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on the UAE
Come to the EmiratesSunshine guaranteeLive temporarilyIn well-oiled luxuryState-owned newsLaws set by royaltyThere’ll be no complaintsYou’ll have to agreeIf you come for workYou will do so tax-freeOr just splash outOn a guilt-blind shopping spreeIt never rainsWe don’t bother with drainsBut when it poursIt’s a year’s worth in a day ~ n.b. NaPoWriMo 2024 Day 18 prompt: →
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“I want you to show me…”
It’s not a competitionHow easily it is to ignoreUkraine, where lies Babi YarThe ravine that carries a bloodlineTo Israel and PalestineIt’s not a competition ~ n.b. “I want you to show me another country facing over 110 ballistic missiles and drones.” Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, Israeli military spokesman, speaking after the over-night attack on Israel →
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Forgetting
Memory provoked by a road side signMemory of a turn, a lane, a garden, homeMemory of a child, a run, jump, hugMemory blurred by tears and the rainMemory’s desiccation of grievous lossMemory over-written with new places, new peopleMemory stirred by faces in London crowdsMemory jarred by first notes of our songMemory confused by the joy →
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Norwich to Horwich
Norwich to HorwichJoined by railway line and rhymeIt’s a path that’s rarely takenIf I’m not mistakenWhy venture there at allIf it wasn’t for football?Across the black soil of FenThrough Peak District and PenninesFor ninety minutes tensionHad I forgot to mentionThe reason for this journeyIs to simply follow PompeySeven years we’ve struggledThe tactics first quite muddledBut →
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From ashes
You’ll notice will o’ the wispsTwist up powdery flakesMaybe kindle a glowIgnite a flickerFrom frail charcoalUntil the rainPercolates the soilFrom where new life grows ~ CLP 12/04/2024 →
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Roundabout
We took one of our quirky circular walksAround one or two and a bit Norfolk villagesWhere ancient boundaries are marked by lanes, hedgerows, creeks and lokesA pair of magpies disabused their reputation as harbingers of joySitting as solemn sentries on opposite gate postsAs we took one of our quirky circular conversationsAround one or two and →
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False Impression
Town’sEyes and earsClatter keysFor submissionTo Thursday’s publicationIn time for morningCigarette, coffee, teaDigestion, reflection, commentaryAmongst curtain-twitching chatteratiLast-laughers wipe away final tearsDiscussion re-opens over beersThe Have-you-heard herdAnd Oh-my-LordsWeekly fed fresh bloodIn black and whiteGobbets of gossipNow newsworthy statusBeside reports of foreign placesWhere the nasty things resideLocal man witness to eruptionVillage couple caught in coupGrandmother’s fearHoliday will be →
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Proximity
It was time for lunchAlmost too lateAt the junctionHesitating for passing trafficAn alternative caught his eyeNot Fate, but the waiterBrought them together(Or possibly the coupleWho cancelled after a tiffSteeped in wearinessThat left a vacancy)You know how the French loveCafé tables too close together?It’s to encourage conversationShe opened him upWith a simple Affaires ou loisirs?He confessed →
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On The Beach
Plenty of fresh airTo blow away the cobwebsSign says, “VACANCIES” ~ n.b. NaPoWriMo 2024 Day 7 prompt :Postcard. I dug this card out of the archives. CLP 07/04/2024 →
Journey of Words 