Five Poems by Wendy Webb

 

UNWILDING IN CORRIDORS NEAR YOU, SOON

 

There’s an island

off the northernmost tip of Scotland

abandoned by human inhabitants

 

Gradually its reverted to its wild state

not rewilding   exactly   nothing remains

unchanged by years of domestication

 

Around the world environmentalists

are returning earth to Eden

long in tooth and claw and adapted genes

 

No longer the same, diversity restored

with Darwinesque flattened ears

servitude written large in reproductive selection

 

One man visits the island   observing interactions

of flora and fauna   from Chernobyl

to the Americas    Warned to lock dilapidated door

 

in Rose Cottage   against marauding cows

left to rewild   breed   herd  anoint a king

worshipped by constant attention   exiled

 

Until death   decay   empathy   touch   scent

of decomposition   good and bad breeding years

Will they die out?  Maraud vast Germanic forests

 

by 3rd Reich gene experiments?

Humans eyeballed   then ignored

Safety in distance       Not so safe

 

for ornithologists dive-bombed by protective

species of gull, puffin and other imponderables

How many generations before race forgets human

 

intervention   Meanwhile, in hospitals

around the UK   Rose Cottage in human naiveté

is relatively sanitised     the morgue 

 

LXX Platinum septuagint nuclear aircraft carrier blessed perfection

 

Neunundsechzig galanthus (snowdrops) weeping pearls in winter

68 eranthis winter aconites glowing sunshine

Sessantasette the nineteenth prime number counting towards Spring

Sixty-six Bingo for some, State Pension Age for others

Soixante-cinq SciFi, Rotten Tomatoes or simply sapphire (repeated)

64 anemones scattered in brash or hidden shades

Eksínda tría species crocuses glow on dark mornings

62 peace and quiet white noise relaxation

Enogtres year-old lay in her London flat undiscovered for two years

LX Sunday 6^th February AD60, Nero ruled, Boudicca raged blue woad to Londinium.

Neunundfünfzig saving up for diamonds’ many-faceted gems

58 shades of grey indoors, muscari skies

Cinquantasette unimpressive daisies popping up everywhere

Fifty-six special forces tanks destroyed near Kyiv

Cinquante-cinq Emerald Isle or eyes or jealous years

54 early narcissi appear like seismically challenged celebrities

Penínda tría daffodillies trumpet their arrival in ticking sequences

52 ‘To make some special instant’ in a sonnet

Enoghalvtreds flower types from garden centre or florist

L The fifty airmen murdered by Gestapo (WWII) or Rickrolling a new album

Neunundvierzig fools’ gold if purchased early, or marigold blooms

48 plug plants grown in a greenhouse

Quarantasette TV gardening programmes to enjoy

Forty-six seeds lightly tapped out in a row

Quarante-cinq sapphires for those eyes, with skies of iris

44 gourmet years, a happy menopause

Saránda tría powerful Jupiter and Neptune, in its prime

42 foods avoiding the afternoon slump 

Enogfyrre nasturtiums are flash prolific

XL Floods, deserts, temptations and laws, while Russian ghosts linger too fast

Neununddreißig counting the war in Ukraine by days

38 woodland trees for memory and breath  

Trentasette stars on a flag long-ago beyond the pond

Thirty-six lupins gorged by bees and leaves lacy with caterpillars

Trente-cinq coral or jade to encourage warm love to gleam

34 desert delights or delicious puddings

Triánda tría roses for scent and florabundance, minus blackspot

32 asters glow like Autumn daisies in time for Michaelmas

Enogtredive nurseries, for flowers or infants

XXX A dodecahedron has the edge, especially for US Senators, or Judas’ silver

Neunundzwanzig early pearl teeth or ivory keys stamp diamond feet

28 gladioli soon fizzle and die   

Ventisette atomic number of cobalt, summoning dark matter

Twenty-six Ukrainian troops ‘break through toughest Russian lines’

Vingt-cinq silver or moonshine, avoid lilies beyond bouquets

24 glories of agapanthi, an indoor ocean

Íkosi tría SAS operating in difficult circumstances

22 dahlias avoiding mildew

Enogtyve nursery rhymes on YouTube

XX In the celebration of Japanese adulthood, when counting infant milk teeth

Neunzehn china breaks easily and soon, patiently wish platinum’s perfection

18 milestones, majority or key of the door

Diciassette driving forces towards adulthood  

Sixteen tall tulips planted late to avoid rot

Quinze crystal face so you count no ticking watches

14 work, emancipation or vaccinations  

Dekatría unlucky for some, counting by the moon

12 Ukrainian dishes for Christmas Eve

Elleve giant naked ladies for colchicum Autumn

X Early signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s, significantly named Number 10

Neun fickle tin, don’t bang a spoon for diamonds

8 Apollo orbits the moon ten times, returning safely home

Sette Brahmi numerals of the 3^rd century BCE, early perfection

Six prime imperfect, all eggs in one basket  

Cinq wooden bowls or next year’s knives and forks

4 made your bed so lie on linen’s flowers

Tría leather or glass, no matter, it may not last  

2 cotton sheets to wash that dirty laundry

En paper waste or book as new year’s ticking clock.

Navigation’s Timepiece

Bare hands crossed, ticking lovers at the dance,

so young as Cupid’s timepiece bow-sprung song.

Fond hearts bloomed classic ballroom, sparked by chance:

she was a looker; he was handsome/strong.

 

So young as Cupid’s timepiece bow-Spring song,

birthed married love/home/family/new life.

She was a looker, he was handsome/strong,

hard work/forever home for his new wife.

 

Berthed married love/home/family/new life,

harmonious waters sailed: a crew of two.

Hard work/forever home for his new wife,

a son, a daughter, holidays cruised through.

 

Harmonious waters sailed, a crew of two,

storms brewed while navigating shift-work, tears.

A son, a daughter, holidays cruised through,

piled photos of a timely era’s years.       

 

Storms brewed while navigating shift-work, tears,

paper-boats breathed infants’ infants, bobbing.

Piled photos of a timely era’s years,

spreading far and widely Suffolk cobbling.

 

Paper-boats breathed infants, infants bobbing,

who outlived many ears, as crops outburst,

spreading sorrel widely, Suffolk cobbling.

They paused, then left full sail where storms died first.

 

Who outlived many hears – as clocks’ outburst -

so consummate a love from that first glance.

He paused, then left full sail where storms died first,

to mirror last Goodbyes as true romance.

 

So consummate a love from that first glance,

fond hearts bloomed classic ballroom, sparked by chance,

to mirror last Goodbyes as true romance.

Bare hands crossed tickling lovers at the dance.

 

LEGIONS SIEGE HEAVEN’S EARTH (Pantoum)

The pain of Wartime never dies,

reeling from old news of Ukraine’s fight,

as social hotspots thrill to fresh lies.

Iran and Iraq shelter devastating news.

 

Reeling from old news of Ukraine’s fight,

scared easily by North Korea’s rise.

Iran and Iraq shelter devastating news,

famines, floods and earthquakes tower.

 

Scared easily by North Korea’s rise,

distracting fires and terrorism at home.

Famines, floods and earthquakes tower,

no time to please butterflies nor bees.

 

Distracting fires and terrorism at home,

mesmerised by Gaza’s Har Megiddo.

No time to please butterflies nor bees,

worry beads for peace of holy land, like earth.

 

Mesmerised by Gaza’s Har Megiddo,

as social hotspots thrill to fresh lies.

Worry beads for peace of holy land, like earth,

the pain of Wartime never dies.

 

ORBISON SKIES

 

On Tuesday, bought a new car, the sky was blue

next week, sky thunderous, as parked car glowed

lately, oh, pretty woman, shone all summer.

Yesterday  cars were just cars   palatable

 

On Wednesday, avoided torrential downpours, stayed home

next week, took umbrella, forgot sunhat/sunglasses/ all-cotton

lately, all weather’s a dream baby of nightmare TV.

Yesterday, dreams of better weather, or self elsewhere

 

On Thursday, cruising to seaside of sunshine tourists

next week, used bus pass to go nowhere fast

lately, drove all night uphill and out of breath.

Yesterday, floods or hurricanes, hail or fuel embargo

 

On Friday, local delivery of veggies, minus melon

next week, took a week off to celebrate

lately, crying like onions for World Peace.

Yesterday’s world displayed bygones out of the rain

 

On Saturday, two melons arrived in compensation

next week, I wondered how to propagate vagarious beans

lately, all-weathers daily seems like recompense.

Yesterday, tornadoes, floods, failed harvests, drone attacks

 

On Sunday, discovered apple blossom on a confused tree

next week, dug it up for evergreen hardy species

lately, planting and harvesting toasted or drowned babies.

Yesterday, no summer produced monstrous books

 

On Monday, received medical treatment and attempted Zoom

noted week transmogrified into reverse-orderly months

like, too soon to know whether next year will be better.

Years of space travel  countless as stars or PC screens

 

Telling years by months by days or seconds

how everyday life compresses into shopping trips

eating healthily, organic, home-grown vegetables

 

Letting World Peace appear edible as juicy fruit

Orwellian monsters drowned by music

new love sparking gravestone magic

each Moulin Rouge of blossom pleases

like sunshine skies and birdsong warbles.

Years simply fruit sloe days, dripping yesterday.

 

Wendy Webb loves nature, wildlife, symmetry and form and the creative spark. Published in Reach, Sarasvati, Quantum Leap, Crystal, Dreich, Seventh Quarry, The Journal, The Frogmore Papers, Drawn to the Light; online in Littoral, Lothlorien, Autumn Voices, Wildfire Words, Atlantean, Poetry Kit; broadcast Poetry Place. Forthcoming: Amateur Gardening (14/10/23), Leicester Literary Journal. Book: Love’s Floreloquence; Landscapes (with David Norris-Kay) from Amazon; free downloads of other poetry from Obooko.

Love's Floreloquence: Amazon.co.uk: Webb, Wendy Ann, Meek, CT, Meek: 9798850867003: Books

Landscapes: Amazon.co.uk: Webb, Wendy Ann, Norris-Kay, David, Meek, CT, Meek, Norris-Kay, David: 9798851001659: Books