~
f l o w i n g ( g n i w o l f )
…
f eathers on a breeze
fists in the yeah
first class stampedes
l eaves on the river
lemons that blow
lyrics from the otherland
o nce the cock is up
onions shed their skins
order is reborn
w aving like an x-ray
waddle like a duckling
when the tongue’s untied
i n between ebbs
itchy rectal passages
icing me cakehole
n evermore’s a nob’ead
notes the spillage idiom
now is a cloudburst
g lowing inside your
golden noggin’s
gobshite hinterland
…
~
the grocer’s folly ( yllof s’recorg eht )
…
stupidity
is muted youths
who feast on eastern
citrus fruits
~
young, dumb
& full of kum … quats
…
~
mark of the bees ( seeb eht fo kram )
…
a honeybee flew
into last night’s vindaloo
& now my ring stings
…
~
monkeypox update ( etadpu xopyeknom )
…
the m42
from junction five to fourteen
is riddled with the monkeypox
( follow diverted traffic signs )
most beekeepers
& amateur oceanographers
are under quarantine
( probably forever )
every other greggs
on this frightened little isle
every b&m
( but not b&q )
anyone called gordon
– wilhelm or susan
will be shot on sight
( then incinerated )
the bakerloo line
is still infected
blackpool tower
( plus the marble arch mound )
all stratocumulus
& nimbostratus clouds
stay afraid indoors
( in case they rain upon us )
…
~
monkey country ( yrtnuoc yeknom )
…
jungles of oak
mountain ash or rowan
orchards where we grow
the money that we squirrel
nuts & bananas
both are common currency
barter with aplomb
swinging hairy arms
where the green is green
& the queen’s a lemur
north west of frogland
east of hobbit island
we, the simian folk
in this monkey country
sing until the sun shines
under earl grey skies
stirring rhesus blood
gibbons in glamorgan
tamarins in manchester
marmosets in derby
blue baboons at troon
with their balls in the dunes
shakespeare came
from our collective chatter
in between tea breaks
typed in a castle
a bolthole cottage
or a new build mews
breeding when we’re not
spanking ourselves
spreading like the pox
on the nine o’ clock snooze
…
~
drawing down the moon ( noom eht nwod gniward )
…
pencil in a face
winking when the night is bright
cratered & cheesy
…
~
middle may not march ( hcram ton yam elddim )
…
red shepherd sunrise
warning the morning
sights for sore iris
& drooping bluebell
ends in beginnings
bring your own picnic
pencils in cases
pythagorean
glistening magpies
pied like a wagtail
pipers inside us
miming the high notes
playing the rhubarb
fooling the pudding
pissing the parcel
fluttering butter
spring is a fucker
further’s a murmur
chasing a sun day
whistle a willow
walking in warbles
spooling in cagoules
piriton’s flashbacks
sneezing the pastures
yes is a nomad
walk upon england
blake is awakened
so sod the machine
newton is sleeping
twofold’s a thistle
beulah beckons
& god save the green
…
~
cee the light ( thgil eht eec )
…
catfish catalyst
cosmonauts canoodle
custard caribou
…
( author notes )
there’s a nasty rumour
doing the rounds
online at the moment
so to put the record straight
no
the queen of england
is not ninety six years old
because phillip schofield
is only sixty
plus he doesn’t look a day
over fifty seven and a half
– so leave it
…
~
rush owls ( slwo hsur )
…
tawny owls racing
with the morning hare
quicker than lightning
striking the air
barn owls in fast cars
stuck in solid jam
screeching at the lights
& the broken down tram
eagle owls at taxi ranks
jumping the queue
barging passed the frogmouths
& the nightjars too
little owls in pickles
late for the train
snowy owls sleeting
dashing in the rain
…
~
cough up ( pu hguoc )
…
the fiver you borrowed
in crocodile times
last supper’s bay leave’s
& fish finger bones
the smoke that we choke
when london burns again
sputters of dust
in the attics of our minds
a persian furball
the wager that waned
twenty two guineas
& a shilling in change
the chewing gum you found
on the sole of your shoe
a thousand pound fine
for kissing a gnu
remnants of the ‘rona
scamdemic afterglows
for hardcore zealots
& big pharma jihadists
a tip for the waiter
instead of see y’ later
& a greeny green frog
croaking of tomorrows
…
resarf poetry 