There were still apples on the tree

There were still apples on the tree -

So many -


Like those moments with you -

Even now, at the very end of my autumn -

Bringing summer back - 

The Old School House 

East Stoke 

September 17 2026

Rose drinks her tea

Rose smiles her wary smile -

Gravelly voiced, she's shrugged off death threats - 

She knows which numbers to call -

Wise with her memory of the streets -

Reaching for her tea -

As though she were still in her office -

Her lanyard round her neck - 

Waiting to hear the next desperate story - 

Herston Hall

Swanage 

September 16 2026 

You think I can fix myself?

A chilled Carling - 

My first glass - 

House -

He's smashing a mirror -

You think I can fix myself ? -

The Old School House

East Stoke

15 September 2026 

I was your castaway

I watched the mist from the sea hide rooftops -

Veil the bay where I'd swum with with you - 

Your house like an island - 

I was your castaway - 

Swanage

September 14 2026 

A forgiving sea

I wake up in my dream drenched bed -

I'd placed three shells by my pillow -

Each one perfect -

A memory of a forgiving sea - 

The Old School House

East Stoke 

September 13 2026 

Leaving the cottage

Leaving the cottage -

The thick stone walls, whitewashed to a dazzle - 

The low ceilinged rooms - 

The porthole window -

The apple tree in the salty garden - 

The soft beds where we heard the voice of the sea - 

Veronica Cottage

Portscatho 

September 12 2026 

Last night at The Standard

A snug like a burrow -

Paintings of dead captains -


A glass of Tribute in the riotous garden -

A starless sky - 

The Standard

Portscatho 

September 2026