AMIDST THE MYRIAD STARS

 

Amidst the myriad stars

The bright crescent moon

Hangs in the midnight sky

And palely paints the ocean

With its gentle lunar light

MELLOW YELLOW

 

Like surreal yellow oceans

Vast fields of yellow rape

Stretch across the landscape

To an unseen infinity

The breeze ripples their surface

Whipping them up like waves

Ahead of an offshore wind

Driving them ever onward

Towards the hedgerow shore

While birds appear to dance

Above the custard coloured sea

THE RED SQUIRREL

 

The red squirrel

Cute arboreal Character

Once abundant in our woodland

Now small in number

Only survive in small pockets

Thanks to the grey intruder

A DEW DROP SLOWLY ROLLS

 

A dew drop slowly rolls along the broad leaf

Like a perfect pearl, it moves on its journey brief

Before dropping off the edge to a rivulet below

And the pearl disappears into the mercurial flow

AS THE EVENING LIGHT FADES

 

As the evening light fades

The sky takes on a twilight hue

Until the stars appear above

And the moon comes into view

THE HEATHERS ON THE HILLSIDE

 

The Heathers on the hillside

And Buttercups in the meadow

The Bluebells in the woods

And Orchids in the hedgerow

What a green and pleasant land

Where the wild flowers grow

THE RED KITE

 

The Red Kite

Beautiful in flight

In the Cape Verde sky

Raptor flying high

ON THE CUSP OF SPRING AND SUMMER

 

On the cusp of spring and summer

Hawthorn hedgerows bloom

And produce their fruity haws

Before the autumns gathering gloom

RED ADMIRAL

 

Red admiral flutter by

You Beautiful butterfly

Drink from the buddleia

Lovely Vanessa atalanta

AMIDST THE MYRIAD STARS

 

Amidst the myriad stars

The bright crescent moon

Hangs in the midnight sky

And palely paints the ocean

With its gentle lunar light

RETURNING HOME

 

Through leafy glades we walked together

In the dappled shade beneath the trees, where

Spots of light chase each other frantically

As the soft summer breeze moves the treetops

As on the forest floor the patterns change

In some place’s shafts of golden sunlight

Burst through the canopy, like sunbeams

Sent down from God above to light the darkness

In the sunnier spots the blue bells dance

As if to entertain the travellers

The path leads us upwards into the light

Each step taking us to ever lighter skies

Until we emerge atop a green hill

We looked out across the land, England

And knew what we had all fought and died for

To save this land from the spoils of war

LITTLE BIRD BRING US

Little bird bring us

Your sweet song

To woodland

And to meadow

Usher in another

Blessed summer

HUMMINGBIRD FLY

 

Hummingbird fly

On vibrant wings

Sip, iridescent beauty

From trumpet blooms

The nectar sweet

With long slender bill

In flower deep

THE SWIFT

 

The familiar forked tail

And crescent wing

Of the agile Swift in sky

Performing aerobatics

Above the fields of gold

So pleasing to the eye

THE PURPLE DEPTHS

 

The purple depths

Of heather on the hill

Looked down at their reflections

In the watery shadows

Of the timeless loch

LONG TAILED LINNET

 

Long tailed Linnet

Sweet flying Finch

Trill and twitter

Your pleasant song

All Summer long

THE GREEN SEASON

 

Abundant rain

And warm sunshine

Paints the landscape afresh

Replacing the drabness

Of greys and browns

When the greens appear

In their infinite variety

Nature’s pallet used abundantly

Greens of every hue and shade

Fields of luscious green grasses

Trees speckled with bright buds

Like a vivid rash

Against brown limbs

Hedgerows sprout into life

While bulbs push through

The contrasting earth

Everywhere awash with viridity

Only in spring

Can the same colour

Appear in so many guises

So many variations

A veritable myriad

Across the spectrum

From dark olive to bright lime

Drab khaki to exotic emerald

Shades vivid and vibrant

And all this is but a pre cursor

Preparing the senses

For the coming

Explosion of colour

KINGFISHER, KINGFISHER

 

Kingfisher, Kingfisher

A glint of silver

Catches your eye

And like an arrow

You dart with purpose

Beneath the water

With barely a splash

Disappearing for a moment

Before returning

With the silver prize

IN THE SUMMER FOREST

 

In the summer forest

I stared into the silent waters

Of the mirrored pool

It was a place spoken oft in lore

An eerie haunted place

The stillest place I’d known

To stand too long

Appreciating its tranquillity

Could cost you your soul

There were no fish

To break the surface

No insect ventured near

Bird song fell silent at its edge

And no creature quenched its thirst

No one knew if its waters were deep

Or merely murky shallows

It was not an inviting place

But if you stared too long

Into its mesmeric shadows

You would not tell the tale

THE AIR WAS SULTRY AND STALE

 

The air was sultry and stale

The heat oppressive

I sought the sanctity of the shade

Embracing its coolness

I walked beneath the leafy canopy

Where the silence welcomed

Contented I walked

In the leafy summer forest

Until within a glade

I came upon a woodland pool
its still dark waters

Looking glass flat.

I peered through my own reflection

Into the charismatic depths

And felt unnervingly as if

I were staring into the depths

Of my own soul

And for the first time

On that sultry summers afternoon

My skin felt cold

THE GOLDEN ORB

 

The golden orb

Burning orange

Set slowly

Beyond the distant hills

As it slid slowly down

It painted the hills

In rainbow hues

Back lighting the tree line

Highlighting them boldly black

Showing them in stark relief

Against the crimson sky

As it was finally swallowed

By the western horizon

The sky was tinged with pink

Before darkness was everywhere

THE PIERCING OF THE WIND

 

The piercing of the wind

Iced like the mountain peaks

Brought water to my eyes

And a stinging to my cheeks

It left hands too cold to grip

And lips to numb to speak

It cut through my cloak

And made the outlook bleak

A BUMBLE BEE BUSIES

 

A bumble bee busies

A Butterfly rises and dips 

And there amid velvet petals

A single hummingbird sips

THE WILDLIFE DOWN UNDER

 

The wildlife down under

Includes the Wallabies

But if truth be known they’re

Just Kangaroo Wannabies

THE CHERRY BLOSSOM

 

The cherry blossom

Filled the tree

A brief spectacle

Of perfect beauty

Until the petals fell

Like pink snowflakes

And in the breeze

Danced like confetti

Outside the church

On our wedding day

THE STORM RAGED

 

The storm raged

Thunder roared

And lightning flashed

As rain fell unrestrained

From leaden skies

Like liquid knives

Dropping into the sodden land

Night came early

Beneath the slate grey

Until a tear in the fabric

Of the unremitting deluge

A perfect patch of blue

Showing through the heavy sky

Brought tranquillity

With a glimpse of heaven

Through the darkness

A beam of heavens light

Shone down upon the land

A beacon from above

To let us know

We are not forsaken

BUTTERFLIES FLUTTER BY # 2

 

Butterflies flutter by

On pale Cabbage white wings,

Heralds of beauty

THERE IS A MOTH IN THE BATHROOM

 

There is a moth in the bathroom

Drawn towards the light

My wife was in the shower

And it gave her a bit of a fright

 

I don’t understand why

If they are attracted to the light

They don’t just appear

When the sun is shining bright

THIS TALK OF CULLING BADGERS

 

This talk of culling badgers

Is completely unsound

If we keep discussing it

We’ll drive them underground