Friday 30 December 2022

#605

the ache of the rake


is eliminated by


the visible change.



Written for the Tricycle November 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Autumn/Fall season word, rake.

Thursday 29 December 2022

#604

raking in the chips,


the sounds of wins and loss.


it’s always fall.



Written for the Tricycle November 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Autumn/Fall season word, rake.

Wednesday 28 December 2022

#603

Millais: Autumn Leaves

such an idyll i can't find


from raking up leaves




Written for the Tricycle November 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Autumn/Fall season word, rake.

Tuesday 27 December 2022

#602

the daily leaf war


begins, my weapon a rake -


“Just wait,” my wife says.



Written for the Tricycle November 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Autumn/Fall season word, rake.

Monday 26 December 2022

#601

nails forming a rake

scratch four lines across my face,

my last fall from grace.



Written for the Tricycle November 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Autumn/Fall season word, rake.

Sunday 25 December 2022

Wednesday 21 December 2022

#599

dreams about indoor

hockey with pucks takes me back

to those church hall eves.

Tuesday 20 December 2022

Wednesday 14 December 2022

#597

shyness is nice a

now bad man once said and i

try to shake them off

Tuesday 13 December 2022

#596

in the sports hall, balls


and shuttlecocks stuck up top

(of cricket nets)

who will rescue them?


Tuesday 29 November 2022

#595

sleep-heavy, i lie

contemplating my next move:

late start to the day.


Friday 25 November 2022

#594 (moments in nights)

a moment in a 

long night lasts a horribly,

awfully, long time.


the moment after

a short night makes you question 

you’ve had enough sleep.


a moment in a

good night might be a long one

in a pleasant dream,


or


a moment in a 

good night might transport you as

you lie back warmly.


a moment in a 

bad night burns itself into

your worst memories.


most moments, most nights,

are just blank pieces of sleep

unworthy of note.

Tuesday 22 November 2022

#593

in one long night i

sought to solve all my problems..

this one will not work.




Written for the Tricycle October 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Autumn/Fall season word, long night, but was not entered.

Sunday 20 November 2022

#592

during the long night,

a distant light gives us hope,

reshapes our faces.



Written for the Tricycle October 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Autumn/Fall season word, long night. 

Saturday 19 November 2022

#591

the long night returns,

signalled by an owl’s loud hoot,

and a big shiver.




Written for the Tricycle October 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Autumn/Fall season word, long night. 

Friday 18 November 2022

#590

no sleep on long nights -

a moment isn’t a moment,

it is a lifetime.



Written for the Tricycle October 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Autumn/Fall season word, long night.

Thursday 17 November 2022

#589

camping on long nights:

super cosy lie ins and 

early bedtimes too.



Written for the Tricycle October 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Autumn/Fall season word, long night.

Wednesday 16 November 2022

#588

the long night falls once

more and i get lost again,

the streets are so changed



Written for the Tricycle October 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Autumn/Fall season word, long night.

Saturday 12 November 2022

#587

Full Moon on Forest.

Wet road headlight reflections.

Door to the River.


Friday 11 November 2022

#586

fox-eating magpies

all three in the road’s middle,

only two dodge cars

Thursday 10 November 2022

#585

fox eating magpies

all three in the road’s middle,

only two dodge cars

Wednesday 9 November 2022

Tuesday 8 November 2022

#583

in the sports hall and

all the shouts, shame, cries and pain

of old can be heard


Sunday 6 November 2022

Tuesday 1 November 2022

#581

in the sports hall, a

quiet morning, kicks echo -

Saturday football.

Thursday 27 October 2022

#580

library sisters

and brothers (and parents too) -

lib’ry assistants.

Tuesday 18 October 2022

#579

the only witness

a dragonfly who cares not

for what’s happening



Written for the Tricycle September 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Autumn/Fall season word, dragonfly.

Sunday 16 October 2022

#578

far from any pond,

dragonflies hover over

our garden, searching.



Written for the Tricycle September 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Autumn/Fall season word, dragonfly.

Saturday 15 October 2022

#577

the stillest of days,

broken only by the beat

of dragonfly wings.



Written for the Tricycle September 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Autumn/Fall season word, dragonfly.

Friday 14 October 2022

#576

her dragonfly brooch,

buzzed as she spoke with passion,

its wings vibrating.



Written for the Tricycle September 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Autumn/Fall season word, dragonfly.

Thursday 13 October 2022

#575

in the school hall and

the foldaway climbing frames

have me in a sweat

Wednesday 12 October 2022

#574 (On the Elizabeth Line for the first time)

(Setting the scene)


A night at the pub,

The car left on the driveway - 

To the purple line!


(Ilford to Maryland; Maryland to Liverpool Street)


Before and after 

The working day it was

Just the same as before - 


That part of the line

Changed yet unchanging just yet.

That’s for the future.


(Liverpool Street to Farringdon)


Excitement in the

Change, rushing across the way,

Something new awaits.



It's like a vortex!

You go down the escalator 

And get sucked right in.


Inside the vortex,

Platforms so new and modern

I stared in wonder.


A Queue announcement.

(The lying in state one that’s

Dating this story.)


Out of the vortex,

Diamonds and gems to greet me.

I don't know that side.


(Back at Liverpool Street, between the Metropolitan and Central Lines)


Between my two lines,

A new people stream upsets

My old shortcut’s flow.


(After)


The purple line was

Quiet, the red line noisy.

I had forgotten.


Bedtime and happy -

A new place explored but yet

So much more to see.

Tuesday 11 October 2022

#573

swimming pool silence,

the sky and clouds above me -

a backstroke in bliss.


Sunday 9 October 2022

#572

the first whisper of

coolness on my cheek or neck,

flood of emotion



Written for the Tricycle August 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, cool, or coolness - but was not entered.

Saturday 8 October 2022

#571

hot heat everywhere

give anything for coolness

just one cool surface



Written for the Tricycle August 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, cool, or coolness - but was not entered.

Friday 7 October 2022

#570

anticipation

in the queue for the fountain

and its cool relief



Written for the Tricycle August 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, cool, or coolness - but was not entered.

Thursday 6 October 2022

#569

the air con breeze in

forty degree July heat 

is coolness heaven



Written for the Tricycle August 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, cool, or coolness - but was not entered.

Wednesday 5 October 2022

#568

in a shady spot,

coolness breezing over me,

humans watch, jealous.



Written for the Tricycle August 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, cool, or coolness.

Tuesday 4 October 2022

#567

the first air con kiss,

the first cool breath on your neck -

a sigh of relief.



Written for the Tricycle August 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, cool, or coolness.

Sunday 2 October 2022

#566

the hot panting dog

has one way to keep cool yet

never looks distraught.



Written for the Tricycle August 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, cool, or coolness.

Saturday 1 October 2022

#565

swimming pool silence,

the sky and clouds above me -

a world of coolness.



Written for the Tricycle August 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, cool, or coolness.

Friday 30 September 2022

#564

in our cool bubble

protected, isolated,

together alone.



Written for the Tricycle August 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, cool, or coolness.

Thursday 29 September 2022

#563

a scary thought, Joe:

it don’t matter what is there -

what they think is real.

Wednesday 28 September 2022

#562

on a hamster wheel -

a constant uphill struggle,

chasing round and round.


Tuesday 27 September 2022

#561

in the sports hall and

the mud incident floods back.

saved for some new shoes.

Monday 12 September 2022

#560

in the sports hall was

a mess of straight lines laid out -

it confuses me.


Tuesday 6 September 2022

#559

window reflection

like a ghost appearing there -

scares - but it's upstairs!

Sunday 4 September 2022

#558 (while reading a book on a bench under a tree in a courtyard at Eastwell)

leaves curled and dried out

in space once filled with cement

is autumn coming?


a tiny ant on 

one of those curled leaves walking.

fragile yet strong.


the roots raise the stones,

not one thing is permanent.

this courtyard, the world.





Saturday 3 September 2022

#557

with the [landmark] gone,

how are you supposed to know

you are nearly home?

Friday 2 September 2022

#556

North Downs behind me,

the Weald laid out before me -

my Kent countryside.

Thursday 1 September 2022

#555

snakes and serpents lie undisturbed beyond my feet my breathing stops dead



Written for the Tricycle July 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, snake, or serpent - but was not entered.

Wednesday 31 August 2022

#554

a snake in the grass

and before me, let one take

the other away



Written for the Tricycle July 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, snake, or serpent.

Tuesday 30 August 2022

#553

the longest moment

eye to eye with a serpent -

it ended sharply.



Written for the Tricycle July 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, snake, or serpent.

Monday 29 August 2022

#552

a line in the sand

not even to be approached.

on seeing a snake.



Written for the Tricycle July 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, snake, or serpent.

Sunday 28 August 2022

#551

a snake round his staff, before me to heal, he said. it devour’d me whole.




Written for the Tricycle July 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, snake, or serpent.

Saturday 27 August 2022

#550

forever staring -

its snake eyes burning through me,

daring me to move.



Written for the Tricycle July 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, snake, or serpent.

Friday 26 August 2022

#549

serpent out at sea,

looks as lonely as I feel.

the surf eats my hisssss.



Written for the Tricycle July 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, snake, or serpent. 

Thursday 25 August 2022

#548

serpent out at sea,

harbinger of a new age;

we all brace ourselves.



Written for the Tricycle July 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, snake, or serpent.

Tuesday 9 August 2022

#547

the baby asleep,

shaded and chauffeured around.

The way to travel.

Thursday 4 August 2022

#546

my keys in your lock

feel their way to the floodgates

and release your sighs

Sunday 31 July 2022

#543

the plum blossom breeze

under the trees floats with ease

as we shell the peas.


Written for the Tricycle June 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, plum; but not entered.

Saturday 30 July 2022

#542

the plum blossom breeze

under the trees floats with ease

as we watch the fleas



Written for the Tricycle June 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, plum; but not entered.

Friday 29 July 2022

#541

the plum blossom breeze

under the trees floats with ease

past the rotting corpse.


Written for the Tricycle June 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, plum; but not entered.

Thursday 28 July 2022

#540

the plum blossom breeze

under the trees is like she

has returned to me


Written for the Tricycle June 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, plum; but not entered (I don't think).

Wednesday 27 July 2022

#539

a plum in my hand,

a moment before biting -

anticipation.



Written for the Tricycle June 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, plum.

Tuesday 26 July 2022

#538

the plum blossom breeze

alerts my senses to the

changing season’s tides


Written for the Tricycle June 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, plum.

Sunday 24 July 2022

#537

with plums i promised

and for a moment the world

stayed still and waited


Written for the Tricycle June 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, plum.

Saturday 23 July 2022

#536

under the plum tree

a gentle breeze cannot hide

a rotten carpet


Written for the Tricycle June 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, plum.

Friday 22 July 2022

#535

plum now - still mostly

smooth, yet the mirror shows me

the start of pruning.


Written for the Tricycle June 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, plum.

Thursday 21 July 2022

#534

in the sports hall and

"they never told us the rules!"

memories flood back.


Wednesday 20 July 2022

#533

keep myself inside, 

cannot understand how they

can expose themselves.

Tuesday 19 July 2022

#532 (twelve months to the year)

twelve months to the year

each month its own little quirks,

each month its flavour.


over my shoulder

I look, as well as ahead,

at January's start.


rituals of love -

new, old, hopeful, unreturned,

mark each Febru’ry.


the first flower blooms

of pink and yellow and blue

start the March of Spring.


they say it will rain

in April, little showers.

oft it is sunny.


no violent winds now,

but stormy for exam kids

in the month of May. (and June).


starting to seek to

be curled up and napping like

Leighton’s Flaming June.


sand between my toes, 

ankle deep in cooling surf -

July beach visit.


ice creams near daily

on my holiday abroad

in the August heat.


don’t have to let go

of longer evenings in a

balmy September.


autumn, halloween -

the colours of their template

start in October.


the bonfire smells

don’t last long enough for me.

early November.


the festivities

I have lived through the year for,

throughout December.


twelve months to the year

we circle through them and then

we circle again.

Sunday 17 July 2022

#531

seeking air con life

i stood in tesco for days

i became the breeze

Tuesday 12 July 2022

#15

the air itself is hot,

there is nowhere for respite,

i wish i were ice. - 


but would I not melt to death?

i must find a better wish


#530

the air is burning,

there is nowhere for respite,

i try to think cold

Saturday 9 July 2022

#529

early burial

life six foot under the ground

why did i dig so?


Friday 8 July 2022

#528

hey motherfuckers!

why do I swear so little

in these short haiku


Wednesday 29 June 2022

Tuesday 28 June 2022

#14

orange and lemon

combined into something new,

a mix of two things.

how many grapefruit people?

how many hybrid people?

#525

murdered by fortune

(the sort you have told to you) -

slowly it crushed him.


Sunday 26 June 2022

#524

soap bubble, soap bub

Ble, soap bubble, soap bubble -

so lovely to say!



Written for the Tricycle May 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Spring season word, soap bubble, but not entered.

Saturday 25 June 2022

#523

transfixed in wonder

not quite daring to touch the

soap bubble floating



Written for the Tricycle May 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Spring season word, soap bubble.

Friday 24 June 2022

#522

soap bubbles drifting

above the rooftop, tiny

signs of child’s play



Written for the Tricycle May 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Spring season word, soap bubble.

Thursday 23 June 2022

#521

soap bubbles from hands

evoke some of the finest

memories of nan



Written for the Tricycle May 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Spring season word, soap bubble.

Wednesday 22 June 2022

#520

soap bubble laughter

seen and heard over the fence

as the sun beats down



Written for the Tricycle May 2022 Haiku Challenge using the Spring season word, soap bubble.

Tuesday 21 June 2022

#519

when the end does come,

it will be the most fleeting

moment of your life.

Sunday 19 June 2022

Saturday 18 June 2022

Friday 17 June 2022

#516

always searching for


continuous improvement -


there is always room


Thursday 16 June 2022

#515

serendipitous

finds on the library shelves - 

pearls are everywhere


Wednesday 15 June 2022

Tuesday 14 June 2022

Sunday 12 June 2022

#512

along Forest Lane

“in an interstellar burst”

crying in the car


Saturday 11 June 2022

#511

follow the ginger 

tail to the ends of the earth - 

All hail campus cat!

Friday 10 June 2022

#510

Orla, spread your wings - 

encase your friends completely,

they need protection.


Thursday 9 June 2022

Wednesday 8 June 2022

#508

always round the back

basking in the sunshine there -

do its owners know?


Tuesday 7 June 2022

#507

the light from shadows

is the most bright light of all -

for you lit the match!

Sunday 5 June 2022

#506

in one hand is light,

in the other is darkness.

now to find balance.

Saturday 4 June 2022

#13

light from my pockets

I bring out to dispel dark

thoughts that surround me.

activities are the thing

to keep my mind from wand’ring.

Friday 3 June 2022

#505

fellow travellers

searching for the light of spring

can’t escape winter

Thursday 2 June 2022

#504

walking where I would

normally be driving I 

curse all the traffic

Wednesday 1 June 2022

#503

walking where I would

normally be driving I 

crush snails by mistake

Tuesday 31 May 2022

#502

walking where I would

normally be driving I

meet my neighbour’s cat


Sunday 29 May 2022

#501

from my hand it grew

and flew across the bathroom

his smile growing.

Saturday 28 May 2022

Friday 27 May 2022

#499

if you’re all at sea

with no way to navigate

just give me a ping

Thursday 26 May 2022

#498

the smell of deep heat

and i feel cleansed instantly

on each arrival.


Wednesday 25 May 2022

#497

when walking the floor

counting, I can't understand…

(the)

cold stare of hatred


Tuesday 24 May 2022

#12

so many haiku

so much counting on fingers

so many thoughts thought

minds addicted to writing

can never stop transcribing


Sunday 22 May 2022

#496

lego floods the floor

like a river’s burst its banks:

the sign of the boy.



Written for the 2021 British Haiku Competition

Saturday 21 May 2022

#495

tingle in my heart

last thing I will ever feel.

winter (frozen hard).



Written for the 2021 British Haiku Competition

Friday 20 May 2022

#494

ev’ry autumn I 

remember how I fell too.

leaves on the surface.



Written for the 2021 British Haiku Competition

Thursday 19 May 2022

#493

dragonfly hovers

as still as I sit watching.

how long can we hold?



Written for the 2021 British Haiku Competition

Wednesday 18 May 2022

#492

flowers in the cracks,

life sprouting where there’d been none.

spring in the city.



Written for the 2021 British Haiku Competition

Tuesday 17 May 2022

Sunday 15 May 2022

#11

why can’t I speak clear?

confidence or laziness,

inability?

the barrier stands between

my inside and outside selves.


Saturday 14 May 2022

#490

trading blows and taunts, 

waiting to drag you down.

circling the drain’s edge.


Friday 13 May 2022

Thursday 12 May 2022

#488

a chip in a mug

a time to restart, reset:

smash it on the floor.

Wednesday 11 May 2022

#487

standing proud over

the new road full of traffic

a once grand bridge


Tuesday 10 May 2022

#486

i’ll walk you over 

i’ll take you across the bridge

            when the time comes.

Sunday 8 May 2022

#485

knock at the window,

“just something they like to do.”

a strange behaviour.


Saturday 7 May 2022

#484

skip between shadows

on all those in-between days,

looking for hot spots.


Friday 6 May 2022

#483

is that a new hand?

no, sorry, that’s an old hand.

Teams makes new phrases.


Thursday 5 May 2022

#482

that wiseness in youth

that fades slowly over time.

old then, younger now.

Wednesday 4 May 2022

#10

could this become more?

the question we ask to grow -

we are all flowers

eternally growing in 

the direction we hope for.

Tuesday 3 May 2022

Sunday 1 May 2022

Saturday 30 April 2022

#479

the voice is silent -

how to find them in the dark?

how to find the lost?


Friday 29 April 2022

#478

not this place, not there,

not accepted anywhere.

has movement trapped us?


Thursday 28 April 2022

Wednesday 27 April 2022

#476

a diff’rent man now,

changed so much by circumstance.

life can fuck you up.

Tuesday 26 April 2022

#475

my manifesto, 

things I would like to have done.

lamps in the sunshine.

Sunday 24 April 2022

#474

the hand that takes mine

keeps my spine from splintering,

the hand that holds mine


Saturday 23 April 2022

#473

the end satisfies

in a way unknown before

when you take it slow

Friday 22 April 2022

#472

you can take more in,

notice things unseen before

when you take it slow.

Sunday 10 April 2022

Saturday 9 April 2022

#470

automatic hands:

before i know where i am,

i’m back on that site.


Friday 8 April 2022

#468

i discovered your

disappointment - my heart sank,

i said fuck for you

Tuesday 5 April 2022

#466

the sun on the path

lights the way i want to take,

the way back to you.


Saturday 2 April 2022

#464

are the bathers ghosts,

the spirits of those who drowned?

the strangeness of art.


Friday 1 April 2022

#463

in the failing light

the roses still shine so bright.

as do we, always.

Thursday 31 March 2022

#462

i only want this -

take my imagination.

the dreamer’s lament.


#461

i only want this.

take my imagination,

i don’t want to dream.

Wednesday 30 March 2022

#460

i don’t want to see.

take all my understanding,

i don’t want to know.


Tuesday 29 March 2022

Sunday 27 March 2022

#458

life is going round

and round and roundabout still.

the recycling sign.

Saturday 26 March 2022

#457

there’s sand in the rain,

dirtying all around here.

I just washed the car!


Friday 25 March 2022

#456

sand blown north, strange light.

an oddness hangs over us,

not apocalypse.


Thursday 24 March 2022

#455

86 broke free - 

though not outside the prison,

she still lives inside.


Wednesday 23 March 2022

Tuesday 22 March 2022

#453

invisible death,

unseen it swept your features,

froze them forever

Sunday 20 March 2022

#452

each knock at the door

casts a shadow on his face

what is he hiding?


Saturday 19 March 2022

#451

each knock at the door

sends a shiver down his spine

what happened to him?


Friday 18 March 2022

#450

chatter on the chat

the keyboard rat a tat tat

a whole new language


Thursday 17 March 2022

#449

sun at my window

beckons me out of my gloom

but it’s cool in here

Wednesday 16 March 2022

#448

there - a sudden change -

little sprigs of white brightness.

new trees, new blossom.


Tuesday 15 March 2022

Sunday 13 March 2022

#446

the bright yellow fields

tell me the season’s ending - 

what shall my team reap?


Saturday 12 March 2022

#445

tea by the window,

let me show you the view - no -

sorry -

the 


long 


drop.


Friday 11 March 2022

#444

Janus at year’s end,

and at the year’s beginning,

always looks both ways.


Thursday 10 March 2022

#443

waited to be named,

I couldn’t leave without one.

twenty-five hours.

Wednesday 9 March 2022

#442

so easy to judge,

but I don't even know you.

or my own future.


Tuesday 8 March 2022

#441

page 63 self

just the start of the story.

current page unknown.


Sunday 6 March 2022

#440

the other world, it

Wing Island it's called

entertains and it distracts

another life since childhood

it fills up my time

a life imagined


Saturday 5 March 2022

#439

springtime in cities -

a few signs show the changes;


my nose feels the trees.


Friday 4 March 2022

#438

plants in the park (trees?)

look like two long-necked creatures

sloping gang-i-ly

Thursday 3 March 2022

#437

should I read Kafka?

in meantime, I have -

for he didn't want me to,

one published in his lifetime:

a moral pickle?

my little loophole.


Wednesday 2 March 2022

#436

I don’t believe in facts,

Said a policeman one day.

This story is true. 


Tuesday 1 March 2022

#435

He looks beyond me,

Behind me far down the path.

I walk ever on.

Sunday 27 February 2022

Saturday 26 February 2022

#433

that tranquil moment

when it all comes together.

the space that opens.


Friday 25 February 2022

#9

i need to defeat 

myself every single day,

especially on

interview days like this one -

have to wrestle back control.

Thursday 24 February 2022

#432

they work together,

never seen at the same time.

brother thieves at work.


Wednesday 23 February 2022

#431

close to joy, delight

by the vast beautiful sea.

the meanings of names.


Monday 21 February 2022

Wednesday 16 February 2022

Tuesday 15 February 2022

#428

concrete entombed trees

buildings block their light ration

reach up to find sky

Monday 14 February 2022

#427

the silence I made

didn’t know you would live on

when the music played

Friday 11 February 2022

#426

fireworks mark midnight

our breath mingles as mist

and mirrors our souls


Wednesday 9 February 2022

#425

cemetery wind

cuts right on through to the bones

of living and dead


Tuesday 8 February 2022

#8

the secret is said: 

never mention the black stripe,

it confuses things:

they cannot see the unseen,

or two sides at the same time.

Monday 7 February 2022

#424

grass pokes through the cracks

green against grey like a light

spring sprung in london


Saturday 5 February 2022

#422

his worlds divided

'tween good and naughty persons.

wherever he plays.


Friday 4 February 2022

#421

even sometimes when

just walking around the house

he still holds my hand


Thursday 3 February 2022

Tuesday 1 February 2022

#419

so nice at the start,

a stark change in his last scene.

old man's deception.