That Conversation

Of all the art centres in all England
I happened to walk into the one
where a man whose hair
would grow like a dandelion clock
whose care I could not imagine
was cooking a vegetarian dinner
and over the washing up
we talked of hitching to Australia
and how you get over the wet bits
Strange, how much we tried
with those first impressions
for he was a traveller on a micro scale
months and years won't be enough
for him to know France or Italy well
but it's rare I can persuade him
onto an aeroplane to travel further
and me? I've never been much of one
for washing up

LMC 21 June 2010

Silk Road of my Life

I try to paint the silk road
of my lfe
Miyajima's red torii
and peonies for my father
how can I paint my mother's songs?
no clouds, this is to target the beauty.
I'd add in Abbeydale
if I could paint it, build up
the layers of petals like the
factory painters, overlay the gold.
A swirl of Gobi should follow,
for those Edwardian Misses,
the real silk road explorers.
All China's glory leading to Kashgar's
sunday market, Kansu street's jade sellers
All the way to Venice
Burano's jewel houses
glass glinting, silver gondola prows
slide out from between palacios
and paintings everywhere
to steal your breath away.
if I take it further (as I always have)
then this silk road fascination
led to all my explorations
Paris, Havana, Santorini, Vietnam
Angkor Wat and the Taj Mahal
(pause for heart stopping, stunning beauty)
and to that travelling conversation
in that long ago arts centre
Turn for home to Pennine moors
endless beach of Druridge bay
or Lyminge forest bluebells
for coming down through vineyards
of a red-gold evening
hand in hand

LMC 21 June 2010

Take one small child

Take one small child,

Shake thoroughly,

Or enough to rearrange at least

Her natural trust

And there you have created

One woman who'll always look

For what might go wrong.

LMC June 2010