Around the world, the hoodlums and outlaws are running amok, in their suits of armour made of lies. By contrast and by and large, the sheriffs seem defeated, overwhelmed and on the run. I feel defeated and overwhelmed, too. Might it mean that I’m a sheriff, in disguise ? But there is no star in… Continue reading High Noon is Nearly Upon Us. Where's the Sheriff ?
Toad and the Bong
Some of the more ardent Tory Brexiters seem very exercised that, after all, Big Ben will not be breaking into song when the UK vacates the EU and seeks alternative residence in their delinquent yet decrepit Brexit wonderland.
And the lying Mr Toad, our bouncy new Prime Minister, is coming… Continue reading Toad and the Bong
What is a Hyphen to do in 2020 ?
There’s A and there’s B, but that’s not all. There’s also the connection between them. What is it ? They are sharing more than just the air. They were born to share more than just opposite sides of the same wall.
A hyphen-line, a connecting scratch on the page, a fragile raft of some sort or… Continue reading What is a Hyphen to do in 2020 ?
Poems for Public Display
I never stop yearning for good poetry to reach past its traditional catchment areas – those shelves in the bookshop marked “Poetry,” the university literature department, the dedicated arts festival, the shy, solitary and possibly eccentric brain – and find a valid place for… Continue reading Poems for Public Display
A New Tale of Two Cities
This is a fable. I wrote it some time ago but it still feels apt, perhaps more than ever.
It comes from a set of essays called “Fables and Reflections.” For the full set, see the link in the right hand margin of this page. Under the heading… Continue reading A New Tale of Two Cities
Parrot’s in his Tower – and That’s All, Folks
This stanza was written on the day after Mr Johnson’s election victory on December 12th, 2019. It will be the last stanza of “Parrot Addenda,” rounding off this series of 164 stanzas. It does not mean the Brexit story is… Continue reading Parrot's in his Tower - and That's All, Folks
The Casting of the Parrot’s Vote
And this piece was written on election night, a second night of pause and waiting, with the chill moon again prominent and beautiful overhead. We walked home after casting our votes, our act tiny power, our tiny power of action. We had done what we could, and put our very… Continue reading The Casting of the Parrot's Vote
The Parrot Looks Up at the Moon
I wrote this stanza the night before the UK General Election on December 12th. In my part of the country, the moon was very clear that cold December night, and had been for several nights. If not full, then very nearly so.
The electorate had a profoundly disheartening choice and a… Continue reading The Parrot Looks Up at the Moon
UK Election – Parrot Prognosis
Thinking of the election due later this coming week, and of the likeliest result, I fear for the parrot. “He speaks all languages aptly,” wrote Skelton, implying that the parrot hears everything and can keep nothing out. So what will be swirling about in his brain by Friday morning ?… Continue reading UK Election - Parrot Prognosis
The Toad Negotiates with the Underworld
This week Mr Trump (“the American Minotaur”) was in the UK for a meeting of NATO leaders. Then he got the hump because people were laughing at him and he left early.
Not long ago, Mr Johnson (“The Toad”) did a Putin with a… Continue reading The Toad Negotiates with the Underworld