20th January 2026

 

warm bed

and no alarm set

insistent dogs

© Rachel Green January 2026

Canalside Garden

My father knew the value of a compost heap

but rarely did he utilise that great resource

for although every piece of kitchen waste would reap

compost that was enrichened by the droppings of the horse.

Right next to the compost mound he kept a pile

of orchard twigs and logs cut from his dozen fruitful trees

when overgrowth might force the trimming for a while

to get his Mountfield mower through their knees.

And once a month he disregarded neighbour's washing lines

and set alight the pile of twigs and leaf

along with all the rubbish he could gather on the tines

to keep his dustbin light for men to heave.

 The ashes from the Aga stove collected in a pail

 lined the garden paths through which he daily would travail.

© Rachel Green January 2026