…
april, april
a fool in a cagoule
here beneath the clear blue
april, april
a plateful of mash
with red onion gravy
april, april
a gnome with a big nose
is kissing your tulips
april, april
a temporary bus stop
& half a tube of voltarol
april, april
the blossom on the breeze
is snowing white petals
april, april
another lamb sprang
then the west wind sang
april, april
a fool in a cloudburst
without a waterproof
…
…
~
yesterthen’s scribbles
went elsewhere
like your uncle after
~
the operation went wrong
since is not a song
or even in key
~
croaks the morning pheasant
& big bo peep
– little’s older sister
~
retracing steps
the sort that fingers make
is fruitless indeed
~
like a greengrocer
that only sells veg
so even no tomatoes
~
oh, where art thou?
huffs the pen – like a cow
herd in an unhaunted farmhouse
~
darker than before
it’s not in your notepads
or stuffed in your desk drawers
~
sputum & dust then
another lost poem
missing – presumed immortal
…
…
most bananas are sunday
candles help us see in the yellow
bramble bushes have darkness
gardeners have green thorns
the seventh day is fingers
…
…
unscattered ashes
catch the last drift home
bones unbroken
all’s unaching
nor a restless tingle
when breakfast calls
take another gulp
swallow like a summer
while the tealights dance
dunce in the mist
nouns becoming verbs
shine like the plough
pow & kerblam
power nap slang man
index left
cleft fist this
voles, vowels & barn owls
scanning your barcode
say cheese & sneeze
odin sesame
dawn chorus horus
…
…
rewriting fire
fly like plasma balls
~
up before the farmers
farther than we think
~
further with each murmur
murky is the key
~
then with an itchy knee
in between storms
~
headless once more
like pompey on the shore
~
pour more coffee
& sneeze three times
~
tables & swivel chairs
where is the pen?
~
hanging over damocles
somewhere there’s
~
airing cupboard doors
ghost white transit vans
~
closer than before
iron thy underpants
~
anthill billies
dance in bright futures
~
goats are the g.o.a.t
music is your glue gun
…
…
stick it
to the mango
…
…
instead of thunder
humpty dumpty fell
from the walls & lived
so no clouds clashed
just a bouncing egg
…
…
for all the rice in china
& the teachers sniffing glue
for all the burp in pardon
& the sneeze in atishoo
for all the fish in finland
& the zebras in the zoo
for all the gnomes in gardens
& the domes in xanadu
for all the sage in derby
& the waves upon the sea
for all the haze in maybe
& the mist in mystery
for all the crook in coppers
& the madness of cuckoo
for all the tarts in bakewell
& for all their pastries too
…
( author notes )
for those that don’t know
bakewell is a town in the derbyshire dales
& a sweet tart – called a bakewell tart
comes from there too
plus sage derby is a cheese
but i’m not a fan of poets
explaining everything in their author notes
so let’s leave it there
…
…
not in circles but
squares like a belgian’s breakfast
while i waffle on
…
…
poetry stole my last rolo
& gave my cousin, clarabel
athlete’s foot
poetry became the winter wind
& frisked six nuns
standing at the bus stop
poetry shat
on the bishop’s mitre hat
when hiding in the guise of a pigeon
poetry pissed on doctor foster
rained all morning
& smoked all the catnip
poetry burnt down the scout hut too
back in twenty twelve
but was never found out
poetry dead-legged
farmer arthur-martha
then misgendered their cockerel
poetry did not shoot the sheriff
it was pfizer in his left arm
moderna in his right
but poetry drank all the vimto
& gave your great-aunt doris
crabs & lice – twice
…
resarf poetry 