A medieval Noah looking out to sea
from a mouldering canvas
wondering if he should have
included mermaids

A rusting astrolabe pointing
at some forgotten constellation
through fingerprint-smeared
and cracked museum glass

A spinster at the wheel
outside her humble thatched cottage
watching whooping cavaliers pass
hunting a dying stag

A plum pudding boiling
in a great copper cauldron
whilst a sweating cook and a
collared tabby cat look on

An inwardly troubled comedian
laughing mirthlessly
over smudged radio scripts
in a cold, empty studio

An ageing mother in an
incongruous yellow t-shirt
staring over half-rimmed spectacles
at three errant sons

An emotionless TV newsreader
reciting the latest disaster
and wondering all the while
if she’ll be there when he gets home