almost Christmas
the drunks are singing
hallelujah

The Australian Haiku Society, HaikuOz, are attempting to define haiku in less than 40 words, and they were kind enough to include my go at it here.

framed
in a lighted window -
the violin player

long night’s end -
a line of blue
below the cloud

voices
from years past
soften
the sharp edges
of another day's news

under a clear sky
October leaves and housebricks -
the election news

evening news -
a wagtail on the ridge
of the roof

National Poetry Day
the General Well Being Index
fluctuates

This weekend I will be in Bath.

heads bent
in suburban drizzle -
allotment sunflowers

morning stillness
the absence
of gulls

let no one
crash in through
the cardboard walls
or loudly start to read
another's part
this paper that we pass
from hand to hand
has promises upon it
that thou art

on the phone
he says 'but I hate talking
on the phone'

last day of summer -
a young rat explores
the rose garden

Charing Cross
a pigeon coming in to land
goes round again

white birds
on the water's surface -
sewage works

Tomorrow I'm going to the launch of this rather special new book.

traces

that black and white picture
with a torn corner
that scratchy recording
with a catch in the voice
she didn't leave -
he didn't leave -
anything
except for this

torrential rain
on the poet going through
a dry spell

bitter herbs -
music playing in the
darkened kitchen

wondering how
to throw it away -
rubbish bin

the glint
of cafe chairs -
morning after rain

speaking
of his identity -
the actor

interval -
a theatrical gesture
from the audience

re-constructing
the re-construction -
stage hands

haiku talk -
the orange juice comes with
or without bits

pub sign -
the setting sun picks out
the gold

summer night
waiting for the storm
that doesn't come

closing time -
all the pub windows open
to the summer storm

the flicker
of a cigarette lighter -
summer storm

before the storm
a bird fights the wind
for height

a boy with one shoe
in his hand kicks something
down the road

the pauses
in her side
of the argument
we pass through Sheffield
under a steely sky

a day of powerpoint -
chicks beg until the parent gull
regurgitates

Day return - (a haibunnish thing)

On the early train, regular travellers prop their season tickets on their bags and snooze.

looking up

from her book -

poppy fields

I side step my way from station to conference room around head-down commuters, charity collectors, paper vendors and tourists studying maps, apologising to someone who emerges from the crowd to ask the way. 'I'm sorry, I'm a bit lost too!' A whirl of words and then it's all replayed, but in reverse.

the slope

of his shoulders -

mile after mile

Slowing down before the final stop, there is a hurried announcement from the guard. I'm sure he just said, 'Will passengers please ensure they take all of their personal longings with them.'

breath of wind -
the shadow of a gull
across the 7th floor

evening calm before
the squabbling of magpies
and after

wedding party
the cries of gull chicks
from a nearby roof

another day -
he wipes down the cars
on the merry-go-round

a window open somewhere the sound of bells

motorcycle park
the poppy petals swaying
on their stems

Masks

In a moment of madness
I thought to ask if we could
take off these masks.
I know that I was wrong
to ask it of you but
I wonder
- if we turned aside with eyes closed, and acted swiftly -
could we exchange them?

at 50
much to my surprise
my muse
takes on a definitely
human shape

steel band -
evening sunlight
on the water

brown fields
half greened
with new shoots

my point of view -
all sharp angles
and corners

talk of rights
and responsibilities -
wind in the trees

dear muse
even in the dark hours
the bird
you awakened
is still singing

slowly
bursting
open -
reddish-orange tulips

noon -
sunshine on both sides
of the wall





[The 13th century wall between my street and the 21st century shopping mall!]

something's missing
but maybe I will find it
even yet
spring sunlight
on old stones

roofscape
the oblique angles
of the snow

between the building
and the scaffolding
a spider's thread

guzmania pup -
morning sun illuminates
the leaves

Inspiration

Someone walking
quite confidently
down the street
suddenly turns
and walks
quite confidently
the other way

A fine science : an exact art

It began as a meeting of minds

as rarified as any scientific discourse.

We spoke of the movement of bodies

constructed elaborate models

of their various trajectories

and projected forecasts

of their collision.

That was when we made

our first discovery -

an unexpected rise in temperature

a gentle pulse that could be traced

only with the most sensitive

of instruments.

Drawn to its source we found

it emanated from the very heart of things

and we named it for the essence -

but we spoke too soon.

When we drew in breath

and stopped for a long moment to listen

a calm and quiet voice

was singing of wonders.

sliver of moon -
my neighbour's voice
but not his words

winter night -
a friend's words linger on
after he's gone

adjacent roofs
crows heads tilted
the same way

Just because they deserve a wider audience...

...not that they'll get it here! The Penguin Cafe Orchestra.

winter wind
he stops to look up
between clouds