sculpted by salty waves and sandthe driftwood was almost out of reachon the dunes above the beachthrown high in a stormit had once been part of a living treetorn from itsrootsand manufactured into something practicallike a boat or a tableby the time it reached the shoreit was unrecognisabletwisted by the artifice of the ocean into […]
Tag: Tuesday Poetics
The Crone Can’t Spell Anymore
As a linguist and English teacher,and even before, as a learner,I never had problems spellingor remembering the meaningof…things. Entering my seventieth year,signs of ageing have appeared.I have begun to trip and stumble,words no longer tumblefrom my fingers. My handwriting’s scribble,as if a dyslexic spider resides in my pen.What I type isn’t what I see on […]
About Pigs
Don’t believe lies about pigs in muck;today’s pig is not tomorrow’s bacon;and don’t expect me to bring good luck. I love to swim in a cool clear oceanbeneath azure skies and gentle cumuli;most nights I’m tracking stars and planets – I really don’t like to boast about it unduly –I pride myself on my excellent […]
Real Life
I crunch them underfoot,the cockleshells and landslipof pebbles, among saltysparkles and guttural gullsswooping down to steal your chips. I overwhelm you with my scentof decaying seaweedand the thrill of rollercoastercliffs, from cuspate cragto hidden cove. I chase you down the beachtowards the waves,offering everything your sensestell you is honest and true.Now do you believe me? […]
Giving Empathy the Boot
In shadows between tall buildings,the homeless huddle, unawareof the oligarchs’ stony stare,of hands that rub together, grinsof greed and lack of careas they survey their monopolyof wealth and goods, give empathythe boot in their quest for piecesin the game, doff top hats in sycophancyas they drive their cars and cruise on liners,wasting resources and killing […]
View from the Bus
We stare through steamy windows on the top deck of the bus,at people walking and waiting in the rain, unlike us,impatient with the crowds and the weather,while we steam in the proximity of bodies crammed together.We open a window to let in some air, and petrichor fills the air,punctuated by a curl of tobacco smoke, […]
Life Cycle of a Cardigan
I began as wool shornfrom a sheep, a cluster of cloudto dye and card and spin,and knit until a perfect cardigan was born –colourful, cuddly and warm. When you first saw me I was freshand new, my colours bright.You’ll never know the frissonof joy when I felt your fingers tightin my fibre. And then you […]
Thinking about water while swimming in the pool
I break its surfacefeel its pearls roll down my skinI surge forward pressing palms togetherand in an outward circular stroke feeling the resistance of this chemical compoundfeeling its enormitysensing its presence in my bodyand around the eartha drop eroding s t o n ea refreshing GUSHa destructive W A V Ea treasure troveof pearl and […]
Stormy Sea
It’s a battle between umber cloudin a fiery orange and indigo skyand the raging sea crownedwith frosty foam – gods tossingboats between them like toys. And where are the buoys,the safe places for those thrownoverboard? Who know what liesbeneath the waves, what monsterscircle? Or are the monsters aboardthe ships, ignoring the gods,believing that they are […]
To Steph
My dear,I’ll keep this short and sweet,like you, and the tartes au citron we’d eat,and the wine we’d drink in summer sunon rickety chairs in your garden. We’d giggle, laugh and sometimes sing,and often end up wonderingif passers-by could hear and smile at the love and fun we shared for a while. I missed you […]
