From where I have been

Nowhere is as beautiful as spring in England

from what I have seen

Not a poem
today
but a card
for a friend
who is not yet
seventy
but more than
sixty

As the sun rose in the east

The heron opened his wings

curled as he flew

over the Oblique and the trees

which were in full bloom

until it was out

of sight

Through the place where
the atmosphere ends
They're sending satellites
and things
to search around
to find more
resources to mine

and making holes
down in the ground
where they're drilling
and digging
injecting
to crack
and frack
for 'natural' gas

We're afraid
for the future
our children will find
We're afraid
one day they will mind

A spiral of DNA
a blade of grass
a spark of interest
in a competition
distorting vision
leaving
a surface
of peace

living at Birthwaite
can be an obstacle course
in all the hallways

Revisiting different places
as the seasons come and go
we can see the landscape changing
shaped by the weather,
the wind, the rain,
the sun, and the snow

Preparing for my yearly visit
down south
I was glad to learn
that I need not yearn
Friday mornings will not be empty
on my return

Early in the morning
it dawned on me
that somebody
had moved
into the flat
above me

You never know
what you can find
in my son's garden
One thing I'll never forget is
when I saw a Red Admiral butterfly
emerge from its cocoon
and it had to wait
for its wings to dry
before it could fly

As the sun shone brightly
after the storms the last few weeks
I saw  a Crocus growing through the lawn
The beauty of spring flowers
thriving
brings joy to my heart
as does the sound
of little birds singing

"My big sister Ann
was wrapped in a parachute
when she was born.
What was I wrapped in?"

"And I told Ann
that I had licorice
stuck up my nose
when I was young"
She said "Wasn't that me?"
Which one of us was it?

Pop bottle
effervescence
speaking sense
not non sense
Don't spill it
and pour it quick
for the people
in the garden
playing bingo
trying to be
supercilious

At my Dancing For Parkinson's class
we were asked
to write a poem
about
'Wild Within'
and "Wild Without'
which I have yet to do

The Ides Of March
is superstitious
like Friday the thirteenth
and walking under a ladder
Good for the goose
but not for the gander
Think positive
and turn fear
into laughter

The impossible
can become possible
as the day becomes darker
when world is spinning around
the spine becomes more fluid
with a bit of peace and quiet

Hip Hip Hooray!
They won an award today
and if I may say
"They deserved it"

We found a flat path
beside a stream to walk on
It felt very good

Christmas
is a time for peace on earth
and good will to all men,
they say
Why can't it be like that
every day?

A dichotomy of scent
wafted towards us
as we walked around
the garden borders
watching the buzzing bees
pollinating
and listening
to our feathered friends
nest-building
when
a low-flying jet
with it's sonic boom
and blazing trail
flew overhead momentarily
distracting our attention
but not for long
tranquility soon returned

Not knowing what to do
for the best
sleep on it
and give your mind a rest

Thank You cards written
for my wonderful birthday
I will not forget

My daughter Anna,
bless her,
pushed me
to and from
Windermere
How,  I do not know
but I do know
that
I value my time with her

I saw a hedgehog yesterday
on the road
out during the day
when they are usually nocturnal
It reminded me of years ago
when I saw my first hedgehog

Cracks and droplets
appearing on the ceiling
looking ominous to me
'Report to SLDC'

The clouds gathered
a good omen
as we needed rain
on the dry ground

Feeling better
we sat on the wall
senselessly eating
raspberry ripple ice-ceam

I tell my grandson:
"All year 'round, not just Christmas
remember goodness"

I opened my eyes
to my surprise
I saw fluffy white clouds in the sky
that we had not seen for a few weeks
A little rain would do the parched earth good
letting the flowers and trees
continue to grow
natures way of giving us what we need
and for which I am thankful

Singing Happy Birthday
to my granddaughter
who has 'real knitting'

Sought after autographs
Authors musicians and artists
Some people like to collect them

Am I young
or am I old?
Am I hot
or am I cold?

I just noticed that
all the branches of the trees
move in harmony

Clatter bang bang
The creaky floorboards are now all gone

Turning the corner
I heard the sound of a flute
Two Red Indians were standing there
in all their splendour
Then were dancing to their music

They were playing a tune I really liked
One I'd been singing the evening before
'I'd rather be a sparrow than a fly'
which had been haunting me

But it was the flute music they played
as I turned the corner
and in between the songs
That made me buy their CD

Flying insects
on that bush over there
Butterflies bees wasps
worker bees or drones?
on the pink flowers
I shall draw them
for my niece's wedding
one at a time
with some sweet peas

"Clever Clogs"
My sister used to say to me
All these years later
I still don't know
what it means

We couldn't find
a better place
to sit and have a picnic
we thought
looking at the view
and breathing in
the heady scent of flowers
and there a single harebell
had seeded itself
in the grass

It's a magical place
The views are
Among the best I've ever seen
You can feel the wind blowing in your hair
The amazing gardens
Mingling with the natural world all around
Where the dinosaurs would have roamed

I could see
a squirrel in the tree
or was it three
They were going on a spending spree
just like me
when I buy brie
or some fish from the sea
I'm making a
plea
to get my front door key
so I can cook my tea
for you and me

In fine drizzly rain
snow becomes slushy puddles
some quite deep, I think

On the line of the horizon
in the moonlight
we saw an owl

The whisper of his wings
showed us the way
to follow
to his nest

Spring is here today
We saw lambs along the way
Spring is here today
The blue sky stayed
Spring is here today

Green is a mixture
of blue and yellow
two of the three
primary colours
The leaves are usually green
and the flowers
are usually
more colourful
such as
the third primary colour
which is red

The purple paper profile
cut out
and put on the wall
imitates an animal
reflected from the flames
of the fire

Creating a void
by spinning around
in a blaze
making a sound

It took a minute or two
we found
to hear the sound
and to sing with it

We jostled down the elevator
Only to discover
That there were no other bards
In the lounge
Wondering where they were
And hoping to see them next week

I had a money spider
which I wanted to pass on
by then it was gone

The grass is green today
Hip Hip Hooray
First day of spring
and not a cloud in sight
The sky is blue
Standing here
on my feet
dictating this poem
sat down
wondering when
we can go out
to play
again

The End

My daughter
bathed my feet
in the nice cool water
A big yellow and green dragonfly
flew by