Flower Shower

There's nothing quite as beautiful as a flower after Spring rain, sparkling with tiny clear raindrops.

I decided to recreate this scene.
So I ripped up a tulip from my garden.
I dropped it in the bathtub
And I switched on the shower.

I left it going for five minutes and then switched the shower off.
I looked at the tulip.
It didn't seem so beautiful.
It had lost some of its verve.
Why?
Perhaps the context was wrong.
I took it back to the garden
And dropped it on the ground.

It still looked pretty miserable.

Oh well, stuff that idea.

Bubble

Is this how life, the universe and everything started?
A greenish, thick primordial soup.
A breath of inspiration hollowing out a new, shimmering creation,
And a sharp 'O' sending it on its way.

Is this how first love felt?
A blemishless thing filled with light and air
Yet too fragile to bear examination.

And is this how joy is passed between generations?
The shrill voice of a child and a child's hand exploding into life
And the wet pieces of it all falling.

Something in Common

Whenever I talk to people, they talk back to me.
It's strange I know, but there it is, and I can't
Help but feel a truth lies hidden in this statement
That will enlighten many.  It's far beyond my meagre
Powers to say much more about it, but maybe if we
Work together, you and I, we shall have some success.

Why don’t you start us off – tell me a story.  Something
Simple, something truthful, something that will help me
Understand the workings of your mind.  Thankyou, yes,
This is very interesting – I too was born, I can’t deny it.
I believe it happens to many of us.  But this is good.
We have something great in common and it will serve us well.

Now, please, you ask me something.  Ah, very good.
What do I expect for the future?  Well, friend,
I suppose I hope for many things, but the one
Event of which I’m certain is that I’ll die.  Oh – you
Agree?  Well, this is excellent. We are not so different,
You and I!  Come comrade, brother, fellow sojourner,
Let us walk arm-in-arm and talk of many things!

Happiness

Some men are born happy.
Some men achieve happiness.
Some men have happiness thrust upon them.
And some men are happy when they see you smile.

Battery Life

I shorten your life.
Like a mayfly, you live for just one day.

Sometimes you give up the fight early.
I get frustrated at you for not trying harder, for not battling on.

Watch you don't consume things that are bad for your health. GPS. Facebook updates. Videos. Downloads.
You'll only shorten your life expectancy.

Stick to what you know is good for you. Text messages. Short phone calls. Browsing news sites.
And you'll do well, live long, be strong. Keep your colour.

So fight on through to the end of the day, to the cool, welcoming embrace of night, to be plugged in to the great electric spirit in the sky, and to be reborn.

The Flower is Blooming

The flower is blooming.
Think of the bus doors as they tug open to
Greet the crisp morning air.

The bird is singing.
Think of the office phone chirruping to let you know
Someone is there.

The sun is shining.
Think of the microwave glowing brightly
As it warms up your meal.

The world is turning.
Think of the Compact Disc spinning round,
In a delicate pirouette.

Evening is falling.
Think of your digital alarm standing on guard as you sleep
Until another day.

Mani and Sunna

They are making love.
They only have eight minutes.
He is going on a journey that will take him round the world.
It will be years before they can touch again.

Their embrace is passionate.
His craggy face is forgotten as they come together.
Her golden hair flares at the edge of their silhouette.
It feels momentous, and all else is
Eclipsed.

For You

I gave you a balloon.
You popped it.

I gave you an ice cream.
You dropped it on the floor.

I gave you a book.
You ripped it.

I gave you a kiss.
You took it.

Intimacy

Mother,
With baby,
In café,
Feeding.

Father
(I assume)
Arrives;
Takes baby.

One
Two
Three
(At least)
Others
See.

A Blackbird / My Daughter

I never stood so long watching a blackbird singing,
Until you showed me how.

We were returning to the back door of the house when you saw him.
I started telling you what I knew about the species, anatomy, feeding habits, habitat,
Until I caught your expression, which said

'No, Dad, you just don't get it.
Stand still, here, with me, silently,
And watch the blackbird singing.'

Don't

Don't cry.
Don't laugh.
Don't snigger.
Don't sing.
Don't smile.
Don't frown
Don't say a thing.
Don't blink.
Don't wink.
Don't sip your drink.
Don't put your hands in your pockets and think.
Don't stand up straight.
Don't tie back your hair.
Don't move a cushion from here to there.
Don't open an umbrella.
Don't scratch your arm.
Don't set the time on your bedside alarm.
Don't lick an ice-cream.
Don't smell a flower.
Don't toss back your hair while you take a shower.
Don't wander or whimper
Or shuffle or shiver
Or gaze or giggle
Or cough or quiver.
Don't eat.
Don't drink.
Don't breathe in the air.

Don't do anything, love,
when I'm not there.

A Snowflake Falls

A snowflake falls.

A snowflake lands on a leaf.

A snowflake melts, slowly.

A snowflake slides into the centre of a leaf.

A snowflake runs down a leaf.

A snowflake falls.

A leaf waits.

A leaf is struck by a snowflake.

A leaf is cooled by a snowflake.

A leaf lets a snowflake slide into its midst.

A leaf bends down, a little.

A leaf waits.