30 poems in April

April 9th

I love the concept of Golden shovel poems so am working through the NapoWrimo suggestions.
so from Jamesian by Thom Gunn


At the table in the restaurant their
eyes met briefly since the relationship

between work and attraction consisted
of frequent glances and smiles, whilst in

work mode the cut backs they were discussing
continued apace. Their eyes said what if

we were not on opposing sides, if it
could be that a best outcome existed.

52 genres in a year

20 Crime

Contraband by Dennis Wheatley

First published in 1936, the language and manners show the period it was first written but it was still a delightful read. An added bonus was the mention of towns in Kent that I know well. It could be described as a cracking good read.

April birds in the garden

30 poems in April

April 8th

To write one each day is so hard
not to sound like a rhyme on a card
to challenge my brain
without sounding insane
I will never be a great bard!

30 poems in April

April 7th

A prompt from Quiet Minds
Wallace Stevens wrote 13 ways of looking at a blackbird.

Muses on Roses

June
in bloom
a rose
her petals
perfectly proportioned

Manicured lawns
in countless suburban gardens
stately roses pruned
in a regimental parade of pride

A bud
opens
promising more
as the petals of the rose
slowly unfurl

A palette as rich
as any artist's
profusion of colours
are roses in mid summer

In the morning
when dew glistens on the ground
a heady perfume fills the air
of roses fresh from slumber

She buries her head
deep in the rosy bouquet
savouring the moment
for it will not last

Rambling in wild array
scrambling over others
to reach the sunniest spot
flowering in abandonment
the rose in her fullness displayed

Blood red the blossom
of the beautiful rose
but beware the spill
of red blood on her thorns
a trap for the unwary

A single rose he gave me
as a symbol of our love
I pull the petals one by one
he loves me, he loves me not
our love dying with the rose

How does the rose compare
to other flowers? Who is to say
that a rose has more beauty
than a daffodil or daisy

Each rose bears a name
to distinguish it's uniqueness
from all others
colour, fragrance, form and clarity
which is our favourite
is a matter of personal taste

A summer salad of mixed leaves
is enhanced by petals of roses

At summers end
the blowsy roses shed
their petals on the grass
to be consumed by the garden
or crushed by mowers blade

30 Poems in April

April 6th

After reading the prompts at Napowrimo and Quiet minds , my attempt at a Golden Shovel poem. I used Gwendoline Brookes poem as in Terence Hayes original brilliantly constructed set of two.


                                      Young  Love

While walking in the rain, deep the pain we
feel, echoes of an argument too real

and too close to our hearts. The raindrops cool
our fevered skin, but notwithstanding we

feel nothing of the rain.Nothing is left
without our love. Without teachers, a school

is not a school. Without you is no we
in stony silence part so alone I lurk

thinking  are we done? Is it now too late?
I am me but I want us to be we

I did not want to be the one to strike
an arrow through your heart nor want the straight

talking between us to end like this. We
used to be as one, link our arms and sing

joyfully.There was no talk of my sin.
I am lost without you.There is no we

I feel the cold, my jacket is too thin.
A nearby bar, a tot or two of gin

will dull the pain of memories that we
shared, of balmy nights listening to jazz.

Of sunny days, togetherness in June.
Tears fall like raindrops, soundlessly,that we

will never be together til we die,
that what we had was over all too soon

30 Poems for April

April 5th

Two piles of ironing reach up to the sky
beckoning, beckoning as I walk by.
The swish of the iron , two piles grow smaller
while those neatly pressed, grow ever taller.
A smile lights my face as each one is done
and I can enjoy more time in the sun.