Lady Godiva Cover your eyes small boy Thou shall not witness her nakedness In this city of spires Only the blind will see her breasts   Lady Godiva Late of the wetlands She rode naked Through the marketplace When the clouds lifted The cobbled streets reflected The origins of her journey   2018

The Music of Vagrants What shiftless creatures they are Taking little pride in their hygiene or appearance I often meet them on lonely roads And swap sweet grasshoppers In the golden green rain   Corrupted Maidenhead Idle Coventry I often look at the skies above this woeful town Which change constantly but never change Only…

In an Age of Elegance When I was about eight years old I visited Windsor with my school to see the Queen It was a tepid day and we had been waiting for quite a while My thoughts wandered I saw an elegant couple walking slowly along the Long Walk Where shortly I hoped the…

I found a book by a Polish author between the seats of a great coach which was transporting me from my rural home to my place of work As always I sat in the front seat of the coach as I enjoyed the panorama of strange travel I even enjoyed the monotony of the grey…

Sleep Charm Mistily my sleep comes down (What now of the brilliant sea) Mistily the silken brown Quiet darkness covers me   Quietly my sleep draws near (What now of the winds long flight) Quietly it comes the solemn clear Nothingness of my night   Muriel was sitting on the old settee in the garden…

I have a couple of bookends Sculpted in a likeness of Marie Antoinette Yesterday one fell tragically to the floor and lost its head In a fit of deep passion I removed her sister to a safer place Where the mob would not find her

Whilst travelling onboard a steam train on a preserved railway I saw a large dog sitting in the corridor of the carriage It occurred to me that it was admiring the wood panelling But I was mistaken as it was in despair at the state of the world   We shall be better prepared for…

Sartre once said I am alone in the midst Of these happy reasonable voices  All these creatures spend their time  Explaining realising happily  That they agree with each other  In Heavens name why is it so important  To think the same things all together    What has that to do with us Anna Not much…

Nelly and Nora were sitting on Portland Pier They were sharing a sarsaparilla and watching the distant parasols The island was full of visitors as the day was fine Shall we paddle later as the sea is warm? I would rather bathe So would I but there are so many people here I should like…

Dieppe She collapsed in the street Whilst in transit She was thought to be a derelict Without luggage Shortly afterwards she died quietly without a murmur Her brother had planned to design her gravestone But no one could remember where they had buried her       2018