from the simple words read

different
than i wrote

or did i wrote wrong?

day six

all things have changed here

the birds sing, i move about
different chores through the
day

while music plays

i walk

there is no one else much

when there is we smile move around
each other like a distanced dance

arms wave from cars to message me
later to say ‘it was me’ smiley face

i smiley face in return

i watch the milk deplete, think of
rationing it

as i have done with the tissue

without thought

reverted back to childhood ways as
mother taught me

to save paper and her money

for she had little of the latter

i plan my meals each day
carefully

today it will be the sprouts frozen
after christmas to make a

bubble & squeak

dear friend

i justed received your very welcome letter

&

instead of buttons, i have a pencil note

note that i use a pen

&

like my drawings may make mistakes

with drawings that is my intention

to see where it takes me, where it

takes the viewer

&

if no one sees it anyway, never mind

i have never been to grimsby

&

should like to visit one day

when we are allowed out again

i planned to write this sitting at the table

by the window like a lady in a novel yet

find i am on the floor crouching at the

coffee table

plans fail

the meter man came

& he kept his distance on command beautifully

young lad with red hair

&

an angry boil on his neck

this morning i woke to birdsong

opened the window wide to listen

to them rather than the radio

pleasant days despite the underlying anxiety

over family health & wellbeing

most of my erasers are filthy as i use chunks

of charcoal

&

draw back in with the rubber

i do wash them in the machine sometimes you know

as i write i notice more dust over there to be swept

aside later

i glory in four first class stamps left so this will fly

quickly if i post it soon

yes, leaving things alone a while works for me

on my return i may see things more clearly

&

a way to proceed.

(written one day in march)

i feel this is day five
am now in complete
isolation

i am to stay home

from the mill now

early we heard the birds

opened the window wide
listened to them rather than
the radio

these words i write plus the
numbers, a new math

while my email failed
so letters of complaint
die, float away

he used to think i targeted
him, when the aim is no one
nowhere

and i guess it mainly misses
the mark
yet makes another

i have a quiet walk each day
avoiding others and noticed
the holes in the hedges
to peer through

another world

yes
talking to myself

77.

:: shout at the wind ::

can you clamber
through the rocks
slipping into water
oily boots leaking?

can you stride out
over dewy moors
peat bogged
with no direction?

will you come with me
to these places
my spaces
and make history?

will you sit a while
amid the berried hedges,
sheltering,
remembering?

will we shout at the wind,
running, laughing
knowing
that this is ours
for the taking

or

will you stay home,
stay safe

and bleed?

so yes, you are ok, i think so anyhow



i shall miss my visits up the hill

to your house

looking at the string by your front door



i shall miss your pretty living room

the folded paper by the fire all so tidy



so i shall knit you a cloth for your stove

handle

cos it is hot

to touch



when we toast the buns

and i burn them. i shall

miss the butter and your

tidy ways



maybe in the autumn i

will be allowed out to visit again

to sit by your fire

and feel safe



with you

we are urged to change our lives
and maybe just maybe it is about
time
for we have had it easy a while

i am refering to myself only
for speaking broadly find
i may upset some

am late here after writing
a tome of explaination
apology for verse
not aimed at anyone
just a pattern of words
and sounds

my life is simplified
with the new living
suggestions

spoken for our health &
safety overall

people have come kind
& supportive all round
mainly

while few remain
in anger

i just feel



resigned to what
comes as i have before though

scared for my family & those
around me

i say this to you who
have been to war
who rides your bike
down dangerous hills

who cares for kittens

(written mid march)

you ask about the distancing
at present it is our choice

there may be quarantine if we are sick
and rumours of isolation for the vulnerable

maybe lock down

yesterday i went to my employment
yet for my own work i stay at home
no travelling by bus to the
secondary studio

i have what i need here
so will stay on my own

people stand apart
sit at a distance
that made us laugh

a corona is a halo around the sun
and other stars

corona is a chidlhood drink

now it is something else
that affects us all
has already changed our lives

i am fortunate that i have
much that is needed here

i feel for those that don’t

he titled his drawing
corona
and i shared it

i had done some of my own
without a thought

stay well



in splendid isolation
the window wide
birds still sing

while i wash my hands