Reader Poetry: May-August 2023

Following on from the excellent poems collated from January to April's issues, these are the wonderful verses that featured in May to August 2023 issues, for your pleasure.

How to carry on with this sorrow,
How to make plans for tomorrow,
You were my life, my love, and now you’re gone,
No wonder I felt I couldn’t go on.

But, wait a minute, what do I see,
A little furry face looking up at me,
A wagging tail and four little paws,
Saying let’s go and have fun in the great outdoors.

I rescued you from the streets and unhappiness,
You rescued me from despair and loneliness,
Together we can see sunshine through the fog,
There is no better friend than a rescue dog.

PAULINE CLARKSON, West Midlands

The early star welcomes the evening
As the last rays of day paint the sky.
I hear the tall grasses converse with the breeze,
While a tawny owl listens, nearby.

The chattering stream spills over the stone
And scatters the small fish and fry.
The mouse with a scurry hides under a leaf,
While a tawny owl watches, close by.

The crescent moon follows the bright star
And are joined by the small clouds on high.
The owl with its claw and pincer-like beak,
Swallows the mouse, with a sigh.

MICHAEL TULLY, London

Hold the front page something is wrong
I've lost my style and grace because my balance has gone
Has anyone seen my balance, I'm really very cross
I've searched my home meticulously and have to report its lost

Escalators are dodgy for me, I have to hold on tight
And when it comes to getting off it's not a pretty sight 
I've had my balance since I was born but its quickly slipping away
I'm tripping and falling all over the place almost every single day

My wife has to hold me tight because my balance is really not fine
I wish I was more like Johnny Cash and could properly walk the line
I just don't know why I'm in such a fix
Could it be cos I've reached the grand old age of 86?

BERNARD FISHERMAN, London

Covered in featherdown in a mossy bank deep
The Faery awakes from her long winter sleep
She turns her face to the warm spring sun
She gazes at spiders webs finely spun.

Other faeries awaken too
They stretch and yawn, yet there’s so much to do
Primroses to pick, to make into spring wine
Wild fungi to find, on which to dine.

But first they have a ritual they perform every spring
They take a ride on a seagull as he spreads his wing
He soars so high over the fields to the sea
The faeries shriek with delight at the view they can see.

They bring with them their magic in a faery dust sack
Which they all clutch tightly, balanced on the gull’s back
Then, as they fly swiftly and swoop over the town
They scatter the faery dust, it settles like a gold gown.

The folk in the town smile at the golden haze,
It heralds springtime and long, summer days
Everyone turns to face the warmth of the sun
They know that springtime has really begun.

KAY JACKSON, Devon

No one need feel lonely if they go for a walk,
You will always meet someone to whom you can talk.
To those looking troubled, give them a smile,
It could perk them up, at least for a while.

Fresh air helps to improve the mood,
And you really appreciate what you have viewed.
There are many things to be thankful for,
So the daily effort is rarely a chore.

You can have a circle of friends along every route.
Meeting up with them is always a hoot.
So, forget about other things for one hour a day,
And glory in nature's grand display.

GLORIA WILDING, Merseyside

5.30am in Ravello, the Med is grey in the dawn,
Bald eagle looks down on Maiori, and Joyce awakes with a yawn.

The lights of Minori below us, all's quiet save the bells of the clock,
And a dog in the distance, replying to the crow of Caruso's cock.

Today we will go to Amalfi, to buy some ceramic pots,
Thereafter we drive to Paestrm, to see Greek forget-me-nots.

This siren coast is magnetic, so much to ensure we're not bored,
England seems far, far away now, and Joyce has forgotten Ford.

9.30am in Hertford, we're home again by the Lea,
The flowers are dead in the courtyard, but it's nice to be back from the sea.

DONAL CLIFFORD, County Cork, Ireland

There is a lot of negativity in the press
About the state of the NHS

I don’t agree so I have to protest
There are a lot of cases that are a success

With the right support people’s lives progress
When they’d initially been such a mess

I am a bit biased though I have to confess
As I currently work for the NHS

There are the odd days when I feel the stress
And want to send out an SOS

But on the whole I feel truly blessed
To be working with staff who try their best

And work long hours without much rest
With their limits being put to the test

I’d therefore like to suggest
There is more positivity in the press

And we celebrate the 75 years as a success

SUE CAWTE, London

Rest on the air and gently settle,
Leap for the skies and show your mettle.
Glorious globe of bright sky blue,
Sleek brown muscles rippling through.

Lazily settling near the earth,
Leap for the globe for all you’re worth.
Fragile shape, with tenuous life,
Cut through the skies as keen as a knife.

A meeting of souls at a midway spot.
Cold black nose kisses cool blue blot.
Gently nudge and it’s off to the moon,
A boxer dog and his blue balloon.

JO WALLACE, Portsmouth