D Major Fur Mo

The Cage

The parrot starts to sing Paani Da
as I play the E minor Chord.
He tries to be in tune but the heat
is getting to him. A.C. is not working,
roof is leaking, maid has not turned up,
Zomato guys are taking ages to deliver
a Cheese Frankie. Nick is still in coma.
I shift the chord to D. It’s ungainly
but the parrot does finish his song

By Jay Gandhi

These Are Victories

fresh green shoots, leaves and flowers,
woodlands heady scent of wild garlic ,
bird song and bleating lambs
wild daffodils appear alongside the river
smaller and more delicate,
trumpet shaped flower a paler yellow.

kittiwakes, guillemots,
razorbills, gannets,
fulmar, shag and puffin
return to seacliffs

blackthorn blossom a froth
of clustered white flowers
on thorny branches
before the leaves burst bud.

curlew’s soft, bubbling call,
Ring Ouzel’s a blackbird
with white bib blasting
out of the heather

emperor’s, orange and yellow
day-flying moths, eyespot patterns
on their four wings, struggle
from cocoons on the moors.

Mo sits and downs a sacrifice of golden ale
sunglint on pint glass, a fine sup,
thankful another winter’s
deaths and distress worked through.

By Paul Brookes