moon magnetism

midsummer moon

Is there a poet in the land
who can resist that moon, those stars,
who is not sitting, pen in hand
recounting how love leaves her scars?

[…]

Enraptured by the moon’s bright light,
I, too, am writing poems tonight.

 

(Well, I was, some 15 years ago, which is when those lines originated as part of a tetrameter sonnet with heavy end stopping and extraordinarily unimaginative rhymes. The worst thing about learning more about poetry is that I try and write fewer bad poems and end up just writing less.)

summery

pink and cream gladiolus spike

Well, I managed to miss the solstice sunrise, but it does look quite summery outside the window.

There again, my idea of what summer looks like has been changed by years of living in Spain.

Forgetting for a moment about the rain and the cold that is more often the reality, I think of British summer as pale and hazy, delicate and frilled, in pastel shades of strawberries and cream.

It’s honeysuckle, gypsophila and sweet peas; strappy sandals, pretty print frocks and matching cardigans.

In Spain, though, summer is brash and solid and in-your-face.
Continue reading “summery”

light moments

white lilac
Morning lilacs loom
as bright as lightbulbs.
ivy leaves
Evening ivy drips
with sunlight

wild lupins
A lupin wildfire ravages the neighbour's field

wet weather, wings and wishes

BBC Headline: Met Office advice was 'not helpful'

The rain continues unabated so how could I resist clicking a link on the BBC website that said Met Office advice was ‘not helpful’?

On reading the article, though, I find that it refers to ‘not helpful’ to the government. Specifically:

The Met Office has admitted issuing advice to government that was “not helpful” during last year’s remarkable switch in weather patterns.

I am reminded of George Mikes’ comments on the weather in his book How to be an alien; specifically:
Continue reading “wet weather, wings and wishes”

paschal moon

full moon, Gredos

With nicotine-stained fingers, she pushes aside
the net curtains of the clouds and stoops
to look through your bedroom window.

Continue reading “paschal moon”