SNAPSHOT POETRY CYCLE

MOON

Swimming, this feeling

A slither, diving in

As Monday nears an end.

Swinging and whistling, against the day

A rout of light, dampened by rain

As Monday nears an end.

Diffused in the deluge, parting the waves

Hands meet, separate, and mark the way

As Monday nears an end.

MARS

Swim through this, steal the secret

Of one last sliding wish

The kiss hangs loosely, in mid-air

Sent to a windowpane

Its breath before us is

Wiped, the stain of love

Fingers stick onto the glass;

The invisible shield protecting us

From the tide. Swim through this.

MERCURY

Love occupies life
Or lack of love
Distorting momentum

Love occupies life
Or its overdose
Stalling propulsion

Love occupies
And yet it runs free...
Harmonising with living
A new alarm is...

Ringing
Tinging
Ring-a
-Linging.

JUPITER

Chant it
Sing it
Wing it
Catch wind of it

Breathe it
Dig it
Deep it
Keep it

Breathe it
Wing it
Chant it
– Sing it!

VENUS

Shadows of the night follow Venus

We are buffering air

Skimming over the bridge
Skeins of light spill and skit

Shadows are all around, we threadle
In between scenes with speed

And lost inside this puppet play
Inside our own shadow box;
A toy theatre, its construct mere paper
And magicked by infant trickery

Shadows follow but
Do we chase tails
Or do tails lasso us
As the set is changed around

Are we coursing for a sunrise or
Only ever to find another destination
Only ever to arrive at the next dawn.

SATURN

Grey unhalted
Back-forth-back
Slish-slash

Drawing a breath
Like a draft
From a cigarette

Lovers caress
Under rainfall forever
On dank London streets

Slash-slish
Forth-back-forth
Unhalted grey.

SUN

Shards of reflection
Coast glide steal kill

Broken
        Mirror
                Descendant
                        From
                                Nowhere.

Unto unexpectation
Sunday turns...

 





© Martin Slidel, London, November 1999

Photographs © Martin Slidel 2021