#1519 (#199)

penalty shoot-out

stress relieved only when the

players surge forward

#1518 (#198)

sat at the red light

a tropical roundabout

con- fuses and founds

#1517 (#197)

under the linden

our conjugal affection

flowers and we yield

#45

a quiet morning

trying silent recycling.

but it's just so hard -

the paper is no problem,

but my god, the tins! the tins!

#1516 (#196)

covered paddling pool

looking like a prized sports car

now falling apart

#1515 (#195)

the cool and the breeze

watching the clothes sway gently

in their own relief

#1514 (#194)

so busy, no rest,

no time to see a topic

as the sun beats down

#1513 (#193)

flattened ginkgo trunk

the only evidence of

the house that stood there

#1512 (#192)

stubby tail squirrel

is it extra nervous or

am I projecting?

#1511 (#191)

fond memories of

time spent under the ginkgo

its leaves fanning us

#1510 (#190)

the scattered smashed glass

of the old nurseries lies

where plants used to grow

#1509

a face silhouette 

smile, prettiness, crookedness

each now paid no mind

---

From words on page 198 of Lapvona by Otessa Moshfegh (Vintage, 2022).

#1508 (#189)

overgrown pot plants

always a backlog of these/things

that need to be done

#1507 (#188)

a sunset painting +

a tropical paradise =

work from home daydreams

#1506

more control to breathe

beneath her flesh she had

grown pride and space

---

From words on page 198 of Lapvona by Otessa Moshfegh (Vintage, 2022).

#1505 (#187)

to use mine freely

the way a child’s is cut loose:

(imagination)

#1504 (#186)

to those that i write

but lose before they’re written -

wait for me beyond

#1503 (#185)

when the night moves fast

and you know that you've slept well

yet cannot grow light

*

The feeling of heaviness after what should have been a decent night’s sleep but it felt like it went by too quickly, completely dreamless, and somehow without relaxation, and now you can’t shake that weighty feeling that comes from a lack of sleep.

#1502

deep breath and new strength,

mountains, river, waterfall,

green hills, forests, sky

---

From words on page 170 of The Magician's Nephew by C.S.Lewis (HarperCollins, 1955/2009).

#1501 (#184)

at the edge of things

in the liminal spaces

we find space to talk

#1500

youth falls asleep and

lilac petals are scattered

across battlefields

---

Written for the Tricycle February 2024 May Challenge using the Spring season word, lilac, but was not entered.

#1499 (#183)

i was once tallest

these young ones all look down

as i used to do

#1498 (#182)

it looks down on us

through its awesome golden crust -

pasty in the sky

#1497 (#181)

stick-led foraging

from a tree by the big road -

for his evening tea?

#1496

fooled, fuddled, angry

turned to lies, air, fire, visions -

mirror-dots, dazzle

---

From words on page 372 of The Books of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin (Gollancz, 2018, Kindle Edition) - from the novel, The Farthest Shore.

#1495 (#180)

the draught whipping round

my legs makes them seem as if

pillars on a cliff

#1494 (#179)

in the sportsdock the

speaker rushes through as we

are all heat-fading

#1493 (#178)

relaxed to a state

so near to paralysis

it is hard to move

#1492 (#177)

so painting relaxed

i stare and dissolve, almost

like meditation

#1491 (#176)

bright sunshine and wind,

two seasons at once create

minds of confusion

#1490 (#175)

ants round a cherry

the boy says it's a party

(for those attending)

*

Outside my son's school there was a crushed cherry on the pavement that was attracting mass of ants running to and from it. He said it was a party and wondered why a second crowd of ants not far away weren't going to it. He said, “It's a party, but not all the ants are going.”

#1489 (#174)

the unheard soundwaves

that fall on no ears at all

drift into ether

#1488 (#173)

dry lavender trees,

how much water do you need?

or do you seek shade?

#1487 (#172)

utility whir

so fast; if only it could 

cool this summer down

#1486 (#171)

slow moving beetle

walking right across my path

deft foot diversion

#1485 (#170)

angelic cactus

glowing ethereally

as the work day ends

#1484 (#169)

a still summer’s day

footballs wanting to be kicked

waiting out the heat

#1483 (#168)

existential woe

in the very last rolo

until it’s eaten

#1482 (#167)

merlions appear

i am in my own story

working it all out

#1481 (#166)

the well has run dry

let me go find my pickaxe

and start to dig deep

#1480

spring rain’s creation

starts the introduction of

colour to our lives

---

Written for the Tricycle February 2024 April Challenge using the Spring season word, spring rain, but was not entered.

#1479 (#165)

magpie berry hop

jump up to eat and don’t stop

‘til all berries popped

#1478

another dry day

how can i write on spring rain

if there's none at all?

---

Written for the Tricycle February 2024 April Challenge using the Spring season word, spring rain, but was not entered.

#1477 (#164)

manbag curating:

careful consideration 

of my manly needs

#1476

at a loss i sit

in a spring devoid of rain

not sure what to say

---

Written for the Tricycle February 2024 April Challenge using the Spring season word, spring rain, but was not entered.

#1475 (#163)

angry octopus

watching but not taking part

seething and planning

#1474

easter holiday

sheltering from the spring rain

under leaky trees

---

Written for the Tricycle February 2024 April Challenge using the Spring season word, spring rain, but was not entered.

#1473 (#162)

minerva looks to 

the fort thinking what to do

(but not about peace)

#1472

away from spring rain

in a store stacked high with books

knowledge waits to pour

---

Written for the Tricycle February 2024 April Challenge using the Spring season word, spring rain.

#1471 (#161)

sky blue swirls above

calming 

relaxing

soothing

outside time and space

#1470

spring rain cleans the mud

built up since the last year’s load

i need this weekly

---

Written for the Tricycle February 2024 April Challenge using the Spring season word, spring rain.

#1469 (#160)

a ****s hotel

so hard to see the four stars

and not a swear word

#1468 (#159)

collecting the plates

he reminds me of young me

still something to find

#1467 (#158)

the shining white hunk

passes majestically by

this shrouded mountain

#1466 (#157)

for inspiration…

to be in nature and see

what to write about

#1465 (#156)

the sticker journey

one we all need to go on

album under arm

#1464 (#155)

to find nature in

the world that’s on my doorstep

growing through concrete

#1463 (#154)

emergency one

to meet self-imposed deadline

a frog in a pond

#1462 (#153)

a mind slipping by

in a direction too far

at odds with the wheels

#1461

all little cat's eyes

tugging her head from sinking

the lamp flickering

---

From words on page 14 of X and Other Stories by Yevgeny Zamyatin (Alma Books, 2024) - from the short story, Provincial Life.

#1460 (#152)

from the concrete grew

flowers, leaves, bright green, purple

life from nature’s death

#1459 (#151)

to become nature

to watch and be uninvolved

to live well apart

#1458 (#150)

i wonder always

but what does it achieve when

i don’t need to know

#1457 (#149)

the butter bread shred!

careless hand destruction that

destroys the plateau

#1456 (#148)

beautiful colours -

though there's only really two,

there are many shades

---

On the drive home I was struck by the amazing colours across the fields.  Then it slowly dawned on me that there was only yellow and green, albeit various shades of them.

#1455 (#147)

i dream about death

so that it doesn’t happen

every day is hell

#1454 (#146)

so oversugared

everything is a mess

so wide-eyedo it?

#1453 (#145)

walked away quickly

changed tempo on meeting trees

ambled back slowly

#1452 (#144)

slowly we move on

past all the scattered corpses

around the circle

#1451 (#143)

whatever way round

i will still cry and complain

and no one can win

#1450 (#142)

working on my own

waiting for the right moment

(and delaying it)

---

At the helpdesk I was alone, saw an issue but delayed action by creating the excuse of needing the right moment.

#1449 (#141)

need tea i need tea -

the headaches and shakes are here -

heat that water up!

#1448 (#140)

docklands sunny days

glorious by the water

standing still staring

#1447 (#139)

sucked through the portal

from breakout to the main space

chats quickly finish

#1446 (#138)

embrace the baldness

with number four all over

i'm hiding nothing

#1445 (#137)

in the swimming hall

it doesn't seem so horribly hot

in shorts and t-shirt 

#1444 (#136)

in the swimming hall

back to reading the kindle

until the stage change*

*I thought, once my son had moved up a stage in swimming, that he would be back in a class with my dad friend's son, who had already gone up, but there was no space in the class and I am back to being alone.

#1443 (#135)

crying in traffic

thankfully wearing my shades

how to disappear

#1442 (#134)

oil painting skies

and skies that look like paintings 

what else can i say?

#1441 (#133)

at a loss i shit

on the side of a mountain

the prettiest view

#1440 (#132)

never stay silent

always put yourself forward

for you and for theirs

#1439 (#131)

what’s your heartgut feel?

in its extremes of love-hate?

where has the warmth gone?

#1438

bad smell bath tonight

the greatest way for a maid

puzzled? practical!

---

From words on page 16 of The Skeleton's Holiday by Leonora Carrington (Penguin 1989/2018 [Kindle Edition]) - from the short story, The Debutante.

#1437 (#130)

it's nice switching off

doing something un-normal

drifting out away

#1436

as strong as always

she gestured at her weapon

eyes damp, angry.. “Now!”

---

From words on page 330 of The Lotus Empire by Tasha Suri (Orbit 2024).

#1435 (#129)

coffee to cocoa

the preferred drink of parents

in the mornings now?

#1434

spring cleaning reprieve

for us this year as we move

into our new home

---

Written for the Tricycle February 2024 March Challenge using the Spring season word, spring cleaning.

#1433 (#128)

across the medway

the view flickering in strobe

slowing things right down

#1432

archaeology

layers of my life sifted

during spring cleaning

---

Written for the Tricycle February 2024 March Challenge using the Spring season word, spring cleaning.

#1431 (#127)

rough walls concrete trench

cut right through by progress but

still no trains to france

#1430 (#126)

that beautiful train

the blue and yellow speedster

that took me to love

#1429 (#125)

if i turn my back

you will see there are no bones

and my head is grey

#1428 (#124)

life is not a thing

that can be simply defined

endlessly complex

#1427 (#123)

lonely as the wind

travels alone passing by

but never saying 

#0001 (The Opening Feature)

I noticed it as soon as I sat down.  A light at the back of the screen was reflecting off the inside of my glasses right into my eye.  As I turned to look up at the light to see where it was coming from I saw someone sat across the aisle.  When I looked again no one was there.  

I shook the thought from my head, but the light kept shining and I kept getting the feeling that there was someone there.  I could have sworn, just out of the corner of my eye, I could see them.  Facing forwards, waiting.  Yet every time I turned to check, there was no one there.

I turned to my wife and asked if we could move up a few seats.

the light behind me

the person that wasn't there

before the horror

#1426 (#122)

hist’ry yawning down

wet clay towering above

threat’ning to crush me

#1425 (#121)

tracing paper veil

flattening the scenery

real becomes unreal

#1424 (#120)

myriad birdsong

and no other sound at all

could lose myself here

#1423 (#119)

with only the wind

for company st catherine

waits upon the hill

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/abbotsbury-st-catherines-chapel/

#1422 (#118)

shadow puppet trees

bereft of colour loom tall

beyond the fog wall

#1421 (#117)

the sea lost to mist

steam billowing from the flue

we wait and keep warm

#1420 (#116)

by the masons arms

looking up at the hills i

feel absolute peace 

#44

the sound of the stream

amplified by its steep banks -

it hardly seems real.

or is this the modern way -

disbelieve reality.

#1419 (#115)

penny dinner hall

a kindness near gone away

lost society 

#1418 (#114)

in the harbour inn

we finally end our walk

with some disbelief 

#1417 (#113)

set out on a stroll

that somehow became a hike

really need some pints!

#1416 (#112)

against it and for

feeling both ways all the time

so 

just sit

relax

#1415 (#111)

blossom falls, dark skies 

confusion of the seasons

(and i'm wearing shades!)

#1414 (#110)

when the sun hits right,

when there’s that feel in the air…

such pure clarity

#43

show the world what you

see, expose what should be seen

by those who would pay

and to those who can change it

and keep it changed forever

#1413 (#109)

show the world what you

see, expose what should be seen

by those who would pay

#1412 (#108)

in the study hall

thinking of generations

that have all passed through

#1411 (#107)

work from study desk

with only productive sounds

rustles and key taps

#1410 (#106)

the light from the sun

is unlike any other

apart from your light

#1409 (#105)

the three dots bouncing

as if someone’s beaming in

Star Trek stylee

#1408 (#104)

every single day

i hope for the best happens

every single way

#1407 (#103)

wild staring eyes

driven by fever within

slaves to the pollen

#1406 (#102)

the pollen filled brain

the mad, rolling ranging eyes

these hay fever days

#1405 (#101)

in the swimming hall 

trying to treat my ailments 

with the extreme heat

#1404 (#100)

Lookup I SEE U

papered windows two black holes

what are they doing?

#1403 (#099)

cycle of the week

routines that keep repeating

with pops of colour

#1402 (#098)

time collapses down

when everything is right there

ready for streaming

#1401 (#097)

dad friend’s son’s gone up

next week i will be alone

in the swimming hall 

#1400 (#096)

when the lesson ends

the ripples fade away and 

reflections return

#1399 (#095)

eyes tight fingers crossed

pedalling with hope that is real

praying for power 

#1398

a rope between trees

a blanket slung over it

an adventure day

---

Written for the Tricycle February 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Winter season word, blanket.

#1397 (#094)

in the gym in jeans!?!

how can you stand the heat man?

not all legs the same

#1396

frost across the roof

like an open weave blanket

made out of diamonds

---

Written for the Tricycle February 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Winter season word, blanket.

#1395 (#093)

signal and beckon

both together will make sure

that the bus will stop

#1394 (#092)

the doom laden mind

caught on a fence it unwinds

becomes hard to find

#1393 (#091)

chasing dragon's tails

like so much shadows and dust

bad things get away

#1392 (#090)

…to charge dragons down…

…becoming bigger, tougher…

…to chase them all off…

#1391 (#089)

scales beneath my eyes

my own dragon aesthetic

i moisturise out 

#1390 (#088)

when we leave ourselves

at the door - unconfidence

zombification

#1389 (#087)

parallel scratches

they alarm you (and me) but

just the monitor

#1388 (#086)

social awkwardness 

that comes and goes don't know who

i will be today

#1387 (#085)

late blooming thoughts swirl,

keeping sleep in the doorway,

staring through the dark.

#1386 (#084)

in the swimming hall

social awkwardness sends me

to sit far away

#1385

the ferocity

lurches, twists, ripping, dripping

the anger bolts free

---

From words on page 261 of Children of Anguish and Anarchy by Tomi Adeyemi (Henry Holt 2024).

#1384 (#083)

this proustian bread

takes me back to meals with the

whole congregation

#1383 (#082)

new anxiety

from tests drawn from my insides

just breathe in and wait

#42

i just went there once

Kennedy’s for fish and chips

shall I tonight then?

and rid me of that mem’ry

too for it was a shit day

#1382 (#081)

jet washing street signs

in the early march sunshine

bright run off glistening

#41

potatoes roasting

the fat bubbling, crisping,

making them crunchy

(and the smell as they get close

and the taste as they go in)

#1381 (#080)

stone tower built where

his soul departed this realm

kept for his return

#40

crescent moon and star

hang high above the houses

extra bright tonight

(actually it was Venus)

(should have used an app to check)

#1380 (#079)

held together with

sticking tape, glue and paper

a soul leaking out

#1379 (#078)

when they come for you

you must all go quietly

to stand any chance

#1378 (#077)

hist'ry repeating

genes hidden reveal themselves

a future written? 

#1377 (#076)

that monday morning fear

that this week they'll find me out

and i’ll get the sack

#1376 (#075)

to see the great wave

unexpectedly calms me

brings me a day's peace

#1375 (#074)

but to not choose life,

or to choose not to fight for...

no two minds alike.

#1374 (#073)

the news from out there

it's now all too much to bear 

one crack too many

#1373 (#072)

nature is preferred 

because we don't control it

we can just observe

#1372 (#071)

was such a weird sight

a goose surveying the flats

from a street lamp’s top

#1371 (#070)

those hills divide clouds

keep the bad weather away

god bless those north downs

#1370 (#069)

the line at rain's end

how we long to be over

it under blue skies

#1369 (#068)

trying to think new

thoughts trying to think themselves

in five-seven-five

#1368 (#067)

slithers of a life

written out in staccato

stutter breath heartbeats

#1367

deluded; but if

he could take her and find some

help there on the Styx…

#1366 (#066)

#1365 (#065)

think about that chip

that time you had only one

and it tasted so good

#1364 (#064)

hand operated

traffic lights on a cold day

and in streaming rain

#1363

desolate wasteland

around smoke columns from the

human furnaces

---

Written for the Tricycle January 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Winter season word, furnace / heater.

#1362 (#063)

sunny when you're sick

when mostly recovered with

much stuff to do: rain

#1361

in the common room

his internal furnace burns

we employ the heat

---

Written for the Tricycle January 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Winter season word, furnace / heater.

#1360 (#062)

a wet world, blue sky

like a new day is dawning

after all the rain

#1359 (#061)

waiting for bad times

doomladen thought processes

instilled long ago

#1358 (#060)

broad shouldered, muscles, 

tiny ice cream cone in hand

something won’t connect

#1357 (#059)

street sign flashing blue

as i drive away from the

silent ambulance

#1356

a missing poster

for garfield the campus cat

what is the story?

#1355 (#058)

his plectrum (now lost)

lightly landed on my foot 

made the perfect gig

#1354 (#057)

rain becomes a wall

permeable yet solid

i want to stay in

#1353 (#056)

in the swimming hall

first week sat alone for some

time but i'm reading

#1352 (#055)

in the swimming hall

first week sat alone for some

time and i'm lonely

#1351 (#054)

car in side mirror

(sought to overtake the bus)

reversing in shame

#1350 (#053)

the past is knot full

so much it can't be undone

so we tie knots now

#1349 (#052)

clouds moving quickly -

why are they in such a rush?

they float yet rush fast!

#1348 (#051)

such an unreal scene

silent ambulance at night

filling the whole space

#1347 (#050)

the magic tunnel 

under exhibition road

takes you to all worlds

#1346 (#049)

cold and frosty morn

the world washed over with white

until the sun comes round

#1345 (#048)

the portal of light 

buzzing with its own power

where will it take me?

#1344 (#047)

how much of life is

a performance for others

how much is for you?

#1343 (#046)

shards of glass scatter

a moment of absolute silence

will always follow

#1342 (#045)

can i find something

inside this black heart of mine

to give me some hope

#1341 (#044)

doctor who sick day

the caves of androzani

for my survival

#1340 (#043)

a parkour invite

and all i can think about

are all the dangers

#1339 (#042)

crawling under desks

in my mind to escape … what?

ALL INTERACTION

#1338 (#041)

silent ambulance

scene lit by the cold blue lights

people standing stunned

#1337 (#040)

in the traffic queue

watching the skies fade behind

leave the day back there

#1336 (#039)

darkened window scene

that feeling that the world has

disappeared for good

#1335 (#038)

early rise after

days of getting up late and

the world seems dreamlike

#1334 (#037)

she spins and she dives

deeply into waters known -

and unknown inside

#1333 (#036)

unnatural movement

moving with a dread smoothness

silent ambulance

#1332

short term memory

creates the surprise in us

when night comes early

---

Written for the Tricycle December 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Winter season word, night comes early.

#1331 (#035)

what he said, right, was,

“the healthy food is all the 

food that you eat.” - huh?

#1330

cold will my soul be

the day the night comes early

and you welcome me

---

Written for the Tricycle December 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Winter season word, night comes early.

#1329 (#034)

ticket for the box

could start to cook excuses

but it is my fault 

#1328 (#033)

constant rain no hood

watching the beads in his hair

it needs to be fixed

#1327 (#032)

i am whatever 

you want to see in me now

whatever you find

#1326 (#031)

all of the lost souls

literal figurative

are ghosts among us

#1325 (#030)

migraine brain melt time

running down the left hand side

as the remnants crust

#1324 (#029)

migraine spill cascades

a discomfort waterfall

from brain to my teeth

#1323 (#028)

struggling through the day

brain stuck in a bowl of gloop

wading to nowhere

#1322 (#027)

a world around the

fireplace, creatures dancing

in the flames i trace

#1321 (#026)

a world around the

fireplace, multitudes in 

the fire itself

#1320 (#025)

on lake house road but

there’s no lake and there's no house

whereabouts were they?

#1319 (#024)

scared on lake house road

the spiderman is having 

me for dinner now

#1318 (#023)

the cash only sign 

lies and only those in the 

know will pay by card

#1317 (#022)

why does a sweeping

second hand unnerve me so?

why do i need pause?

#1316 (#021)

in the swimming hall

Nelly sings from the speakers

and is one count right

#1315 (#020)

words on a menu:

enhances sobriety:

what i need right now.

#1314 (#019)

the water boils

slowly, closing round the egg,

just

like 

new 

day

dread

#1313 (#018)

so many options

with the frost before me that

i choose the options

#1312 (#017)

pretty, frozen home

painstakingly beautiful

hanging by a thread

#1311 (#016)

the frost sheet is laid

and we find ways to lift it

or stay well away

#1310 (#015)

in the reception

first dentist trip for too long

dreading what she'll say

#1309 (#014)

frozen to the bone

because of the snack i bought

for the walk back home

#1308 (#013)

in the swimming hall

the gentle and the frantic

smooth grace and big waves

#1307 (#012)

frost mist on the flats

the start of a horror film

or just beautiful?

#1306

the fox in the coop

brings the chilly autumn wind 

that cuts to the bone

---

Written for the Tricycle November 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Autumn season word, autumn wind but not finished until now and so not entered.

#1305 (#011)

low table, three sides,

each relaxed on a sofa

books open, heads down

#1304

the dreams of the year

start to blow away as leaves

on the autumn wind

---

Written for the Tricycle November 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Autumn season word, autumn wind.

#1303 (#010)

loss of tea bag tin

hit heavy on first day back

until i found it

#1302

blocked ears block you off

from the world around set you

apart set up shop

#1301

blocked ears make weird sounds

like you’re underwater or 

made of wooden blocks

#1300 (#009)

broken haiku pow

ers, calling on reserves to

make it through the days

#1299 (#008)

clouds seen from the air

are like strange new lands to us

ones we cannot tread

#1298 (#007)

sitting in the car

waiting but not doomscrolling

noticing the world

#1297 (#006)

the “biting” cold gnaws,

chews at the skin, seeking a

way to get within.

#1296 (#005)

plan for snow haiku

washed away by the rain that

took the last line too

#1295 (#004)

indian breakfast

unlimited buffet - yes!

oh.. yes! yes! yes! yes!

#1294 (#003)

four coffee elves, their

clothes aromatic, they sang

affectionately 

---

From words on page 82 of Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade, A Duty-Dance With Death by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (Delacorte Press/Seymour Lawrence 1969).

#1293

nando's confusion

was it jumping from? over?

how do springboks row?

#1292 (#002)

weird roads with no homes 

just back and side entrances

only a way through

#1291 (#001)

freestyle this year

with new ideas for prompts 

for when i’m awake