*
Abbot
Go ye north
one day and one night
with fair wind and full sail
to isles broken by narrow sounds
swarming with sea-fowl.
Beach thyself
turn the boat for shelter
take mussels and sweet-water
ye shall remain forty months
observe thy vows.
Forget northern raiders
who care only for ale and gold
be as the high sun
who hides a little in the night
and the west wind
who scours the land clean
save for great stones that rear
many hands into the sky.
*
Buzz Lightyear
Samuel Stephens
changed his name
by deed poll
opened new bank accounts
continued his job
as a business manager
and ran marathons
for a cancer charity.
Applying to renew his driving license
he was refused;
issuing a license
to a fictional character
would bring DVLA into disrepute.
Buzz appealed and won.
*
Message in a Bottle
Marianne Winkler
Retired Postal Worker
found a bottle
on a beach in Amrum
the North Frisian Isles
108 years 4 months
and 18 days after
George Parker Bidder
Marine Biologist
threw a bottle
into the North Sea
with a message
in Dutch and German
return to sender
for the reward
of one shilling.
She returned the message
to him by post
at the Marine Biological Association
Plymouth Devon
Bidder had died in 1954
but they sent her many thanks
and a shilling
they bought on eBay.
*
Biography
Paul has won a series of prizes for poetry in England, Scotland, Ireland and the USA. His debut collection of poetry, Latch, was published by Lagan Press in 2010 and was chosen by The Ulster Tatler as their Book of the Month.
Paul has been published widely in journals and anthologies.
He also co-hosts The Squat Pen, a regular series of literary events that take place across the island of Ireland.
Tales From The Forest 