Time slips away from me,
I do not see it pass,
and all the things I meant to do
remain undone,
or else, when I inspect them
I see that they need doing all again.
When I sit down
to write a poem,
a thousand aeons pass before my mind
and flow out on the screen.
But when I, blinking,
come back to this moment
and turn to look around,
I see the world
has not been changed one jot,
except for the settling
of still more dust.
Linda Rushby 20 April 2022
#NaPoWriMo
If you found an answer,
here in this sunny morning
when so many other things
grab for your attention,
if you found an answer,
what would be the question?
Linda Rushby 19 April 2022
#NaPoWriMo
Early sunlight gilds your drowsy fur,
my small companion, sleeping by my feet.
Old friend, I’ve known you all your life,
beginning as two members of a family,
our lives diverged for some time in the middle,
when I set out to find a different way,
but here we are now, reunited
growing old together.
Your span has been a fraction of my own:
I saw you newborn, staggering blindly
to your mother’s teat,
her tiny double, prettiest of them all,
and now you are the elder, in my care.
I hold the power of life and death for you,
I try to hold you safe, to gauge your pain,
I hope your life is not a burden,
try to show you how much you are loved,
until the day when I must let you go.
Linda Rushby 18 April 2022
#NaPoWriMo #Cats
This poetry month,
I’ve done three and a half years
and I don’t remember
it being a problem.
But now I’m not sure.
I say I can’t force them,
they come if they want to,
but what if they don’t?
Some days it comes easy,
but others not so much,
should I keep on trying?
I feel like a fraud.
Three lines start with ‘But’ –
this does not sound convincing.
But the words have their own rules;
please don’t shoot their messenger.
Linda Rushby 17 April 2022
#NaPoWriMo
Some poetic ideas that came to me but I didn’t write them down at the time so I’ve been trying to put them together into a poem for Good Friday, with the help of some photos taken on the day. Unfortunately, I found I hadn’t taken any of the exact view I remembered. Anyway, it was a lovely day and a pleasant walk with my daughter and grandkids.
West Sussex View
Red roofed farmhouse framed by trees,
backdrop of hills and a blue April sky
serenaded by skylarks.
Deer grazing and dozing in dappled shade,
picnic tables by a quiet river.
A vision of England.
Linda Rushby 15 April 2022
#NaPoWriMo
I managed two weeks,
quite consistently,
but missed the middle point.
Perhaps I should pretend
that this is not a failure,
because that is not the issue –
no success, no failure.
It’s simply a coincidence
that after fourteen days
I found that there were
more important things in life
than arbitrary targets,
and I didn’t just give up,
run out of steam,
lose interest
and inspiration.
Would that be
an insult to
potential readers?
Or just a
(rather unpoetic)
lie?
Linda Rushby 16 April 2022
Another last-minute one inspired by an image from the British Library. It probably needs a bit more work. The title comes from a biblical quotation.
The Fall of the Sparrow
Down fell the sparrow
with a twig in its beak.
It called to the world:
‘I may be small,
but do not forget me
or neglect me.
I have my needs and
purposes, like you,
I have my tasks,
and responsibilities:
a home for my family,
and food for their bellies,
protection from harm,
so they may rise
and raise themselves
and the next generation.
I have neighbours to chide
and a mate to provide for
and grubs to hunt down
and cats to avoid.
So think of me going
about my business
as you do yours.
My way is a small way,
but it matters to me.’
Linda Rushby 14 April 2022
Fans of the late, great Terry Pratchett will recognise the literary reference in this, which was inspired by yet another image from the British Library.
The Turtle Moves
Through the deeps of space with a world on its back
The Turtle Moves.
Its ponderous fins coast the solar winds
and The Turtle Moves.
Whether you believe, or whether you don’t,
still The Turtle Moves.
Imagination drives it on
so The Turtle Moves.
Linda Rushby 13 April 2022
#NaPoWriMo
Words fail me.
Here is a haiku inspired by 1) listening to the news and 2) a book cover image from the British Library website.
Open your eyes now
Linda Rushby 12 April 2022
and see the World As It Is
if you can bear it.
#NaPoWriMo
I seem to be on a nonet-roll.
Redemption
That was the day when the weather broke.
Months of drought had ravaged the land.
Parched brown fields, cracked and fire-wracked
lay exhausted until
the clouds burst and a
rainbow appeared
there in the
falling
rain.
Linda Rushby 11 April 2022
Southsea Storytellers 