I see her barefoot on the sand
she gazes out to sea
The breeze touches her hair
Her eyes fix on the surf

She is at peace
With the sea

Above the waves there is motion
coloured forms are alive
Butterflies, dancing with the life
of a future unlived.

She is at peace
With the butterflies

The butterflies reflect her moods
Sky blue with hope
Scarlet red with love
Rich green with Earth

She is at peace
With the Earth

Before me she transforms
into a meadow of wildflowers
That sing of 60's peace
on a quiet Friday afternoon

She is at peace
With the afternoon

My mind briefly imagines her
Below Caziel's mural
Absorbing a culture of hope
That lives within her heart

She is at peace
With her heart

And then I see her turn
the sunlight plays briefly on her face
She retraces her steps into town
leaving footprints in the sand

She is at peace
With herself.

Your face - so young
So beautiful to me
It catches my eye
Seducing me to return

To see it - to know it
Yet I don't know 'you'
I have never met you
Perhaps I never will

Your pretty left eye - Its pretty left eye
Your dark hair - Its dark hair
How that eye holds me
With its gaze averted

Your scarf - of biege
So tenderly wrapped
I can feel its warmth
Yet I've never touched it

Your portrait - a masterpiece
Yet it is not 'you'
We must face that fact together
As exhibitionist and ******

It's not paper - it's not paint
For when I leave this room
I'll ever still see 'it'
Not paper, paint or you

It exists - you exist
I exist also
You created the portrait
But what created me?

I turn - I leave
With one last look I think
I do not know her, but she
Should be proud of what she's done.


An early poem I thought I'd lost!

Quarter to four
Last minutes of the shift
Feet on the desk
Trying to read Larkin

'Days'
Quite relevant really
But the words dance
Upon the page

Across the desk
A teenage girl
Bangs on about her ****
Larkin is lost.

The tide abates
As the storm rages on
Slowly the shore reveals itself
Assaulted by the waves

Twenty years ago
Here I would sit
Upon this rocky outcrop
Watching the ancestors of these waves

The rocks and shingle roar
Growl to me from below
Why don't I jump in and save them
From their steady,slow erosion

A long, piece of driftwood
Is flung airborn by a wave
Part of a long-lost craft
Only now finding landfall

The light begins to touch me
Through the tangy, salt-sea air
I retrace my steps once more
Leaving home behind me.

She doesn't care, Felicity
Which side of the M25 she was born
But I do as the rain
Hammers down the asphalt

The poetry of the concrete collar
Exit ramps, overheads,benzene
Subtly turns me on
As she removes her high heels

'London Orbital' she slowly mouths
while lighting another cigarette
It has three 'O's
Not unlike myself

I watch her from behind the wheel
The motorway's pulse fills the space
Between us and the world
As we wait for the night.

The right leg crosses the left
the left leg crosses the right
Not bad for forty two
I watch across the room

This seductive sequence
to think I used to **** that
Not now though - no chance
she really hates my guts

Yet every few weeks  I sit
across the silent living room
She streches over, presenting her ***
In **** tight pink trousers

She knows what she's doing
understands my mind
Pink is my colour of ***
I cannot ignore her

And so the show goes on
and then for days to come
I dwell on the pink trousers
skin of forbidden fruit

With your finger
You twirl your hair
Smile across the table
And in shyness look away

I just look down
Smile to myself
Think how lucky I am
That you are here with me

This room is full
Of other folk
But they are merely given
Supporting roles in this play

My misplaced foot
Touches your leg
Quickly I say 'sorry'
But we both know that I'm not

I'd take you now
Up close to me
I'd hold you here so tight
And I'd never let you go

But this cafe
Is not the place
For two to boldly love
Each other for all to see

Except like this
Quiet and subtle
Yet ever more sincere
Over both our coffee cups

The world goes by
But not for us
We're wrapped in this our game
For we're only starting out

But we both know
We've reached the point
The point of no return
Darling we've begun to Love.


An early piece from some years back!