Old Father Thames and a slow evening

Spent a while with Old Father Thames
as it meandered slow to the sea
far to the east from where I was then
down in the Thames Estuary
As here I am bathed in late evening sun
in Brentford, West London this week
May's weather sees summer returning at last
evident here as I speak

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The shifting sea

At the ebb of a tide I'll slink to the shore
and though nought to hide I'll be back for more
for this is my movement and what I am for
as I am the shifting sea

Night Words

In Brentford, West London beside Father Thames
three in the morning and still
a poet with pen writes lines in the night
to the scratch of proverbial quill

Words tend to flow at this time of night
for the mind is a curious thing
and sometimes when slumber seems eons away
the colour of rhyme will just sing

Start 10

10 of 12 in the ’12 months VI’ series

I have summer and sunshine here in my grasp
and I'm not letting go, so don't even ask
They're mine and neither is going away
so no fretting there as I start this display

For I am fair June and the summer is mine
so most of my days will be lovely and fine
And you will be warm and blissfully free
as you celebrate this, the summer with me

Last Day #5

5 of 12 in the ‘Last Day 23’ series

And the last day of May
comes as June takes the stage
with a bow as summer returns
So good at long last to get a warm blast
of the sunshine as strongly it burns

So as May fades to silent
with its last curtain call
we applaud as it gave of its best
and brought us the sun for long days of fun
in exuberance of summer's zest

The sunflower is mine

I met Vincent in a painting
there was yellow everywhere
two men who loved the sunshine
for a synergy right there

Cathartic was the moment
though he's no longer here
but the colour in his painting
still brings to us good cheer

Galatea

With Venus shining in the sky
for Galetea a sunset gleamed
and sixteenth century playwright vibes
descended to the place it seemed

L-G-B-T-Q-I-A
the message loud and clear
spoken, signed and acted
whilst the crowd applauded here

Lavender Loveliness

We purchased some lavender
lots of it in pots
ready for planting
as we found the spots
Some went to the allotment
as encouragement for bees
spreading theirs pollen
the moment to seize
But the rest to our garden
now take pride of place
for more joie de vivre
and smiles on the face

Five verse five days (5)

5 of 5

I wrote a poem with five verses
one for every day
which I could publish on my blog
whilst I was away

The first one introduced the theme
(you read that yesterday)
but now you will be wondering
if substance I'll display

And never fear my readers
I'll not leave you feeling spent
as never will a poem
leave my pen without intent

The only caveat with this
is you read this through the week
to find out with the fifth stanza
that intent of which I speak

So here it is come Friday
no longer it's concealed
a ploy that kept you reading
til the purpose was revealed

Five verses five days (4)

4 of 5

I wrote a poem with five verses
one for every day
which I could publish on my blog
whilst I was away

The first one introduced the theme
(you read that yesterday)
but now you will be wondering
if substance I'll display

And never fear my readers
I'll not leave you feeling spent
as never will a poem
leave my pen without intent

The only caveat with this
is you read this through the week
to find out with the fifth stanza
that intent of which I speak...

Five verses five days (3)

3 of 5

I wrote a poem with five verses
one for every day
which I could publish on my blog
whilst I was away

The first one introduced the theme
(you read that yesterday)
but now you will be wondering
if substance I'll display

And never fear my readers
I'll not leave you feeling spent
as never will a poem
leave my pen without intent...

Five verses five days (2)

2 of 5

I wrote a poem with five verses
one for every day
which I could publish on my blog
whilst I was away

The first one introduced the theme
(you read that yesterday)
but now you will be wondering
if substance I'll display...

Five verses five days

1 of 5

I wrote a poem with five verses
one for every day
which I could publish on my blog
whilst I was away...

The zest that gleamed

In the quiet a moment reconciled
as with some whimsy there I smiled
remembering my inner child
and captured it as memory filed

In the quiet before the day had started
I pondered brief what had departed
recollections I had started
some replete and some half-hearted

In the quiet as sunshine outside beamed
I knew within that what had seemed
to be a moment I had dreamed
was actually the zest that gleamed

Tackling the jungle

Enough's enough so here we go
into the jungle at the rear
aka our back garden which
is really overdue a clear

We've rather let it go of late
and with springtime zest it's grown
into an erstwhile jungle
from the garden we have known

But armed with determination
and some shears we will reclaim
it back from something overgrown
to a garden once again

The day of sunshine smiles

There in the grass the colour shone
here for a time before they're gone
the pinks and yellows beamed upon
a day of sunshine smiles

It was exquisite, erudite
a picture here to underwrite
the evidence here in my sight
a day of sunshine smiles

Moving on

One day it's sunny, the next day it's not
and it's yet to get close to something that's hot
but as this is England, I guess that's our lot
so put on a smile and move on

One day the Spring looks set to get going
with colour and zest and sunshine and knowing
but the next day normality, rain and wind blowing
so put on a smile and move on

One day I'll wake to the shine of the sun
that'll warm me and keep me until the day's done
but until that time comes I'll still have my fun
so put on a smile and move on

Summer’s Youth

I'd have to say (If I didn't know better)
if only because the ground's less wetter
and we've not been shivering quite so much
although it is May and springtime as such
has only by the colour shown
and not by warmth we might have known
brought to our now long-suffered frame
the softened whisper known by name.
But these still morning shadows long
bathed there in sunshine with a song
don't need the words to speak the truth
and bring to life the summer's youth.

Birthday

Sal sings the song a month before me
'cos I in my youth am still sixty-three
But today on her birthday the chorus rings true
so we'll sing it together as that's something we do

The question, rhetorical; clearly and more
'cos of course there's the need now one's sixty-four
Forty-two birthdays both shared together
but the sixty-fourth one means we can be clever

And of course there's the love and of course there's the need
now we've made it to this one (well almost indeed)
So here's to your birthday and for many more
when at last we can sing 'Now I'm sixty-four'!

©Jemverse

Bluebell Loop

Bluebell by name and bluebell by nature
the walk was the best in a while
Seven miles wandering the countryside pure
in Sussex to bring us a smile

Five of us this time, numbers have swelled
the family out here together
with mud underfoot and grey of the sky
determined whatever the weather

We took in the woods with the blue and the green
passing paddocks and ponds on the way
before walking the tracks yesteryear provides still
the proud Sussex Bluebell Railway

Earth and loam

I laid down several barrowfulls
of mulch upon the ground
covering the remaining grass
that's evident around
Not 'cos we don't like it
but on an allotment it's a pain
as every time we go there
it's strimming time again

Coronation Day (aka ‘Charlie’s big hat’)

It rained for the Coronation, puddles everywhere
but that didn't stop the nation with its pageantry to share
Most of us just stayed indoors to watch it on TV
a rarity in fifty-two but not in twenty-three

I heard that on Hove lawns a giant screen erected
but the precipitation meant that just a few selected
to brave out there the elements early May has gifted
though on this special day most spirits still were lifted

To meet my words

In the quiet still of these crystal moments
when the morning whispers at sun's first call
and slumber echoes on the dove-cote doors of sleep
a world lies waiting for the day
and there you will find me, pen in hand
poised for the never failing still voice of inspiration
and when it comes, as it always will
these virgin sheets meet my words

Wise words at the Lion & Lobster

Met an old friend at the Lion & Lobster
he retired ages ago
but at the toss of a coin fairly soon I will join
and pensioner days I will know

But I'm not there yet at the Lion & Lobster
I'm still working you see
Though I'm still a great fan and am making a plan
and a pensioner soon I will be

Colours in number

I know that I knew that the yellow and blue
would under the sun and sky above true
when the springtime arrived would carry their shine
and bring me a smile which would then be mine

And I knew that I knew that their radiance there
in my garden would be a gift to then share
For these are the times I awake from my slumber
and find all these colours in many a number

Worthing High

And from high above Worthing
Victorian houses reaching down to the sea
with the tower of the Dome just catching the sun
crying out for a picture from me

But the image itself needed more to explain
the 'je ne sais quoi' of that time
looking down on the vista so often seen
and from up here looking so fine

So I added some words that seemed about right
to capture the essence right there
of a view I don't think I've seen before once
so obliged in these lines to now share

Rodmell loop

From Rodmell via Southease, a loop of three miles
as the warmth returned once again
Us four with our boots
'neath the blue of a sky
walking to keep ourselves sane

There were sheep in the rape munching blithely away
and cows lowing there in the field
as the Ouse on the ebb
flowed out to the sea
in the heart of the Sussex Weald

Ancient yet familiar

No.17 in the ‘Past to Present’ series

From the Saltings 'cross old oyster beds
the town of Shoreham lay
steeped in ancient history
and yet familiar today

The Norfolk (then suspension) bridge
to fore of course long gone
and the brewery chimneys now replaced
by newer builds upon

The High Street of the new town
with St Mary's to the rear
a town that lives in history
which we all hold so dear