A Woman In Gold

Klimt colours carpet the earth,
And the season clothes
Her mother in gold.

Autumn Fall

Like discarded clothing
Leaves gather in piles.
Naked trees stand, shivering.

Birth of Day

A new day hatches
With fire at her seams.
Stain of yolk spreads and rises.

Heavy Clouds

Heavy clouds unlock
Liquidating their assets,
Envelveting green.

Country Lanes

Driving country lanes,

Gloved in evening gold,

Nature's beauty to behold

Fleeting

Childhood's ticking clock;
Now I see the man
I am proud to call my son.

Family ties

Strongest family ties:
Silhouettes standing bravely
Against bitter skies.

A Labour of Love

The planting of bulbs:
A labour of love.
A memory in tulips.

All that jazz

Take a walk on the wild side
Swing while you're singing:
Syncopated joy.

A sun kissed prayer

A sun kissed prayer stands
Strong arms held aloft
Exhaulting 'Hallelujah!'

Just a minute

Find a vibe, find a minute

Time to call your own,

Somewhere you’re at home;

In a park or in a book,

Just make sure that you’re in it.

Life's in the detail

Life's in the detail.
Fill the cracks with love
And the landscape will stay sound.

Nesting

Make a nest of grace,
Feather it with down:
Find contentment in your heart.

Beetle

Lavender beetle,
Metallic beauty,
Spread your wings and fly away.

Footprints

Look here friend. What do you say?
Footprints in the sand
Showing us the way?

Natural Beauty

Natural Beauty:
Stretch of earth and sand and sky
Refreshing the soul.

Worship

Penitent flock kneel.
Abundant blessings given.
With thanks bleet to God!

Pastel Shades

Sunrise splits the night.

Mellow pastel shades:

A trick of the morning light?

Holiday ER

Quick, call the crash team.
Suitcase: bleeding out.
Stat: washing machine! 

Ghost of a dog

Woman walks with ghost of dog.
Invisible sticks
Cannot be retrieved.

Holiday

Holidays begin.
Golden light and honeyed air:
A balm to the soul.

Doodle

Scribble of currents
Like a giant's doodle pad
Cover a calm sea.

Cleaning

Spindly spiders
Disturbed by frantic cleaning
Run like tumbleweed.

Hypnotic

Hypnotic voice urges: "Home".

A swell of longing.

Siren call the sea

Political Parry

Referendums, bombs;

its all too political.

Where is the escape?

Hate is breeding hate.

A spreading virus

With no inoculation.

Find a band-aid big enough

before it's too late:

Embrace all cultures.

Find the common ground,

Buried among all the lies:

A kernel of peace.

Love your brothers near and far,

Laugh with your sisters;

We are all alike.

Our time is short here

But what we leave behind us

Is our legacy.

Honeysuckle

Honeysuckle scent
Trapped in woodland glade.
Oh, to be a honey bee!

Bookshelf Brotherhood

Books along the shelf,
Back to back they stand.
All for one and one for all.

Happiness

Roll me in mud or
Roll me in clover
The feeling is just the same.

Bruised

Nature's tattoo blooms
Changing colour tone
Alien blue green.

Referendum

All change. Mind the gap.

A perilous leap of faith

Reveals new challenge.

Close

Emotional day
Is it the humidity?
Relief in cloud burst.

Earn Your Place

Where do you belong?
Have you earned your place
As part of the human race?

Getting Busy

Birds and bees do it.
And all of the Ugly bugs
So sing hey nonny nonny!







(There's a lot goes on a peony leaf!)

Am Dram

Confidence exudes
As the play begins.
Thespians command the hour.

History Lesson

History repeats.
The facts are made clear:
You must learn from your mistakes.

Clearance

Cathartic clearance:
Rubbish removal
Making a new space to breathe.

Pollen

The pollen count's high

Dusting the meadow

In plumes of drifting yellow

Donner und Blitzen

Resounding rumble

Electric yellow sky-flash

Summer storms arrive.

After a blessing of rain:

Uncut diamonds

Fresh opals of dew.

Have Courage

With a leap of faith
He found contentment
Waiting for him in plain sight.

Evensong

Petrichor perfume
Fills the evening air.
Birdsong floats away our cares.

Rain.

Nice weather for ducks;
It's coming down in stair-rods;
Raining cats and dogs.

An English Affair ( Tanka)

An English affair:
Tea in a marquee.
You simply have to be there!
(Never mind the persistent rain
Let's have a walk down the lane.)

Wisteria

Wisteria weeps
From the eyes of history
Surveying the land.

Cricket

Genteel Summer game:

Willow thwack on wood

Polite applause dressed in white.

Ducks

Honeymooning ducks
Hide among the reeds
Grabbing a stolen moment.

Snow?

Carpet of blossom
Falls in the orchard, drifting.
Unseasonal snow.

The Green Man

Galloping approach,
Sap rises through the woodland:
The Green man cometh.

Killims and Crochet

Killims and crochet,
Warm quilts and sheepskin,
Comforting home from sweet home






(photograph by kind permission of J Durrand)

Blossom

Blossom backlit blue:
A treasure for bees
Fit for more than forty thieves.

Marshmallow Tree

A good day begins:
First lovely I see,
"Good Morning Marshmallow tree.
"

Morning Meadow

In a meadow framed by trees
Horses stand and doze
In the morning breeze.

Garden Tmesis

Lawn-blooming-mowers!
Broken down again;
In-bloody-convenience!

Fan-bloody-tastic:
Wheel-barrow puncture.
Lurching like a hopeless drunk.

Dande-flippin'-lions
Poking through the gaps
Laughing at the weedkiller.

And ant-friggin'-hills
Central to the lawn
Their own cityscape on stripes.

A gardener's frustrations
Are beyond compare
As they tear out hair!

Petrified

Jitter above the ocean surf

Coming in to land

Turnstones petrify.

Eider down

Band of Guillemots
Rolls with the tide sway
Hunkered down in Eider ducks.

Dunes

Shelter in the dunes
Hiding from the wind
In spiky marram grass tufts.

Couched Potatoes

Among the boulders
Seals lounge like couched potatoes
Washed up on the shore.

Fallen angel

A fallen angel
Tumbled in transgressions
Beats her wings on earth.

Praise him

S'allah! Sing your joy!

Praise God for the day

So wondrous to behold.

Calligraphy

Scribbles in the sand
Crustacean calligraphy
Scrawled in tidal sands

Somnum

Six hours together!
Precious gift, unbroken sleep.
Rise refreshed, revived.

York

Hem of roman walls
Hold fast York, medieval town,
Capitol of old.

Steel winged scavengers

Steel winged scavengers
Lit silver in late sunshine,
Follow the furrow.

Witch

One green eye one blue,
Read my palms anew,
Tell futures I cannot see.

Drake and Duck-chess

Drake follows duck-chess:
"My Love,Wife of one season,
Love me in reed beds."

Daffodils

Daffodil ribbons
March along the road in frills
Showing us the way.

Photographer?

The cam'ra around my neck:
Legitimacy;
Purpose; art; desire.

Dreams

Come adrift in dreams,
Float on a tide of spices.
Giants sing your song.

Coast

The seagulls beckon.
Swallows write your mysteries
Onto the heavens.

Supper

Candlelight supper,
Delectable dish.
Divine dance of the senses.

Getaway

A different lens
Perspective renewed,
Memories rendered afresh.

Cello

Bowing down to double stops
Cello strings vibrate
In sonorous chords

Crossword

Crossword conundrum,
A black and white confusion:
Words trapped in a maze.

Epitaph

Stilled roadkill victim.
His brief bristle and bluster
Humbled by humans.

Sherbet Blush

Blushing sherbet blooms
Gather together,
Whispering tender secrets.

Plagiarised Fairytale

Once upon a time
Damsel in distress
Lived happy ever after.

Hopeful

Braving wilderness,
Her green heart hopeful,
She knows the love of springtime.

Held Safe

Tears in a teacup
Held safe by friendship;
Saucer of sincerity

Be Kind

Colour life's lens with
Courage and kindness:
Forgive yourself imperfections.

Fledgling

Edging from the nest,
Independence beckons them.
Fledglings try your wings.

Writers Block

The scream of silence
Whistles through my brain.
Words escape into nothing.

Deep breath

Take a long slow breath.
Bottoms up! Dig Deep.
Who knows what treasure you'll find?

Seer

Ask me a question
I'll tell you no lies.
Look into my clear black eye.

Blossoms

Springtime squalling air.
Blossoms flung like confetti
Tumble to the ground.

Winter's Death

Lay the frosted shroud
Winter is about to pass:
She diminishes.

Early Night

Mother nature's early night:
Pink pyjama stripes
Cross a pastel sky.

A Nightingale Sings

Let me count the ways.
Three hundred love songs:
A nightingale's repertoire.

Crocus

Emerging crocus
Spread your delicate petals,
Flaunt your saffron heart.

Cat Nap

Lovely ginger cat
In her fav'rite bivouac
Naps away the day

The Wedding Party

The wedding party,
Gathered folds of pride,
Congratulate the couple.

Mockery

Mistletoe pompoms
Dangle out of reach,
Mocking a lover's desire.

Indian Wedding

The wedding party,

Gathered folds of pride,

Congratulate the couple.

Grief

Grief is an armadillo:

Tough plated armour

Shields tender feeling.

Treasure

                                                      

Fallen Crab apples,

Blackbird's treasure hoard,

Scents the air; fermented, sweet.

Ivy

Like varicose veins
Knotted around limbs
You sap your generous host

Ducks

The dip dabble ducks
Flirt with their feathers
Maintaining pecking order.

Marmalade

Marmalade dreaming

Sticky and steaming.

Occluded jars stand cooling.

Snow

My world's a snow globe,
Earth dusted to white.
Virgin blanket waits to bite.

Blessings

Daily gifts are given,
Sandwiched between earth and sky.
Blessed are those who see.

Frosty Morning Walk

Frosty morning walk.
A drop forms beneath my nose.
Condensed air, or worse?

Blush

Horizon blushes,
Shell pink shading up,
Excitement for the new day.

Frozen Porridge

Under foot lies mud,
stirred frozen porridge.
Concrete hard, hidden 'neath leaves.
March on my sure-footed boot;
Sounds satisfy. Cornflake crunch.

Baked Apples

 Brown sugar apples baking;
My Granny's apples.
Always in my heart.

Books

Tooled leather binding
Soft treasure in hand,
A weight of wonder in words.

Rain

Mist, drizzle, spitting,
Pouring, cat's and dogs,
And coming down in stair rods.

Curtains

Uneven billows,
Wind fills the curtain:
Sails on a ship run aground.

My Geography

Trail the mountain peak,
Source the river deep,
Explore my geography....

Parade day

Festival Parade:
Drums like beer bellies
Feather Dusters on your caps.

A New Year

Waiting for the sun.
Fog of possibilities.
What will be revealed?