red evening sky
a pair of swifts returning
find their old nest - FS

a rush between the terraces
a few seconds, they're gone - DP

time passes
old men sit dreaming
nothing to do - JS

roused from the club chair
by the division bell - DP

returning by Half Moon Street
he scans the doorways
for chance encounters - LW

shadow of an owl
a mouse shrinks back - DL

windripples
field after field
of ripening wheat - ML

under the beating sun
hot breath on his neck - FS

afterwards
in the shower he finds
someone else's shampoo - ML

driving sleet
umbrellas bloom - JS

Christmas dinner
for the old miser
tinned mushroom soup - ML

snow-laden bough
cracks to the ground - DL

above the basses
in undulating flight
trebles thread the clerestory - JS

orbiting the moon
cosmonauts look for God - FS

"when I'm not there
they're going round in circles
chasing nowt" - DP

the faked throw
tricks the dog every time - ML

on the duvet cover
roses and violets
smelling of talc - JS

beneath the window
chalked outline of the victim - FS

a silent moment
the gum-chewing detective
blows a bubble - ML

seed-pods explode
at a single touch - DL

a rusting pin
keeps the veteran's grenade
safe for a while - AB

Armistice Parade
last man from World War One - JS

St. Andrew's Day
they christen their firstborn
"George" - ML

December wedding
bronze chrysanthemums - JS

the bells come and go
he comes
....and goes - ML

the box of chocolate
remains unopened - AB

deep-sea divers
spy treasure
through the misted porthole - FS

rising on the waves
manatee or mermaid? - LW

still water
the moon re-assembles
where the man disappeared - DP

"most women hide
more than they show" - JS

tea interval
the crowd applauds
a streaker - ML

they hold their Union Jacks
against incessant rain - FS

on a green branch
the first butterfly
unfolds its wings - JS

down at the allotment
the earlies are dug in - DL

four years old
he takes her a bunch
of dandelions - FS

two on the faintest breeze
one seed touching the other - DP

Skipton, England. July 29, 1995.