Journey of Words

Tag: Poetry

  • Lyon (VI)

    Sunday’s streets mostly silent I hear the leathery leaf of a plane tree fall Now Saturday’s night is done This is how life used to be A day of rest, officially When even clocks seem to pause But Metro lines, buses and trams Still running efficiently Over the viaduct a TGV rolls A slow start →

  • Lyon (V)

    Out to the east Where there is space Derelict factories rust A stadium has been built Tram lines laid Office blocks stand Apartments planned Colour blind posters Promote hygienic living At the concrete shopping arcade Teenagers Gather out of the pissing rain Under the awning Listening to music In the company of old drunks The →

  • Cards or Dice (Lyon IV)

    Cut, shuffle Rattle, roll Which is better? I don’t know. When asking for a sign Throw the jacks . n.b. Fate does not lay out our fortune, but the interpreter of fortunes does. We hear what we want to hear, believe what we choose and act out our lives accordingly. King James VI of Scotland, →

  • Lyon (III)

    The bottle cap must be removed So you cannot throw the plastic bottle Of water I pour my drink At the feet of the security staff Toss the bottle in a bin Meanwhile, standing under trees On the walkway to the ground Young men imbibe Cases of cheap beer before the game Inside they spew →

  • Points of Departure

    Side by side They moved off together On the green signal Paced perfectly From beneath the shadow Into the low morning sun Simultaneously Tempo steadily climbing Synchronised Flicks of stanchion shadows passed faster In tandem The lines gradually diverged Curved Stretched them apart She waved He turned to his phone . CLP 23/11/2019 →

  • Lyon (I)

     Confluence of Rhône and Saône Spreads flat out beneath the basilica Alps far beyond, pinked by evening Whilst here it is still autumn afternoon Those distant peaks stand tall Even against the glass and concrete That puncture the city’s sky No trick of the glass Majestic mountains wall the east Their massive scale weighs →

  • Leaving

    Separation Leaf from stem Releases the bough To face winter’s drag Saves the tree Winter buds all ready For spring . n.b. The following website considers the timing of arboreal leaf growth. The discussion about winter bud formation is found at the foot of the article. https://sciencenorway.no/forskningno-norway-trees/how-do-trees-know-when-to-awake-in-spring/1455135 CLP 20/11/2019 →

  • Happy

    Her smile is wider than her head A photo shows this when she was ten Her brilliant eyes then shone so bright Her teeth gleaming in black and white And still after many colourful years When distant childhood memories may bring on tears She has that smile as wide today What might spark it I →

  • Mobbed

    This drab, dull day Its natural sounds subdued by drizzle Are cut through by her sharp cry above Kehwee! Kehwee! To her mate unseen, but somewhere near Stirred up, crows lift from dark hearts of oaks Gather as a loose assembled mob A flight of five, or six, or more Rough circle spreading, all alert →

  • Patience

    Sat above the quayside On a red tiled roof The old grey heron Feathers blown askew in the wind Croaks and groans in low tones South-westerly keening up the lake Bright blue above What’s his game? Waiting, watching Always waiting He’s waiting still . CLP 12/11/2019 →