alisonhankinson

Seaside sandcastles

Isn’t summertime just grand

Children playing by the sea-shore

Building seaside castles in the sand

Poolside picnics we demand

Sand in sandwiches we deplore

Isn’t summertime just grand

Sun cream to give a safe tan

And stop our shoulders getting sore

Building seaside castles in the sand.

Sea breeze blows across the land

We can hear the ocean roar

Isn’t summertime just grand

Music mellow from the brass band

Across the pier soothing sounds soar

Building seaside castles in the sand

Collecting seashells and seaweed by hand

Decorating the creations we adore

Isn’t summertime just grand

Building seaside castles in the sand

Alison Jean Hankinson

For d’verse– an attempt at a villanelle…..

Familial traits, the signs we try to hide.

God rest your soul

The sins of the father shall be forever imprinted on your weary brow

He filchered and fettled and frolicked in the sun

Leaving behind a string of homeless wives and penniless sons

These faults are incumbent on you and you will falter and fail

Unless you take heed of the signs and learn the lessons.

Give constancy care and compassion

Avoid adultery and count your blessings.

Alison Jean Hankinson

For d’verse poetics, the challenge was sign.

Bring out yer dead….

Black death blood and guts

Fleas on rats as big as cats

Summer death follows.

Alison Jean Hankinson

V0010682 A rat stowing away on a ship, carrying the plague further af

This is for d’Verse poetics we were asked to write a poem that was related to a sign or symbol and this came from my Year 7 teaching today, where the red cross on the door of a house meant the occupants had the plague and the cries on the street were “Bring out yer dead”.

The image is from Wikimedia.

The file from Wellcome images-

A rat stowing away on a ship, carrying the plague further afield. Drawing by A.L. Tarter, 194-.

Iconographic Collections
Keywords: Albert Lloyd Tarter

Summer sunset at Heysham

Window frames sweated

in the sticky heat of late summer’s evening.

Bats darted through the boughs of silhouetted trees.

The sky was bloodshot and the glassy surface of the sea

reflected the haze of a lazy Sunday.

Stars peppered the night sky like grape-shot.

Alison Jean Hankinson

The challenge for d’Verse #35 this evening was to create a quadrille containing the word pepper to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sgt Pepper…

So this is my offering.

The images were from last night’s sunset as viewed from the upstairs of the house.

Fairground Fay

Fay was away with the fairies

Loves lost dream and high as a coconut shy

She made devil may care seem tame

She made revelling and carousing her game

By daytime she was clean and bright as a button

But lamplight changed her demeanour

like a chameleon she was more of a wanton

One sultry summer night

She got into a fairground fight

And the Police had to pull her out of a fountain.

Alison Jean Hankinson

I think I used this one for humour. We were often referred to as POM’s when we were in the Antipodes. Prisoner of her majesty, as many of the early settlers, were actually from the convict ships sent from England. So even though Fay looked very respectful I wanted to share her darker side…

This is for d’Verse poetics. Our theme was mugshots.

Is Urban Walking a Sport?

So this is my sport and I have had to invent it for me. For many reasons like lack of coordination and skill and other critical factors like health and well-being. I have had to develop my own sport where I can compete against myself. I call it urban walking. I do it with dedicated regularity, attempt an element of speed and finesse and probably walk many kilometres over the course of the average week. The general aim is for about 45 minutes to an hour about 5 times a week and I try to find circular routes and make sure they have a measure of incline and a rewarding and bountiful view. I think it must be a common sport because when I am on the promenade I find many others doing the same thing but usually in sportier attire than I.

It is a rewarding sport, the view and vistas change with the weather and the seasons and pathway travelled. I have my favourite haunts and my own little challenges along the way, do we need windswept today or are we more content to smell the flowers. Often my husband joins me in my urban wanderings and then it is more competitive, he has a slightly longer stride than I and he is always on a mission to push and exert and add a little extra challenge, sometimes it is I that lead the challenge following a day of solo exploration and I will encourage us to take a new path to add to our familiar routes. Our favourites always take in the seashore where we feel exhilarated and catch our breath as the wind blows cold and howls around our ears, we ride through our daydreams on the wings of gliding seagulls.

Rocks awash with waves

On the shoreline seagulls soar

Sweeping summer storm,

Alison Jean Hankinson.

This is for d’Verse…haibun Monday… we were asked to share on Sport so it might be a long shot but can I count urban walking as a sport?