A Page of Poems : Non-Rhyming
Pelican Crossing
(Nov 2005)
The green man shines.
An old lady shuffles across the road,
slowly, very slowly
while a young man sits at the wheel,
impatient fingers drumming.
The green man flashes.
The old lady shuffles across the road,
slowly, very slowly
while an engine revs under an eager foot.
The green man turns red.
The old lady shuffles onto the pavement,
slowly, very slowly
and the car leaps forward, free at last.
The old lady stops to rest.
She remembers how she used to run across
but not now, not ever again,
those times are past,
times that just rushed by. ***
A Brush With A Fox
(Jul 2002)
Mid-afternoon by the summerhouse
we came face to face
and his eyes were full of the same surprise
that was holding me frozen in mid-movement
as if I were playing "Statues".
There was no fear in those bright eyes
- just surprise and curiosity -
for this was his territory as well as mine,
only our timeshare schedules
had clashed.
For a moment he stood looking at me,
perhaps wondering how long
I could stay balanced on one leg,
then he disappeared into the bushes:
I'd been given the brush off. ***
Bother!
(Jul 2001)
Sad but true!
Three days ago I was using my electric hedge trimmer
and I cut through the cable - bother!
Yesterday I was thinning the Virginia Creeper round the house
and I cut through the television aerial cable - bother!
Today I've got to cut my toenails - help!
***
Discretion
(Aug 2000)
It's the evening before
the morning after
the night before
and I don't feel very well
so I'm going home early. ***
Doorways
(Mar 2001)
Leaving behind the sunshine
I turn the corner and walk slowly into the smog.
I pass the hazy halo of a streetlight
And hear the coughs and murmurs of the invisible.
A sudden flare of sulphur illuminates little,
But the acrid smell bites its way through
The layers of smoky mist
Followed by a gentle sigh of hidden contentment.
Glow-worms dance in the shadows
As feet shuffle and doors open and close.
I feel my way to the entrance
And walk into a bright new world
Beyond the sign that says
"No Smoking In This Building".
***
Evasive Action
(Sep 2000)
Oh No! it's that boring man from number forty-five.
He's on the other side of the road and yes,
He's going to cross over.
What do I do?
Stop and look in this shop window?
Bend down and pretend to tie my shoelace?
Cross over myself and look the other way?
Oh Oh! He's spotted me.
Hang on, he's turned and walked the other way.
Well I don't know, how rude can you get? ***
The
Mobile Phone
(1994)
Written before the advent of "pay as you go"
etc..
I've had a mobile phone for quite some time now -
But nobody ever rings me.
Mind you, I haven't given the number to anyone,
But I still carry it around in case.
Not that it matters, 'cos I only bought it for emergencies,
Though every now and then I like to make sure it still works.
But I haven't really got anything to say to anyone
So I don't do it very often.
And when I do, I find I've forgotten how because
There are so many buttons with programs on
That it's very hard to remember what's on what - and I can't.
And when I do eventually work it out
I don't often get through because the battery's flat,
Or I'm outside the service area, or the other phone isn't switched on.
And every month I still have to pay the bill,
Of which only two percent seems to be for calls.
Still, I only bought it for the convenience. ***
No-Man's-Land
(Sep 2002)
Three sorts of cross in this one!
They met
everyday
on the bridge
and looked down on the river that
separated their countries and their lives.
Then she would go back
to her side,
and he to
his, but
one day
she didn't
come, which
made him cross. ***
all the above works are copyright David Axton © All Rights Reserved
| 
