( ? )

quizzical intermission

~

quizzical intermission ( noissimretni lacizziuq )

…


coloured magenta – never a trick
sink on a feather, float on a brick

dancing distractions, world in a brain
purplish patches – drier in rain

redder if greener, higher than low
brighter in evening, whiter than crow

weirder than normalzzz, clearer in goo
sand in the sandals, go in the shoe

young in the future, old in the past
cold in the summer – slower if fast

freezing a fire, sawing a jig
pallid in colour, smaller in big

punching the pinches, sun underground
endlessly echoes – bouncing around

warmer in winter, land upon sky
i am a poem – see y’ – goodbye

…

this thing called spring

~

this thing called spring ( gnirps dellac gniht siht )

…

dawn of the fawn

a turn for the vernal

after stagnation

pan’s regeneration

leaf relief

falcon feathered freyja

slays snowmen

stirring sleeping serpents

crocus pocus time

summer’s budding prequel

autumn’s twin cousin

born in reverse

christs on their bicycles

where the air is hare

winter’s avalon

unsprung before

& sprang when it’s gone

…

dogfish

~

dogfish ( hsifgod )

…

pooch of salted blue

walkies underwater with

a shark with a bark

…

( author notes )

technically the dogfish

is a member of the shark family

or so they say

hence the last line

( thanks as ever for reading )

…

a pen as a paddle

~

a pen as a paddle ( elddap a sa nep a

…

a quest in a question
a quivering bow
the nadgers of badgers
a blithering flow

a ripple, a river
a rabbit, a hare
a ponder of yonder
the over in there

the answer is antlers
a staggering stag
the moon is retreating
& waving a flag

the sooner in later
is opening doors
a tisket, a biscuit
a tusking of boars

the scramble is egging
a cracking of chick
if easter is wester
in tockings of tick

the kettle is settled
the storm’s in the tea
the morning is forming
a puzzle in me

a pen as a paddle
a sword & a sun
a puddle of piddle
a bubble, a gun

the riddle is rubber
a cock of a hen
the rest is the scribbles
of mizzle in men

…

adventures in technicolour

~

adventures in technicolour ( ruolocinhcet ni serutnevda )

…

ride a white swansong

dance a red rumba

jump a green beanbag

ring a brown cowbell

sink a pink potshot

catch a gold sunbeam

grab a puce pew with

silverfish fingers

warble bronze broadsides

as the teal duck quacks

echo in yellow

have a mauve moment

orange on rhymeless

cataracts swirling

purple like patchwork

on a grey daydream

in a black catnap

’til the blues adieu

…

( author notes )

never wear light sandy corduroys after dark

they look like skin

& then the bullshit flows

…

promo poem

~

promo poem ( meop omorp )

…

grown under moonlight
made in cydonia

voted number one
by tea leaf readers

& lollipop ladies
who gave us five stars

each unique barcode
was jazz hand carved

ten percent of florists
found the secret passage

three in four badgers
never saw it coming

also available
in yellow or magenta

or dark matter
but good luck with that

six in seven shepherds
loved it like their flock

all organic
even the tentacles

typed over time
by a trillion chimps

brewed in a vat
with tramp underpants

under warranty
’til the end of the holocene

unconfused
despite the kali yuga

ten thousand barn owls
can’t be bloody wrong

eighty eight percent of goblins
said it was delicious

…

pardon?

~

pardon? ( ?nodrap )

…

where are my car keys?
– quarter past seven

can you smell gas?
– sticky toffee pudding

what time’s kick off?
– the sea of tranquility

do you take sugar?
– nought point five

will it rain later?
– fire salamanders

do you know your postcode?
– long john silver

have you lost some weight?
– six clarinets

cash or card?
– probably osmosis

when’s the next bus?
– sunny side up, please

is there a god?
– try the airing cupboard

have you fed the dog?
– the royal albert hall

is this a poem?
– bicarbonate of soda

…