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
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 6th
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 3rd 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.
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
Thought Provoking and Intelligent
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