“God bless this bread
And God preserve
The breadwinner”, I murmur
Making the sign
...
I never met my only sister
Never saw her save in dreams.
Sometimes she dressed in drifting mists,
Or else in filmy robes she lazed
...
Some call it checkers,
I call it draughts.
Don't play with me
If you think it's just a game
...
As soon as I step upon the deck
Of any boat or ship afloat
I feel at home and ready to roam
The ocean wide come wind or tide,
...
White tea,
aristocrat that once
an emperor’s concubines’
slim fingers plucked
...
Last night I dreamt
I was in bed
with Mary Magdalen.
We lay side by side
...
“Do not fear us — fear God! ”,
The notice in the visa office says,
But is that what they really mean?
I fear not! For bureaucrats,
...
'You can't teach an old dog
new tricks', they say, pathetically,
expecting you to nod and agree;
nod I might to be polite
...
I got to looking at this dressing table,
the one we share, my wife and I,
plain white painted wood with a backing mirror,
she has the right side, I have the left.
...
What is it about November
that always gives me the blues?
Is it the sky, heavy as sin
or is it the wind that seems to whistle
...