• Turning

    the light falls heavyshadows thick as tarlattice Norfolk’s lanesstill Junethe pall of morning’s chillmist steams offbarley’s feathery awnswither in midday’s heat-hazebecome brittlebreak and litter the soileach fine daySun roasts the grainas hay fevers the aira prelude to harvestmowing, turning and bailingthe grassesour first clues to winter ~ CLP 30/06/2024

  • on time

    it’s not real, is it?perfect sculpture on the lawngrey heron turns head ~ n.b. The grey heron, stood stock-still had us fooled, but was just to beautifully marked to be artificial. How lucky the property owners to have such a visitor! CLP 27/06/2024

  • on the Moon

    Around the converted warehousesDown on the river by the old millSummer clocked inOn Saturday nightLiberated from the chillOf the north-easterlyThe people got out to the bars and clubsCelebrated livingA drunk lad cried“It’s the Strawberry Moon!”Floating up over Dragon HallObserving how the phone cameraAlways makes it look smallHe encouraged his friendTo stop a momentTo feed his

  • on reflection

    Within towersConstructed fromconcrete, steel and glassEyes focused on screensTracking digitalised dataEars plugged into headsetsAircon’s constant humWater coolers, coffee, carpetsElevators, escalatorsArtificial lightingMoney in the bank OutsideBlue skySun as high as it getsGentle breezeAlong the ThamesAir to breatheGoldfinches sing You choose. ~ CLP 21/06/2024

  • on the road

    There is a spy in the cabA dashboard cameraThe vehicleUses GPSUp thereBehind the blueBetween Earth and MoonSatellites track usMonitor each start and stopBut I still have eyesThat can see the skyMarsh harrier sweeping the fieldsFoxes redder for evening sunDeer stepping through the hedgerowPast rambling rosesBarley, wheat and rows of spudsAnd I still have earsGold finches,

  • on light

    There is a white hazeShadowing the northern horizonIt will barely leave us tonightWhile the sullen MoonHas sloped off earlySkulking in the knowledgeThat it is the SunWho we will gather to fete ~ n.b. How have we got this close to the Summer Solstice without any recognisable summer? These past three days are welcome, but small

  • on summer

    Hiding in plain siteNot all that it seemsMore than thatTwo-faced deceiverThe Silver Y ~ CLP 16/06/2024

  • on summer

    It’s not the weatherIt’s the lightGive me moreIt will be dark long enoughWhen it finally catches meUntil thenGive me light ~ CLP 15/06/2024

  • In The Saddle

    A moment’s opportunity takenTo get out of the cityAlong the abandoned railwayNorth towards the coastStunted, twisted oaksLining the trailThrow dark shapesThat would confuse a leopardDaggers of sunlightStab blindly through the canopyNo hills to speak offJust a series of steady climbsSoftened by the swirling seaOf feathered barleyA startled pheasantShoots up from the vergeA disturbed hobbyTwists then

  • on work

    Lucky, or what? Who knows?But reach out, feel your way andJust keep turning up ~ n.b. Brain fog today, (tired), but I saw this vine tendril at work, doing what comes naturally. So less poetry today, more like a mantra. CLP 18/05/2024