river 2012 - 31

straightfalling rain both water and ice

With many thanks to Fiona and Kaspa for the inspiration and encouragement this month.

river 2012 - 29

edge of sleep
turning the pillow
for the cold side

river 2012 - 28

winter sunshine
the neighbour's pigeons
rise as one

river 2012 -27

the setting sun fires
the edges of storm clouds
over the sea

home-made soup
before I leave

river 2012 - 26

one of those days:
my great nephew asks me
if I'm a girl or a boy

river 2012 - 25

the old stories we find
along the banks of the wild brook
leaf-mulch, fresh rain

river 2012 - 24

driving the kids to school:
even in all this rain I can't compete
with Flo and Ramone

river 2012 - 23

The metal detector man shows me his haul: 10p, 50p, some batteries, a hard lump of rock. 'And my mate found the 50p when I gave him a go,' he says. I am looking for treasure myself - the memory from my childhood of a wreck at the Ferry Bend. Mostly we never made it to the point where the River Neath divides the land, mostly we were distracted by the sand dunes, the carpets of shells, or we decided it was too far to walk anyway and turned back. Maybe there was never a wreck. There isn't today. But there is still treasure here.

river 2012 - 22

another restless night...
the dunes wind-carved
into slides and hollows

river 2012 - 21

the smell of fresh laundry
at what's left of the old hospital wall

a seagull dancing
on the grass in Vivian Park

the sun wrapped in cloud
one minute and free the next

even in the cold face of the wind
laughter and the smell of the sea

river 2012 - 20

Some things don't change: the sound of the sea from a street away, a screech of seagull, the broken walls around some houses on the bend in the road. How I have started counting my steps to see how many it takes to get to school.

Some things change: the locked doors of the school, the posters in Welsh, the rise and fall of its syllables in the corridors, the mothers on the floor of the hall with their babies for free Language and Play.

Some things don't change: the little boy in Nursery who hugs the Headmistress's legs when she walks past.

river 2012 - 19

home to Wales -
each time I check
the bend in the track
I'm sure I glimpse the train