Patina

Patina

Birds together strokes of pen
Flew in a purposeful arc
Crossing the Sunday sky
Low lit the beautiful blue
Burnt umber/ amber leaves still, not fallen
Back-dropped our day
Cambridge ever the film-set

Scene one the Chop House
Crush and clatter, wine
And chatter, family resumés
Births and death, dear father now gone home

Scene two dark Dutch interiors
Plain and protestant
Sun shaft through windows
White on lace, women at their work
A silence sweetly sung

Same chiaroscuro, trick of light
King’s college chapel by candle glow
White robes moving, soaring song
Ritual and liturgy, perfect show

Flicker, shadow, weight of time
Polished Henry’s seat
So redolence and patina
History’s gifts
To our shared forty years, our friendship
Made to shine

30th November 2011, Brighton, for the friends with love

Enchanted by the dance

Enchanted by the dance

Degas sat and watched and drew
Enchanted by the dance
In charcoal/chalk, in pastel/ pen
He seized the moving line
Pliés, arabesques, the dancers fly,
Twirl and whirl
Or perfect poise on points
Moments as they pass
Pinned on the page
Degas drew and drew and drew
Captured like a dream
Surpassing beauty on the move
Enchantment of the dance

17th November 2011, Brighton, with thanks to Jill H

France in her autumn glory glowed

France in her autumn glory glowed

Yesterday’s weave had the warp and the weft
Rustic and strong
Song of the falling, fire of the year
South to north the land ablaze
France in her autumn glory glowed
Leaf on tree on bush in woods
In copse and forest licked and lit
Tapestry woven wild
Carmine to claret dashed and splashed
Cardinal nacarat rose
Dot and daub, speckle, freckle
Every orange zing and zest
Burnt and brassy
Round the rainbow, red to palest ochre
Golden shower and shimmer
South to north
Toulouse to channel port
France in her autumn glory glowed
Sang her sweet song
Wove it in warp and weft
From sun-come-up to sudden setting
Through all the waking hours
Bold unrolled her technicolor tapestry
Season’s show sublime
Then for her final flourish, curtain call and bow
Out of the swift and dropping dark
She conjured a magical moon

14th November 2011, Brighton