Nothing Daunted

Breaking bread
With the brethren,
Holding hands
With common purpose,
Setting out
For the selfsame
Destination,
Raising our eyes
To those distant hills,
Holding in our hearts
The hope that comes
With the warmth of sunrise
Glowing on our backs,
Nothing daunted !

JL Nov 30 14:32

Leafless Trees

Sunset with leafless trees,
Many fingers steepled
Praying to the sky,
A kind of lonely pilgrim
Silhouetted upon the road,
Hatted and with staff in hand,
Full of hostel hope
Before nightfall,
A glow of welcome
And a friendly hand,
Breaking bread
With the brethren,
Then sleep,
Thinking not of another day .

JL Nov 29 14:42

Once Again

In tune with sun time
A lingering melody
Of dusty pathways
And full leafed trees
A patchwork concerto
Of sunflower fields
And marching lines
Of fresh green vines.

In those blue washed skies
The flickering martins fly
To the scented chords
Of lilac round the doors.
Oh to be there once again
Walking with you down that lane.

JL Nov 28 14:39

Aconites

Long ago
A memory,
A carpet
Of aconites
Beyond a hedge,
Floating
On the mud.
How the beauty
Covered
The dark below
And how I was fooled
And wore
A damp sock
All afternoon.
Beware
The blandishments
Of early Spring.

JL Nov 27 15:00

Standing

Standing
In a metaphorical sense
Before another week
Before a latticed
Leaden window on the world
Of naked branches
And burnt brown leaves
I dip into a joyful
Memory of spring
Primrose yellow
Pale carpet anemones
In the burgeoning wood.
I have not the vision
Nor the strength
To paint the future
In such a coloured softness.
I will rest on my laurels
Such as they are
And nod towards the crucifix
With a rueful smile.


JL Nov 26 14:58

Dark Copse

Late evening
Crepuscular
Creeps across the copse
Darkling a blackbird
Calls a swift alarm
Naked branches
Etched against
A roseate sky
A ragged solitary rook
Calls towards a roost
And afar
Was that a vixen's cry?

At home I am cushioned
Upon the whispering
Pillows of the night.

JL Nov 25. 17:02

Emmie 24

Emmie's holiday was a bit of a wash out. Not that it mattered as Joan's house was warm, comfortable and dry. Joan was an old school friend from Camden Town. She had retired to a two bedroomed cottage on the Kent coast near Sandwich. They had a day out on the bus to Canterbury, a wet day outing on the bus pass. She sent a card to Dorothy from there. Then they risked a day out in the Pegwell Bay nature reserve. Emmie had brought a pair of stout shoes and it wasn't too wet underfoot.

The rest of the time they just relaxed and planned some minor excursions in the afternoons after the torrential rain had eased. On their final day they took the bus to Margate for a day of childhood nostalgia.

Next day Emmie took the train to London where she took the bus up north from Victoria. She arrived home that evening to a pile of post on the doormat. She gathered it on to the sideboard, had a light supper of a poached egg on toast, put her laundry in the wash and decided on an early night. The post could wait till tomorrow.

JL Nov 24 16:29

Roost

Dark clouds
Held above the hills
Here we are shining
Before the blackness
Gulls spiral
In sharp contrast.

While starlings
Whirl and tumble
To roost
Among the dunes
Sun dies
As Venus rises
Above a receding moon.
And then the rain.

JL Nov 23 17:23

Medication

Medication sent me to sleep today.


JL nov. 22. 19:24

Milk Bottles

Milk bottles
Wide necked
With cardboard caps
Are things of the past
As are my walks
Along the leafy
Margins of the old canal,
Under the arches
Of high beeches
Among the bluebells
By anemones
In the springing underfoot.
Still there dear friends
For you to treasure
Cast them not aside.

JL 21. Nov 12:52

Rocked

I need
The fresh face
Of the wind in my hair
The sound of sheets
Rattling on the yards
The gentle lapping
On the keel
Anchored on the
Shifting sand
And softly rocked.

JL Nov 20 14:16

Dark and Dank

Dark and dank
November
Where leaves
Are tattered and torn
And once again
The winter wheat
Is sown.

In place of my wild oats.
The sirens sing
About the naked trees
And jackdaws flap
Their raucous wings
Against the wind.

JL Nov 19 13:16

Nothing is Perfect

The first frost
Fell upon the garden
And turned today,
The spider's web
To a crystal filigree
Of jewels,
Sugar powdered
The pink petalled rose,
Forced the grasses
To a pointed march
Of sharpened spears
And threw
The crimson berry
Into sharp relief.

Then came the sun
Turning silver
Into dripping liquid gold
And within the space
Of one single warming breath
Turned back
The web to tissue,
The petals limply laid
Still pink
But softly bruised,
The grasses wilted
Under foot,
And yet
The berry,
Licked by liquid
Became a shining crimson
Magnificent without the gold.

How came the sun
To turn a moments glory
Common place
Where once was beauty
To behold
Was by adversity
Enhanced by frosty cold?

And there the blood red berry
Upon the thorn
Is forever present
Beyond the rime,
A counterpointed form.

JL Nov 17 14:15

Emmie 23

Emmie is on holiday.

JL Nov 17. 16:46

Children in Need

Upon the arm
Of the niched madonna
The painted virgin's shoulder
The podgy Christ child
Smiles
Half awake and half asleep.

And all about
The real world
Is ruined childhood
Wounded
And abused.

How is it
In the heart of man
To do such things?
And it was ever thus
From Herod to the present day.

JL Nov 16. 14:37

Ramification

Long ago
At fell foot
A sequestered ram
Would leap a wall,
Just butted at a gate
Not to be free
But to claim his own.
Beyond confinement
A field of ewes
And he ewes less.
Some of us
Have not the use
To even
Butt the gate.

JL Nov 15 16:44

Dream

Nostalgia dream,
Where was I ?
The spring of turf,
The new mown scent,
A cushion underfoot,
Sunlight and the pale green
Burst of beech bud,
Lace curtain blowing
In a gentle breeze
Line dancing laundry
Comforting the real
The damp November day.

JL Nov 14. 15:02

Dawn

Dawn before sunrise
Is a grey steel sea
High above
Is a tinted gull wing
Beyond the horizon.
In my face
A frost fresh waking wind
Another day begins.

JL Nov 13. 15:02

Gloom

Such a short dark day
Slants of rain
On a glooming Monday
Late roses bend their heads
Over leaf drop beds


JL Nov 22. 18:03

Vigil

A shadow
A window
Lace moonlight
Curtained
And beyond
A wet slick road
Reaching
For your late arrival.
The door latch
Heart jumped
Foot upon the stair
Your touch
All satin soft
To carry me
Sleep forth
Beyond the fear
Of waking
Upon another broken day.

JL Nov 11. 15:45

Emmie 22

Once the flowers were done and she had accepted Dorothy's invitation to Sunday lunch Emmie made her way home. She put the casserole she had prepared in the oven and settled down for half an hour with the local paper.

There was a notice at the bottom of page three in the personal column.
"Yaz and Jen will be in touch".

Emmie went to the dresser, took out he blue exercise book and made a note. She would wait for further developments.

JL Nov 10 19:52

Twilight

Fickle fingers
Letting me down today
Too late
In the dusk
Twilight silence
From the rooks.

JL Nov 10 17:34

Dapples

This autumn sunshine
Dapples fading leaves
And apple orchards
Down the lane.


Terracotta towers
Once damp with rain
Give themselves to warmth
And comfort once again.

In the pale wash blue
A solitary plane
Tips and tumbles
Loops into a spiral game.

An unaccustomed silence
As he cuts the cloud
And sunset comes
To touch his wings
With flame.

JL Nov 8 13:53

Misty

Mist in the damp
To turn
My sycamore.
To a yellow state,
Pointing witches fingers
To the sky
Waiting for snow time,
And its redemption,
A snowy crystal chiffon
To put a little polish
On the day.


JL Nov 7. 20:02

Closing Time

My life has come to lees
The sparkle gone
From bubbles
In the glass
Empty on a tabletop
A trap for stinging things
That summer brings

Clear that table over there
Clean the ashtrays
See them empty
In the bin
Behind the till.

Kiss me before you go.
Lock the door
As you go out
And remember me
To Florrie at the corner shop.

I forgot to sweep
Those brown blown leaves
Wedged behind the sill.
Come tomorrow
They may have made
Their own way out.

Called away
By darkling winds
Beyond the hill.

JL Nov 6. 13:17

My Hope

Hope is a slip
Of green willow
A song of praise
To the spring rain.

Hope after rain
Is a golden harvest
The plumpness
Of fruit upon the vine.

Hope after harvest
Is a place of ease
The promise of sleep
In the velvet dark.

JL Nov 5 16:46

Smokey Sunday

Smokey smells
Purgatorial fires
Holy shadows
Strange desires.

Will the hand
Raise to bless
Assuage the fear
And calm distress.

In the darkness
A candle flame
Extends the prayer
Beyond my presence
Once again.

JL Nov 4. 17:22

Emmie 21

No work for Emmie this week and there was a consequent feeling of being alone. She took the opportunity to visit David's grave. He was in the close by church grave yard. Father Costello chose to disregard any ecclesial strictures and followed Emmie's wishes.

The grave was in the far north eastern corner by the dry stone wall. Beyond the wall were fields, now grazed by a large flock of tup marked sheep. The gravestone was simple, white marble bearing the inscription: " Of your charity pray
for the soul of David,
husband of
Emmie Jacobs
1937-- 5--4--2010."

In the corner was a small Magen Shield.

Emmie stood for a moment and brought to mind her last remaining living image of David, placed a small white pebble on the corner of the stone, paused for a moment, and the turned and walked slowly towards the church.

On Friday she returned to the sacristy to make a start on the flowers. She cherished the remembered thoughts and images which came with the flowers. "Consider the lilies of the field, neither do they toil or spin." And the glory of Solomon.

" Hello there! " It was Dorothy with a cheerful lift to her voice.

JL Nov 3 16:10

Flowers Scent

Dark autumn flowers
Dark red daisy petals
The deepest of dark roses
And there a tiny white bud
Set against the dark rose
How apposite
A spirit kept alive
In white.

JL Nov 2 18:26

Return

As I return
I meet from the ambulance
A clear sky
Pierced by Venus
And in my mail
Messages of love
The flowers
Demand
Their own blog
Tomorrow.

Thursday 1. 11. 20:44