Ode to Vinegar
Oh palest liquid to glass dost cling
And adds such succour to every eaten thing
The sweetest yet fiery force from the spirit world
Has in a moment transfigured all it drizzles
A vim, a vexatious tang on everything it touches
A stopper, a cork, should ne’er prevent thine unctuous flow.
Speeches
A Fool’s Speech
Or did ask why
Did thou know
Some traditions come alive, then die
A wise word a merry act
A public dance a secret pact
So come along dear traveller
Come along and listen
The oldest stories told anew
And fear not repetition
And fear not repetition
A Dreamer’s Speech
On some far shore
Of ice and fire
And things that mortals all desire
Of treasure troves
And wispy clouds
A place where time
All mist enshrouds
Of azure sea
That crystal main
We visit once
And then, again
A magician’s speech
A spell is cast
So be not quick
To light with taper
Candlestick
A reed that bends
In gentle wind
And ghostly yearnings
Never end
A place that hovers
Twixt here and there
And spectres three
Have not a care
An Explorer’s Speech
On distant shore
Of blackest sand
Adventurers go hand in hand
From dawn to dusk
Come hail or shine
Adventurers fall into line
What ear might hear
Or eye can see
The constant seeker’s reverie
The Speliologist’s Speech
Deep underground
In hidden depths
Where nobbut worms and beetles crept
The icy waters
Silent, still
Of creaking rocks
That bear no ill
Of smoothest calcite
Shimmering quartz
The dancing patterns
Pervade the thoughts
The Lookout’s Speech
In crow’s nest high
Where earth meets sky
Where rigging’s taut
And spars do creak
We look in silence
At distant horizon
And peer for creatures
From the deep
The Miner’s Speech
In darkened lair
In cold damp air
Where gases seep
And firedamp creeps
Where sinews stretch
And dust ne’er settles
Suspended in steel lattice
The cage bird still, sings silently
The Naturalist’s Speech
Reintroduce them
One by one
Rewilding reversing
‘Til they’re gone
Nomenclature
No me no you
The invisible faces
The human zoo
The Diarist’s Speech
Keep records quick
Keep records strong
Move pen move pages
All day long
Keep locked
Keep secret
Keep out of sight
And always work
By candlelight
The Alchemist’s Speech
Should ere base metal
Turn to gold
And air meet aether
Hot meet cold
Equations written
Compounds made
And poisons lurk
In nightly shade
The Mudlarker’s Speech
In smallest objects
I am dealing
And movement makes
That squelching feeling
Clay pipes abound
Things bright, things dull
Beware the tide
And current’s pull
The Pickpocket’s Speech
Best beware and have a care
I’m here, in shadows and over there
I strike by day, I strike by night
Best hold your wallet very tight.
And gone.