The CEO

A charming wordsmith -

Using his beguiling smile -

Each of his sentences a silken net -

The Mowlem 

Swanage

October 14 2026

Breathless from the waves

I said I would never have done this without you - 

Swimming in the rain -

An October sky - 

A sea fret hiding the chalk hill - 

Watching you get dressed -

Deftly hiding your lovely body beneath the towel -

Coming into my life like this -

Breathless from the waves -

Swanage 

October 12 2026 

The wretched hours

Swimming with you -

Forgetting the dark reefs of the night -

The wretched hours - 

My dreams snatched away -

October 12 2026

A cruel hireling

Night -

Like a cruel hireling -

Waits by my door -

Old School House 

East Stoke

October 11 2026

Your gaze holding past and present

In one of your paintings, you sit like an empress upon a throne - 

Grave and watchful -

Wearing a crown - 

Your gaze holding past and present - 

Your heart the memory of wounds - 

The Lighthouse

Poole 

October 10 2026 

Jake draws his house

Jake drew his house -

He flourished his coloured pens -

I saw his world as he saw it -

There was nummy -

There was daddy -

There was Number 73 - 

Salisbury 

October 9 2026 

Meeting Betsan on the beach

Betsan saw us on the ribbed sand -

As always louche and elegant -

Greeting us with her marvellous gravelly voice -

Wearing a boiled wool jacket -

It was my mother's she said -

We were going for a swim under a  mackerel sky -

She smiled at us as we walked, slender and almost bare, into the waves -

South Beach

Studland 

October 8 2026 

Waiting for Sense and Sensibility

Chilled Jurassic in the auditorium -

Remembering the cathedral before evensong -

The quiet streets she knew -

Waiting for Sense and Sensibility -

The Rex

Wareham 

October 7 2026

Jazz by the sea

Jazz by the sea -

A pale moon in the night sky -

The Penthouse House Trio playing My Foolish Heart -

A tender saxophone whilst I wait for you - 

The Show Bar

The Mowlem 

Swanage 

October 6 2026

As warm as the sun

Forgetting the long hours of the night -

Swimming with you -

Later holding your hand-

You saying our hands are cold -

While your smile was as warm as the sun -

Swanage 

October 5 2026

The last apples

The last apples are on the tree -

I see my shadow -

Longer with each bright hour - 

The Old School House 

East Stoke 

October 4 2026 

Speechless ghosts

We climbed the high hill -

We passed dead trees, sculpted by the wind -


Below were the poignant bones of the village -

The ceilings of air in the shattered houses -


The school for invisible children -

A telephone box for speechless  ghosts -




Worbarrow Down

October 3 2026

Whilst he was on the swings his smile touched heaven

We'd waited for Jake amongst the nanas and young mums -

There were dads wearing sliders -


Anne scooped him up in her arms -

His class was called Robins -


In the park, Jake ate strawberries -

Whilst he was on the swings his smile touched heaven -



Salisbury 

September 2026 

It comes back to me

It comes back to me -

I remember -

Before you fell out of love with me -

When you were wild and naked -

I thought it would go on forever - 

October 1 2026 

Tom's beard

 Tom's beard is like a prophet's -

The beard of a sage -

As though he were leading his people -

Following a pillar of fire -

Or sitting outside a dacha -

Bearing witness with a sorrowful pen -



Swanage 

September 30 2026 

Dancing to the music of The Blue Racoons

George sat at the story teller's feet -

His sleek head glowed with love -


On a table were the tiny bones of a watch -

There was a guitar leaning against a chair -


George knew all the stories -

In his head he was dancing to the music of The Blue Racoons -

Swanage 

September 29 2026 

The joy of a flat white after swimming

The joy of a flat white after swimming -

Our numbed fingers becoming warm -

The bravery of your gaze -

Your smile -

Pier Cafe

Swanage 

September 28 2026 

Beguiled

I was beguiled by this hidden garden -

There was a holly tree with bright leaves -

Berries in red clusters on slim branches -

Pale green apples in a shapely tree -

A rose still in bloom with luscious silky petals -

Gargoyles were hanging from the church tower -

Grasping the lichened stones -

Their mouths gaping above an olive tree -

Rain would soon fall -

Beyond the narrow gate were old houses filled with silence -

A giant lay on the hill under rearing clouds - 

Cerne Abbas

September 27 2026 

Watching a Harry Potter

I'm watching a Harry Potter on ITV 2 -

Malfoy sneering - 

Hermione like a bright flame in the dark -

Dementors like bad dreams - 

The Old School House

East Stoke 

September 26 2026

Our tears became golden guineas

Whilst he spoke, we felt the heat of a sullen sky - 

The weight of chains - 

We were given new names -

Our tears became golden guineas - 

The Mowlem

Swanage 

September 25 2026