Walking in summer rain

I walk on,

aware of grey storm clouds

gathering,

darkening,

first few spots of rain.

The estuary beckons.

I walk on.

The clouds open,

rain pounding on my

waterproof jacket,

pouring streams down

my legs, drenching

my cotton trousers,

filling my shoes.

I walk on,

the estuary misty

shades of silver.

For the raindrops

bouncing off my head,

running down my legs,

I am simply a detour

between the clouds

and the sea.

I walk home,

feet surprisingly warm

as my body heats

the rain in my shoes.

This is what it is

to be

alive.

The cricket

The distant sound

of cricket on the radio

drifts hypnotically through

the open window.

Sitting at my desk

I struggle to stay awake,

work seems irrelevant,

not made for summer days.

Even the sound of someone

scoring something,

the cheers of the crowd,

the raised voices

of the commentators,

fail to rouse me

from this mid-afternoon torpor.

Seasons of silence

Recently the owls have been

silent,

busy,

hungry beaks to feed.

Soon the evening air

will resonate

with their cries.

We all have seasons

of silence,

seasons of song.

Inside, Outside

Inside:

Blue sky and sunshine

glimpsed through the window;

a perfect spring day.

Outside:

Fields dotted with lambs

hunkered down, soft pink ears

twitching in the cold east wind.

Spring in the garden

I plant seeds and tidy the greenhouse

as three slow worms bask peacefully

in the sun.


I love slow worms, and it makes me so happy to know that I share my garden with them. They look like little copper coloured snakes, but are actually legless lizards. One lives in the raspberry bed, one in a hole in the patio and one in the wall near the woodshed. There are probably more, I just haven’t spotted them yet.

Everyday contentment

A hailstorm engulfed the woods.

I walked, partially sheltered by

the bare branches,

cocooned, warm in my coat as

the hailstones drummed on my head.

It passed over, the last balls of ice

bounced off my hair as

I put my hood down.

I emerged into sunshine,

a cool fresh breeze,

and contentment.


You can always find contentment if you walk far enough!