Journey of Words

Tag: Poems

  • On Playing (xi)

    Why is it that teams comprise eleven players? Perfect for cricket. ~ n.b. I had a look on-line and the answers are pretty dumb given the fact that it was a rural game codified in 1744 and the story that Edward VIII had only eleven courtiers is a complete red herring. Cricket teams of eleven →

  • On Playing x

    Can you still call up that glee in the pit of your guts when wind picked up leaves and dust devils spun the whole playground into a delirious flock of crows performing flips and twists free-falling then swooping up to hang on the vacuum formed in the lee of a Scots Pine clump? . Arms →

  • On Playing ix

    She asked him who he played as Knowing every boy pretends To be someone else when playing They dream they can be better He wanted to be Best ~ n.b. As a boy playing football I clearly had a failure of ambition. I pretended to be a Welsh international centre forward, not George Best. Who →

  • On Playing viii

    As children we played It, British Bulldog and Kiss Chase until told not to. ~ n.b. See the power of words? ~ CLP 22/01/2021 →

  • Lockdown 3 (Day 16) Behind the Mask

    Out briefly today in sunshine. I forgot my gloves, but was surprised by the mildness of the air. People maintaining good distances from each other; joggers running well wide of pedestrians; people stepping back to let others pass. There is no rush when people are on foot. A taxi driver tries to squeeze past me →

  • On Playing vii

    Look for quick singles Yes! No! Sorry. My mistake. Takes two to Tango ~ n.b. Continuing with the cricketing theme, communication between batters is either a strength or a weakness. It is about being in tune with your partner. As in cricket, as in life. Here is a clip of a classic cricketing communication breakdown →

  • On Numbers 1820

    Previously just a date from history when cholera took hold ~ n.b. Now 1,820 is the worst daily death toll in the UK during the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 / 21. This is dreadful. The cholera pandemic around the year 1820 killed uncountable millions. ~ CLP 20/01/2021 →

  • Piped Dreams

    The door clicks a jar compresses the draught to a whistle that wakes me from your arms, her arms, my brother’s hand I held through a summer night in the respiratory ward down the corridor from coronary care where he would be the next summer and no one could visit while he dreamt of life →

  • Lockdown 3 (Day 15) In Books

    Grief is The Thing With Feathers by Max Porter is a very clever and engaging book. If you have two or three hours to spare I can recommend it. The subject matter is potentially painful, but the way the book changes points of view from the dad, to his two sons to the crow, representing →

  • Truth, it’s out there

    I I want I want you I want you to I want you to be I want you to be happy ~ CLP 20/01/2021 →