An Ingres Back
She has an Ingres back
She is a violin
And when she’s in his arms
She sweetly plays for him
She doesn’t know the words
He doesn’t know the tune
There’s a duet of sorts
In that sweet dark bedroom
His fingerwork is good
Her mouth is soft and warm
While she is in his arms
They will not come to harm
Her voice is like a lute
And y...
Tuesday 20th December 2011 8:16 am
in sleep
The rain snaps
on the window pane
like sticks.
Sleeping
a young man’s sleep -
he’s gone
head back
neck curved
a swan.
Breathe even
breathe deep
dream on
dream sweet.
I don’t sleep
lie thinking
I’ll not pass
this way
again as
dawn breaks
with rain.
Next night
alone
I fe...
Thursday 15th December 2011 10:41 am
in arms not meant
Smile sits, content
a dove upon a nest
settles down
for morning snooze
in arms, not meant.
In arms not meant
smile stretches
like a cat
in warmth
and harmony
content.
Smile knows
no matter
that it is not meant
for pleasure grows
and echoes
in another smile
another smile
content.
With warmth of ...
Thursday 8th December 2011 11:02 am
the note
"Did you have a good fuck?"
The note lies in the kitchen bin.
I've just come in from a date with the new man.
To me, our marriage was long over.
But the jagged writing told
this was not the case for you.
And, if I did have a good screw
I can't remember.
The pain held in that note
is with me still, thirty years on.
And your kindness...
Friday 25th November 2011 6:45 pm
unicorn
It was on Monday that I first saw the unicorn in my garden.
I noticed that he had to eat leaves from the trees.
If he bent his head to the grass his spiral horn would stick in the ground.
I started to feel sorry for the unicorn. He seemed lonely.
I realised I was in love with the unicorn.
He was so beautiful.
The unicorn and I talked for the first time.
He was ...
Wednesday 23rd November 2011 5:43 am
Space Junk
Catch a piece of space junk
Put it in your pocket
Save it for a rainy day
Maybe you could hide it
In your airing cupboard
Or you could sell it on ebay.
I guess a good place for you to keep it
Would be underneath your bed
Maybe today though you should stay indoors
In case a piece comes falling on your head.
Remember it’s the property
Of the...
Sunday 20th November 2011 10:32 am
bucket
Born in a bucket
Brought up by bitches
Fed on red mullet
Schooled by old witches
Housed in a pig stye
Ensconced in a rat run
Dressed in drab tawdrey
Shod in old cat gut
A mother called Rancid
A father called Squallor
Shat on and spat on
Biffed by a truncheon
Jailed in a drainhole
Pissed on by tossers
Left on a scrap heap
Torn at ...
Saturday 12th November 2011 3:55 pm
pride and joy
I guess I should have worried
When you used to chop up worms
But I was your loving mother
So I wasn’t too concerned.
Maybe it was a bad sign
When you set fire to your bed
But I was just so doting
“Oh dear” was all I said.
And on the occasion
You hacked off your sister’s plaits
I must have been on your side so
We’ll draw a veil o'er that.
The...
Tuesday 25th October 2011 6:20 pm
autumn egg
Lying on the muddy grass
among curled leaves
a shell, new hatched,
the inner curve
faint veined.
It is October now
how can this be.
An egg in autumn?
Above the estuary
silver shafts
glance down.
A curlew trills.
And I feel empty
as an autumn egg.
Saturday 22nd October 2011 9:33 pm
great north diver
Solitary in winter
I find you on the beach
sleepbound.
I’ve walked some miles across this sand
wind knocking me back.
On my right the sea battles.
My hair lashes my face.
In this chaos of desolation
you are a concentrated essence
a nugget of pure exhaustion.
What lies behind your dreaming ruby eye?
The pressure of the sea
h...
Thursday 20th October 2011 6:47 pm
beautiful in snow
If love is a tree
It is a tree in winter.
No lush romantic blur of green
To hide behind.
When spring gales blow
The branch will break.
The lightness of the naked winter bough
Springs back in gusty January days.
Nothing is hidden
From the heart or eye
As we stand firm against the chill.
Beautiful in snow.
Wednesday 19th October 2011 4:41 pm
son goes
I walk back up the lane
my toe within your heel
two journeys marked in mud.
The bus has gone
you’ll text me when
you’re on the train.
Back home, retrieve the key
wash up two cups,
and two crumbed plates.
Fold back the futon
shake the duvet
wash the sheets.
Put away the sugar till next time.
Sunday 16th October 2011 8:39 am
apple haiku
Cascades of pink lace
Adam and Eve in Eden
Skin, flesh, pip, stalk, gone
Cascades of pink lace
Adam and Eve meet a snake
Skin, flesh, pip, stalk, gone
Thursday 13th October 2011 7:10 pm
"The last remaining Mara hare . . . "
“The last remaining mara hare has moved on . . .”
I wonder where he went.
Was he upset because Scampie the meerkat died aged twelve?
A good age for a meerkat I’d suggest.
Or was he miffed because a new milk snake is on display
in the Tropical House? Did he want to be there too
snug in the palm-tree warmth
hopping over all the lizards, showing off?
“Th...
Thursday 6th October 2011 7:05 pm
beguiled by seals
On Porthgwidden beach
I was beguiled by seals
as, slippery as eels
they smoothly sparred and courted
romantically cavorted
on the darkling tide.
Nipping, so I could see revealed
two pink mouths snapping.
Their backs made
Loch Ness Monster shapes
then, two heads alert,
eager as dogs waiting
for a ball.
Chasing off again, both caught
...Saturday 1st October 2011 5:23 pm
barefoot self
I want to find my barefoot self
has she been waiting all this time
here in St Ives?
A little girl, I saw the beatniks on the pier
was mesmerised, left something there –
my raggetty-black-jumpered self
playing a guitar.
At Troika studio, pocket money spent –
something from the seconds shelf.
And a ceramic pendant, orange like the sun
on ...
Sunday 25th September 2011 8:18 am
owl
Owl sinks soft
A silk handkerchief
Bringing blackness to vole and leveret
Soft as fog
Sharp as razors owl sinks down
Like a blanket over a birdcage
Then
Swish, away, a lens shape,
Slips into the barn
Quiet as snow.
Sizes up his children ……….
Friday 16th September 2011 7:02 am
drift reservoir
The reservoir at Drift.
It is evening.
Deserted picnic benches, fishing signs.
Tension – depths of dark water,
a high retaining wall.
I walk along the parapet.
I look down.
I look across.
On the far shore a dead swan lies
breast blown, rib cage exposed,
feet blackwebbed leather,
a far scattering of feathers.
Hurried...
Saturday 10th September 2011 9:28 am
peace
Today
I feel a sense of peace
as if someone
had told me
that there is no such thing
as death.
And I felt as if
I’d known that all along.
Thursday 8th September 2011 10:51 am
earth
I felt you near today
as I was pulling weeds out in the rain.
You’re never there when I read my poems,
buy new clothes
or put my make-up on.
But today
when I was pulling weeds out in the rain
I felt you there
watching,
over my shoulder.
The strawberry runners
were stretching out their arms.
Cooch grass roots spread out l...
Tuesday 6th September 2011 2:22 pm
another kiss
Another kiss you’ll never have
you used to say to me.
When I was busy,
feeling tired,
and I would turn away.
If I had known how few
those kisses were to be
I would have spared the time
to give those kisses free.
So now I send those kisses back
ten thousand fold to thee
yes now I send those kisses back.
Wherever you may be...
Wednesday 31st August 2011 6:14 pm
on porthcurnow beach
Porthcurnow sand is made from shells
the sea is clear as air.
Granite rocks crouch crack-meshed
sparkling with embedded crystal.
We spent our first night here
in sleeping bags between two rocks
where we held hands.
Each time I woke
the stars had twirled around
creating a new picture.
At dawn I swam.
A tiny black leach attached ...
Sunday 28th August 2011 9:23 pm
china horses
When I was in my seventh year of heaven
white china horses galloped on the path,
moss was in the meadow,
goldfish flicked tails deep in the pond.
Herder to my lead sheep
I hid beneath the lilac tree
crushed blackcurrant buds,
made playgrounds for worms.
I discovered that lead has a smell
and worms can never play.
But I liked worms
An...
Friday 26th August 2011 4:44 pm
arrival
You arrive
in a flurry of bags and boxes.
We take a glass of wine,
walk across the field
so you can see the sea.
Through your eyes
I see everything
again.
Thank you.
Sunday 21st August 2011 11:02 pm
help please :)
Getting my act together re starting an Open Mic in Aggie. But . . . . does it make a difference which night of the week it is? Weds & Thurs seem popular on WOL's gig guide. But Wednesday's already booked.
And . . . does it matter?
Sunday 14th August 2011 12:09 pm
fat seal
There’s a seal in the harbour
fat as a bottle,
hankering after the “Jeanne Marie”.
The fisherman ignores
the black unblinking plea
but we, on the quayside,
wish he’d throw
a fish.
And I wish I was in the water too.
I want to squeeze his tight bulk to me,
feel the brush of hard whiskers
smell his ocean breath.
Want that ease of motion ...
Friday 12th August 2011 2:09 pm
the rub
It’s that time of the morning
when widows walk their dogs
avoiding the space at the breakfast table.
When frustrated wives ride horses
down the valley, just for the rub.
The beach is empty and the sea is warm.
I paddle and invent a song.
Sitting on a damp cold rock
I let the wind dry my feet
and I think
life is not so bad
for a woman witho...
Wednesday 10th August 2011 3:35 pm
groove around the kitchen - it's sunday!
Sunday 7th August 2011 9:13 am
by the roots
Sometimes
I start to pull
my hair out by the roots.
It’s just a little pain,
a tear, a hole forced from my head.
A very small attempt at a trepanning.
And as I sit daydreaming,
I find I’m holding strands
within my palm.
Fine spun threads!
I have to rise,
walk across the room
drop them in the bin.
And as the bin f...
Saturday 6th August 2011 7:23 am
rallying
I’m glad the steam rally won’t be here again.
I can ride past on the 85 with no reminder.
Nothing to make me dwell on those three days each year
When you were so engrossed – in steam!
Although we had the ancient taxi – off the plate -
You had to go there on your bike - I bussed it.
It seemed so romantic, meeting up
as you removed your cycle clips
while I f...
Tuesday 2nd August 2011 8:18 pm
silly housework poem (warning - contains the word bugger;)
I’ve lived here now three years and more
Bugger
Don’t look as good as it did before
Bugger
The skirting board has all gone fuzzy
Bugger
The colour’s dulled, the corners muzzy
Bugger
I’ve filled the place with loads of stuff
Bugger
Heaven knows I’ve got enough
Bugger
They say that after several years
Bugger
The dust bunnies get bigger...
Sunday 31st July 2011 11:30 am
diamante ghost
fingers
chill hard
grasping pulling scratching
scream soul ache loss
screaming aching losing
empty needy
ghost
Friday 29th July 2011 7:57 pm
diamante love
x
love
hot steamy
kissing sucking fucking
eyelids mouths fingers tongues
pulsing sweating panting
...
Thursday 28th July 2011 2:09 pm
by your leave
We walked out together in the morning
but I came back alone.
The mist was heavy.
You had on your best boots
for walking.
You didn’t bring me home.
Ties loosen
as time moves on.
I can spend a day
without a thought for you.
But sometimes
when the mist thickens
I hear your voice.
It never says goodbye.
Wednesday 27th July 2011 9:01 am
no place like home
Dusk seeps up through marshy ground
Gases bubble, a spooky sound
The owl swoops softly overhead
The bat flies from his foetid bed
But here is where I’d rather be
Not in the house where you haunt me.
The house looks warm and cosy though
Through the doorway I won’t go
Look through the window, you will see
A kitchen homely as can be.
But I know ...
Monday 25th July 2011 7:33 pm
white knights
White nights joust on the hill
Spoiling for a fight
And in a lonely cottage
I turn on the light.
Saturday 23rd July 2011 8:01 pm
whitechapel ladies
Oh won’t you come down with me Whitechapel ladies
Oh won’t you come down with me Whitechapel girls
It’s for Mary and Annie and Long Liz and Catherine
Mary Jane Kelly and all of their woes.
Oh when you go down to the streets of old London
The alleys, the rookeries, doss houses too
Remember us ladies who did it for pennies
And never no never for the love of you.
...Sunday 17th July 2011 5:01 pm
wind in the chimney
The wind in the chimney echoes
echoes.
Air skims the pot
brings a memory floating
down to the ashes.
No coal for the fire.
The hearth it lies empty
empty empty
just the wind in the chimney
roaring roaring.
Saturday 16th July 2011 11:29 pm
carrion
The ravens’ claws keep steady grip
on this castle for their keeping.
Winds whistle through empty squares.
Not even a shard of glass remains to rattle.
Stark on this buttress cliff
the stones look out to sea.
I thought it must have been
the isolation hospital.
Saw in my mind, islanders tucked up
sweating out the fevers and the agues
obliviou...
Friday 1st July 2011 4:00 pm
glastonbury musings
pop stars were skinny
cheesecloth and loons all the rage
in my hippy day
now they are podgy
where are all the handsome ones?
thank god I'm past it!
Monday 27th June 2011 4:52 pm
feather, wood and bone
Wood and feather
brittle bone
silver leaf.
An obvious marriage
behind glass
to keepsafe.
There is a world
to know.
Place on paper.
It’s a poem
an heirloom.
If only I could fill
the box with wreathes of mist then
I could be an artist and a poet.
Smoke out the meaning.
Let it breathe.
Feather, wood and bone.
fo...
Sunday 26th June 2011 8:04 pm
lap of luxury
An endless supply of Mojitos
A wind-up radio
A wall to kick a ball against
Or a children’s pillow
A bar of soap, some sun cream,
Strings and strings of pearls
A virtual sherry trifle
Or a wide-eyed blow up girl.
Lifetime’s supply of champagne
A cup of jasmine tea
A pencil and some paper
A crate of scotch whiskey
The V&A Museum
A karaoke machin...
Saturday 25th June 2011 5:12 pm
the sea by night
The sea by night is a beast of a different nature
Sinuously moving around the harbour wall
A snake, a boa, suffocating granite barricades.
It slips and mounts like a lover
Crashes home, then silent, waits.
An enemy, a mystery, oily, oleaginous,
Creeping deeper than fate.
In innocence boats rise and fall, as if sleeping.
Starlight sparkles and the to...
Friday 24th June 2011 7:18 am
last time
Mouth dry as an Egyptian coffin
I lie, a heap of ashes in your arms
Young passion is so wet and green
in age it darkens into smoke and bone
Smoulder up to death’s dark curtain darling
Dust to dust you always will be mine
My heart, a fire pit of braziers burning
Who knows when it is for the final time?
Wednesday 22nd June 2011 2:52 pm
watching paint
I love to laze on summer days
as brush strokes slip
and bristles drip –
a front door is transformed from grey
to vibrant red, or cobalt blue
enhancing life with changing hue
the Forth Bridge glistens in the sky
Van Gogh’s sunflowers burn the eye,
Renoir’s ladies laze and lie
a palette knife spreads thickly by
a laden brush of silky oil
...Saturday 11th June 2011 6:48 am
chocolate shoes
I want to buy you chocolate shoes
with cherry buttons at the heel
a petticoat of sugarspun
like candifrost
and sparklers
I want to buy you chocolate shoes
with parma violets at the heel
and as the chocolate melts into
the tender crevice slip my tongue
to find the delicacy there
the cleavage inbetween your toes
I want to buy you ch...
Wednesday 8th June 2011 3:25 pm
waterperry
at waterperry
iris stood
elongated strands of blue
box-clipped peacocks fan
tea and cakes were all home-made -
there was a snake
i saw him
curving through a glade
of fern
into a bubbling stream
at waterperry
when we were vaguely one
though you were always distant
in control
i waited till you got me home
one day I...
Thursday 2nd June 2011 8:05 pm
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