And why fly after him
that handsome laughing boy
impulsive and cruel
if not to be mesmerised
to find herself lost
untethered for a while?

rigger boots
a sea of hi-vis
roadmen
builders
farm boys 
the man who empties slurry pits
the painter's black dog
leans in
velvet soft
warm to the touch

sometimes he goes Yip!
but mostly it is Yap!

people turn around
to see what all the fuss is

this makes him very happy
see, his big smile!

he bounces on his hind legs
he likes a crowd

there he goes again
Yap!Yap!Yap!

I do not like the sound
all that yapping

I do not like the sound
and I do not like the man

the man in blue scrubs
who really is a Doctor
has gone
slipped into the building
that once was a hospital 
and is still a hospital
just not a building

you can bake your bread
in the comfort of your own home
in a modern fan oven
set at 200 degrees
or out in the open
in a hastily made Tabun or
if you have no clay, dung or straw
use a piece of metal
dome shaped if you can
scavenged from wreckage
over an open fire

It takes medieval nous
the sharpest knife you have

a way with sugar
and orange blossom

the courage of Quixote
the patience of Panza

The distance closed
between points A and B
by a modern fighter jet
can be measured in heartbeats

the number of heartbeats
depends upon geography

This song will stay with them
long after the fires

after phosphorous
after petroleum

after the trials
after rebuilding

and will be repeated
in one way or another

in many places 
on most days

Mid-Victorian
GNR signal box
wooden frame & panelling
cream/black paintwork (flaking)
simple carved eaves
wooden finials
iron balcony
generous windows
the whole of fair proportions
briar & dog rose
bat roost
bird house
black fence
KEEP OUT sign

She is still there
the woman in the forest

sometimes there are children

the sun is still shining
and it is always that time

where Spring tilts into Summer
a time of new leaves

there is a cool breeze
there are trout in the river

and somewhere safe
a small and perfect cabin

it is a good dream
worth having

but it is leaving him now
because he is concentrating

on the old woman 
with shopping bags

who zig zags down the street
moving pretty fast