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.