Directions

Can You Get There without a Smart Phone?

Yes, if you measure distance in roods and furlongs anyway

and don’t need to know where you are going

exactly or how many milliseconds it will take you

to get there, and if you are content to sojourn up

and down boreens and by- roads and have to double

back again, discovering vistas not tagged or flagged

on your Memo, if you can allow yourself

to get lost from time to time, if you have

all the time in the world.

It helps if you are stoical.

It helps if you are patient.

It helps if you have a Samsung SGH T199

and no Sat Nav

and no other choice.

Copyright with Cathy Leonard 2016

How To Crack a Crab or Edit a Poem

How to Crack a Crab or Edit a Poem

Immerse in hot water.

Boil, steam or braise until pink.

Remove unwanted parts by snap-

ping. Pry open apron and lose

it. Twist off the shell and extract

the core, the heart, the body meat.

Avoid the mallet and discard

the shell, the tendons, the juices

the extraneous bits. And there

you have it, finger-picked clean,

a cracked-crab or poem
on the very same theme.

Copyright with Cathy Leonard 2016

The Followers

We spread like a stain,

following a rumour, compelled

by a wound of our own making

and yours. Your forefathers,

like us, crested the waves,

following the Northern Star

in quest of a new beginning.

You met them with the same

curses and barbed wire fences,

bureaucracy and necromancy.

But they persisted, their stain

seeping into you, making you

who you are. Like them,

our course is set, our maps charted.

Whatever the weather,

we are making for the High Seas.

Copyright with Cathy Leonard 2016

Walkers

My friend measures her steps-

Units per Minute-Speed per Kilometre

Her morning amble punctuated

by App-Speak-Ratings. Oblivious

to all but Rate-Ratio.

Another one rambles, declines

inclines, prefers snail-speed

and lumber. Ear cocked

to the wind, extending his wing

-span to embrace virtual flight.

I follow my dog, sniffing

at every tree trunk, meandering

through meadow-sweet, rolling

in suspect matter from time to time.

Tail up, snout down, lolling it.

Which type of walker are you?

The Cleaners

We do not send promotional literature

usually. Usually we turn up at any kerb

unsolicited. We have no licence

to operate in your area.

Unpermitted we rummage, haul away all

that is salvageable. You do not

always see us. You do not always

want to. When we are done rearranging

your excess you are secretly

pleased. Sometimes you see us and pretend

not to. We thrive on dung hills and skip piles

ignore EU regulations and local County Council bye-

laws. You could be deemed complicit

in our offence, your offence

too. Unprosecuted, uncontrolled, untraceable

we will return at any time to any kerb

Copyright with Cathy Leonard 2016

Virtual virus

Have witnessed the development of an alarming phenomenon since my last post. 

Am sure you have experienced it too....

Perhaps you are even one of..... them!!

Virtual Crusaders

Geotagged, the park has become

a portal. It has morphed over-

night into jousting arena

replete with mobile-device- mounted

knights and virtual monsters.

Public space, private space, any space

co-opted, besieged, overlaid,

laid claim to by free gaming app crusaders.

Could myspace or urs be the next

Stop-Gym-Portal?

Copyright with Cathy Leonard 2016

WaVeS

For Marie-Helene



Sun-driven they come
Line upon broken line they roar
Plunge,lift and soar
Throw themselves spent
Upon the shore.



And for Stephen

I might
Step into you
If you let me...




Copyright with Cathy Leonard 2016