set queenie-catching bottom-dredgers,
The Manx Cat, a “Sutton work boat out of Peel”
with two deck hands and a cargo of crabs
bright red buoys contrast with navy blue,
a swath of rust pours down the side,
dirty green nylon nets hang down.
oily sheen on the water.
August 9, 2010
The Ferry
The boredom of the long ferry journey
hearkens back to another age.
No internet connectivity,
the flicker of the TV glimmers hope
but it is Sky News –
repetition accentuates tedium.
I imagine we are on a spaceflight to Mars but I already only have one hour of laptop battery left. With two years to get there and two years to come back (you would hope we would be spending some time looking round when we arrive) the question of the moment is what to write in my remaining laptop hour?
the condemned man drug free
draws in deeply the sea air,
wonders at wind-born birdsong
and absorbs the sun’s facial caress.
instant relief,
a care free moment that will end;
the lure of the laptop-reconnected.
June 26, 2010
summertime on the tube
hot and sweaty rush hour in June
lots of people wearing office clothes
clammy, oppressive, tiring heat
yearning for ice cold water in a pint glass
mind is at home in the back garden
with no shoes on
June 25, 2010
daytripper checklist
wallet check
tickets check
bag check
hat check
phone check
son check
let’s go
June 18, 2010
England Expects
dejected, sat on sofas
travelling ever so hopefully
they arrived disappointed
as usual
happens every time
memories of 1966 linger
even though they were largely unborn
England expects
June 10, 2010
Nursery Versus Poetry
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 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 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’.