There are lots of old buildings around here, and many newer ones that pretend to be old or use details from older buildings.
Many of the architectural features are bricked up and I wonder what is behind them.
I think the correct word for the bricked in windows and arches is “blind” – though I’m not sure if that is only for ones that were never intended to be open.
Continue reading “blind hope”
For some reason, I’ve been thinking about fairy tales.
I’ve already mentioned that the tree lupin buds made me think of alien claws, but I’m pretty sure the plant is terrestrial, so perhaps it’s more like the talon of a mythical bird.
Lupins weren’t the only flowers I found in my mother’s garden last week that transported me into the world of the imagination.
Continue reading “fantastical flora & fauna”
The new General Data Protection Regulation came into force in the EU yesterday and the topic of security – albeit cyber security – has been in most people’s minds, which makes the photo at least slightly apposite.
The poem – written in Spain seven or eight years ago – is a repost, but it’s the best fit for the photograph – taken recently in England:
Camaraderie
In the greystone shadow
of the old jail, three men share
smokes and anecdotes. Two
wear drab and polished black,
the third raises his cigarette
between cupped hands.
Metal glints at his wrists.
I’ve been looking through old files searching for poems that might be suitable to submit to a couple of competitions, as well as for a couple of projects that involve music, about which I will probably write at length at a later date.
Often, I have found numerous versions of the same poem and it isn’t always clear which is the latest, nor which is the best.
Continue reading “when to stop”
The blog tag-line says (mostly) first person poetry, prose & opinion, but for the last few weeks, I seem to have written rather more about travelling in Spain; I hope the followers who have signed up during this period aren’t too disappointed when I get back on track.
No doubt I will return in the future to the many photos I have taken of the Costa da Morte and find inspiration there, but, at least for the moment, I’m expecting this to be the last of these travel blog posts.
Continue reading “still coasting”
don't confuse the narrator 