Memorial

I do not want to talk of him,

His shining eyes, his wicked smile.

I do not want to think of him,

The way we laughed and loved a while.

I do not want to meet with you,

Pretending it is all the same.

I do not want to hear of him,

I’m trying to forget his name.

I do not want to cry with you,

I have not cried with him all year.

I do not want to say goodbye,

To someone I once held so dear.

Parsnips

They are long and cream.

Taste of something else though.

Kinda parsnipy.

The Pigeon

The pigeon arrives

Flaps its wings

Pecks the ground

Steps forward

Steps back

Steps forward

Steps back

Steps back

Flaps

Leaves

Writing Out Shakespeare

I put a monkey in a room,

And it wrote out Shakespeare,

With a tiny typewriter,

And a pot of black tea.

There’s a monkey in the room,

Writing out Shakespeare,

Though it’s a little smarter

Than we want it to be.

Keep the monkey in the room,

So he can write Shakespeare,

And when we come back later,

He may ask us to leave.

The monkey’s left the room,

After he has written Shakespeare,

And now he’s doing monkey things,

Swinging from a tree.

His Socks

I pair His socks again

again

Stripe with Stripe, Brown with Brown

He has more socks than

any Decent Man should have

I pair His socks again

again

fold His pants, iron shirts

fold and pair and iron shirts

and then

tangled in twisted trouser legs

His sock

with no pair to pair

again

Lover

You left behind your lingering stare,

a crooked smile,

seductive and sweet.

The memory of hand held

tight. Tousled hair from

tousled night.

And then. More than memory.

The folded corner of my

favourite book.

The stain from when red wine was spilt.

And a chip on a vase

that wasn’t there before.

Meeting

Two different journeys intertwined

With passing sways and sorrys and goodbyes

They paused for a simple moment

Locked in lulls and gentle movement

A single laugh, a common moan

Rolled eyes, open smiles, and then on

They went their separate ways

She went left

He went left

And there they stayed.

Second Sunday

It seems mundane

the Gentle smile, suggestive

and seductively asking.

So normal. So

Clichéd

The second Sunday of

every month. I know.

He knows.

We know but do not

say

He’s somewhere nestled,

nuzzled, closer. Happy,

holding,

huddled tighter. It’s

Different.

He keeps his worlds

apart. Different phone

Different heart.

He loved our life and

yet.

The second Sunday of

every month. I know.

He knows.

We know but do not

will not

can not

say.

A Midsummer Night

We lie awake together

Drifting in our own daydreams

Holding hands with twisted legs

intertwined. There are no words

between us. No whispers of feelings

No sweet nothings said.

We spent so many nights like this,

in silence. In our own thoughts.

Remembering the night we fell in love.

We left the city in the twilight,

It rained. The forest seemed

full of magic then.

Drunkenly exchanging harsh words,

Seductive reasoning and lovers.

I sometimes wonder, is our love

stitched together by magic?

By the dizziness of the forest

The summer heat and midnight’s promise.

Would the nights be different

If we’d exchanged our

lovers for the other’s. I dream

of her lover’s curled hair and

the gap in his teeth.

I stroke my lover’s fingers.

I wonder if he ever dreams of her.

Bad News

With dry throat and

                raspy breath

I take your hand

feel your pulse beneath

my fingertips

Or perhaps

perhaps it’s mine

beating in my ear

and stinging

my eyes, red rimmed

and forlorn

you smile

although you know

I do not have to

utter my raspy

breath

a shudder of nerves

and tears

You squeeze my hand

and together

we slightly weep

First Love

We didn’t have to take our time

We could have rushed

                And met what came our way

Like so many other

                young lovers

Thrust together in heat and

                flawed judgements

We could have trusted the moon

                And ignored the dawn

                                warning of second thoughts

                                                in morning light

Instead, we spent the night time

                                laughing

playing games and ignoring

                suggestive feelings

It seemed unnatural

                this deprivation

                But a swollen promise

must never be forgotten

Lunch Time

I cut his food into tiny pieces.

Small enough to fit into his

Small and toothless mouth.

He smiles at me, with a look of

glum resignation. I know

he’s embarrassed by this

Common situation. All his friends

eat their meals in

Tiny bite sized chunks,

made small for them by

caring relatives and carers.

His shaky hand can’t quite control the fork.

He misses his mouth a little,

We ignore the gravy smear. He smiles

as a small defiant tear dribbles

down his cheek.

Our Walk By The Sea

You told of your childhood

and muttered dreaded secrets

kept away by

Good Manners and

complicated fears

The sea seemed soothing then

Although the harsh waves roared

and spat at our ankles

The wicked wind

Whipping away your

tearful whispers

I had to strain to hear

And strain to not

Some secrets should remain swept

away by sensible

oceans

If the World was Made of Chocolate

If the world was made of chocolate

I would eat the world right up,

If the rivers flowed with Fanta

I would take a great big cup,

If the sun was golden syrup,

And the moon a moony pie,

I would gobble up the sun,

And I’d give the moon a try,

If the trees were made of toffee,

And the leaves were Brighton rock,

I would eat the leaves for breakfast,

And I’d guzzle toffee block,

Then I’d eat the cherry flowers,

And I’d lick the lolly plants,

I would suck up strawberry worms,

And I’d nibble raspberry ants,

I would roll around in butter,

I would eat the poppy jam,

And the daisies made of cream,

And the candy beaver dam,

If the world was made of chocolate,

I would eat up the whole lot,

And then I’d have no place to live,

So I’m sort of glad it’s not.

Jumping

Jumping, jumping, jumping socks,

Jumping feet,

Jumping lots.

Jumping, Jumping, Jumping shoes,

Jumping feet,

Jump in twos.

Jumping full of jumping beans,

Jumping is,

As jumping seems.

Jumping heads and hands and knees,

You may jump,

Just as you please.

Jumping elbows, necks and toes,

Jumping ears,

Jumping nose.

Jumping ringlets, jumping curls,

Jumping boys,

And jumping girls.

Jumping up into the air,

You may jump

If you dare!

Mice

Most mice never ride the tube,

Though they’re always at the station,

They’d rather scuttle on the floor,

And bear the mild abrasion.

The never sit on faded seats,

There’s never the occasion.

They never catch the last train home,

To reach their destination.

They never wait and wait for trains,

To go to Clapham Junction.

They never get stuck in the dark,

Because of a malfunction.

They never hear the driver say

“Please don’t cause congestion”,

The like to stand all in a crowd,

And ignore the strong suggestion.

They never stand behind the line,

For their own protection.

They never take their tickets out,

For a slow inspection.

Most mice never ride the tube,

Though they’re always at the station,

They’d rather scuttle on the floor,

And bear the mild abrasion.

The Nonsense Ballad of My Nana Hannah Lucy Mae

My Nana Hannah Lucy Mae

Is smaller than my mum.

She wasn’t smaller yesterday,

And no one knows what’s wrong.

My Nana Hannah Lucy Mae

Just shrinks and shrinks and shrinks.

She’s going at a shocking rate,

We don’t know what to think.

My Nana Hannah Lucy Mae

Is getting smaller still.

My daddy said to stretch her out.

And John proposed a pill.

My Nana Hannah Lucy Mae

Is just as small as me.

My mum said she should have a drink,

And Aunty Jill agreed.

My Nana Hannah Lucy Mae

Just won’t stop getting shorter.

My granddad put her in a pot,

And fed her light and water.

My Nana Hannah Lucy Mae

Is getting really small.

My cousin said to give her stilts,

And that would make her tall!

My Nana Hannah Lucy Mae

Can’t shrink anymore!

She’s nearly as short as my brother Jack,

And he’s only just turned four!

My Nana Hannah Lucy Mae

Is smaller than the cat.

My sister nearly trod on her,

And nearly made her flat!

My Nana Hannah Lucy Mae

Is as tiny as a toy.

We use her as a Lego piece,

To bring us fun and joy!

My Nana Hannah Lucy Mae

Has vanished into air!

We think she must be somewhere here,

We really don’t know where.

Please Help Me Mummy

Please help me mummy,

There’s a tiger in my bed,

He just won’t move over mum,

He’s wanting to be fed.

Please help me mummy,

There’s a walrus in the hall,

They’re bigger than I thought mum,

I thought that they were small.

Please help me mummy,

There’s a turtle in your room,

I think it’s laying eggs mum,

And they’ll be hatching soon.

Please help me mummy,

There’s a tuna in the bath,

I’d try to move it out mum,

But it’s having such a laugh.

Please help me mummy,

There’s a snake upon the stairs,

It won’t let me pass mum,

And I don’t that think it cares.

Please help me mummy,

There’s a panda on TV,

I’m trying not to watch it mum,

But it’s sitting watching me.

Please help me mummy,

There’s a whale right in the sink,

I want a glass of water mum,

But he just won’t let me drink.

Please help me mummy,

There’s a fruit bat in the fridge,

I can’t reach the butter mum,

Won’t it move a smidge?

Please help me mummy,

There’s a penguin with the bat,

He’s playing with the butter mum,

Why’s he doing that?

Please help me mummy,

There’s a fuzzy polar bear,

Sitting in the freezer mum,

What’s he doing there?

Please help me mummy,

A gorilla’s chasing me,

I don’t know what it wants mum,

But it just won’t let me be.

Please help me mummy,

There’s a rhino out the back,

It’s messing up the lawn mum,

Whilst looking for a snack.

Please help me mummy,

I just want you to know,

I’m asking them to leave mum,

But they’ve nowhere else to go.