Homage to Blueberries

Last year when visiting Paris

I saw a priest jump over a ticket barrier

A few days later I met him outside of his church

I asked him why he had tried to avoid his fare

With a gentle smile he explained

That his motorbike had given birth hours earlier

And that he was jumping for joy

 

A Journey to Weymouth

Lizzie come Dizzy was sitting on the coastal train looking at the distant Purbeck Hills

Although the day was bright the faraway load clouds were shadowing the smooth contours of the landscape making it quite gloomy in certain places and bright in others

In the clear blue sky the pale day moon was seeking warmth from the modest January sun

Lizzy felt snug in the warm railway carriage but knew that when she left the train she would soon face the chilled winds fresh from the sea

In one of the ornate shelters on the seafront Johnny come Lately would be waiting for her wrapped up in his leather jacket and university scarf

She found him quite quickly in the shelter nearest to the jubilee clock and for a while they watched as the brisk waves broke on to pebbled sand

How she wanted to swim in the sea and experience the ice water depths of its season

But she feared its moods and remained in her lovers arms

The following day Lizzie and Johnny walked to Portland as they were keen to visit Chesil Beach

When they arrived they found a huge pebble bank which they explored for a while before retiring to nearby inn

Lizzie come Dizzy collected five prize pebbles which in her view exhibited human facial characteristics whilst Johnny read passages of Browning to her in a soft voice often extinguished by the strengthening winds

Johnny come Lately explained that how the island had once been connected to Weymouth by a railway and how a sculptor named Henri Gaudier Brzeska had before the Great War visited the quarries in the area in search for suitable materials

He noted that the French sculptor had not survived the war and the railway was just a memory lost in the mists of time

On the day that they parted both Lizzie come Dizzy and Johnny come Lately rose well before dawn to take advantage of a stunning sunrise

In the distance a streak of yellow gold light promised a memorable day but both knew that within hours this radiance would be extinguished

Rain was forecast and little by little the light died and the grey clouds overwhelmed the town

Johnny come Lately accompanied Lizzie come Dizzy to the towns railway station and waited an hour with her until her train arrived

And after she left he walked miserably back to his parent’s house where he resumed his studies

I am passing through Wareham Bournemouth and Southampton too

Winchester Woking and Waterloo

Soon I will be warm in my little flat  

Please ring me then for a loving chat  

 

A Portrait of Anna Elizabeth Baker

Half hidden behind a fresh brick wall

You do not camouflage your perfumed stare

Only a brilliant rose challenges your authority

And in time it too will fade

Late Yellow

In your pinafore dress

You stand proud

Only a rose

Questions your stare

Letters  

I am reading your blind dictionary

What words these are

I will share them

In our silent correspondence

Early Brown/Late Yellow 

Early Brown

Late Yellow

Silken Sleeves

Roses Mellow