Waiting Backwards

WAITING BACKWARDS

zealously guarding his innermost thoughts
yellow crocuses in a vase
xeroxing plans for a party
winter storms keep the ferry in port
vacuuming the carpet her latest fetish
under lock and key his collection of used underwear
tempted by the salesman's offer

surrendering her endowment policy
resolving the argument in adjacent beds
quaint tearoom serves hard cake
preparing for work the stripper gets all dressed up
only one customer through the door of the pub with no beer
neon lights above the bordello
master cueman escapes the snooker
licking his lips at the bride's first meal
kingfisher hovers over the motorway
january sales brings traffic gridlock
in the gallery next to the nude a portrait of mary
holy mountain hell for climbers
gulls wheel behind the cruise liner
fog-bound passengers phone their loved ones
early morning terrier barks at the milkman
dreading the needle a middle-aged man shivers
caught short the little girl squirms mother looks cross
blue flowers in a vase are starting to wilt
always the long wait to see the doctor

© Gerald England

Composed: Gee Cross, 31st December 2005

Publication

2006 Shadow Train (Internet)

(n30)

blue shimmer
within the holly hedge
a discarded bike

© Gerald England

Composed: Gee Cross, 25th December 2005

Unpublished

(n29)

Christmas day
through the cemetery railings
holly with berries

© Gerald England

Composed: Gee Cross, 25th December 2005

Unpublished

Mid-December

MID-DECEMBER

A full moon shines
over the morning frost;
the lanes are full of late-fallen leaves;
walking across the mulch
is almost as tricky
as treading over ice.

In town the carol-singers are in
crowding the shopping-mall,
while a group of muffled musicians
play by the outside market.

This year but two robins
on the early christmas cards;
the squirrel still runs along the fence
skirting our newly-erected shed.

© Gerald England

Composed: Gee Cross, 17th December 2005

Publication

2007 Famous Poets and Poems (Internet)
2008 The Seventh Quarry (UK)
2008 Poem of the Day Podcast (Internet)
2008 Canada Pine (Internet) [unauthorised publication]
2009 God's Own Country (Internet) [unauthorised publication]
2010 Nordinho (Internet) [unauthorised publication]
2010 Bradwell Bugle (Internet) [pdf file] [unauthorised publication]
2010 The Real Handbag Shop blog (Internet) [unauthorised publication]
2010 Metro Run & Walk (Internet) [unauthorised publication]
2010 NorthWest Native Plant Journal (Internet) [pdf file] [unauthorised publication]
2011 Today with J P Ronan (Internet) [unauthorised publication]
2011 Within 4 hours reach (Internet) [unauthorised publication]
2012 Your Daily Poem (Internet)

There are several other unauthorised publications to be found on the internet - several sites have cloned all the work on the Famous Poets site. Some of those sites appear to harbour malware.

(n26)

a mile away
the roar of the crowd
at the match

© Gerald England

Composed: Gee Cross, 26th November 2005

Unpublished

(n25)

a curled cat
on the car's bonnet
frosty afternoon

© Gerald England

Composed: Gee Cross, 26th November 2005

Unpublished

(n21)

still tasting
the whale-meat pizza
in Nuuk

Composed: Gee Cross, 20th September 2005

Unpublished

(n20)

5p coin on ground
I pause briefly decide
not worth bending

© Gerald England

Composed: Hyde, 16th September 2005

Unpublished

(n19)

pip's coffee house
pert-breasted waitress
wipes the table

© Gerald England

Composed: Callander, 7th September 2005

Unpublished

(n18)

on the cobblestones
of the riverside path
a white feather

© Gerald England

Composed: Callander, 4th September 2005

Publications

2005 Poetry Scotland (Internet)
2006 Haiku Hikes (Internet)
2016 CALLANDER HAIKU (Callander, Diehard)

(n17)

ducks ripple
through an alder's reflection
babies follow

© Gerald England

Composed: Callander, 4th September 2005

Publications

2005 Poetry Scotland (Internet)
2006 Haiku Hikes (Internet)
2016 CALLANDER HAIKU (Callander, Diehard)

(n16)

Ben Ledi
ignored by Munro-baggers
low mist

© Gerald England

Composed: Callander, 4th September 2005

Publications

2005 Poetry Scotland (Internet)
2006 Haiku Hikes (Internet)
2016 CALLANDER HAIKU (Callander, Diehard)

(n15)

how many bells?
low walls and distant hills
echo back

© Gerald England

Composed: Callander, 4th September 2005

Publications

2005 Poetry Scotland (Internet)
2006 Haiku Hikes (Internet)
2016 CALLANDER HAIKU (Callander, Diehard)

(n14)

prodigal daughter
barbecues aubergines
blue smoke

© Gerald England

Composed: Callander, 3rd September 2005

Publications

2005 Poetry Scotland (Internet)
2006 Haiku Hikes (Internet)

(n13)

book launch
passing ice-cream eaters
pause to look in

© Gerald England

Composed: Callander, 2nd September 2005

Publications

2005 Poetry Scotland (Internet)
2006 Haiku Hikes (Internet)
2016 CALLANDER HAIKU (Callander, Diehard)

(n12)

train halted
across the Firth of Forth
Fife lies

© Gerald England

Composed: Edinburgh, 1st September 2005

Publications

2005 Poetry Scotland (Internet)
2006 Haiku Hikes (Internet)

(n11)

bus not due
making a pot of tea
last an hour

© Gerald England

Composed: Denby, 26th August 2005

Publication

2012 Bolts of Silk (Internet)

(n6 - n10): a casualty sequence

sunday morning
the taxi to hospital
takes the scenic route

***

back with coffee
she's already gone
to x-ray

***

waiting again
i finish off
her luke-warm coffee

***

large adverts
for compensation lawers
on waiting-room wall

***

no bones broken
keep on taking the tablets
go home and rest

© Gerald England

Composed: Ashton under Lyne, 31st July 2005

Unpublished

(n5)

beyond icebergs
snow-pocked peaks rise
out of the fog

© Gerald England

Composed: Davis Strait, 12th July 2005

(n4)

alongside us
white-headed birds skim
over the waves

© Gerald England

Composed: off Kap Farvel, 9th July 2005

Unpublished