STREET HAIKU
A cloth cap on the ground inverted
becomes a begging bowl
guarded by a dog whose wants are sparsely served.
Monday 24th March 2025 5:02 pm
THE TORMENTOR
Imagine a tormentor - a sadist
invisibly at work, and though you have confessed
signed your life away you cannot be rid of him.
There is no cure, no end to it, only moments of relief
when you can draw breath - and some comfort,
but that tormentor knows all the tricks
he has the permission of your immunity
condemning you like Judas Iscariot.
We call this rheumatoid art...
Wednesday 19th March 2025 3:53 pm
IT'S EASY TO GET ANNOYED
It's easy to get annoyed
when age is never on your side
but watches your every move
with stern disapproval.
Easy to fall out of proportion
such as is left to you
never quite enough to muster forces
easy then to get annoyed.
And when that happens
bits of you flake off like old skin
when smiling is a foreign land
you hesitate to visit
taking ...
Tuesday 24th December 2024 1:34 pm
MEALS ON WHEELS
I love to go delivering along the streets and back
with L plates on my box behind and many a tasty snack,
deliveree, deliveroo, delivera, deliveroo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo
deliveree, deliveroo, my life is now on track.
A freelance guy i'll do or die, my contract is my life,
with all good speed i'll duck and dive embracing urban strife.
Deliveree, deliveroo, delivera, deliver...
Friday 22nd November 2024 4:33 pm
VOTE FOR RIGSBY
Rigsby would get my vote
the king of a seedy bedsit land
ruler by prejudice
yet both feet insecure
despised but proud
a king wasp in his nest
tortured by desire falling just short.
I would vote for him
in place of a representative
as reliable as any I have yet known.
We all feel sorry for Rigsby
and for ourselves when things go wrong
but he doesn't claim a...
Monday 18th November 2024 3:39 pm
REWIND
The clocks have gone back
I take to the floor
dancing an old time waltz
out of step head in a spin
unprepared for nature's course
like tea at the Ritz or a ballroom blitz
i'm taken over the top
the Dance of the Hours is dragging behind
i'm feeling a major flop.
My body clock is all to cock
my timing is out i'm all upset
circadian rhythms are going in cir...
Wednesday 30th October 2024 3:44 pm
HUNTER'S MOON
Relish your dark woundings
prime your pellets
check your powders,
for soon comes the hunter's moon.
Polish your stock
let your barrel breather oil
make slick your cloths' preparations
practise footfalls of stealth,
for soon comes the hunter's moon.
While fen and forest sweat and furrow
while fur frets in the burrow
hold fast your dreas for now,
for so...
Thursday 17th October 2024 5:29 pm
THE SKY'S THE LIMIT
I watch the sweep of birds on the wing
a centrifuge of consent for the long road ahead.
They have no need of words, persuasion
but adopt the common movements that support them.
In a similar way the political dreamers
plot their courses their restless brains
informing choices, rolling out promises
on clouds of expectation that close up
behind them on infinite jour...
Thursday 29th August 2024 3:03 pm
THE MARCHIONESS
On the black night Thames deep as death
rode the Marchioness in all her finery
strung with bulbs festooned with joy
her tiny heart edging on the slip sliding boat
the prettiest naughtiest boat afloat.
While darker even than destiny
boomed a wide bottomed dredger with more
than equal pace Bowbelle by name
no lookout on either vessel,
and between two bridges the pre...
Monday 19th August 2024 8:25 pm
PENNY WISE
The power of the penny is much diminished
its future in finance pretty well finished
one stares at me from a bunch of change
with its good eye looking up
as it to say I promise to pay
when the idea brings a smile of pity
like a refugee from a beggar's cup.
It's name perhaps will guarantee
a place in fiscal eternity
as an epitaph for a toilet's access
serving the...
Wednesday 14th August 2024 5:28 pm
HOMILLY
When someone close cuts you to the quick
send them love and be on your way
they have no right to your misery
and though your heart will ache
your spirit they can never break.
They may relent for old time's sake
but if not then pity them
for the love that's wasted on such as they.
Monday 5th August 2024 8:36 pm
FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND
The wet sand takes your weight
evidence of your presence
and you marvel at the perfection,
but nature is profligate and soon
the bigger waves erase your mark as if
you were never there, a tick of time
is marked instead while you have need of rest
and rejuvenate yourself in a different bed.
Wednesday 31st July 2024 1:52 pm
EMPTY SHELLS
This is the shed that holds the shelves
that hold the dreams that hold the man
here is the house that holds the garden
that holds the shed that holds the shelves
that hold the dreams that hold the man
to all the things he dreamed about when
things were what he dreamed about.
But when he has to leave the house behind
that holds the garden that holds the shed
that ho...
Monday 22nd July 2024 9:06 pm
THERE'S A TRAIN COMING
"That's not steam son it's just a cloud."
the boy had shouted "it's coming Dad!"
his eagerness held back like a signal.
"It won't be long," his father said,
"don't stand near the edge now mind "
(for flesh and bone's no match for metal)
"I can see it now under a bridge!"
and sure enough the smoke uncoiled
a face like a bullseye wreathed and proud,
the boy said "I c...
Sunday 7th July 2024 4:15 pm
EIGHTY - NOT OUT
Eighty - the age at which the weight of evidence
supports an inevitable irrefutable verdict
yet we expect a free pardon
for the excesses in which we were engaged,
and when none is given we are enraged.
So we set sail for the sunset
helped by various aids
old codgers supported by old maids
suspending disbelief as the clock ticks on
prey to seductive offers that show
...Tuesday 18th June 2024 5:02 pm
THE WAITING
By the intense breath of the miner's lamp light
my mind is focussed, body as mind
supported by a thought so strong
it becomes my essence, my reasoning.
Bring light and love to her I say
a pause for the light then:
bring light and love to her I say
intoned for a seamless eternity
while the unwavering eye watches me.
I can see the master planner in the small an...
Tuesday 11th June 2024 4:23 pm
THE OPEN ROAD
There is that road again somewhere in Buckinghamshire
I visit it often in my mind
astride the motorbike a resolute companion,
we are plunging down
then surging up the hollow
caressing the curves of the road
by the grip of the throttle
to a now forgotten destination
that takes us through a mystery of trees
in a dark unsuspecting wood
and then the open vista,
al...
Wednesday 5th June 2024 5:13 pm
ON WATCH
It is not uncommon to be eighty
and never to have seen the aurora borealis
but now, primed by a news and weather alert
I stand to see if it might happen.
A belt of translucent high cloud holds firm
above a street light under a gash of dark trees
but no aurora.
A scent of sleeping blossom has me in thrall
and on the ridge of my kitchen roof
the silky silhouette of ...
Saturday 11th May 2024 11:20 am
SUICIDE BOMBER
Mohammed had chosen Paradise as the way forward
justification for triggering death with the contraption he wore
his name would be called, of that he was sure.
his soul transplanted in some childlike new beginning.
In the aftermath he at least found beauty,
reds, mauves, yellows, splashes applied at random
a palette of pain on pavements, sand, especially on walls,
lookin...
Sunday 5th May 2024 2:39 pm
OUR HALL
The wall of our hall is ever so small
but the colour has to be right
lit by natural means by day
or a shaded bulb by night.
The colour has to be bright yet subtle
enough that would simply show off a mirror
the centrepiece of the wall of the hall
which though small is what welcomes you into the house.
The decision's been made, plans have been laid
we've simply chose...
Thursday 25th April 2024 4:06 pm
LETTING IN THE LIGHT
Those who live and die in poverty
have no less a story to tell
than those with means who are in the light.
for the poor cast the long shadow
demanding a closer look.
Theirs are the stories that like the wild wind
drift away and would be gone
while those with means most easily seen
make occasion for theirs to be told.
Saturday 6th April 2024 10:11 pm
CUTTING MY CLOTH
I want to stay at the Savoy Hotel
if not then the Ritz will do
I want to make an impression
cut a bit of a dash
I won't be satisfied with less -
but I havn't sufficient cash.
I want to own a Ferrari
if not a Bugatti will do
I need to feel the wind in my hair
emulate the Top Gear runs
I won't be satisfied with less -
but I havn't sufficient funds.
I wa...
Thursday 4th April 2024 7:32 pm
ON APRIL FOOL'S DAY
Politicians make fools of us
but today we can celebrate
for the coming of Spring is beyond their reach
when jesters come out of hiding
ride the waves of success
revealed by roots and shoots
emerging into greenery.
The fool knows who to worship
with his bells and silly grin,
for today he wears a crown
so don't mess with him, don't try
to take him down
for h...
Monday 1st April 2024 10:07 pm
LOCAL NERO
Trainer barista soul sister
with logo burgundy T shirt
plays the chromium steam
as a long queue forms.
Old lady small dog wait patiently
soul sister with dreadlocks(I had thought a man) turns
ignores the deadlock of time
not part of the plan this delay
busy time of day.
Turns again for cake under cover
some turn away and leave
time simmers while card re...
Thursday 21st March 2024 10:30 pm
HOUSE MOVE
We enjoyed our local walk to view the town
before committing ourselves, John and I.
Nooky shops amid post covid street flower planters
plenty of cafes, dogs allowed
an ebike shop with stools to perch on with coffee and cake
a face painting parlour - even a proper gallery.
The area is holding its own in the current climate.
On our walk though there was a wall
near a ...
Tuesday 19th March 2024 3:13 pm
TALES OF OLD HOLLYWOOD
Whole crypts ransacked
preserved body parts found re-examined
attics and cellars raided for cans of film
inhabitants of nursing homes grilled to despair
whispers and wills plundered for half truths,
and all the while the ghosts of narcissists recalled
assembling in long galleries of haunted houses lit by arc lights.
Private beaches combed for evidence of washed up
car...
Saturday 16th March 2024 4:06 pm
THE NET CLOSES
Police divers dragged a lake yesterday
found only aquatic weed
and a new microscopic foramanifera it was revealed
funds became available for further research
in collaboration with Heritage England
leading to new enquiries
trails leading in a different direction.
There's a future in the Net, (sorry - Met)
ran an advert in the Police Gazette.
Thursday 7th March 2024 11:17 am
SONG OF SUCCESS
She only wants me for my money and fame
he thought
going into his studio
to write a love song.
He looked up at the row of golden discs
and quickly forgave her.
Wednesday 21st February 2024 4:27 pm
BACK IN THE SEVENTIES
Chicken in a basket
jokes at the mike
bingo days, foggy days
queues at bus stops
frost at the fingertips
red and black in the clubs.
The dying breath of thoughtful machines
the clearances of industrial scenes
roundabouts under predatory skies
cigarette smoke spiralling at the bars
on the dole in busy pubs.
Detectives in flairs
travelling in pairs
...
Tuesday 6th February 2024 9:47 pm
CONCERTO FOR KEYBOARD AND SKIP
Goodbye old keyboard
you served me well
your presence is a ghost from the recent past,
a man in high viz went up some steps
to a council skip and placed you there.
I'm here to give thanks on your final gig
an insult for a life well spent
in an intimate bond of give and take
a parting touch for old times' sake
before your final swift descent.
Tuesday 23rd January 2024 3:44 pm
ZING WENT THE STRINGS
Music is a puppet
pull it out of the box
make it dance and sing
do everything you want it to
to never say no
because you should be in control
not let the puppet master you.
But then during the dark of silence
let it come to you
lie with it feel its undulations
the pulse that never lies
knowing that the music puppet never dies.
Sunday 14th January 2024 11:39 am
ADRIAN'S WALL - A BRIEF HISTORY
Adrian's wall is nothing special,
no visitors flock to its breezy heights,
it flanks the corner of Evelyn Street
one of Rawtenstall's lesser known sights.
Adrian lives in obscurity
has never been feted by the National Trust
no would be conquest
has ever been thwarted
no glorious victories credited there,
although repairs were carried out
when a car ran wide...
Monday 18th December 2023 5:12 pm
THAMES SIDE TRYST
Through the watery wasteland where Surrey
touches the fringes of Middlesex to create
reservoirs, distant impressions of gravel workings
a skeletal landscape pock marked by bungalows
nudged by water weary boats shunted and left
with curtains drawn, I drove past purbind vistas
where my memories mixed from the old palettes
a pale wash and weariness:
Laleham, Shepperton, Charlt...
Wednesday 13th December 2023 8:20 pm
HOMELESS
Homeless, hopeless
figures below the radar
invisible, divisible
scant on comfort
at the blunt edge of hope.
But we all know there should be a home
a hearth at which to sit, make the best of it.
Without such a place we lose our hearts
with nowhere to rely on
a perimeter without a centre
a view without focus.
We all know there are not enough homes to go ro...
Thursday 30th November 2023 3:25 pm
A GOOD MOAN
If it's not a tsunami it's somebody's army
taking over the news
our eating disorder is bang out of order
with so many getting the blues.
No wonder that the men in cloaks
are praying for better times
politicians running in circles
with neither reason nor rhymes.
.
The queues for complaints are stretched to the limit
with no ready answers to hand
simmering tension to...
Tuesday 21st November 2023 2:14 pm
AUTUMN WORSHIP
Autumn, when the world falls at your feet
to worship you with decay
tumbling of dogs and children both
scenes of wind and stunted growth
when sunlight dapples the day.
That's when as like as not you feel
the touch of nature's solemn pride
the retreat of roots beneath the soil
in trenchant ways their downward coil
then put their tricks aside.
And all God's n...
Monday 20th November 2023 9:28 pm
WHILE I THINK IT
While I think it someone is shouting about it
digging their heels in
shovelling something soft
with a distinctive stink about it.
Is it any wonder I often keep thoughts to myself
try to safeguard the sweet air from verbal pollution
instead of dipping into the vicious brine
and treating that as a solution.
Thursday 16th November 2023 9:02 pm
HAVING A DAY OUT
He intended taking her for a meal in a restaurant
that he new she would like but in the end she chose,
they spoke softly light heartedly
as in the early days with a fresh hesitancy.
She responded with a squeeze of his hand
loving looks, then they visited local shops in the rain
trying not to be critical seeking novelty
watching out for new faces,
Christmas was putting on an...
Thursday 2nd November 2023 5:07 pm
HUNTER'S MOON
Relish your dark woundings
prime your pellets
check your powders
for soon comes the hunter's moon
Polish your stock
let your barrel breathe oil
make slick your cloths
practise footfalls of stealth
for soon comes the hunter's moon
while fen and forest
sweat and furrow
while fur frets in the burrow
hold fast your dreams for now
for soon comes the hunt...
Friday 27th October 2023 3:47 pm
MY MUMMY
It's my mummy's birthday today
a hundred and fifteen to be precise
but now she's passed away.
Nineteen years have gone and time is moving on
but I can see her as sharp as a pin
I know she must be looking in.
She never wanted to let me go
but had no option that much is clear,
that was the future I suppose
but today the clouds have parted and like the crescent moon
...Thursday 28th September 2023 4:49 pm
WHITE WORLD
Foot soldiers come in impatient white vans
to fix the glitches that plague us so
with buckets and bags of impatient tools
bending the pipeworks flippant with rules
of mysterious companies keeping pace
with hysterical offers to tempt the unwary
terms and conditions the all seeing eyes
encyclopaedic with whats and whys.
Playing their part we trust these men
who s...
Friday 15th September 2023 9:10 pm
TRYING ON TROUSERS
Pressed together on a rail allotted
with a row of trousers I became besotted
a clearance sale I couldn't refuse
with dark and pale subtle hues.
The selection tempted me to try
a pair that hung and caught my eye
something right about the colour
camouflage green but slightly duller.
Behind the door of the changing room
disrobing I began to fume
with heavy ch...
Monday 28th August 2023 9:46 pm
THE DRESSING ROOM AT THE FLORAL HALL HORNSEA
Below the waterline was the dressing room
like a world war one dugout
where we found traces of previous occupation
the tired and cast off detritus of musicians:
a discarded shirt, dirty towel,
yesterday's Daily Mirror coiled and thrust
into a waste paper basket,
drawers of hair grips. old smudged tissues, half - used makeup,
cigarette stubs in a tin ashtray
the faint s...
Saturday 19th August 2023 10:08 pm
GOING OVER THE TOP
My hands gripping the bars
legs doing all the work
on that open road
flanked by summer hedges
bristling witnesses to my effort
no other traffic
a sky defining a clear horizon
raced uphill to meet me
as I went over the top
to see patchwork fields.
That's how it was
and now my hands rest lightly
on a steering wheel
through glass I can still make out
t...
Thursday 3rd August 2023 9:41 pm
BIG BAD FOX
In various hutches pods and cages
her poultry world
a commitment based on egg production
in the scuffling shuffling universe
of confined resentment and sensed rages.
Opening her arms feathers fly out,
a confetti confession of love
oblivious to smell of ordure, urine
while her daughter follows in hot pursuit
naming not blaming the curious rats
racing and cha...
Tuesday 25th July 2023 10:39 pm
DEATH ENCAPSULATED
Released from a capsule
a dark encapsulated death
a cessation an instant of last drawn breath
at the end of a dream that never came true
the skeleton rainbow ahead of arrival
with never a guarantee of survival
locked into a past and present embrace
a fatal return to a state of grace.
Saturday 22nd July 2023 5:20 pm
FRIDGE FANTASY
Superfoods dictators of moods
building blocks pyramids of power
all available from your ivory tower
but in the full length mirror complaints
so it's back to the carbohydrates again
the cynical blending of sugar and fat
the fridge is miraculously never bare
while pretty packets stack up in there
but keep believing nevertheless
cross your heart and hope to die
it's time...
Sunday 9th July 2023 11:22 am
CHESS KILLING TIME
On a long journey north by train
two young guys in T-shirts and jeans
pored over a plastic boxed set of miniature chess
bought on Ebay for pleasure not gain,
red and white pieces with fiddly pegs in holes,
a small tray incorporated in the base
with conquered plastic spoil lodged there.
Two phones lay ignored
coffees in polystyrene cups growing cold
as the outside f...
Saturday 1st July 2023 9:28 pm
THE TOASTMASTER'S FLY
Toastmaster toastmaster, where have you gone?
the bride and her father await,
at the threshold they stand exactly as planned
awaiting your welcoming call
like a preening bird in black and red
on an aristocratic estate.
Is it perhaps you've forgotten your lines
is a crisis of confidence striking,
your plumage gives you a right to speak
is something not to your likin...
Tuesday 21st March 2023 10:27 pm
COSTUME DRAMA
We have put on the costumes of old people
adapted so well to them
squirmed and squeezed into shapes
become disproportionate with waists bulging
shoulders hunched,
worst of all the tight masks that say grin and bear it
and the misery so great we need to share it.
The young in their fresh skin
do not get a look in, nor would they wish to
except in rare moments of cur...
Saturday 11th March 2023 9:06 pm
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