A bonny bird

 

A bonny bird 

All amongst the dross and drear, corruption and dismay 

the daily news-round sullying our lives, corroding hope

here’s a bonny bird! 

A bar-tailed Godwit, champion and record-breaker, 

barely five months fledged 

from Alaska flown, the flock unparented

this season’s young 

world map within their egg and DNA 

and our tracked winner, never touching down 

non-stop, eleven days one hour

the length of the Americas, left at Hawaïi 

then days above the blue, Pacific, 

land and sea, sea and land, frozen north to south 

Tasmania! One in a million

bonny bird! 

October 29th 2022 Hounoux 

Seven came

 

Seven came 

Seven came on coach and train 

plus sometimes sprints

defying all our decades, dragging cases 

nattering 

Captain Jenny in the van, holding the train 

Non!  non! bold refrain 

late and laughing to Toulouse 

Three long days and lovely together, no programme

going with the flow 

the morning valley, mists

and mosquitos, autumn sun and sharing

memories and tears, fears, laughter 

fifty years after 

on ladders teetering, for olives 

and tamarisk pruning, Penny 

Sunday lunch and soups, multiple 

Fifty years after 

Jessie, role play and foolish exercises 

we’ve learned, we nine 

the perfect number, fitting format for our lifetime 

and understood with passing time and frailties 

what’s priceless

precious beyond rubies, such love and friendship 

best vintage, beautiful champagne 

October 12th 2022, Hounoux, for the seven. 

In photographs you’d say

 In photographs you’d say 

In photographs you’d say, our days were spent together

round one table or another 

eating and drinking, beer, cerveza, orange juice and wine, pink or white 

and favourite tapas feature too, patatas bravas of course 

chiperones, garlic prawns, bounty from the sea

which rolled and crashing, broke in soothing rhythm 

ceaseless 

in all the colours of my new ring 

shades of turquoise, teal, in opals caught. 

Nine well-spent euros for a parasol

to make the high white,  bright sun bearable 

sea so salt we floated free, gossiping in a circle, no handbags 

wedding ring not lost 

blue fish flashing silver 

Marek snorkelling pursued by balloon, bobbing. 

To the lighthouse for our Japanese treat, mediated by Beverley 

who knows about such things, delicious 

strange cribbage board with pegs

and sun setting over our bay, in tangerine. 

After which a storm, spectacular, with lightning forked and sheet

plus subsequent downpour drenching the walkers. 

In photographs you’d say our days were spent together 

Costa Brava interlude, chatter and laughter, stunned by beauty 

and love, our friendship priceless beyond rubies 

celebrating. 

September 19th 2022, Llafranc and Hounoux, for beloved friends 

Staring past Orion

Staring past Orion  

On the night of the at first slow rising 

numinous, low in the south east

full and orange

enchantment 

floating just above the pin parasol 

the few lit  windows of Bellegarde 

a saturated sky veiled the stars 

so Perseid showers shot by unseen 

though he waited head-tilted, staring past Orion 

Hounoux 12th August 2022 

Like summer rain

 Like summer rain 

Early awake as the dawn is pinking

peach in streaks in the lovely light 

hurrah for the gentler warmth I’m thinking 

instead of the sweat of the high sun’s might

all earth’s creatures frazzled, shrinking 

impossible day and tropical night 

my soul’s sapped and sinking sinking 

fretting the future, the planet’s plight. 

But in the dear day’s glamorous dawning

artist tinting the window pane

I find the poet’s ‘New every morning’

Take heart she says, begin again 

and salve for the fevered frights and warnings 

her words of hope like summer rain

30th July 2022, Hounoux, on reading Susan Coolidge, ‘New every morning’ 

Sounding the alarm

 Sounding the alarm 

There’s a warning loud in the air today 

garden slowly crisping curled, ungreening 

where the sun’s ferocious flattening the large-leaved 

hydrangeas, Christmas rose gasping

even the sages struggling, the sparrows silenced 

cacophony not after all ceaseless 

when the thermometer’s dreadfully high

the heatwave graphics fire-engine red 

barely a merciful breeze 

all will sapped 

cicada chorus buzzing louder louder 

sounding the alarm 

July 13th 2022,Hounoux. 

A spell to bind me

 

A spell to bind me 

From under the spread of the olive tree

its sturdy limbs’ fine canopy 

the world reduced to greens and blues 

skies and oceans cooler hues 

I thought of Marvell’s luscious ode

of green on green in mystic mode 

annihilating, as he wrote, all that’s made 

to a green thought in a green shade 

and understood the poet’s meaning 

when all the world’s a dream of greening. 

Between the earth and thrush egg sky 

heedless poised to float or fly 

midsummer bliss a solstice gift 

a spell to bind me as I drift 

July 3rd 2022, Hounoux, on reading Marvell and Charles Causely