Give & Take

Today – hooray - my diary has gaps,
I’m trusting it’s an easy day,
tittle-tattle with some chaps,
I’ve time to spare and rest and, even, play;

when Dave steps in the room,
miserable loon
‘I got news for you!’
handshake, troubles, dear, oh dear

and Stevie had a crisis,
I thought that we had cracked it
but Mark sat down
with spreadsheet, frown;
all in all, I’ve gotta shrug and laugh:
this is this - (and this and me and they) - move this to that.

A Container

The crazy trees decide to feel inside joy outside dancing stars rotate love now
crazy trees decide to feel inside joy outside dancing stars rotate love now
crazy trees decide to feel inside joy outside dancing stars rotate love
trees decide to feel inside joy outside dancing stars rotate love
trees decide to feel inside joy outside dancing stars rotate
decide to feel inside joy outside dancing stars rotate
decide to feel inside joy outside dancing stars
to feel inside joy outside dancing stars
to feel inside joy outside dancing
feel inside joy outside dancing
feel inside joy outside
inside joy outside
inside joy
joy

Mobiles on the train

Forgetting how to pray
we rabbit-on instead, lifting
mobile phones in praise
- a modern way of living.

Projecting words as kind-of-truth,
wagging tongues flap on - and on again;
speaking sometimes softly, sometimes rough,
with every song from worry, sorry, joy or sadness, pain.

Praying now I see
cold snow reach out so far
along England’s dusk. It’s Winter and a train
guard calls ‘I apologise’ again, again.

Broken promises! I’m only half aware he’s hoping for
a nod, a yes, responding to a tiny hope, his prayer.