My fingers tremble as I lift her, just a whisper of shell-bone and feather. Her wings are warm and soft, folded and still in the cup of my hands, her eyes, half closed, hide their shine. I look to the sky filled with wingbeats and … Continue readingAFTERSHOCK

Here is the latest of my Welsh language poems about the River Dee (English version below). Many thanks to my brother-in-law, Brian Bishop, for permission to use his stunning image as my cover photo. Y FFIN AFLONYDD Goruwch Llanuwchllyn Yng ngwyllt Eryri, Mae Afon Dyfrdwy’n … Continue readingY FFIN AFLONYDD – THE RESTLESS BORDER

I have decided to write a small collection of poems in the Welsh language, inspired by my favourite river, the Dee, which rises in the mountains of Snowdonia and reaches the estuary between the Wirral and north Wales after a journey of 100 km.. I … Continue readingAR DYWODAU’R DDYFRDWY (ON THE SANDS OF DEE)

The captivating and insistent song of a bird draws me out into the garden at around 7.30 pm.  It is unseasonably warm, the evening light diffused and soft.  I follow the sound, and discover the little bird, a robin, singing his heart out at the … Continue readingSEPTEMBER SKETCH AT TWILIGHT

I come from a house in the air with no garden, but railings we’d climb without fear, near the clanging shipyard and the sound of the hooter, where sometimes we’d wait by the gates for my dad.  I come from streets where the rag and … Continue readingTHE TIME BEFORE

Anxious, and trying to make sense of the situation late one night in the middle of the second UK lockdown, I was searching through the news headlines on AOL, and started playing around with them to see what I could come up with. These are … Continue readingNOT NECESSARILY IN THE RIGHT ORDER

“Stones dream of shapes they might become. The sculptor has but to listen.” Thurin-Jon
… Continue readingTHE SCULPTOR

Like so many other events over the past twelve months, the Learners Eisteddfod 2021 took place via a Zoom link, but it was still a very enjoyable and entertaining evening, a wonderful celebration of Welsh language and culture. This year, I decided to try my … Continue readingGOBAITH/HOPE

The room is small and simple, just two single beds side by side, and a chest of drawers with a fish tank on top.  The beds are covered with quilted nylon bedspreads and we get shocks and see sparks if we turn over too quickly … Continue readingTHE DREAMING

A few years ago, whilst on holiday in Hay-on-Wye, the famous book town of Wales, I found myself endlessly drawn to a poster in a shop window. It was Jackie Morris’ evocative illustration, ‘The Names of the Otter’’. I was fascinated by its magical incantation … Continue readingY DWRGI – THE WATER DOG