8

A pigeon
On a rainy slate roof in July
Composes a haiku

Under Construction 7

Do you ever feel sorry for inanimate objects?
The time you poured coffee into the cup with the teabag
And had to throw the teabag away?

Remember giving the last rites
To your favourite shoes?

The toilet roll that fell down the pan?

The hammer taken to Gran’s wardrobe.

The love letter that you found
By the bus stop?

Rupert

Today I am
drifting around town
in a small boat
searching for Rupert

Floating along flooded streets
watching the rats
swimming in the evil waters

I am scanning the rooftops
searching for Rupert
Looking for a lad
Stranded on a roof
dressed in red
waving his school bag

I have a ladder in this boat
But have not yet had
The chance to use it

I have rescued seven rats
Who, although very pleased,
Are all crouched nervously
In the stern
Keeping as far from Kenny
As they can

Under Construction 6

Don’t let your bits go to sleep
Be careful with your leg draped over the arm of the chair
Or you’ll stand up
And promptly fall over again
Like you did on Tuesday
Knocking the cup of hot chocolate, drinking chocolate
Over the new, cream carpet
And surprising the cat
Who leapt between Mum’s legs
Just as she was carrying the chain saw
From the kitchen into the back room
Dropping it and inadvertently turning it on
And sawing the TV in half

All I’m saying is
Be careful, that’s all.

Under Construction 5

Two slow crows
On the dawn road
Fly from the mist
Spreading joy

Green Frogs

We had green frogs once
They were a very rare kind
We had several thousand
because they kept on breeding
and Dad threatened to flush them down the toilet
so I crept downstairs
at midnight
and let them all go
You may have seen it in the papers
GREEN FROG EPIDEMIC
and they were poisonous
and lots of people died
but the authorities hushed it up

They always hush it up -
the authorities

Under Construction 4

Sometimes it feels like I haven’t a minute to myself
A minute for watching the birds
A minute to think
A minute to contemplate death
A minute to visit the map shop
A minute to lose myself in the view from the train window
A minute to see how the Su Doku turned out
A minute to wonder what that last crossword clue was all about
A minute that passes to fast or too slowly
A minute to fire up my lap top
A minute to lay a wreath
A minute to finish my drink
A minute to finish these words
Sometimes it feels like I haven’t a minute to myself