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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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Kite
A vicious squallStrips the cherryRips petals off wild plumPulls at the splayed primariesOf the red kiteWho uses every fibre of her strengthTo maintain a semblance of controlIn twists and whorls of windAnd popping air pocketsPunching holesIn the spring-green skirtsOf the lime treesLining the A140Shopping mall parking FULL ~ CLP 16/04/2024 →
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People, People, People
1956Take us awayFrom earthquake ruinsOur daily strugglesGive us a dayTo prove we canBecause we have nothingWe want to do it all1962in Santiago’s concrete bowlSixty-three thousand witnessedSeleçao CanarinhoCrowned kings of football1973Marked by the Conquistadors’ crossHeld by the arms of the USASo it was provedYet nothing was doneUntil Allende stood upSpoke of his planThat America could not →
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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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Tall Storeys
They keep building themHigher and higherThey keep stacking themStorey upon storeyThey block the lightObstruct the viewWhen all built before Still aren’t usedThey keep building themSomething’s not rightWith so many homelessOn the streets at night ~ n.b. Derived from NaPoWriMo 2024 Day 12 prompt: Tall tale poem. 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 →
Journey of Words 