(For Julia Howe and to our grandchildren)
I am a tiger, roaring,
and you run, screaming, to hide
...
I have caught tears in my mouth,
washed in the dust of the dead,
...
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for they shall be beloved by their exploiters.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit nothing and yet be satisfied.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be renowned after they have been killed.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs
...
(For everyone involved in Poetry Teignmouth)
They wait in ambush,
poems by writers
...
(for Suzanna)
Christmas blossom fades:
A newborn daughter cries out
...
Privatisation
Shortage of staff
Emergency repairs
Signal failures
...
(for Elvina)
Abandoned stone heads
Survey wasted treeless land –
...
I offer neither jewels nor bars of gold
Wrested with men’s blood
From the earth’s heart.
...