Memories, unpeeling

Memories, unpeeling 

The crow of a cock through the all night 

wide-open window 

a day so still, late summer hissing in the ear

like sea swoosh captured in a shell 

that boastful brag, attention-seeking  

cockadoodle call. 

It’s village India first, flat-out beneath the fan 

clack-clacking 

carried on the woodsmoke mixed-spice air

then clever as a Russian doll

Babushka peeled, revealed, 

neighbourhood rooster, francophone 

hence cocorico call

from student years, fast fading. 

And at its core, Babushka’s baby

my childhood home, scent of pine

wood pigeons on repeat 

salt and sea swoosh

crow of cock through the all night

wide-open window.

27th August 2020, Hounoux 

Daylily

Daylily 

Every second day, a lily 

six-petalled star 

in peach and cream and lime

child of the morning, lovely 

every second day, daylily 

ghost by dusk 

4th August 2020 Hounoux, for Ros ( not a Rain lily) Morley 

As countless bees

As countless bees 

Unpegged in the basket, sheets
dried by the sun 
powerful still, hot on my head 
though it’s supper time 
six chimes from the campanile clock 
loud in the hot sun hush. 
Tomato leaves are curling crisped 
thirsty SOS 
all in thrall, stunned by the sun 
and here the blooming bushes 
lavender, flower of the south 
happy with heat, with dry, with parched 
noisy now, loud hum and thrum
as countless bees, still busy 
day not done, dance 
dance in the evening sun. 

25th July 2020, Hounoux 

The beauty of snowflakes

The beauty of snowflakes 

Snowflakes they say, generically 
meaning no compliment, sneering 
so not beautiful, like feathers swan fluffed and fell 
not gorgeous as starlight, sugar-sweet shine 
a million million patterns, each unique design 
but something damp and feeble
not enduring, gone in a moment, come the sun 
no backbone no grit, tenacity- clearly none. 

And thus dismissed a generation born as the century changed 
one to specify, come trailing clouds of glory 
heaven-sent 
a child to bring a smile, her family’s delight  
and like her friends she learned of causes 
early made aware, ignorance not possible
when all the world’s on line. 
Now see them take a stand, object, reject
take step by step, some setbacks 
demons faced and fought. 
Clear and strong, Millennials’ song 
persisting insisting not feeble nor frail 
the beauty of snowflakes whirled in a storm 
hurl of the wind or the wolf in the cold. 
In the sound of their singing hear their story unfold. 

July 13th 2020 Hounoux, for Lily with love 

Oh look at the lily

Oh look at the lily 

Oh look at the lily 
calla, curled like a hand, cupping,
backwards somehow, a C
the curve of a D
or meerkats on tiptoe, perky, en garde 
or from another angle the swish of a ballgown
evening elegance
purple these and, viewed from above 
a champagne flute, finger deep 
as bubbles burst 
oh look at the lily
calla, cool creature
proud of her loveliness 

June 28th 2020 Hounoux 

Pleasing as pebbles

Pleasing as pebbles 

I’ve spent my days, long months of days 
when they were shapeless, stretched ahead 
no diaried dates nor outings scheduled 
actually proscribed 
and so instead the cricket matches
rolled, re-rolled, thwack of leather/ willow 
while Mikey’s mellow marvellous 
round and smooth, Jamaican tones
lilted like music, reggae beat. 

Or just as luscious here’s a poet in a shed
guests diverse with expertise and passions, various 
musician, poet, judge, a naturalist fanatical 
and him, the poet laureate 
musing on owl and nightingale 
setting the tone
not news, not graphs/ statistics, not all-pervading panic 
nor of course a panacea 
but still, like pause upon a bench 
in wisteria’s lime-bright shade 
mellow and marvellous, round and smooth 
pleasing as pebbles, the swoosh of the sea
a boon and a pleasure, perfect for me. 

26th June 2020 Hounoux 

Pianola scroll, rolling

Pianola scroll, rolling 

There’s a bird outside my window 
who is singing ceaselessly 
his notes in repetitions
daily delicious, dawn till dusk
this snatch of song, inherited 
imprinted in his DNA
his egg, fledging 
encoded like a pianola scroll, 
rolling out
just this tune his given
no riffing, cutting loose
free-stying not his lot. 
As the sun comes up each morning 
and the moon goes from sliver to full
he opens his throat and exuberance 
extravagant, sweetens the springtime air. 

June 3rd 2020 Hounoux