Hare

 ‘First catch your hare…’those inevitable jokes about jugging,about the long slow cooking required,as I cradled him in that Laithwaite’s box,carried him home with wrap of bubbleand shredded paper for his bedding; some debate about full moon,about which night it fell...

A Photo for Grandpa

He’d snapped them all – his choice of verb, not mine –Queen Mum, Princesses Margaret…and Anne, starsof chart and catwalk, the rich, the famousand the bad. Now here he was, winding down,in a modest studio close to us. The natural choice for our task.A happy...

Summer shower

Just now, there were two thunderclaps,that prescient pause, and then rain.At first it seemed to be a passing shower,but we thought wrong. The cloudsunburdened themselves. You drankyour coffee, laughing as I ran to rescuenewly pegged out washing. These last few weeks,...

Last Samaritan in Paris

Rene Robert, a Swiss photographer famous for his images of Spanish flamenco stars, died in January 2022, in Paris, after a fall. Nine hours.Not stripped, robbed, beaten this time. Not leftat the side of the road that runsfrom Jerusalem to Jericho.Left for dead. Not...

Osculation

We meet by chancein the health food shop,gannets gathering around the lastof today’s bread delivery. The talk, of course,is all about the weather,this heat we still find alien,and the unexpected benison of a summer shower.‘Come into the garden, Mark,’she says she...

Nessun Dorma

He’s a man now; doesn’t kick or pass,dribble or play a ball any more,toe to foot to knee to head, his loveof the game faded away. Thought it would last always, thought the yearsof sunlight and wellness would last too,restless infant gone, substitutedby a gilded child...