William Messent

While sailing by beyond the fringe
I caught a song by Ronald Binge,
Heralding the Shipping Forecast -
"Attention, all at sea! "
...

Old Newton
in his darkened room
refracting prism colours.
...

She always loved chrysanthemums,
my mum.
Those long-lived strong proud stems,
topped with blooms of vibrant colour,
...

I crave the timeless peace and joy
This music often brings
To souls with whom the world would toy
And run around in rings.
...

Three thousand years I've rested here,
Looking out across the plain,
Watching over Dragon Hill,
Many changes I have seen.
...

Six minutes to six. I'm ready for tea,
The forecast for shipping - what is in store?
My chair is a vessel far out on the sea,
Rain, moderate or good, occasion'ly poor.
...

When life seems tough and full of care
And things go wrong at every turn,
Reach out, there's music in the air.
...

An
Ancient
Alchemy,
Quaint combination:
...

Steeply runs the path down Betjeman Lane,
And swiftly flows the stream that's Letcombe Brook.
We enter through a rusty wrought-iron gate
Arriving at a secret sylvan scene,
...

The nights are long, the weather drear,
An eastern wind blows cold and keen -
This is the mean time of the year.
...

The gulled sky shrieks above a mournful sea;
In the grey austerity, the wind moans.

Like candyfloss, spun by the waves,
...

Hear the song of humpback whales
Gathering in Hawaiian waters,
Gathering for Cetacean opera,
Male exclusive grand recital;
...

The January snow has thawed and gone at last
And in its wake a single snowdrop stands:
It grew unseen beneath a shining shroud
Which melted to reveal the hope of Spring,
...

Take Five (5/4) :
He was a great man
Our David Brubeck;
Jazz was a big hit
...

My name is Fritz, Shrödinger's Cat,
I sometimes wonder where I'm at.
Within a small world I exist;
My master, he's a physicist
...

Desolate sea
between steel sky and dusky shore.
A sinister mist creeps in,
adds to the grey gloom.
...

In memoriam, Sir John Betjeman.
He was a nature-loving gentle man,
Anglican by faith, a genial fellow
As bright and colourful as Piper's window,
...

In twenty three a star was born,
A supernova amateur
Amongst a galaxy of pros.
Self-taught, he'd gain respect from all.
...

Grey and wet,
A soggy Sidmouth
Greets the stalwart Sunday trippers,
...

You know, it's strange how much our sense of smell
Associates itself with past events.
The slightest whiff is all we need to dwell
A hundred miles away or decades hence.
...