On Guard

picture of a falcon
Falcon, a feathered Visitor at BASIC, (Image : Brian F Kirkham)

Salford Quays, 27th October 2019

They’re ravishing the street again

plundering pigeons like pirates

sat hovering above the people

as they look for picnics to plunder

But who’s this flash feathered hero

saving our sandwiches ?

the pigeons fly off to another perch

when they see the falcon flying

Balefire

Salford, Thursday 24th October 2019

They’d spent days planning this

sourcing the location

and the straw to build

their balefire

The structure they said

would have to be sound

for the safety of little uns

watching around

so they stacked up the straw

and waited for dawn

before setting alight

the straw and the thorn

And whilst straw burned away

things glowed in the air

as rockets and whistlers

lit up the fair

Breathe

#Octpowrimo #Camera #Breathe #Acrostic

Salford, 24th October 2019

An acrostic of self help and photography!

Back on the corner of the quay

Really trying to grab the colours in that iconic building

Except – right at this moment – it’s not working for you

A time to step back, assess and relax

Take five , sit down and enjoy a drink of something frothy

Have something delightfully gooey and sweet and

Exhale – it’ll still be there when you get back

Two brothers

#octpowrimo #dogs #pointers

Two dogs…twins ? By inky

Been apart for a while , but

Really you never forget family

Out on the green fields

Two siblings meet, for the first time in a while

Happy to see each other, with

Eager calls and sniffs

Ready to run after one another for

Simply enjoying the moment

Memories of a Tabby Cat

Salford, 23rd October 2019

#Octpowrimo #cat #Memories

They called you crazy – but you were quite a character,

king of the garden and the dining room floor

ignoring the cat food – for sardines or cod

and eating fish batter – which I found rather odd

got into a fuss if little ones picked you up

but clawed for attention – worse than a pup

playing with wool balls – attending your brain

then jumping out th’window – into spring rain

You didn’t like little uns pulling your tail

but would destroy others dinners beyond the pail

dashing to your sleep spot and blanket to hide

hoping you wouldn’t be hurled outside

Sat watching telly – on the rug in the house

occasionally playing with your catnip mouse

flicking your tail, when you wanted a feed

and hiding under the sofa when you did a bad deed

Octpowrimo – Day 22 – Broken pieces

#Octpowrimo #Brokenpieces

Imperial War Museum North, Manchester UK (via the Inkwell), 22nd October 2019

How does someone express the act of war ?

take you through a hundred years

and tell that tale – that no one else can tell anymore.

The man with a vision

took a thing for brewing his cuppa

and changed it into something – iconic

Smashed with a hammer

Earth air and water

came together and reformed

Falling at the side of a waterway

painted by a painter

who’s centre stood next door

And in the evening sunlight

the air shard shone as shimmering light

cascaded off its solid steel

Morning beckons

and the tales from the shards

can be heard across town

from the tales within.