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.

A gray squirrel
appeared in my garden
uninvited
destructive
reported

Five-Word competition
challenges poets
to include each one
meaningfully

Box Lids
belong on boxes
On walls
they look
undressed

Heartless hunters
Garden defilers
Enslaving humans
With fur and purr

Wrestling with words
Forgot water heater
Late rising
Late everything

"How long
have these bollards
been here?"
"About twenty years"

Little striped buzzers
keep interrupting
when I'm trying
to concentrate

I'm wending my way
to the poetry group
trying to frame
from alphabet soup
some rhythmic offering
by way of a change
from shame-faced admittance
"I've nothing"- how strange!
But just as I join them
with something to say

They're doing Haiku

Wild raspberries
Glow richly red
in the hedgerow
Taste wonderful

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

Snow
source of so much poetry
cancels
poetry group meeting

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

Op Shop
Charity shop
Best stop
for Lost And Found

The workman came,
said what he would do
and vanished

Climb any mountain
Enjoy the space
the fair views
in every direction

Wait a while
savour the pleasure
You've started a trend
Everyone wants to do it

Sun comes out
It's hot
Sun goes in
It's not

I plan to do so much
and accomplish so little

Wherever I go
he's there with his walking frame
smiling cheerfully

Friends took me to the superstore
of clothing jewelry and more
and said "Look 'round and take your pick"
I said: "You'll think me very thick
but how can I decide to buy
when racks of clothes urge me to try?
There's too much choice, I'm overcome
Decision made- Please take me home"

Don't let the worry
of giving and preparing
wipe out the wonder

Heavy rain
lets you know
which of your shoes
leak

visitor
lovely
go places
share food
wave goodbye
sit down

Assignment-'Write a sonnet'
I did look up the definition ...

A poetry guru named Sean
Said 'Limericks just make me yawn.
The rhyming is flat,
the meter's old hat,
free verse is my thing, not old corn.'

I haven't
a particle of poetry
in me
Nothing rhymes

Over the doorways
new cameras are watching
I wave as I pass

To the untrained eye
most modern art -
'modern'  meaning anything
this century or less -
though luminously painted
remains mysterious
and at times a shock,
a shock so great
as to render one speechless,
minus even a syllable,
on the gallery's contents

Though a friend of mine
a respected artist
was heard to say
as she left the exhibition
"scrambled egg, scrambled egg"

With better
Flower Show mapping
I'd have seen
more flowers

It's poetry day
and I've  nothing to say
How come?

The loose sort
is disappearing
It can't be used
online

Blue is beautiful
on bluebells and sky
not on moods

Herdwicks
look at you kindly
Knowing
you can't help it

Hail hits hardest
when not anticipated
and head is hatless

Smiling assistants
with my luggage
worth being called
'The old lady?

Good voice
but I'd like
to have heard some words

The man using Charlie's transporter
had a beautiful languorous daughter.
She said 'Give me a lift'
He said 'Not on my shift -
I know you - you'll fall in the water'

Anything?
What do you mean
by anything?
Literally, any thing?

Rivers and hills pass
I doze
Wake up in Scotland

You can see the headlines
"Bronze superstar switches beaches"
from cloudy Britain
to hot sunny Tropez
Everything's news to someone

It everyone crunches
together
nobody notices
how loud
you are

Five syllables (short)
Seven syllables (longer)
and five more to end

As someone approached,
the pigeon I was watching
skeedaddled quickly

No place is a desert
There is life
somewhere
everywhere

The stump of the tree
cut down by thieves trespassing
glows pain day and night

Rain sheeting
as forecaster says
"Showers over Cumbria have cleared"

The poetry group
tried it this morning
without much success

Space
Comfort
Cheerful atmosphere
Beautiful surroundings
assist peace of mind

What is a change?
An alteration
longed-for or loathed
mental or physical
swift or subtle
demanding or gentle

and some changes
make things better

So much stuff
he uses a small paintbrush
To dust