NIGHT OF THE HUNTER

Some years ago, before moving to the coast at Bordeaux Bay, I lived in the Parish of St Peters, one of the few remaining rural parishes.
I had, then, two young and energetic terriers that were always eager to be out and about, and many evenings, after dark, we'd set off together to explore the fields and green lanes of the area.
There is a heady sense of freedom and exhilaration to be had in being out with dogs by moonlight, rejoicing in the rich night scents and reveling in the sense of space and solitude that darkness affords. 
One evening we saw the magnificent owl that prompted this poem.

OWL

In a green lane in St Peter’s

near midnight, under a full moon,

a pale owl

flies across my path, silently,

then low

over dark fields to the tree-line, hunting.

I turn

to watch his tireless sweep

over dumb ground, mist spreading like a shroud,

till I lose sight of him,

and coldness, creeping,

turns my leaden footsteps home.

In bed, near daybreak,

I jerk awake, heart pounding,

mindful of accelerating time, moments eaten up,

of golden, soundless wings,

a questing eye;

sharp talons reaching for my heart.

WHIPPING UP EXCITEMENT

Everybody loves a circus but the modern variety lack many of the primitive thrills of the so-called "good old days" when animals were often cruelly exploited for the public's amusement.

 

LION-TAMER

He steps the cage, measuring and remeasuring,
pisses in each corner to establish ownership.
Later, when the lions enter
it will be to his lair and he will be Master.
Tonight, an audience, enthralled, will watch
lions and a mortal man
perform their strange ballet
and, breathless,
marvel.

Imperious, he cracks his whip, strides to and fro.
His calm assurance dominates the beasts.
The lions crouch on bales of hay
or leap through painted hoops
at his command.
He searches their tawny eyes
for hints of danger.
They are his subjects. The cage, tonight,
his realm. 

STOLEN KISSES

There's something incurably romantic about stolen moments that make films like Brief Encounter such unforgettable classics.
Indeed, throughout history the lure of a clandestine love affair has led many an otherwise reliable spouse astray. 
The Soul classic, The Dark End of the Street, written by Dan Penn and Chips Moman, is an unforgettable song based on just such an illicit situation.
Click here to listen to the incomparable James Carr's 1967 recording. 
 

THE KISS


A waitress brings ice-cold white wine.
at cafe tables people stare
at other people, but I see
nobody else. I am aware
only of your proximity.
The wine, your eyes, your voice combine
to charge, with fearful hope, this hour   
that flies away from us too soon,
its lightness close to perfect joy.
For us, this stolen honeymoon
that our commitments must destroy,
fades like a transitory flower.

NO WOMAN, NO CRY

"One good thing about music, when it hits, you feel no pain"  Bob Marley.

The first time I heard Reggae music I thought it wonderfully life-enhancing: a joyous, feelgood rhythm that seemed to bring sunshine into even the dullest day.
For a few years, I immersed myself in its warm, pulsating glow.
Tracks by Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff, Toots Hibbert, Bob Marley, Burning Spear and the incomparable Gregory Isaacs, played on my portable cassette machine when I went  training in the Craigantlet hills, back in the days when long-distance running was an integral part of my life.
Click here to listen to Bob Marley's One Love then enjoy the short story that follows.   

ONE LOVE

One love! One heart! Let’s get together and feel all right ...
Shel mimed Bob Marley’s words to the musical ringtone of  her fiancee’s mobile as the distinctive jingle sounded and Dave began jabbering to his mate about arrangements for the away-match that weekend.
One love!  Shel smiled and thought about the boys she’d known before. She’d thought herself in love with some of them but not like this, not like it was with Dave: one love, one love forever.
They’d been together three years: a passionate affair that now had reached the mellow stage. Their lovemaking, wild and reckless in the beginning, had become a familiar, twice-weekly ritual. Shel was content, but sometimes thought wistfully of those raunchy sessions up on Mortlake Hill in the old ruined barn. It was blissful up there, high above the town, their own private Eden, where the air was crisp and invigorating, far from people and prying eyes. God, they’d made the earth move, she and Dave, back then.
Saturday came, she packed his sandwiches, promised to have his favourite supper ready when he got home. He was meeting his mate, Del, at the station.
Three o’clock, Shel turned on the radio: the match was live. She thought of him, just another anonymous face in the crowd, but special to her, so special. One love!
Just thinking about Dave made her tingle. Bored, and on impulse, she decided to hike up Mortlake Hill to get some air: perhaps recapture the magic that seemed somehow missing from their life together nowadays.
The afternoon was warm and Shel, dressed in fleece and jeans, set off up the Hill. Approaching its summit, she felt exhilarated and full of energy. As she passed the ruins of the old barn, she glimpsed movement: a figure, no two figures, half-clothed, darted out of sight behind a stone facade.
Shel smiled. Young lovers in our old love-nest, she thought. Bet I know what they’ve been up to, and who can blame them: it’s the perfect spot for a bit of the old al fresco. I’ll tell Dave: get him hot and sexy for tonight.
Snatching out her smartphone, Shel called Dave’s number.
After a moment’s wait, a familiar ringtone sounded in the ruined barn.
One love! One heart! Let’s get together and feel all right ....

EYE IN THE SKY

The story of Icarus is a well-known and intriguing one.
An ambiguous fable open to differing interpretations, it is seen by some as a cautionary tale about the disastrous consequences of vainglorious ambition. 
The poet W H Auden famously used it in his celebrated poem, Musee des Beaux Arts.       

BIRDMAN

  

I am falling from high

but they do not notice.

The air, through wings

that promised much,

keens like a mourner.

Creeping ants below

evolve

to shepherd,

ploughman,

angler.

I fall unseen.

Someone

will dream it later.

I have no time

to scream.

The water is

hard as stone.