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Gerry Sykes Jun 18
Dredging the detritus of my life, I
Organise 60 years of artefacts and
Whittle away my possessions, while holding
Nostalgia at bay and
Skipping what won’t fit
In our next house, I
Zealously
Ignore the emptying rooms and try
Not to mind, but concentrate on
Going forward.
Never tried an acrostic before, so there are my thoughts about downsizing as we prepare for moving from a large vicarage to a small retirement house. Skipping in L5 is made from the noun "a skip" refers to putting things in a skip to be taken away as trash (I think dumpster would be the nearest word un US English)
Gerry Sykes Jun 5
The bin-men and bin-women
of Birmingham
are on strike.
Black bin bags barricade the streets,
decaying vegetables
rotting meat
and putrid fish
perfume the pavements:
an odour brewed
in the vat
of spending cuts.

In the park
families picnic
between discarded
takeaway boxes:
their children chase
windblown paper towels
round an assault course
of half-empty cola bottles.

Rats big as cats
prowl the roads
like tigers
and eat car wires
bringing the city to
a stinking, gridlocked stop.
Gerry Sykes Apr 22
sleeping akita
in the golden sunshine
lying teeth
An akita is a Japanese dog known for guarding and hunting bears (NOT as is sometimes said - for fighting). Some akitas have a gold/brown hair which is picked up in the sunshine’s colour. Our dog is an akita cross or perhaps a shibu inu / husky cross and has lovely gold and white fur. She is very gentle except when she sees cats or squirrels.

Lying - introduces a deliberate ambiguity “lying down” is one meaning, but the dog might just be pretending to sleep but is really ready to spring up and chase i.e. the dog is telling a lie. Our dog loves lying and sleeping in the sun but I don’t think she would have the self control to lie in ambush for a cat.
Gerry Sykes Apr 11
the faint moon
before an April sunset–
silver lace
As I walked the dog  looked up and noticed the moon shining in the light blue evening sky. The faintness of the moon and its pattern of light and dark against the still light sky made me think of lace.
I engraved her name on the picnic table
Then I engraved the stone over her grave
I engraved the memory of her face on my heart
I engraved the words on the walls of  my prayers
Then out of desparation I engraved her memory in poem
  Apr 9 Gerry Sykes
Abi Winder
if i were dead,
what circle of hell would i call home?
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