Yes I was aware of the various stages I inhabited at the gathering, yet I survived and
hope I built the bridge a little further.
I am still in bed with drippings and sneezings, quite a treat for I am usually up at 6 am.

It is a beautiful morning and I am watching the feral cats from my bedroom window.

They are hunting in the new cut grass in the grave yard.

Solstice.

he said it came suddenly as if overnight

a busy man



i watch it slowly rise

fall into gold



leaf drops then another



rain fall while the sun shines



the equinox is not a particular day



sbm.

as if you had never left.

it is all much the same, yet much is broken.



shall we stick it, glue it

back into place?



will the cat shed fluff where we have cleaned

already?



things move on nicely, new horizons, yet

some times bathing, it feels

that you never left.



warm flannels soothe.



sbm.

old spelling, the old book,

pure poetry.



double negatives are very positve

they say, so why change it.



why look to the land to find

boredom, when everything

is so interesting, if you let it.



why criticise all the while, while all the while

your battery runs down.



i think of my mother. she was not  at all well.



sbm.

live in a place of buttercups

line the road, yellow the edges.



it was a holiday sunday.



we talked about fridge magnets 

which came first and no use if integration applies.



we taked about the lad, a lace maker who maybe is

about 70 now.



and thought is pleasant that some are self sufficient outside

and in

and don't get bored.



i sold gender based belts across the board

and said that all folk should wear bows on the socks

for happiness.



it is a troubled world, look good in it and mind the spelling.



bank holiday monday, we stay indoors here.

seems it means many things, that

i do not wish to define,

here.



words came in the night,

the fears of the day

rattled.



i spoke to the bear, asked him

what will happen today?



he says he does not know.



sbm.

bear bear

how will you mange with all this palaver?



life



your feet are sternly stitched

your waistcoat a blend

to button against stiff criticism

& political debate



a head start



nodding



mind your manners & stay cosy

in bed while chaos is all around



always be set in your own ways

&

grunt beautiful



know your life

will be loved by many

&



not the few



bear



while all around is quiet set out into

the world

to

be an example



love & otherwise

sounds pleasant to have a river so close

ours is nearby
down the lane past the bamboo

and prehistoric plants
the land that time forgot

yours is nearer and I imagine
your view and the little oak

yesterday

i went to blaenau in the rain
you may google that so best
add ffestiniog to the name

i saw the garden with all the birds

i have two oak trees grown tall
now

sheltering and strong in a storm
i stand on the doorway to watch

the branches thrash

you will miss the swallows I am sure
it is best we look after the birds and
other creatures while we can james

yet seems from what you say that some
don’t bother

my scope is limited now
yet it comes enough for
me

beauty spots were once to adorn
the face
maybe
hide the imperfections

because she loved it, she kept it

because she liked little things

because it came ***** she washed it and

because it was broke she glued it, displayed it



until she passed and they came to clear it, liked it

until they saw the joins and threw it away, yet remember it

until another thought took over and it was forgotten

until some one new found it

were extinct is this country once, have been brought back from holidays

abroad.



he said.



they smell of almonds and so does bakewell **** with jam and coconut.



and arsenic.



two on a slide to enlarge,male and female, slightly pink and quite pretty.



i can see his doins   without the lens. they live in beds you know, he said.



if infested one must be fumigated by the pest people, with some fumes.



i took a photo, yet wobbled in my enthusiasm so it did not work well.



i told the lady on the bus about them and she said yes she thought she

had  them once and cleaned incessantly.the doctor said it was gnats

that had  bit her.



she said she never puts her suitcase on beds while on a holiday, abroad.



sbm.

while all is behaving nicely
around us, some place it is not.

think of this and feel lucky,
fortunate in your lot. be glad
that some know the rules.

it can be an honour, the honesty,

i met her the other day,
so upset
by peoples greed, need to hurt
each other.

we shall meet for coffee.

meanwhile , some receive awards.

sbm.

not keen on the word really, sounds somewhat    toiletry

or

occurring in a natural place/ america, or grizzly big furry

thing

that

may be a myth.

crouch is also disliked for one of the above, and the end.

the synonyms are disagreeable as far as i can see, so

i shall sit here nicely.

sbm.

has  hard winter come at last,

does one rhyme this, write icy

blast, or simply carry on

the usual way, he said it is progressive,

it is just the way we think.



early, clearing  ashes, prepare

a fire with three pages, sticks and odd

ends of packaging. the better coal

with one small log does the trick.



the fire in the other room stays in

all night no problem, with a guard.



the fire officer came yesterday

to protect us in our beds.



today we wrap the winter

gifts.



some say spring has come.



sbm.

the light of day and the cooker is gone.

i shall miss it and wonder at your strength.



sbm.

had an enamel stove from the fifties

that worked all those years

until the fuse box was upgraded

it had to be replaced
so I unpicked the parts
and kept a few few for use
in the house and other compartments

i have a photo here of up the valley
where they used to stook the harvest
all the family out working the fields

in the evening it came cooler
for rest

and oh the taste of heat against the cold
dessert
on the tongue

no icecream here just yet
mainly fruit these days

i may be able to find those photographs
on the memory

stick

which was meant to be orange

they sent red

next time I ordered pink

they sent pink

some of us wish for privacy

respect



our dearly beloveds

ordered my elbows

they came shiny

lovely at 45 degree angle



oh no

he said

these are the wrong ones

we need ninety degrees

really



now i have once again

ordered new elbows



#huwsgray



my other joints are fine



thank you

dark the day, the equinox .          we are survived. as the cat

survived last night,fighting on the landing,      outside the

front best bedroom here.



some wars are fought outside, battlegrounds. theirs is  fought

in house.

intervening, saying that the house is ours, not yours,  noticed



the carpet will need cleaning

later

today.



sbm.

i saw the geese fly over yesterday
in formation

heard them coming first

it was voted the best thing
of the day

besides the tidying
in the garden
clearing the storm debris

making
plenty of wild wood
for the fire

second favourite thing
is the plastic monkey toy
which claps and chats its mouth

complete

with sweets that cost one pound

little tiny fleas
may show love too
with biting….

often the cold weather comimg
kills them and hopefully all

though i do not wish creatures

to die and why the double space?

my family had cats until they had none
vowed to never have no more

it seems the other night a mewing came
at the back door. betty

all the tasks were done, looking for the owners
googling what to do , denying entry

then

they fed it, looked out for it, let it in
the kitchen only so far
cuddled it
named it betty

they said they did not want another cat
what about the birds
then they named it betty

black

odd that we enjoy the differing colours of creatures
yet some have an issue with that of fellow folk

6.44am strong winds
my cat out
hope that betty
does not blow away

sometimes the boy plays on his own, in water.



sometimes it can’t be helped.



the pies are warm,and full of the tenderest

meats and gravy. which helps the day when

the belling is broke.



the bags came greasy,  left in the litter bin

nearby.



nearby, the boy stopped playing

and we wondered if the water was cold.



wednesday. betws.



sbm.

untidy, never used as such.

have a bread oven         too,

redundant

now we have the            new

world.



a mix of excitement and haste

we tied the books, and hid them

there.



with the dusty            cruciform



and one candle.



one rag left hanging…



sbm

cookers, large , green with leaves.

a gift in a fishing net.

some are too high, even with the clothes
prop waving, they do not fall,

yet.

the birds will eat those,
ready for the winter cold.

no doctors to keep away.

he brought bramleys, so
there shall be apple snow.

the recipe book.

sbm.

were on the road today

the police were there

lights flashing

we had a queue



three big huge lorries with

the biggest big stuff there

was a



fourth one  missed me

on the roundabout

red & yellow

big horn

no battle i put my foot down



big rose bush to lay under

and toast the perfume

sweep the petals



big day today

smiley face

emoticon

some of us go out for tea and stay a while

some of us arrive at eleven

leave at five

after considering

the dots

pyramid style: therefore

then upside down; because



checking efficiency so that we may be pleased

with the choices made that day

∵



yesterday the word was silence

∴

i shut up and got on with it

all

given cutest toys,
they drew, charcoaled
evil monsters.

eyes bleeding lead,
fingers bled,
graphite stained.

asked to draw
things they loved,

created Things.

the novice drew her sewing set.

half term, big schoool.

sbm

.the drawing room.



slightly astonished at  him using  the word foreigners

he was surprised she was from finland ‘of all places’. spoke to her loudly

bent

near as if she was deaf.                                    she spoke another language

&

she spoke english.



a country gentleman indeed.   surprised they came packaged this way



the exterior smart

the interior needs changing.



.the coffee shop.



they were trucked to siberia before the war, were starved

then

the british government moved them to africa ; brought them to

wales as the war ended

refugees



a polish village



over coffee she mentioned that although her family were safe

she felt that

‘we’ should not allow any more

refugees in over

here



i am still

sadly surprised



the kitchen



whilst peeling the apple the radio plays

an interview with  a wind rush lady

who also regrets our friends who come



here for better ways

saying they do not integrate these days

like she did



i will forever remain surprised

.the drawing room.



slightly astonished at  him using  the word foreigners

he was surprised she was from finland ‘of all places’. spoke to her loudly

bent

near as if she was deaf.                                    she spoke another language

&

she spoke english.



a country gentleman indeed.   surprised they came packaged this way



the exterior smart

the interior needs changing.



.the coffee shop.



they were trucked to siberia before the war, were starved

then

the british government moved them to africa ; brought them to

wales as the war ended

refugees



a polish village



over coffee she mentioned that although her family were safe

she felt that

‘we’ should not allow any more

refugees in over

here



i am still

sadly surprised

he thought of moving it
out of sight.

disagreed, like to see it there
now, remembering.

see the reflection in the light
of my torch after dark.

the shape leaned against
the wall, the space in the shed
where it used to be.

we tried to give it away, no one
wanted it.

it has been a while.

sbm.

may be the contrast here,
the national library stairs.

guided to the cupboard,
the collection dusted, labelled,
named as important. emptied, it
is the proof that nothing can be
rare.

nothing is now something, quality
of non existence, held us in a
moment, then we moved on blindly
looking for something,

as we are bound.

sbm.

we have a few.



we had a storm.



one broke, we bought another.



the assistant suggested house insurance.



sbm.

thread your way through,

place the ends for the birds.

they ask nothing.

sbm.

a small thing  ragged who knows all of it

pieces torn away



work along the coast with thread and diligence

gather wools

layer carefully we shall have warmth this winter



once we touched through holes in blankets now we have our own demise

the news came suddenly

not everything
is
black and white



slip away
we watched them slip away



the news came suddenly

look quietly, see a new.

cellular memory, let be, and learn,

that small birds fly up.

sbm.

it is the way of things,

while there are birds.


while you read, you will

not understand  all words,

that is the way of things, soak

those stains in washings.


then look quietly, see a new.


cellular memory, let be, and learn,

that small birds fly up.

sbm.

she talked rapidly

about family,

history, opera, poetry.



i idled,

listened a bit,

eyed her clothes.



wished i dressed liked that,

treat myself,

et cetera.



then.



she told me

that

her uncle,

in war painted

white crosses on men who deserted.



an aim for those

who shot them.



she said,

he was never the same after.



©sbm

or is it the air changing?

mood settles, or is it the
time of year?

light stretches for a photograph,
boys making hay. sun shines.

later we had tea in the garden.
the workshop is tidied, washing
is folded.

the old mower is ready
to be oiled.

a plane flew over.

sbm.

i heard you sing,

she heard you too.



above the noise of the day,

above the voices, she heard you.



it is enough to make us cry.



sbm.

much of the time is spent with this

or other things which pass the day

nicely.



use the brain. remembering strong

wrapping paper in folded sheets.



woolworths.



i have a modern roll that tears

easily, yet now continue the theme

of recycled, flattened yet stil creased,

tied with inevitable red thread or ******

rags

again.



each year in the afterwards

we would iron the paper flat

ready.



the years go round.



sbm.

we have a liquid diet sometimes

things slowed down.



we place it in bottles.

1.

i am a bin man & also a poet

some times

pondering

newton’s law & the strength of plastic



i drop the bag to test the theories



2.

i am the driver & watch him

glad the bag did not break

wonder at his thoughtfulness & isolation

should i report him or let him be?



we are late already



3.

i am the householder watching

i move forward smiling

pick up the bag

to help him



think it must be onerous employment

yet

nice to be out of doors



will remember a tip come christmas

have you read of them before.

the beetles here turn over,
legs waving, we turn them back,
then,
it is all repeated.

empathy kicks in
for all small folk
who suffer, who cry
in dark corners.

we know he will die,
yet cannot save him.

all is in disorder.

sbm

ginko and tulip tree,
along the path.

walk to clear the mind.

further, there are
stepping stones.

walk to the stone,
glimpse black butterfly.

farm to the right,
distant sound.

the gate is locked
at five.



sbm.

black topics.

cause and effects,
the butterfly’s wing.

so here on the night watch,
all is quiet , no birds sing.

touched by the small thing,
softly, we drew together,
with words, and gestures
in air, in mind.

touched by the old things
i draw and weave
the ways of night.

upload the black heart,
later.

i write, edit, delete.
words here,
you cannot see,
do they leave a trace,
tell me.

do you sense their meaning,
and the rhyme,
are there codes
between the lines.

is there something
in words not said,
or is it here,
as clear,
as day.

when it comes..



sbm.

liking jazz should listen more
maybe google will help me
in that respect

remember those days dancing
at least wednesdays & fridays
with a bit of luck after payday
saturday too
with the new pullover
bought from the men’s
department

the fashion had not then
entered the overall market

maybe we came ahead of our time
without understanding all the
implications

i got thinner
& lost my job
for dressing funny

that was before the laws
changed. i disliked the
place
anyhow

it smelled funny
and now i know why he
always sent me to the store
upstairs to work where no one
saw me

the other girl dressed like all the others

it seemed i dressed funny

& danced to jazz
particularly well to
modern
i felt

as not many even tried

those days

oh really
oh really

visuals

this morning you came with snow

falling



we know the cars

with snow falling



it is not what we meant

yet



we swapped photographs



blaenau translated

. some hedges are higher than others.               i wrote . a thing so private, so intense .



. simple , complex. no one will see it .                           note your achievements to date.



.hell no.                                                         i cannot think of it every day, nor have regrets.



.his life is different to yours.        i have discussed it fully, yet it will remain confidential.

. he is still alseep                                                                              and will remain so a while.





hers is the portrait, a girl. cracked window looks at clouds,                       the mountain.

ledge, dead moths stretched out in all their softness,                            stunned by light.



torn          curtains stir memories, indicate a private place to weave and mend a dream.



some hedges are higher.

sbm.

she said it sounded sad, that is because

it ****** is.



sad.



she also said it looked sad. it ****** is

sad.



some things are

sad.



some things are happy.



some things are in between.



see.

explicit blunderings, darkness descends

with out the need for words. pray for

forgiveness if you are so inclined.



do not beg approval nor eat the chocolate

rabbit. that will be ****** sad. smiley.



sbm.

i saw it sailing by

at the night watch

clouds arranged dramatic.

let it go,

oh let it go,

let it sail free

he had leaned toward me and commented

that i was getting old

and while that is correct i assumed from his

remark that he must be younger



time goes on and i am told that we are much

the same



i never could tell the time