The Old Hero + The Fifth Month + Gorgon (Photo)
The Barrow Tarot; The Old Hero Another 3 cards dealt from the Barrow Tarot, one i’ve seen before, finds an old man sitting at a table not too far from Mikasa Street The Old Hero The hero wishes peace and loveTo everyone at his tableTo those who eat rhubarb and eggsTo the steady and unstable ... The Old Hero + The Fifth Month + Gorgon (Photo)
Black News 
The Barrow Tarot; The Old Hero
Another 3 cards dealt from the Barrow Tarot, one i’ve seen before, finds an old man sitting at a table not too far from Mikasa Street
The Old Hero
The hero wishes peace and love
To everyone at his table
To those who eat rhubarb and eggs
To the steady and unstable
He used to be a man of war
Who age caught up with unaware
His legs have fallen off the pace
He’s no longer fast like the hare
World peace is now his chosen course
His smile beatific from his seat
To all his fellow customers
To others passing in the street
Some citizens don’t know his tale
About the changes that he made
They’re happy to avoid his stare
Just a poor old man with no trade
So take the time to sit with him
And be surprised by what he says
As he lays out what went before
During the passing of his days
Should this not be as expected
Learn the old must be respected
Richard Downes
5th January 2021
(From the Barrow Tarot series)
write a daily short poem as a diary of the changed world; gradually the narrative arc of your dailies will record how you adjusted to the new reality.
Compose a year renga, a linked poem, using the traditional Japanese renga form
The Fifth Month
Into candle light
Small piggy eyes peering blind
To scraps of paper
To scraps of paper
Poets commiting their notes
Future ideas
Future ideas
Of living more peaceful times
Like in days of yore
Like in days of yore
Those olden days golden days
Shining like summer
Shining like summer
Memories of life on the beach
Rescinding slowly
Rescinding slowly
As we walk towards darkness
Of wintry feelings
Of wintry feelings
The frozen heart of friendship
We experience
We experience
The highs and lows of our life
Swings and roundabouts
Swings and roundabouts
Horses on poles, chairs on chains
A big dipper ride
A big dipper ride
Followed by fizzless
Sunday morning inertia
Sunday morning inertia
Scrambled egg breakfast
A splodge of yellow
A splodge of yellow
As been stolen from our skies
Please put it back guys
Please put it back guys
We miss those rays far too much
Give us back our sun
Give us back our sun
Thank you the deal is now done
Nothing but blue skies
Nothing but blue skies
With dreams of glistening snow
On this holiday
On this holiday
We eat, we drink, watch TV
Indolent and still
Indolent and still
Full of rich currant puddings
Expanding waistlines
Expanding waistlines
We resolve to exercise
Days before New Year
Days before New Year
We choose to have a games night
Winners and losers
Winners and losers
Dealing cards and placing odds
Players all the same
Players all the same
Recognise abilities
On the edge of change
On the edge of change
We dance the hootenanny
Weary exhausted
Weary exhausted
We climb into our warm beds
Sleep until morning
Sleep until morning
Wake up expecting a frost
To slide a shoe on
To slide a shoe on
The frozen, frosty planet
Is to be alive
Is to be alive
Really all its cracked up to be
In such cold weather
In such cold weather
The north rejoices
Because the south is drowning
Because the south is drowning
Rising waters so much flooding
Climate chaos near
Richard Downes
7th January 2021
(From the Day of Access series)
