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

Sitting facing the
Lounge window
At Bingo
It had been a hot September day
Then it started to rain
Pouring down
And the sky became a pale pink
And the leaves a bronze brown
A beautiful moment
Captured by my mind in time

Imagine

running along to a song
I have a stitch in my side

My woman's intuition
causes me to stop
for a while
and have a drink
of an inch of water

Feeling refreshed
I could now go on

"A Mars a day
helps you
work rest and play"
so they say
Leave time
to play

Under the sun
that shone
innocently
on the desert
We saw a straw mirage
In the distance
it seemed real
Actually it was finite

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

If you have
no theme
to think about
you are more
'in the moment'
as it takes place

I stopped and I stared
towards the red morning sky
A sight to behold!

The kerfuffle
was caused by the workers
The stress made people tremble
and seemed indefinite

Hippos like mud
and children sometimes too
They jump and splash in the mud
thinking it's good to do

My mother and I
Sat on the settee
Where I was happy to be
I saw twizzling butterflies in the air
And blue **** two of them in a pair
Mum saw a man up in a tree
In the next door garden to me
It was good to be there
With my mum
Because I love her
And she is the best mum
In the whole wide world

Maggie Sorbie  August 2016

Was it a flock of starlings
or mistle thrushes
I saw murmuring for a moment
in the dark sky?

Realizing they were actually starlings
not mistle thrushes
I deleted them
from my mind

and watched as the starlings continued their orbit
to a warmer county

I love my rubber ball
It makes me stand up nice and tall
I can throw it
I can catch it
I can bounce it
I can follow it
I can pass it
I can share it
I can kick it
And in so doing
I can learn from it
That's why I love my rubber ball

Every little cell
in my body
is happy
Every little cell
in my body
is well
I'm so glad
that every little cell
in my body
is happy
and every little cell
in my body
is well

She skipped and jumped her way
around one lap of the football pitch
squealing and whinnying
like a gazelle
exercising
and enjoying the fresh  air

Flowers
Phosphorus in water
Babies and Bubbles
Raindrops and rainbows
Company

A drop of rain in the summertime
when the climate is hot
makes a blackbird sing
and petals of the flower open
for which my wifi isn't necessary

Returning to the river
where we go
several times a year
the water level
was really low

Remembering
Storm Desmond
had flooded right over
the bridge
which was then closed
for over six months
reminding me of an elephant

Keith is eighty-five
and still alive
having had
a nice morning shower
he brought his walking stick
happily

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

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

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

I looked out my window
I thought it had snowed
but it had not
it was just
a deep ground frost

Some people notice autumn
by the flowers dying down

Some people notice autumn
by flocks of birds flying 'round

Some people notice autumn
from the chill in the air

Some people notice autumn
when the trees become bare

Some people notice autumn
when leaves change colours on trees

Some people notice autumn
when their bodies begin to freeze

The pink cherry blossom petals
don't make a sound
as they reach
the ground

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

Pondering
wondering
what on earth
our friend
was doing
walking around
in just a vest
when usually
he likes to keep
nice and warm
I hope he is ok
Perhaps I'll get my answer
today

On the tip of my tongue
when I am inside, I feel safe
knowing my way around-
Outside, not so much-
I decide to take
an ordinance survey map with me

Outside my windowpane
It started to rain
Like a curtain descending
It grew dark
I thought: 'It will soak the ground
And freshen the air
For miles around'
'Then'
As suddenly as it had started
It stopped
The sky colors changing hue
As the bright sun
Came back through
There must be a rainbow out there
Somewhere
Outside my windowpane

Maggie Sorbie  June 26th 2016

Party pants Party pants
Let your wind go free
Let your wind go free

It was inevitable
that both the split peas
and the seaweed
would be ready
before the record on the stereo
had finished

Still a long time to come
before the sun
is in the northern hemisphere
and we can plant more peas

We found one slug
yesterday
in my bathroom
This doesn't seem
hygienic to me
I wish the workmen
would hurry up
and do their job
putting a new floor
and drain in
They've been looking
and contemplating
without actually
doing it
yet

They give me the heeby jeebies

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

Poetry, to me
is a spontaneous expression
using my senses

I like to be early
I don't like to be late

I was wondering where Keith was
He's usually earlier than me

I  noticed Libby in the garden
enjoying the sunshine and the pleasant breeze

Within a few minutes Keith, Sean and Janet  all arrived
and that is why I am writing this poem

now

I like to peel an orange
and share it around

I don't know why 'Page'
is a girls' name

My spine moves slowly
side to side

'Grace' we say
before we eat

I still can't fathom
how to put my duvet cover on

The deluge has been pouring down
for how long, I wonder?
It is not just a drizzle
that gets into your bones
and it's not raining 'cats and dogs'.
Pitter-patter raindrops
Pitter-patter raindrops
all around, on the ground
I don't think it needs it
I wish some spring sunshine
would come our way

It was good to be taken
out to lunch
on a rainy day
My daughter and I
shared a fish pie
at the Angel Inn
which is on a steep hill
The change of scenery
and a breath of fresh air
made all the difference
on that rainy day

November 4th 2018

I was reading and writing
about the magnetic fields
that surround the earth

In the low autumn sunshine
the illusions of colours change
as leaves leap and bound along the ground
leaving that last word- quantum -
out of the equation
altogether

Rediscovering music
Remembering
why where and when
I enjoyed it
In the first place

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

Until I retired
I didn't notice

the colours of the dew on the grass
and the shape of the water droplets
the scent of the flowers after the rain
the greenness of the fields

Having more time to spare
I have noticed changes everywhere

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

Ring a ring of roses
I picked myself a posy
Of violet violas
Looking like a butterfly
With a big moon daisy
Some waxy leaves
And a pink flower
A picture to create
In pencil and paint
A peaceful pastime
To contemplate
Their beauty

Scaffolding is a skilled job,
I realized
as are all other jobs
in the building trade
Working in all weather
All credit and thanks to them!
Without their know-how
we would not have shelter

Our tastes change every seven years
A lucky number for some

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

Imagine
no planes
no boats
no trains
no cars
for a few weeks
and
nature restoring
its balance
more than
Kyoto ever has done

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

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