martin

martin Jan 2014

.                    .                               .                 .
              ,                                  ,                            ,
             /                                  /                               \                                    .
          /                                    a                               \
           I                                cascade                        no                               .
        want                                of                            wish                                 \
       to see                              warm                         no
      a silent                            light                         prayer                                no
       choir                             radiate                         just                     .          thing          wave                              from                            for                    /\           else
        and                                 the                             fun                  at           will
     curtsey                            corner                       candles             times         do
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

martin Jan 2014

Sketch of a gardener

Five steps or five thousand
Her gait is just the same

Poets, painters
Can be tortured souls

But gardeners
Are at one with the world

No screens flash
No keyboard clicks

A woman she must prove her worth
Hood up, body bent
Her conversation polite

But minimal
Her gaze steadfast
Down to earth

Her gloved hands
Coaxing life from the bedraggled
Winter flower bed

martin Dec 2013

Santiago de Compostella haiku

walk with me pilgrim
together in the Springtime
we will write haiku

Inspired by Madoka Mayuzumi, a Japanese writer of haiku, who walked the Camino de Santiago de Compostella, a famous and ancient pilgrim trail in Northern Spain. See ' Tres en el Camino' on youtube.

martin Dec 2013

2 seasonal 10 worders

Santa brought no toys so...
... I play with words instead

She passed her driving test
on Christmas eve....
...No-L celebrations!

In the UK learner drivers have to display a big L on the back of the car. I consulted my American brother-in-law who tells me this is not the case in the US.

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe
Size one hundred and forty two
They asked her to move but she refused
What a hullabaloo

martin Dec 2013

C-word fever

Here comes weirdy beard again
Bright red cheeks, bright red hat
** ** ** and all of that
Riding on his sleigh

I'll ignore him for a bit
It's only one more day
Just don't make a thing of it
And he'll go away

But now the fever's getting strong
Resist as try I might
With jingle bells I hum along
That's it, I've lost the fight

martin Dec 2013

4x10 worders

the elephant in the room....
...you need to lose weight

unrealistically optimistic
focuses on goals
ignores pitfalls
stumbles
astonished
fails

we could argue
we could fight
but not tonight
josephine

Now how about
some Leonard Cohen
from memory
happy christmas

It's four in the morning, the end of December
I'm writing you now just to see if you're better
New York is cold but I like where I'm living
There's music on Clinton Street all through the evening
I hear that you're building your little house
Deep in the desert
You're living for nothing now
I hope you're keeping some kind of record
Yes, and Jane came by with a lock of your hair
She said that you gave it to her
The night that you planned to go clear
Did you ever go clear?
Oh the last time we saw you you looked so much older
Your famous blue raincoat was torn at the shoulder
You'd been to the station to meet every train
But still you came back without Lily Marlene
And you treated my woman
To a flake of your life
And when she came back
She was nobody's wife
I see you there with a rose in your teeth
One more thin gypsy thief
Well I see Jane's awake
She sends her regards
What can I tell you
My brother, my killer
What can I possibly say?
I guess that I miss you
I guess I forgive you
I'm glad that you stood in my way
If you ever come by here
For Jane or for me
Your enemy is sleeping
And his woman is free
And thanks for the trouble you took
From her eyes
I thought it was there for good
So I never tried
And Jane came by with a lock of your hair
She said that you gave it to her
The night that you planned to go clear
Sincerely L Cohen

martin Dec 2013

Mr Wong

His outburst left her flattered alright
They still kind of get along
She still calls by quite often at night
Even after he told her his feelings were strong

She had to say your chow mein's very nice
And you've not done anything wrong
But for me you will never be Mr Right
I'm terribly sorry Mr Wong