Friday 13 November 2015

On my way to buy a paper #62

Harsh echoing around the houses
of rag and bone man's archaic and distorted words
mimicking a muezzin's call to prayer.

Thursday 29 October 2015

Revelation

As green turns deep red
becomes scantier, and more orange
last winter's pennant plastic bag
reappears,
More tatty, multi-stranded than ever.

Wednesday 7 October 2015

From my window

Still as death, and sky the colour of a shroud - how can one be inspired to write under such circumstances?


Friday 18 September 2015

On my way to buy a paper #61

A passing van and, fresh from Avison Fluke,
I wonder whether Arena Physio is the driver's name?

*Avison Fluke is the detective who features in Mike Craven's first, novel, 'Born in a Burial Gown'

Thursday 17 September 2015

On my way to buy a paper #60

Someone's black cotton coat belt
lies flattened in the road
and I wonder whether, when the rain comes,
will it swim away?

Thursday 3 September 2015

Stromness, walking into town

Starlings: starry, mobile Pointillists;
several sequences of horizontal steps
in honeycomb sandstone.

Wednesday 2 September 2015

Walking to Warebeth

Cormorant complains about the cut of his jacket;
others express disinterest.

Thursday 27 August 2015

Starlings

Yesterday's rehearsing-for-departure starlings
today more evenly spread;
lone one on the house next door
no longer ostracised.

Tuesday 25 August 2015

Yesterday's galeforce wind

Thistledown:
several seemingly scheduled performances
dancing dervish
on the kitchen windowsill.

Monday 24 August 2015

On waking

Breadth of his naked back
as comforting now
as it's been for nearly half a century.

Friday 21 August 2015

4.20 am, woken by wind whistling

Imperfectly-drawn white curtains
Orange street-light
Shadow-branches on the move
A never-ending lightning nightmare
Had I been seven.

Monday 17 August 2015

curious

Hot sun, and windy
yet, from next door,
the rumble of the tumble dryer.
All bloody day.

Monday 10 August 2015

Monday 27 July 2015

Monday 25 May 2015

On my way to buy a morning paper #58

Half term and lack of traffic
from the road to Ingleby Barwick
meant I heard a squirrel's claws
on tarmac
from fifty yards away.

Tuesday 19 May 2015

Thursday 16 April 2015

On my way to buy a morning paper #56

Warburton's bright orange wagon
from which jumped driver, six foot four;
face of Colin Firth as Darcy
just before the river scene.
Pre-breakfast bliss.

Wednesday 1 April 2015

On my way to buy a morning paper #55

Cold west wind
two improbably orange cars, unpleasantly assertive
no Telegraphs ("problem with the printing")

Thursday 26 March 2015

On my way to buy a morning paper #54

Three woollen-hatted men,
Two awaiting lifts,
Third out to walk his well-wrapped brindled hound.
Their football conversation around the red brick pillar
steaming upwards into the frosty air.

Wednesday 11 March 2015

On a weekend with writers

Had our feet left on the floor the silvery trails our words wove in the air the pattern would've been filigree.

Saturday 28 February 2015

Friday 20 February 2015

On my way to buy a morning paper #52

Click of gate ahead of me. 
Man emerges, three squat, fluffy dogs on Karma Chameleon leads (red, gold and green)
In his other hand, a mug of tea.

Friday 6 February 2015

Grey beads on brown

Birds like beads on the ends of up-turned braids
scatter in an instant, circle and resettle
at the sound of some invisible alarm.

Thursday 15 January 2015

From my window

The once south-blowing rectangle
of the green binsack in the tree across the road
has, after four days battling with the elements,
become north-bound three-strand, pennant,
fancy-knotted to the top-most branch.