C Richard Miles Poems

Mirror,
You are so cruel;
You always tell the hard truth:
One day you will be cracked and old
...

The mill is silent now, no lasses tread
In clattering wooden clogs and tattered frocks
Across the greasy floor of cotton sheds,
For time has latched the door and turned the lock.
...

The photocopier’s stopped again; it’s really not much use.
We’ll have to get another one, since it won’t reproduce
And even when it does, it’s slow and mucks up every copy.
If you want double-sided, you can sup ten cups of coffee
...

The sun has sent the thaw so, from the rime-bound trees
The snow melts, dripping silver droplets from the leaves
And ivy, glossy green against the slush-grey snow
Shines out the Christmas message clear on those below,
...

The mystery of Christmas: God alone
Knows why He came to earth, gave up His throne
When He could have so many precious things
To satisfy Him. Yet the King of Kings
...

Now spring is sprung and all is verdant green,
Why does my outlook still seem dark and dull?
Why do sad sentiments exert their pull
To take me to a gloomier, dismal scene?
...

I'm a rabbit with a habit.
I haven't got an itch.
Like a midget who might fidget,
My whiskers have to twitch.
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Now frost is free, can any feeble flower have life?
Can any weakling bud still hang on bough or tree?
How may I gather garlands for my waiting wife,
Now frost is free?
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Tyrannosaurus Rex, Tyrannosaurus Rex
Used to chase the other dinosaurs
And grab ’em by their necks
But now they’re only plastic
...

In Oxenhope my mind flashed back to past times
As, between squat flagstone terraces, I spotted
Slack lines of laundry loose-hung over cobbles:
...