Cold hope

 The children looked forlornly looked out of the window on test day. Fake sick notes hadn’t got past parents so that was the twins plan bombed. William just prayed for the chance of snow. Mary was hoping that the little accident with the engine would mean a stay home-it wouldn’t.

Play hard, win hard

'When he gets to the South American sales figures throw in the question about the Sans Marie metals deal, it will stop him dead.’
           Anne’s business dealings matched what she was in bed - dirty, slow and then a hot finish.
           Today was going to her finest hour and her last.

Two poems on stuff

A Etheree

Growing up too soon

Stuff

at home;

memories

of times gone by.

Beaches, stately homes,

wet museum days out.

Lay-by pop and cake picnics

when bees chased jam. Was mum ill then?

Did her dancing mask the rotting decay?

My childhood packed away before it’s time.

A Lanturne

My

childhood

thankfully

car-boot sales stuff

now.

The night begins

The blood was wiped from the knife as from a new born babe with great delicacy and loving care. Its handle was brought up to the lips kissed and wrapped in a new white cloth. Placed in the cradle of a bag, he was ready for another night of purifying.

Three poems on friendship

A Clarity Pyramid

FRIENDS

muckers

companions

strangers met by chance,

the ones who stopped, stood by

became fellow travellers

“a medicine for what life throws”

A Diamante

Friend

warm-hearted, hospitable

obligating, praising, warming

steadfast, open, false, fair-weather

judging, betraying, warring

bitter, vicious

Enemy

A Haiku

companions sit

all day shadows dance around

words rest on tongues

The last Goodbye

The warmth of the body leaves slowly.

He had spent 50 years next to her. They had laughed in that bed, heard the first and last cries of children, forgiven and let lie.

In the morning, the questions, the cries but tonight was their last embrace. His tears could wait.

We all have to start at the beginning

‘Get you own dinner then’ The door slammed and footsteps stumped away.

‘I will then and don’t think I can’t,’ muttered Sam.

Finding the chops he followed his vague memory of how mum grilled them..

As he explained later on the phone, ‘the firemen were really cool with the fire.’

A different beat

The Pine stood majestic in the forest with its garland of human heads as below the tribe danced praying to the god of the forest. One day he would be shiny silver shadow in a corner, a passing joy. But today he drank the blood of his enemies and rejoiced.

What you sow shall you reap

The teenagers stood in the cave of the ancestors. This day they become men.

The tribal elders came in quietly and stood in a row and then started the ancient chant, ‘when this bunker opens between sunrise and sunset to which the teenagers responded, ‘the war on terror is won.’