Grubby

Tepid rain -
a grubby bathroom
with not much light.

Trickle

Rainwater trickles
to the end of the street - these days
to the end of the year.

Distant

Chilean red wine -
grapes from a distant country
startle my tired tongue.

Afternoons

Winter afternoons,
the sun in your eyes, then gone -
childhood memories.

Fading

by noon
the blue sky fading
to white

Slanting

Again today, in defiance of the forecast and just before sunset, here it is: the bar of pale, unexpected light slanting through the window and across my desk.

Black and white

In the park, two spaniels play-fighting: one, headbutted, keels lightly over, roly-poly black and white down the leaf-strewn grassy slope.

Amphibian

Sleek young people lounge in the all-glass lobby of a smart office building - amphibians about to flick their webbed feet and float to the surface.

White

The air is white with fog - the small fog of my breath streams out to meet it.

Unexpected

Warm sunshine - a freak of our degraded climate, unexpected, sweet.

Tiffany

Looking up at the sun streaming through a complex pattern of red and yellow and evergreeen leaves is like looking at a huge Tiffany window.

Romanticised

In the twilight puddles: muted, romanticised images of the workaday facades.

Soft

Outside, the air has turned soft and the sky baby-blue - any change in the brief light at this time of year is unexpected and shocking.

Swinging

The cold is hard and heavy, like a rock suspended, swinging in the empty air.

Brassy

Street-lamps glare against the flat, dense surface of the night sky - like brassy buttons on black velvet.

Turquoise

Late morning, and the sun already so low it dazzles - this brief inverted pool of turquoise sky.

Penetrating

Through the cold air, a penetrating, rasping, vibrating sound - is it a neighbour immoderately blowing his nose, or, from farther off, the brief blast of a power tool?

Seamless

The seamless hissing of rain, coating and streaming from every surface - how does it keep this up without a breath?

Green

Lime-flower tea: diluted essence of green; like a subtle distillation of leaves and grass - you wonder if it's really safe to drink.

Sparkly

Strings of premature white Christmas lights hang like frozen rain: a sparkly backdrop to the white coiffure of the elegant old woman at the window table.

Sepia

Sun on water: flickering sepia reflections in the surface of a muddy puddle resolve into the outline of a tall, nearly bare tree.


For Mindful Writing Day, and resolving to resume daily posting here, maybe try prose again.

Artless

Sun through venetian blinds,

the spaces between
our shadows -

artless art.

watercolour wash :: clear autumn :: the river between

round yellow leaves :: sky-blue background :: a painted pattern

muted sunshine :: wavering shadows :: the quiet creak of waiting

an early start :: midday crescendo :: afternoon diminuendo

patterns of fallen leaves :: the taste of apples :: autumn wine in small glasses

gentle brushstrokes ::  a breath of sunshine ::  touch before it's washed away

a green front door :: continuous hammering :: the house's heartbeat?

all at sea :: or just a small pond :: tricks of the light

half a life in this city :: still flinching when it roars :: an anxious alien

cold air cuts the breath :: a change of tempo :: a higher sky

to play, the violinist stands :: each note a luminous thread :: vibrating calves, chest, hands

the last of summer briskly swept away :: winter lolls, watching

Break

Taking a break - I want to change the form here, not quite sure to what.

Room

above the maelstrom,
dream-boat floats on the night sky -
A Room for London

Another

Another flower
like this one, long ago -
forgotten times.

Cooler

Late summer reverts -
the equable sunshine
of cooler decades.

Heavy

The weight of water
hangs heavy on this warm air -
when will the rain come?

Recent

Scattered red petals,
one fine black and white feather -
recent departures.

Patience

Pinned, you might say,
like those files to the task bar
and losing patience.

Bunting

Ambushed by the past -
Olympic bunting strung from
these old memories.

photo shows the grim, tall building I worked in when I first moved to London, January 1980.

Galloping

Evening was morning,
lost in galloping dreams -
is it tomorrow?

Shiny

Golden wine -
as shiny and inviting
as gold coins.

Brief

Between paroxysms
of heat, a brief remission -
the soft rush of rain.

Heat

Lurking in shadows,
silently exhaling heat -
here be dragons.

Drip

Pausing to eat plums,
drip juice on the hot pavement -
too tired to walk and chew.

Looking

Gallery windows:
looking at art, at each other,
at the street below.

After

an evening walk
after a long day's work -
late summer sunset

Staring

Conditioned air
stirs the curtain - sitting here,
staring at the heat.

So

August is passing,
so much work, so little thought -
determination.

Green

here

Glow

Under the lime trees,
here on the hidden footpath -
evening's glow.

Bloom

creamy-white blossoms
crowding the curvaceous stems -
orchid in full bloom

Temptation

Words on a screen
or daisies in the grass -
summer's temptation.

Slowly

Soft skin on my skin,
curve in the curve of my palm -
slowly eat a peach.

Heaven

On Radio Three,
Les Barricades mystérieuses -
harpsichord heaven.

Reflected

watching words appear
on the blue sky reflected
in my laptop screen

Cat

Weighting my papers,
Emma the brass cat
outlives her namesake.

World

The street outside
the window disappears -
in a world of my own.

Lammas

White lily pad
floats on a watery sky -
Lammas moon.

Towards

the pale daisy droops
towards its own reflection -
giving up the ghost

Taste

black olive -
timeless taste of
here and now

Shelve

Soup of rain and dust
on the window - shelve the walk,
a late siesta.

Hollow

a silent hollow
in the noisy city
disconcerts

Rippling

Squeaky-clean green leaves
comb the dark, rippling water -
lady of the lake.

Melted

A dash of mustard
lifts the melted Emmenthal -
happiness on toast.

Runners

At sunset the heat
slackens its grip on the park -
here come the runners.

Pink

The poodle carried
a pink parasol in my
overheated dream.

One

Perfect shadows
of a perfect summer's day -
just the one.

Face

Bending to fasten
my shoe, I come face to face
with a tiny dog.

Purple

Rolling storm clouds -
purple as the scent
of lavender.

Jam

Bread and rhubarb jam -
an indeterminate
degree of sweetness.

Mind

Is it sunshine through
the leaves making these shadows
flicker - or my mind?

also here

Reach

Nearly midnight -
reach into the darkness
for a few words.

Day

Today, they say,
will be, will be, will be
a brighter day.

Vanished

Between the downpours:
pale, underdressed people of
this vanished summer.

Gently

The small boy stares at age -
the old man stares back, smiles,
speaks gently to him.

Book

Pleasures of the page -
if I could eat the book,
I would.

Really

Two on a bench,
heads together - life,
he says, really

Many

So many raindrops -
intersecting circles
in a dark puddle.

After

After the plunge,
sitting quietly
on the seabed.

Quiet

Empty restaurant -
eight Chinese businessmen
in quiet conclave.

Again

Rain stops and starts,
the cool air grows clammy,
then cooler again.

Nordic

Past the pale birches,
room after room, colour and form -
tense Nordic paintings.

Through

Sun through closed eyelids -
it must be shining
in left-over dreams.

Lightly

The music leaps lightly -
memories of a heart
less heavy.

Hissing

Rain on the window -
a hollow, fretful, clammy,
endless hissing sound.

Legs

(revised)

Stand-off: moorhens
flex their long green legs
in a stiff dance.

Tail

(revised)

Silver circles - there
in the shadows, a squirrel
chases her own tail.

From

Flung from the tree,
the flesh-pink blossoms
pulsate.

Dancing

here

Up

get up
and start the day
as if

Clouds

Gnarled and naked
wooden arms hold aloft
clouds of blue.

Grass

every summer of
my life...  the smell
of mown grass

Drift

Dappled lawns
and from the chapel
a drift of song.

Smell

Bitter-sweet smell
of pink and white blossom:
chestnut, hawthorn.

Patches

Patches of blue -
the sky smiles, blinks
and closes.

Sleeping beauty

Watching beauty sleep,
light on his velvet coat,
my heart leaps.

Found haiku

Bordeaux grands crus classés -
wine tasting, strictly
by invitation.

Lumpy

No early alarm -
my soft bed
grows lumpy.

Surprising

Black tulip -
at the heart of darkness,
surprising light.

West Ogwell

along the green verge
beside the muddy lane
a wash of bluebells

Crater

A heart-shaped pool
mirrors the deep blue sky -
it's a bomb crater.

Swallowed

Lethargy
swallowed the day -
bitter taste.

Pink

fallen blossom
wheels in the chill wind -
pink snowstorm

Haiku

haiku hang
from the ceiling - words
blossom in space

Not

Frosty night -
apparently it's not
Spring yet.

Bulk

My keyring's lost
its familiar bulk -
only two left.

Beyond

Flat wet day -
beyond this, the shape
of things to come.

New

the sign reads:
get ready for a new
kind of place

Fog

What does the fog
conceal? Could be
anything.

Leaving

Don't like leaving,
even when
I want to go.

Crying

Frosted rooves,
the persistent crying
of a single bird.

Where

Bare walls again
where Vermeer and Rothko
kept me company.

Netbook

small shiny blue
it pleases the magpie
in me

Float

White light -
the city floats,
pastel pale.

Disappear

White foot disappears
beneath a big black car -
cat wants some peace.

Spit

Phew. It felt hard to keep this up through February: gather reluctant words like saliva in a dry mouth and... spit. But the practice seemed therefore all the more worthwhile.

Clear

Murky skies,
no appointments -
a clear day.

Blue

Blue graffiti
sprayed across a window
deface the day.

Sour

Sour diesel fumes,
crows crying and the
colour of fear.

Smell

An edge of warmth,
a smell of soil and sap
- already?

Sunny

Sunny skies
and sunshine on my plate -
pastel de nata.

Descending

Dark clouds,
descending mists
of unreality.

Steaming

Steaming tea
the colour of honey -
warmth before dawn.

Drear

Drear, icy light
strips the air of colour -
determination.

Long

long strides and the ground
like a treadmill always
replacing itself

Flickering

On the steely ground,
streaks of light and shadow,
flickering, reaching.

Muddy

A muddy path
winds between bare trees -
cold, sleepless night.

Flying

Passers by
shriek and scatter -
flying dustbins.

Small

On the dim ceiling,
a triangle of light -
day starts small.

Mottled

Is that really blue
behind the mottled bruising
of the morning sky?

Dead

Wake with a start,
mistaking a bird's cry
for my dead cat's.

Obdurate

Warmer today,
but the frozen lake
is obdurate.

Black

Black pepper
invigorates tomatoes,
scorches my tongue.

Clean

Escape from the day
down a long tunnel
of soft, clean sheets.

Infinite

The sky has turned
from grey to infinite blue -
pigeons in space

Impatient

Fresh snowfall -
so pretty and I
so impatient.

Abandoned

After the thaw,
the melted snowman's
abandoned snowchildren.

Through

Icicles slice
through the soles
of my furry boots.

Taste

Custard: the taste
of childhood and colour
of bananas.

Fade

Fade to grey:
the snow slumps
and crawls away.

Muted

Muted cracking
of the frozen snow -
no other sound.

Swollen

Purple silence -
the sky sidles closer,
swollen with snow.

Inadept

Frozen fingers
so inadept at texting -
try telepathy.

Flawless

Flawless blue above -
too cold to stand still,
everyone glimmers.

Tiny (2)

Glugging icy water -
through the bottle's base,
a tiny winter scene.

I just found out about NaHaiWriMo - couldn't resist.

Tiny

Gulping water from the bottle, shockingly cold as a mountain stream, through its base I get a tiny view of black tree trunks stark against the wintry sky.

Shivering

ice in my nostrils
from my shivering mouth
a stream of white breath

Frothy

The cappuccino, with its frothy, scummy surface and pinkish brown underbelly, its aftertaste both smooth and bitter, inspires ambivalence.

Repetitive

Listening to Different Trains:
a persuasive, repetitive, prickly journey to equilibrium.

Undecided

The patchy sky of undecided weather: through the dark trees, the faintest smoky fragrance of dreams and stories, better times.

Dazzling

A wave of dazzling sunshine floods the window and my startled silhouette springs to life on the white kitchen wall.

Suburban

The desultory kisses of a few raindrops, plangent trilling of an unknown bird: close your eyes and this suburban street recalls the fields that once were here.

Curved

Unseasonably mild air slides down the old curved stone facades - there's a quiet sense that everything might come to a halt.

Greasy

Grey, greasy rain soaks into everything and cleanses nothing. Each passing face is sticky, pallid, querulous.

Scrawled

Scrawled red ballpoint annotations in the margin: the printed words pursued, exclaimed at, clutched at from behind.

Wine-dark

a glass of ruby red:
reflections flicker
on the wine-dark surface

Bare

Great swathes of bare branches trailing in the wind

the winter witch
lets down her twiggy hair
to sweep the sky

Silky

Glimpsed on the crowded street, a tie-dyed greeny, yellowy, silky parka - reminder of another climate, era or aesthetic in these busy, overcoated days.

Tethered

The wind is a muted background snorting and thumping like a tired, tethered pack donkey.

Soft

A gentle, downward pressure of soft, grey light and the sound of wheels swish-swishing on the damp road - this weather clings, enfolds.

Red

A pair of stiff, red leather gloves splayed against her chest, while next to them bare fingers play on her phone:
an illusion of three hands.

White

Leaving for work
moon still in the sky
frost still on the windows
one white blossom
still on the hedge.

Cold

The cold air, just like rain, showers from the sky and bounces up from the footpath, clutching and shaking and soaking the hapless pedestrian

Golden

Black cat sits up tall on the gate post, golden eyes glinting in the chill sunshine, remembers another life in ancient Egypt.

Clear

A clear, sharp, upward-cleaving contrail speaks in the still, dull early morning of light and energy.

Bitter

Dark green droplets falling into water, then a bitter, dark green taste that fizzes on the tongue and numbs it: Echinacea.

Sticky

The bright, sticky pungency of peel and pith and juice of oranges lingers on fingers and in the air.

Disaffected

Tricycle and parent hold hands while the small, disaffected rider trails, sighing, far behind.

Low

River at low tide:
mud and stones and plastic bags,
the gulls gather.

Pulpy

Pear juice: a pale, pulpy stream gurgles from the jewel-green bottle.

Physical

On the radio, gruff talk of the physical crisis - oh no, the fiscal crisis.

Creeping

Creeping sunshine -
all along the rooftops
a breath of gold.

Loud

A loud wind bangs and crashes against the windows - restless, unpredictable, unnerving.

Burst

Rubbish collection day: a big black bird swoops and clatters in the lurid debris from a burst bag.

Blurred

Through the restaurant's double doors, a blurred glimpse of many blue lights: are they inside, or outside and reflected?

Glinting

Eyes drawn upwards to the topmost glinting branches -shiny silver bark of fairytale trees.

Washed

Plummeting rain - the old year washed away.