The remorseless rain
beats against the wall
the wind rippling the puddles
of water on the path.

At the window
I ask 'Is it an omen?
Were the seer's words
as senseless as they seemed?'

Daddy-long-legs
Prancing
Advancing
across the kitchen floor
Put it out

In reds' country
Grey squirrel
Insolently
Runs along beside me

It's become a trend
to climb the hills
or, to add spice
to run them, twice!

It's only fair
to indicate
fell-runners are spare
and carry no weight

Think of Joss Naylor
at eighty plus
still running past
the rest of us

On the Ides Of March
I went in to a shop
forgetting my purse
so I did a quick hop

Went to poetry group
all up in the air
Someone just threw their coffee
here there, everywhere

The poetry leader
showed he was able
and tipped the blueberries
all over the table

The hairdresser said
"It's windy today"
keep your hair on your head
or it might blow away

Not only "The Ides"
It's 'Red Nose Day' too
People finding daft things
for others to do

They raise Stacks of cash
to meet others' needs
a good way of forgetting
The Ides' past misdeeds

The acer
below my window
budded brown
but leafed green

I cruelly packed it in
I feel guilty
but better

When you head up the ***** of the Kirkstone Pass,
so-called for the rock, a glacier's erratic,
that's shaped like a chapel and stands at the head
of the steeply-raked pass

There's a place where the valley far down below you
splits either side of the hill, called 'The Tongue'
Way below is a farm at the tip of 'The Tongue'
from this height, so tiny, it looks like a toy

Be careful!  Don't go to the edge of the roadway
or your fall will be sharp and you might not survive
Drive on, up the twisting ascent of the mountain
until, near the summit, you spot Kirkstone Inn

It's built at the junction of the pass and 'The Struggle'-
the latter a test of a new driver's skill-
its car park a stop for walkers and drivers,
its promise of welcome a tangible call

What a wonderful feeling of warmth as you enter
You're inside, enjoying a favorite brew
Check up on the map, now decide where you're going,
then say your adieus and be back on the road

great-grandpa
bushy-bearded
lively, loved
was a Squirrell
with two ls

Neighboring cat
Is making me sour
I don't like either

I enjoy having
two daily meals provided
Problem:
Tight waistband

The door opened.
"Sorry"
she said
and went out
again

Went to poetry group
Nothing
but
enjoyed others' offerings
enormously

This is too much!
I've slept again
the whole way to Edinburgh
on the train

It's beautiful country
with lovely views
and I've been unconscious
in a long snooze

I awaken in time
to see the three sails
of the newest Forth road bridge
and the train one with rails

We're in to Haymarket
I must get out here
be awake and quite with-it
and full of good cheer

Which box?
That box
This box?
THAT box
Home, boxed

Spectacular snow
sufficiently stepped upon
morphs moodily
into puddly slush

Nights lengthen
Days darken
Brightly coloured leaves
cheer me up

From now to the end of November
a list as long as your arm
of hospitals and doctors
and now I must keep calm

Communication
Keeps everything
Functioning smoothly
If and when
It  happens

What Is a poem?
My dictionary gives
“a composition arranged in lines
usually (it says)
with a particular rhythm
and sometimes
with rhymes”
a flight of fancy
a dirge
an ode
a sonnet
a villanelle
even a code
a pulse of romance
a moan of despair
a glory of colour
of sound in thin air
a vision
a grumble
a song
an insurrection
jubilation
frustration
at lack of direction
In short it would seem
one has to take care
as a poem may happen
anytime
anywhere

How come
I'm surprised
at the treasures
I've squirreled around

My footsteps
pad along the track
A bird sings
Peace

Overwhelmed
by jobs
from all directions
Why did I volunteer?

Valentine’s Day

As a rule
Valentine’s day passes me by
unnoticed
but
this year
in the middle of lockdown
a friend’s delayed gift
of Scilly Isles Narcissi
arrived just in time
to fragrance my room
with their sweet heady scent
and look up at me
with their tiny innocent faces
A thoughtful friend
sent me a Valentines
full of good wishes
and if that weren’t enough
I was treated to a delicious afternoon tea
and a posy of daffodils

Valentines come in many ways

The arts and crafts house is a labour of love  
No plastic is found here
but deftly placed splinters of differing woods
carefully entwined
trace the outer line of the year
in which each piece was made

Tuesday
I get new windows
Wednesday new door
I'm happy

The weather forecast for today
said mist would later clear away
and afternoon be bright.
So far the earth is sombre, drear,
no hint of sunshine to appear
before again it's night.
The tapestry of twigs and branches
when the breeze arises, dances
stitched across the sky.
I remember when the green
sleek new leaves could well be seen
by any passer-by.
The birds still sing although no rays
of sunshine cheer their wintry days.
They're pairing up in time
by end of January's freezing weight
to reach mid-February's sacred date,
that of Saint Valentine.

Undivided attention
is a gift
one doesn't get
very often

It's a gift
one doesn't give
very often
in these days
of butterfly-mindedness

It's quite a challenge
to love that much

Splinters of plastic
pierce outer skin of the year
we labour to save

Box lids
belong on boxes
Painted
hung
appear undressed
Discomfited

"Mirror, mirror on the wall,
who is the fairest of them all?"

Look at her skin so pale and lovely,
Her fine gold hair in ringlets twirled,

But see - she is cycling as hard as she's able
on an exercise bike, as fast as she can,
the sweat fairly spilling
down onto the floor.

Her aim, to fit into that tiny bikini
and win the Miss Nowhere's imaginary crown.

Was it worth it? Who's telling?
and what was the score?

Smothered in jackdaws
the little birds
can't reach the feeder

Is there an infinite number of stars?
No, matter is always finite
I lie in the hayloft pillowed by straw
innocently looking for the ultimate star
but it's all a mirage

.. though a lot of fun
.. doesn't get
much work done

In the dark
at my doorstep
a small white face

As if we weren’t worried
about plastic already, this year
produced mountains of medical splinters
and labourers’ protective disposable outers

I ignore cat
Cat ignores me
But he's still there

Bill paid
Hair done
Poem written
The day's starting well

Mind too full
even to find
ten words?
That's preoccupation!

The purple prose
of the local paper-
trying to imitate
the tabloid press
with its flaming headlines-
describing the animal
seen in the headlights
of a reporter's car
very late at night
is a bit over-ripe
in the cold light of morning

Five-Word competition
challenges poets
to include each one
meaningfully

This stuff must go
Emotion fights reason
All still there

By articulating
another's dilemma
readers reasoned
his need was mine

Heartless hunters
Garden defilers
Enslaving humans
With fur and purr

Cleverness
is anything
sharper
than
what you could think of

The deer walk through
Leaving behind
Tulips
*****
Headless

In blink of an eye
the mental storm subtly changes,
its clustered worries relaxed, calmed.
A circumference of peace prevails

Return home
187 messages
on the computer
Not one's exciting

"Don't burst blood vessels"
says my enigmatic friend
"Stay cool, man, stay cool"

The Technological Revolution
means
Everyone
Always
One step behind mastery