and ran - i did

and ran - i did

first i collected the tadpoles

from the well across the fields

then i tickled sticklebacks

from the little pluck dicing stones

roach came next enticed with dough

under a float upon the pluck

then running the flashing brook trout

with worms where the water weeds flow

meandering slow past llansamlet church

where grandpa is buried low

then of course the coarse fish pike and perch

in the tennant canal reeded blind

by the docks where the sea fish flow

hooking pouting and whiting and flatties

on the west pier where the night rats know

that the moon stones will be awash at full tide

when the dock lights shiver - you know

and a fist of rag worm wrapped in sand and cloth 
holds every boy‘s long hope upon the bay

aye

i’ve caught them all in my time

when as a child i caught time itself

running with the hares and kestrels

flying across the shivery-shakes 
and heather’s dusty flowers

     and lizards 
          and frogs 
               and toads

and bank voles in the mounds of grass

and water voles with streaming their Vs

down from heol las

never ever did i think 

that this 
one day 

would be just a dream 

for

i seem to have run out of bait my son

although i am running closer to my soil

where the sun is warm under grasses tall

and the breeze - well it’s just that breeze

that dried blood on bloody knees 

sleeping under the long sky

as deep as a big fishes lair

over the weir time has rock dashed

and the sun is setting in red sails fair

across an ocean with no destination

i am sailing there - with there there now

for yes   oh yes

i am sailing there and there

bloody help

bloody help

our blood

is not our blood

or our ancestor’s

blood

or our scion’s

blood

or

for that matter

blood at all

it is of the soil

of the toil

of time’s

bloody time

The Chelsea hotel

The Chelsea hotel

‪ the length of time’s tear‬

‪in the bite of a double shot‬

‪downed now‬

‪in staggering words‬

‪down sleep’s slurred lines‬

‪laid to rest‬

‪bible bright ‬

‪in that singular goodnight‬

have you ever wanted to be

have you ever wanted to be

have you ever wanted to be that man

the one with the stick

you know - the one with the metal pole

who listens to your stopcock 

out in the road

with his ear to the shiny wooden cup

at the end of his decision

or the man with his hands on the handles

of the surging tube that goes up and down 

up and splurging down in the storm drain

that keeps the kids enthralled

or the man with the shiny wooden pole

with the pig’s tail hook that darns

the the coupling links between the trucks

with such deft luck that barely at moment 

between the buffers shine bouncing the 

chains tight in a juddering offwego 

or the man in the moon

who is so superfluously superior

that he doesn’t even exist

i’d like to be a bit on the dark side

of an espresso light

ah well 

here they come with the medication trolley

better sign off now 

or they’ll think i’m off my trolley

again

strange morning

strange morning

outside

mum pecks the bum of a baby dunnock

dunno why 

but the cat goes bonkers

and they fly

plop hilarity contest

plop hilarity contest

peristalsis 

is no fool

as you sit there 

it makes your stool

the cat nip of summer

the cat nip of summer

the cat goes out

sleeps

the cat comes in

sleeps

the cat goes out

sleeps

the cat comes in

eats

sleeps 

the cat goes out

and 

so it goes

these daily dozy 

dozy daily dos 

of summer