Filling the Space

A small space in the day, 

a small space in my town,

for a Cappuccino mug

and Spanakopita slice.

As soon as I sit down –

outdoor table, with a view

of big fluffy clouds like ice-creams

and gently wavering trees –

the bikers roar past, black and shining,

helmeted like Darth Vader.

#awakeaugust day 7

Also for the current Flash-55 Plus! at 'imaginary garden with real toads' – 55 words plus the idea of 'lacuna': a cavity or space. (I've interpreted that as time out, rather than the real meaning of something missing.)

I Give You This Moment

A quiet morning after rain.

The door open to the mild air.

Over the fence, the warbling

of a lone magpie, briefly, twice,

flute-like melody conjuring

his unseen form. Meanwhile

the orange trumpet creepers

suspend themselves down palings 

like bells, or clusters of fruit.

Note: Natalie Goldberg, author of wonderful books for writers, exhorts her readers: "Give me this moment!' meaning, sit down and write whatever's in front of you, whatever's going on right now. So of course I thought of her when I did so on this occasion, and that gave me my title.

#awakeaugust day 6/2

A Candle for Her Passing

I chose a new white taper, 

very slim, in a clear glass holder.

I set it near my pictures of Andrew

and the fairy mountain, the owl statue

and the stones from magical places.

I said the prayer for the dead, aloud,

as I lit the wick. For the rest of the day
it burned all the way down, until gone.

#awakeaugust day 6

Recurring Irony

A new flower in my garden – 

first of the season, 

as all that rain 

turns to fresh sunshine.

My friend who died two days ago

is still gone. Another loss 

for heavy August.

Why do they always leave 

just as Spring begins?

#awkeaugust day 5/2.

Street Scene

After days of heavy rain

this morning the sun returns.

A small boy rides his tricycle

around the end of the cul-de-sac,

watched by his young father.

He jumps it up over the gutter

like a bucking bronco. 

#awakeaugust day 5.

Viewing

I watch on DVD

Shakespeare's Henry V

('a very masculine play,'

notes the star, afterwards)

and comparing in my mind

to the nightly news on TV,

I wonder at men, who like to fight

testosterone-fuelled wars

for which they always find 

great-sounding, righteous reasons.

#awakeaugust day 4/2.

A Quiet Night In

With the aftermath of rain

dribbling outside, down gutters

and off the edges of leaves,

inside is hushed 

in golden lamplight.

My cat's neat black paw 

stretches across the top blanket, 

holding our safety in place.

#awakeaugust day 4

The Passage of Time

She used to be the cleverest,

when we were students together.

Meeting her now in age, I weep

to see her lost, vacant gaze.

#Awake August day 3 

Nightly Ritual

At bedtime her black fur

against the room's darkness

gives her a sinister shape

as she sits awhile upright, 

ears cocked, Guardian Cat,

before deciding it's safe

for both of us to sleep,

and curling close.

Written for #Awake August