I can't believe that Barcelona wore green

We search for the red leaves in the green of the trees
Green is the least pleasant of colours
improved to turquoise with a dash of blue
It's a background rather than a foreground colour

It's the colour of a goalkeeper's shirt and
should never be worn by outfield players
apologies to Yeovil and Plymouth fans
It is the opposite of red
the boring anti-colour that nobody can
find anything good to match up to it
and so it eventually disappears from view
and please don't get me started on brown.

Draft version 1.0, 25/2/2011. Please do not copy or cite without author's permission.

My new prescription Ray-Bans

The world looks better through Ray-Bans
It means the sun is out
Warm jumper, Ray-Bans, dew on the grass
yellow sun, green reflected water drops, light and shade


Glorious beauty, even in the old metal
of cars, the pot-holes, the dead bird's feathers
did I mention that I had a cat?
He eats the bird whole and leaves feathers for us


The sun shines through slatted blinds
I write with a red pen, black shadow on
white paper. Chiarascuro
Reminding me of something I can't quite get


Draft version 1.0, 23/2/2011. Please do not copy or cite without author's permission.

Tuesday Evening Drinking

Cracked toast, coffee flavour, citrus top notes
front head ache the following day means a porter night
Session beers at five per cent with a very big head
(to minimize the units and add flavour)

High chairs, high table, long bar, quiet night
Tuesday night drinking is for the few round here
The Robert Shaw used to be a co-op you know
the cricket club is now a Sainsbury's

The next refreshing pint arrives
Lager style beer, Silver King
Three fifths bitter, three fifths sweet
a citrus, lemon, golden treat

Draft version 1.0, 23/2/2011. Please do not copy or cite without author's permission.

On handling delegation

They put me in charge Tuesday 'cos
nobody is left, February half term
There are seven pieces of work to hit 
a team of four and they'll all hit Friday

The other teams will want the monkeys off
their backs on Friday, clearing their inbox
passing the actions on, down the food chain
to me, and I will delegat up, but that's me too.

Friday afternoon is not looking good.
It's Tuesday, and Wednesday and Thursday are full
but I have the resolution in my control
A cross business meeting one till five in the pub.

Draft version 1.0, 22/2/2011. Please do not copy or cite without author's permission.

Demo Material

I have more creating to do today
but it is to improve another man's work
This! This is never easy, it is critical
no matter how positive you may wish it

I am stealing somebody else's joke
Making it mine by overlaying words
I am attempting referential integrity

Do other people care as I do
I see repeated things portrayed original
the history of an idea has mixed heritage

I create on, recording, overwritin
delighting in the thing I've made 

Draft version 1.0, 22/2/2011. Please do not copy or cite without author's permission.

Cup of tea get me through the day

Today will be in black and white

Today will be grainy and fade

Oh well consider it recorded, coloured

by photos, the internet, this log, the news

but today will be in black and white.

White noise the kettle boils, then ... tea

I have checked my mail, read the news

caught up with the weekend, waiting for

the first call at lunchtime, feeling cold,

warm jumper on, and a hot cup of tea

Seven more years and I'll be financially

independent, that's around 4200 more

cups to go, I think I can manage it.

Draft version 1.0, 21/2/2011. Please do not copy or cite without author's permission.

Monday Morning Blues

I am in between busy times
expected to turn on the imagination
be creative, create proposals
as easy as clicking fingers

But my brain is empty of ideas
stir my porridge, let it cool
the glossy milk glistens in the light
and my ideas are still in shadow

Perhaps they're with the swans in the pond
Perhaps they've flown like Friday's geese
wherever they are, they didn't reveal themselves
So I will turn to other work.

Draft version 1.0, 21/2/2011. Please do not copy or cite without author's permission.