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"A Mackerel Sky" 

shadows like sun 
dance across 
an ocean of tears

salt for the stinging
walking on clouds
with the Fisher King, 

as if in school 
in the swim of things 
fishing nets for love

all in the eye 
of the beholder
wisdom like pearls

sown, 
an inevitable plant, 
pregnant with possibility

full-bellied, grown, 
then stitched up
embroided 

sewn imperfect
the hem of it slipping
needs fast mending

cirrocumulus,
fleecing
altocumulus

blown away 
an empty canvas 
borne for painting

bluebirds sing
on the backs 
of cloudy angels racing

Mares' tails 
and mackerel scales 
make lofty ships 

to carry low sails;

red herrings 
far from sure
bloody mind dripping

another colour 
washes itself 
in a pink mackerel sky - 

the observing self
hedging bets and 
reacquainting

do or die

(LadyLabyrinth / 2023)








“According to lore (tradition), a mackerel sky means that the weather is going to change.” 




“Mackerel are built for speed and, along with a highly forked tail, can streamline themselves by retracting their dorsal fin into a groove in their body when they swim. Actually, they are the fastest swimming fish, in UK waters, able to swim around 50 metres in 10 seconds.  Mackerel, have to keep swimming to live, as if they stop moving forward they will drown.”





Meaning, Mackerel Sky - "a name given to a sky covered with those same puffy cirrocumulus and altocumulus clouds arranged in a pattern of waves, with blue sky peeking through so that it resembles the scales on the back of a mackerel." 


It’s all rather fishy. Red Herrings, Mackerel Skies.

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