Under Construction 5

Two slow crows
On the dawn road
Fly from the mist
Spreading joy

Green Frogs

We had green frogs once
They were a very rare kind
We had several thousand
because they kept on breeding
and Dad threatened to flush them down the toilet
so I crept downstairs
at midnight
and let them all go
You may have seen it in the papers
GREEN FROG EPIDEMIC
and they were poisonous
and lots of people died
but the authorities hushed it up

They always hush it up -
the authorities

Under Construction 4

Sometimes it feels like I haven’t a minute to myself
A minute for watching the birds
A minute to think
A minute to contemplate death
A minute to visit the map shop
A minute to lose myself in the view from the train window
A minute to see how the Su Doku turned out
A minute to wonder what that last crossword clue was all about
A minute that passes to fast or too slowly
A minute to fire up my lap top
A minute to lay a wreath
A minute to finish my drink
A minute to finish these words
Sometimes it feels like I haven’t a minute to myself

Rooks

Do the thousand roosting rooks
Have to say goodnight
To every member
Of their family
Before they turn in?

Under Construction 3

It happened on the 8.16 to Victoria
She approached me from behind
Like a gunslinger’s shadow
I glanced up
Saw black, spiky hair
A bag slung casually
Around her long, dark, open overcoat
She reached towards me
She wore a silver ring on her thumb
She had the mark of a professional
But also an individual
And I shivered
As her eyes met mine,
As she clipped
My ticket

Dad's Coming Home

Dad’s coming home tomorrow
And he always brings me a present
And my sister, Sally, too
And mum.
But I’m his favourite
And my presents are best
Once he brought home
Two tigers
They were tame tigers
A prince in India
Had tamed them
To hunt flamingos
Using a special method
We rode them on the lawns
Sally rode Saranga
And I rode Rajah
We had three races and I won two
You should have seen us
Flashing and roaring
Orange and black on the green grass
On the winner’s podium
I shook up a bottle of Coke
And sprayed everyone
And even the pigeons
Rose into the sky, applauding

Under Construction 2

He met her standing on the train
Victoria bound. She leant against him
As they swung into the curve
Approaching Haywards Heath

She whispered, Can you feel it?
Magic… you’ll not forget it
Stand below my balcony
And call me Juliet

I’ll unlock the gates of silver
That lead down to your dark thoughts
The basement of your wild dreams
And this the wildest yet

And this may be your last chance
To taste youth’s sweetest offering
For I am young and you are old
And death waits in the wings

And as the man passed with the trolley
Tinkling like tambourines
She slipped her hand inside his jacket
And found his hot damp skin

But then the train pulled to a halt
At Clapham Junction she was gone
He glimpsed her on the platform
The train continued on

He thought, I should have got her number.
Left the train at Clapham with her.
Maybe next time if I meet her
Maybe next time, maybe then…

But in a way was pleased he hadn’t
As he found a seat left vacant
As the train slowed for Victoria
And her touch began to fade