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.

Revelation

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

From my window

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

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'

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?

Stromness, walking into town

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

Walking to Warebeth

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

Starlings

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

Yesterday's galeforce wind

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

On waking

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