Luvvies

The luvvies at the Dome last night
were out in force and loud
But when the man came out on stage
were silenced by the crowd
He made us smile, he made us laugh
and tears were rolling free
the sold out house in unison
for this hilarity
A tour de force in every way
this swan song to the game
before he treads a different board
to give politics a name

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Atmospheric 3

3 of 3 in a Jemverse mini-series

Looking eastwards cross the raging sea
grey clouds above the green
The beach at Lancing here today
amongst the best I’ve seen
That is, I’d say, for quite a while
so fortunate am I
as I can come and witness when
wind blows and waves are high
This beach, this shore in Sussex
wonderful throughout the year
Its glory never lost on me
when I am standing here

Atmospheric 2

2 of 3 in a Jemverse mini-series

The seventh wave was building
I watched it gather height
Like a monster lurking out there
with teeth and awesome might

The breakers just before it
when they broke upon the shore
slipped quickly back into the mire
before coming back once more

Atmospheric 1

1 of 3 in a Jemverse mini-series

Atmospheric was the sea today
with grey above the green
The waves in wind tumultuous
amongst the biggest seen
The sun shone like a diamond
painting silver ‘neath the grey
as on the beach we wandered
on this very windy day

Joy to share II

So here beneath the leafy green
Another day in Kew
I stand beside the River Thames
and see this lovely view
The tide is high, the water deep
The sky with promise there
As through the trees the sun appears
and I have joy to share

Poetic Licence

And here I am again
with a pint at Ye Olde Trippe
Waxing lyrical I write
as rain goes ‘drip, drip, drip’
Poetic license there you say
well yes, I quite agree
but as it rhymes I added it
with (I’ll admit) a ‘tee tee hee’

Pitter Patter

It’s weather for the ducks up here
in Nottingham today
Been raining hard since Sussex
as to here I’ve made my way

And though cats and dogs may feature
it’s the ducks I’ll mention now
as they don’t seem to mind a bit
and enjoy it here somehow

Tri-Tanka V (coffee)

Fussy? Yes perhaps
but for me there’s no excuse
for tasteless coffee
made carelessly without soul
Listless, dull and moribund

The call of the sea

A beach is a beach
be that where it may
and the sea is always a friend
So I’ll find one
whenever I’m close to a coast
On that you can always depend

Starsun II

Leigh-on-Sea here in Essex
At the end of the day
The sun setting low in the West
Sitting with friends
On which one depends
This time of day is the best

Southern England’s voice

At Sea Lane in Goring
breakwaters remain
reaching out to the sea
And this is the Sussex
that speaks loud its voice
and is Southern England to me

Sea Dancing

To the beach after work
the wind was quite high
and colourful sails
filled up the sky
Kite surfers out there
danced on the sea
skimming the waves
spontaneously
So I sat in the sunshine
and sipped a cool beer
so thankful that I
can simply be here

Stone Henge

No. 12 of 12 in “The Bucket List” series from Jemverse

The oldest on our bucket list
by some margin I’d suggest
So it’s fitting that to Wiltshire
we should some time invest
A place I must be honest
many times when just a boy
I came to with my parents
to explore and to enjoy

Parc Guell

11 of 12 in “the bucket list” series from Jemverse

Gaudi continued smashing
bits of china for Parc Guell
in the hills of Barcelona
to which we’ve been as well
It really is quite lovely there
and not one to be missed
if you like us are working
through a growing bucket list

Lands End

9 of 12 in ‘The Bucket List’ series from Jemverse

A cold day in February
two thousand and seven
when we finally got to Lands End
on the southernmost tip
of the fine Cornish coast
awaiting us just like a friend

Venice (aka Gondolier revisited)

8 of 12 in “The Bucket List” series from Jemverse

Our gondolier sang songs
as he took us into shade
Cool waters in our gondola
combined with serenade

The ancient walls around us
and narrow waterways
Venetian history spoke to us
on this happiest of days

It was beautiful, exquisite
and we had a moment there
Tears of joy from what we saw
in Venice everywhere

Jublains

7 of 12 in “The Bucket List” series from Jemverse

though the sun was shining
it was minus fifteen there
and absolutely freezing
in Jublains in open air
Northern France, December
Two thousand ten all wrapped up warm
we visited the fortress
on the hilltop all forlorn
But we really didn’t linger
but walked swiftly round the walls
of this fortress that the Romans
used when conquering the Gauls

The Minack

6 of 12 in “The Bucket List” series from Jemverse

Shakespeare wasn’t present
on the bleak Atlantic coast
when we visited The Minack
(though we gave him there a toast)

We quoted from ‘King Lear’
and ‘Macbeth’ as there it seemed
the thing to do in this fine place
as its creators dreamed

And yes our bucket list to England’s
shores and places reaches far
as there’s plenty here to see
which is quite spectacular

Santorini (aka ‘Six hundred steps and an ice-cold beer again)

5 of 12 in “The Bucket List” series from Jemverse

Sitting on the harbour wall
with an ice-cold beer
Watching cool blue waters
in Santorini here
I’ve climbed six hundred steps
to Thira at the top
avoiding several donkeys
who looked fed up and hot

Rhodes (aka ‘Mandraki Harbour revisited)

4 of 12 in “The Bucket List” series from Jemverse

On Rhodes, the ancient city
built in medieval time
reflects the yellow of the sun
in every way, divine

Windmills on the harbour wall
once caught the southern breeze
Their ancient sails now still of course
beside Aegean seas

And in Mandraki harbour
where Colossus may have stood
I walked beside those windmills
because today I simply could

The Parthenon

3 of 12 in “The Bucket List” series from Jemverse

The Parthenon up on the hill
overlooking Athens city
Part of the Acropolis
in ruins (more’s the pity)
But there for two millennia
plus five hundred give or take
it’s looking pretty marvellous
for its age make no mistake

Paris

2 of 12 in “The Bucket List” series from Jemverse

We climbed the Eiffel Tower
by the steps not by the lift
with energy and stamina
right there within our gift
And the view of Paris from the top
was worth the climb indeed
made better by the going down
we later did at speed

Pompeii

1 of 12 in “The Bucket List” series from Jemverse

A bucket list of things to do
in places round the world
Ours we started years ago
with several now unfurled
So with this little series
thinking back to some of these
I’ll take you on a journey
which I hope will thrill and please

Sussex Prairies

Sussex Prairies was a find
up near Henfield way
A lovely sculpture garden
on a lovely summer’s day
Yellow flowers in abundance
enjoyed by everyone
exemplified the sculpture
in the glorious August sun
And after cake and cups of tea
we took a new route home
Pleased this place discovered
Somewhere else to us now known

Ditchling Beacon

Ditching Beacon in late summer
with views of Sussex Weald
walking slowly in the heat
cast by the sun’s strong yield

Wolfgang’s with us trotting slow
sniffing here and there
Inquisitive, excited
the moment here to share

By and by we’ll head on home
but an ice-cream first I think
Eating quickly, lest they melt
whilst Wolfgang has a drink

First I

1 of 12 in the Jemverse “12 months III” series

It’s the first of September
and I’m back at the beach
It seemed like the right thing to do
I mean if you like me lived
with this close at hand
you’d join me right here, wouldn’t you?

Tri-haiku XXIII (August)

The comfort of a
quiet morning in summer
August in England

Writing at first light
and then, as the sun rises
Chorus of the dawn

Welcomes in the day
as I do in readiness
with August sunshine

Inner soul singing

Many years have I sat here
alone in the sun
from early in morning
until day is done
I have sea and the seagulls
kite surfers and more
the sun and the view
which I love and adore