.
In the morning chill
fathers in holiday shorts
queue up for croissants
content in the knowledge that
their families aren’t up yet.
.
by Scooj.
Category: 3. Poems
Caught in a rainstorm
A map of London
printed on the underside
of my umbrella;
incongruous reminder
of my original home.
by Scooj
Of loss and love
Three thousand runners
with numbers pinned to their fronts
and there on their backs
a message, the loved ones lost.
I wept for my step father.
by Scooj
Peacock
Intimidating
deception masks a higher
imperative to
survive juvenility
into metamorphosis.
by Scooj
- Below – the peacock butterfly that inspired my first haiku. This Tanka is about the peacock butterfly caterpillar.
Running the gauntlet
The walk to my school
filled my heart with a deep dread;
cap and bag held tight
I was an easy target
for bullies on the estate.
by Scooj
(why I don’t like) Ivy
Its relentless surge
strangling dispassionately
all it encounters
and the berries, destined to
paint my car in pigeon poop.
by Scooj
- I was going to leave this as a haiku, but had so much more to say, and the rage in me added the two extra lines to make the tanka. The first version used a different word to poop, but I moderated it a little. Feel free to use the original word if it makes it more impactful.
Metro Mayor
An empty church hall
decked out with trestle tables
and three earnest clerks,
I pencil in my crosses;
my vote is cast. There it is.
by Scooj
I expect a very low turnout for the metro mayor election.
Celandine
.
delicate flower
beautiful beyond compare
yet beauty deceives
as you spread your roots and leaves
you’ll not be mine celandine
.
by Scooj
Tanka 2
Ancient limestone rock
scoured by ceaseless storms and surf
and where a perfect
bowl is carved by swirling stones
a gift, a pool filled with life.
by Scooj
Limerick 2
I’ve struggled at times to articulate
the science of matters particulate
quantum physics is not
a pursuit that I’ve got
any time for or wish to consolidate.
by Scooj
That’s enough limericks for a while.
Natural adventures 