On the road

That grey enormous night en route
to Scarborough in Trevor’s mini van
to see the eastern sunrise on the Winter Solstice.
Seven of us scraped together the petrol money
for the trip from Morecambe,
but the cigarettes ran out halfway there
and no one could have prophesied the cow.

We came across it in the fog,
and the motorcyclist dazed beside it,
helmet askew, goggles cracked.
I ’it the bluddy thing, he says.
We ought t’ move it.

We liked the ‘we’.

He’s tentatively pulling at a hoof.
Black and white, the cow is huge and dead.
The fog is closing in.
I imagine every HGV in the North of England
bearing down on this section of the A684.

Seven students and a motorcyclist,
who says It’s got the bloat
as if he’s knowledgeable about such things,
try and move the beast.

But the four on one side
must be pulling harder than the others.
The carcass tilts like a capsizing yacht,
the legs wheel over and the cow’s stomachs
hit the tarmac with a flabby slap.

A zeppelin of gas escapes the corpse.
A smell the size of Yorkshire encompasses the group
who stagger about arms outstretched, like victims
in some weird zombie horror.

Worth a try, the motorcyclist says after something of a pause.
Then, as headlights crest the brow,
he mutters darkly, But mebbe not.

Sectioned!

This is the first audio post in my new section – New and Selected. This section will publish a post every Tuesday featuring a new poem, a poem from one of my previous collections or an unpublished one from my archive. I will also be adding the occasional post about my experience of writing poetry and some of the useful tips I've picked up from some of the mentors and teachers who have encouraged me including Ros Barber, Brendan Cleary, Ciaran O'Driscoll, Don Paterson and Jackie Wills.

I've set up some other new sections too.

In Journal there will be posts from my archive of occasional notes but published on the same date as the original.

In Mise en abyme, I'll post more thoughts on the topic that has seized my imagination with the aim of clarifying my thoughts and working out exactly 'what the **** I'm on about’!!

And I'll post short pieces – stories, articles, essays – in Shorts.

I'll also be releasing serialised weekly episodes from my historical detective story, The Reward of Delay through its own Substack channel.

Finally, on my A Patch of Sky website, you’ll find a new tab linking to Shedstack, my Substack devoted to the stories and pictures of my very fulfilling and enjoyable time as the original poet in a shed, Shedman.

Please feel free to comment on any or all. Your feedback will be much appreciated.