Birdsong filled the wood ...

Birdsong filled the wood - 

Sunlight, then shadow, fell upon our path - 

Oak and beech were in April leaf - 

I asked Penelope the names of the flowers we saw - 

Stitchwort, Red Campion, Wood Anemone - 

Each name was like a gentle memory - 

Once more I walked with boyhood friends - 

The world was green and filled with wonder - 

11 30

Friday 20 April 2018

Aethelhampton

Dorset

Those two words ...

Inside the house, the estate agent takes his photographs - 

All of the rooms are emptied - 

All are now pristine - 

I'm edging the two small lawns in the back garden - 

My mum used to watch me cut the grass - 

She'd sit in a chair by the patio door  

Sometimes she'd sweep bits of moss off the path - 

I pick up the cuttings - 

It's as though she's still by my side - 

Those long Sunday afternoons - 

Love and sorrow - 

Those two words - 

15.57

Friday 20 April 2018

Staunton Road

Havant 

Hampshire 

All my gardens ...

The new leaves on the apple tree shade me from the sun - 

I'm reading in the garden - 

The tree casts its shadow upon the warm grass - 

I'm barefoot - 

There are daisies - 

Many birds are singing - 

I remember Eduardo's garden - 

I'd look out at the sea from the white terrace - 

The carp would rise to the surface of their dark pool - 

IIn Jane's garden I'd watch the moon cross the velvet sky - 

Pine trees would scent the balmy air - 

A fountain would reflect a midnight lamp - 

I remember all the gardens in my life - 

I have found solace in the company of flowers - 

Each garden was a mirror if heaven - 

Last night there was a crescent moon - 

As iDrove homewards I pictured all my gardens - 

Tthe gardens of the sun - 

The silver gardens of the moon - 

15.49

Thursday 19 April 2018

The Old School  House 

East Stoke

Dorset 

Walking amongst snowdrops ...

We walked on the bright grass - 

Below us the sea reflected heaven - 

We heard skylarks on Ballard Down - 

We'd climbed the steep hillside - 

Thorny hedgerows were banks of dazzling blossom - 

Slender trees held up their shining buds - 

Drowsy sheep lay down in quiet fields - 

The chalk cliffs rose up from the white waves - 

I thought of Gareth, wanting to walk amongst snowdrops - 

His shadow followed mine under the cloudless sky - 

His story was carried by the gentle wind - 

11.28

Wednesday 18 April 2018

Studland Down

Dorset

Last songs ...

In June or July I'll wear a flimsy gown - 

I hear the bright voice on the answerphone - 

You're top of the list she says - 

I'll go to the small hospital - 

Anne will drive - 

I'll look out at the everyday world - 

I'll see again where it ends - 

This is a time for last songs - 

Already I'm becoming smoke - 

17.37

Tuesday 17 April 2018

The Old School House 

East Stoke

Dorset 

All of his steps: remembering Gareth

He heard birdsong in the garden - 

In his pocket there was a passport to another country - 

There were cities with beautiful names beyond the border - 

There were new stars in the sky - 

Pilgrims were waiting to cross the river - 

He stood amongst them - 

All of his steps had led him here - 

17.51

Monday 16 April 2018

The Old School House 

East Stoke 

Dorset 

The impossibility of bring old ...

I remember the Ferguson flickering in the lounge - 

I'm watching Top of the Tops with my dad - 

I like this he says - 

Who are they ?

The Move I say - 

Inwas then still at school - 

We were reading Portrait of the Artist - 

My dad was in the Drawing Office - he'd left the Navy - 

He was younger than I am now - 

I like the name he says - 

The Move - 

The memory stays with me - 

The armchairs in the lounge - 

Roy Wood's hair - 

The excitement of being sixteen - 

The impossibility of being old - 

17.41

Sunday 15 April 2018

The Old School House

East Stoke 

Dorset