The darkening garden

Birdsong in the darkening garden -

A gentle wind stirring the leaves of the apple tree -

A crescent moon in the flawless sky -

The Old School House 

East Stoke

May 2026 

A gift from heaven

I read Gore Vidal's Julian in the Lizzie Gardens -

Jake launches hot wheels down a slide -

Sun tanned nanas push grandchildren in swings -

Long legged girls out of school beguile awkward boys -

A bright river is shaded by shapely trees -

I wear a dark blue shirt -

I put down the book -

Jake's laughter is a gift from heaven -

Salisbury 

May 2026 

Watching Heart

Watching Heartbeat - 

 

The clever, kindly, Rowan -

Oscar narrowing his eyes -

Ventress smoking a sly Woodbine -

A London villain in Aidensfield -

The comfort of 1960s singles -

Don't play with me -

Cause you're playing with fire -

The Old School House 

East Stoke

May 2026

Paul as my Ancient Mariner

Pirates circling a former Russian ice breaker -

Dour Siberians -

A young man walking home a thousand miles from the Eastern Front -

Tahiti -

A five week voyage in the south Atlantic -

Strange stars -

Pitcairn Island -

Harold Wilson's bodyguard -

Paul as my Ancient Mariner -

Myself a wedding guest -

Java 

Swanage

May 2026

So much sadness

There are new lines of sadness on his face -

This gentle postman -

He tells me about his wife -

Now no more than a whisper of bone -

I briefly hold his hand -

So much sadness -

Swanage 

May 2026 

In the long night

In the long night I'll remember walking the green path -

Glimpsing the river -

Following my winding way through cow parsley -

Blue bells amongst banks of ferns -

Finding the birch grove -

Being close to those I've lost -

East Stoke

May 2026

The wind from the sea -

The steep hillside was yellow with buttercups -

Walking the high path, I heard skylarks -

I saw yachts with bright sails in the bay -

Gulls were flying over salty fields -

Earlier, we'd seen a bride enter the Saxon church -

The air was scented with mayblossom -

On the hilltop, I was above the world -

The wind from the sea carrying the names of those I loved -

Ballard Down 

May 2026