playing truant

on another new year’s eve 

early night

 summer butterflies 

catching the etceteras 

sunbeams in glades

the buddha sits

waiting for visitors 

resident spider  

 in the pain he saw his reflection

 infant school

playing the triangle

not the drums

life seemed so unfair

ding ding ding ding

 winter solstice 

the sun is under the yard arm

christmas sails

 recycling site

dropping off cardboard 

i  find a pen

corrugated 

congratulations 

 winter sunshine 

on the toppled gravestones 

the weight of the past

 ‪boats are drawn up‬

‪sailors are fast asleep‬

‪night slips away‬

 what a child

is too busy to notice 

are an old man’s memories

 winter solstice

a black cat’s long shadow 

shortest day

 a gap is often greater than the bridge

 my aunty hannah had the aura of a bygone era

 snowflakes

my old tongue says catch them

the child in me tries

 the tail of a comet is as long as its fading

 tank tanka tanka tanka tanka tanka full

just come in

they have found a body

yesterday 

it was a searching for

today it is a finding of

a log

we thought it was a log

floating down the river

drifting through a childhood

memories from a view point

form a point of view

if you get my drift

always

finding the drift of it

killing itself softly

the sun sets on it

the darkness within darkness

of yesteryear

of we who were there

seeing the one who wasn’t

anymore to say

there is not much one can say

sightless

it was always so

and always will be

yesterday’s tomorrow 

sometimes never arrives 

in time

to lay yesterday to rest

to lay yesterday to rest

 

advent

of a dying man

unfollowed 

unsocial media

you follow?

 you are lost

and you do not know it

i tell them

 log fire

a thousand plans

in cinders

 listen

a cricket over there

over here

 there is no drift

for it has been seen and warned 

false horizon

~

either side

of every horizon 

you and me

 i ask the moon

the length of my shadow

who decides

 when the sun goes down

and the moon comes up

the belly of the goldfish is white

 morning’s breath polishing the silver

 five couplets

ten lines 

heavy rain

three crows

low sky

high sea

red pagoda 

white mountain

long bell

dark temple

rain

reflection

 they rise unbidden 

all the ghosts of the past

snow falls sore slowly

 a child 

looking at a national flag 

only sees colours

looking up at a temple

only sees the sky above 

 you would think so

wouldn’t you 

so why don’t you

think

why didn’t i 

 one haiku 

fishes for another haiku 

using haiku as bait

 under candlelight 

two midwives await

the new year

 king’s cup 

un-taking the knee

we didn’t

 inexactly that

they have built for me a shrine

here in this poem

 you would think

so

wouldn’t you

so

why don’t you

 new year’s eve 

from over the hill

ships’ hooters

 season of graphs and unwellfullness

the pinkiest dawn

asked me is the world on fire

it opened my eyes 

 get on with it will you

 no bright spots 

wherever you look

only dark corners

 so much bomb dust

obscuring the moon

and no aurora

there’s no hope anymore

there’s no hope anymore

so much bomb dust

obscuring the moon

and no aurora

 cracked tea cup

the river in the snow

melts upon my lips

 every day

walking down for my sea swim

a pebble catches my eye

 travel no further for you have arrived 

 chanting

as the sun goes down

red candles

 old age locating a hankie in your pocket is like climbing everest 

 metal detecting i discover my avarice 

 snow

birds are eating red berries

merrily on high

dawn rain

although the snow has melted

my toes are cold 

 cherry blossom

petals of the moon

falling for me

 december rain

starts me ruminating

the cat eats grass

 falling

with the autumn leaves

a hedge sparrow 

 thinking 

about the things i don’t have

enriches me

 fertility rode the bore

a 

leaf 

falls

 a frosty morning 

tucks my pyjama trousers

into my socks

 frosty morning

waving to a fluffy robin

wrapped in a blanket

 you know that comedian

who worked with that other one

well they are both dead