The cat balances on a box A slightly too-small box On top of another box. The cat shifts a hip To the other corner of the box, Twists into an @ Extends a paw Points her whiskers the other way … Continue reading
Inspired by a talk given by Rebecca Earl, on history and cookbooks, at the Also Festival 2017 In a time when self-expression Was restricted to the kitchen Emily was known for her coconut pie. Hard-won daughterly love Dutifully mixed into … Continue reading
Written on the summer solstice, and saved for a gloomy day in autumn. It is the hottest June day since 1976. I am staying very still, indoors, So that the neat does not notice me. The heat creeps around the … Continue reading
Red robins would be asking you: What would Jeremy Corbyn do? Peacocks always posting selfies; Magpies’ jokes are someone else’s. Ducks and geese go on and on About what their prodigal brood has done. A pheasant moans about bad drivers, … Continue reading
Fifty approaches, and I’m Settled. More like a building into its foundations Than a bee on a flower. My bucket list is emptied across the sand; All my youthful potential, which was squandered, has got its second wind. A late … Continue reading
This is the pole That centres our dance On a white-knuckle ride, A meeting by chance. We stand, disconnected, always looking down, Swaying together under the ground. Closer than lovers, breath in my face; A zipless encounter that we’ll soon … Continue reading
[Written 23.5.17] I woke you from your hot nest of sleep; I had hardly taken in the headline. One kiss, and I slip back to my bed To hear grave tones of shellshock and shrapnel Refusal to despair. The low … Continue reading
A fallen star Has landed on his bedroom floor Sickly, luminous green, Dead in the daylight. I pick it up With some scraps of scribbled paper, A broken rubber band, and Some tat from a party bag. Above, there is … Continue reading