A pause upon the world

A pause upon the world 

After a while of cupboard clearing, shredding,
therapeutic scrub and scour 
of this to keep and that discard
clothes hung in rows or neatly folded
shoes in pairs, dust in balls 
dispelled, expelled all fluff and clutter
after a while the pile and file 
so many tasks longtime un-done
filling the locked-down days

And blessed here our landscape’s lovely 
yellow as yolks and striped in lime
spring confidently sprung, birdsong loud
and bees, ceaseless busy 

But here’s the thing, the daily shock and bombshell 
entire globe’s nightmare waking 
microscopic enemy triumphant and multiplying
has us powerless, by the throat 
and surely in the stillness sudden and the silence 
such a pause upon the world 
we must hear the planet breathing 
hear the message, voiceless plea. 

Think on all the mindless damage
earth despoiled in callous greed
over-warmed the mighty oceans
Arctic glaciers melting gone 
emissions filth pollution 
plastic massing, chokes the sea
this the moment virus moment
whole world paused, to listen, think
hear the warnings, planet breathing
hear the message, voiceless plea.

March 29th 2020, locked down Hounoux. 

How sorely missed

How sorely missed 

Yesterday the Marin blew, hard and howling 
damp from the sea
in a white sky, no blue no sun 
only the roar and the hurl 
and windless now the day is bleached, emptied 
the silence thick and drumming 
the oddest day
emptied, drained like a swamp
no frogs 
all colour and contact, warmth and chatter, interaction
silent now and stilled...

...all busy-ness on planes and trains 
motorways and rush hours, crush and crowd
the soup and swirl of germs in droplets
multiplying, invisible and deadly
Covid-19, bred on bats or pangolin
quixotic possibility 
come creeping, Assyrians as wolf on the fold 
death knell, tolled and tolled
this year’s winning plague 
culling the herd.

How sorely missed the touch, the kiss 
double or treble, Gallic greeting 
locked down in bunker, hunkered with the rolling 
tolling, terrifying news 
we knit and sew and weed and trim 
painting and poetry solitary, not forbidden
and interact by telephone, send virtual hugs
battle bugs, with soap and hand wash, sanitisers

Observe the birds, unfazed
busy for spring 
song of the blackbird, glorious 
there’s budding unseasonal, globally warmed 
but heedless, responding to signals
they’re doing their thing
busy for spring
only our world turned upside down 
our getting and spending cribbed and confined
all colour and contact, warmth and chatter, interaction 
silent now and stilled. 

And now we know 
of course it’s so
how sorely missed, the touch the  kiss 
the dear and daily contact, real 
not virtual. 

19th March 2020 Hounoux 

Lost lives

Lost lives 

From sodden ferns unfurling 
the rain unceasing fell
a backdrop and a metaphor 
while church bells tolled and bullets rang 
and blood was in the gutters. 

The music ominously rose 
then fell in dying fugue
as bombs and buildings blew apart 
a symphony in smashing glass 
while women screamed and lives were lost 
and all the world was grieving. 

Murmuration silhouetted, black upon the blue
one mournful trumpet blown 
for thirty years, tears poured on tears 
daily the death toll rising
lost lives in thousands, piteous 
a tragedy to contemplate 
impossible to bear. 

10th March 2020 Hounoux 

Not fool’s gold

Not fool’s gold 

It’s just a daily habit
thoughtless as brushing teeth
or pushing the pedals on exercise bike
clocking the miles, raising a sweat. 
So be where it’s still, just paper and pen 
listen and breathe, wait to receive 
maybe an idea is forming 
haiku today, or verse run free
rhyming or random
Couplets in mètres or practically prose
who knows? 

Panning with patience, knee-deep in the stream
watch for the glitter not fool’s gold, the gleam 
sifting and sorting, dross through the sieve 
rejoice for the nugget, the shine, the sheen 
rejoice for the treasure trove. 

March 4th 2020 Hounoux