Unseen by the crowd

Unseen by the crowd,
the drummer, horrified at
his empty pint glass.

Off the train home, through

Off the train home, through
the station: people wonder
why I walk so slow.

Way outside myself

Way outside myself
I feel, on a moving train,
singing to a crowd.

While I play a gig

While I play a gig,
outside an unpitched tent is
flapping in the wind.

I like Nottingham

I like Nottingham
because you don't expect train
stations to be green.

The rain ends at last

The rain ends at last
but someone still needs to dry
all my friends' teardrops.

The blast of sunshine

The blast of sunshine
reflects off the wet car park,
knocks us both half blind.

Two blue glass vases

Two blue glass vases
stand by the recycling bins
with no place to go.

My singing voice goes

My singing voice goes
wrong, to match the tone of my
worn-out guitar strings.

Today I know that

Today I know that
the walkers in the park will
say hello. They do.

Countless raindrops tap

Countless raindrops tap
at the windows of the train –
each one a haiku.

Opening the door

Opening the door,
my sweetheart goes out to work;
a sweet breeze blows in.

Sudden trillions of

Sudden trillions of
shards of glass or silver fish
or another storm.

Talking about cats

Talking about cats
while walking home, and two cats
appear and join in.

Arriving at the

Arriving at the
window and finding it closed,
the bee promptly leaves.

Grandeur, paradox

Grandeur, paradox,
these wet and glowing mornings
that I spend alone.

Driving through high peaks

Driving through high peaks
and low rainclouds, our blue car
slices through the sky.

The view from the top

The view from the top
into two valleys, sudden
as understanding.

The edge of a field

The edge of a field;
the edge of futility;
the tent, pitched at last.

Slow to the pace of

Slow to the pace of
the leaves' growth; you could watch them
thrash the air aside.

Turning from your tears

Turning from your tears
to the kitchen, finding a
bird torn by the cat.

At 7am

At 7am
muted light and quietness
suggest 4am.

Progress of summer

Progress of summer
measured by the reach of the
fig tree down the road.

In a shop doorway

In a shop doorway,
sheltering from sudden rain,
strangers are comrades.

Deep in wine, we reach

Deep in wine, we reach
for Scrabble. On the score pad,
my dead dad's writing.

Horror, realising

Horror, realising
that huge group of townies is
heading for our pub.

Tremor in my voice

Tremor in my voice:
unheard by the audience,
deafening to me.

A second rainbow

A second rainbow
for a second day running,
but fainter today.

If you could get close

If you could get close
and quiet enough you'd hear
a grass blade's skin stretch.

The cooling towers

The cooling towers
stand where, in a few weeks' time,
there'll be only air.

Awkward interview

Awkward interview
between the sky and the ground:
showers start and stop.