You may grieve on this darkest of days.
You may weep tears of demulcent dew
And ponder the wonder of God's cruelest ways
Though ne'er understand their reason or rhyme,
Nor unravel the ruse that he ruthlessly plays.

Alone in your anguish, your tempest and rain,
Far from the sunshine high summer once brought.
Forlorn in the torture of sadness and pain
Where lightness and brightness have now disappeared,
Bereft in the wilderness ~ alone once again.

Below the clouds drifting blackened and lost
The soul becomes naked, banished and ******,
Mere thoughts become worthless, tumbled and tossed,
And all is now nought in a world void of care,
The price you must pay now ~ the grief is the cost.

And though in the ending, when all has been said,
Nil desperandum, as faith shall go on.
And then all the reading has rudely been read,
And all the misleading has surmounted instead,
Yet when all the bleeding has bravely been bled,
Don't grieve for too long or you'll waken the dead.

He lives within his Toytown house
And stays, contented, there;
Happy, silent as a mouse
Dozed in his tortile chair.
Ready and alert is he,
Uncertain what's in store,
Thinking next who it may be
Comes knocking at his door.



Will someone call to visit soon?
Will someone come to play?
Will someone tease and hum a tune
Upon this very day?
All alone he'll sit and mope
The smile washed from his face;
Sadly, tearful in the hope
Some antic should take place.



But wait!   what's this?  a fuss he hears
Along the nursery lane;
He ***** his head and ****** his ears
And harkens it again.
Did he sense a stir, so slight?
Yes!  he's sure he did...
He springs and gives them such a fright
When someone lifts his lid.

I am reckless, you are wise
I am feckless, you advise -
Tell me all you will...
Show me all your skill.

I am foolish, you are gifted
I am mulish, you're unscripted -
Tell me where I'm wrong...
Show me I belong.

I am worthless, you are rich
I am mirthless, you bewitch -
Tell me all you know...
Show me where to go.

I'm pragmatic, you are wary
I am static, you can vary -
Tell me your mind...
Show me your kind.

I am plain, you are sculptured
I'm arcane, you are cultured -
Tell me of your faith...
Show me your wraith.

I'm astray, you are found
I'm midway, you're profound -
So, tell me what to say...
So, show me the way.

Plaisir d'amour ne dure qu'un moment
Chagrin d'amour dure toute la vie.



Tis here that I met you on a pleasing summer morn
Where blossoms of the cherry, out on the bough, adorn;
Underneath the cherry tree euphoria welled soon,
I met you in the morning, I loved you by the noon.


You were more the things to me that I should ever know
And there beneath the cherry tree, neath the scented show,
We watched the sun rise in the sky and felt our hearts entwine
And all the world was lost to me just as your eyes kissed mine.


We loved throughout that summer time down in the cherry glade;
The warmest days that I had known that God has ever made.
And from an overflowing cup of mirth where I may drink
Beneath the blooming cherry tree, beneath the perfumed pink.


But as the autumn chill appeared and cooled the air around
The leaves upon the cherry tree were tumbled to the ground.
Then so the dusk of time came by, the evening of the day,
And in the darkness of the night my love had gone away.


Yet still the joy of love is mine, though but a moment long,
The memory of those blissful days shall always here belong.
And I shall sacrifice the peace I ever knew before ~
The pain of love remains with me for now and evermore.


Plaisir d'amour ne dure qu'un moment
Chagrin d'amour dure toute la vie.

Were I wise I should o' known
To steer a leery course;
And felt the tumult wind had blown
Its tempest of remorse.
But I was given to the sound
That echoed through my head
And tumbled in there, round and round,
The first sweet words she'd said.

She told me all the world was ours
Until our days may end;
Boundless love that never sours
Nor can the years amend.
She said she ever would be true
And by my side she'd stay
But now her words are scant and few ~
My love has went away.

So, as I drift into the night
And darkness takes its place
My hindsight wishes that I might
Have pondered  (just in case).
I should o' known, oh! were I wise,
With sense that could not see
Wisdom visits in disguise
But seldom visits me.

I saw a ghost out on the land
By the light of day.
Holding out a guiding hand
With just one hour to stay.
I had no fear to walk with him
The quiet waters by;
As calmly traipsing, on a whim,
We talking, he and I.

We spoke of things, of this and that,
And every now and then
He'd smile a smile and raise his hat
When passing other men.
Though no one seemed to see his face
And no one seemed to care
No one saw him  ~  not a trace  ~
No one saw him there.

As time passed by, we reached the gate,
The path its each way went.
And as the hour was ebbing late
Our time together spent.
He stared at me, I smiled at he,
My aged self loomed clear
To here and there the paths would be
As he went there, I here.

Blood red blooms with foliage green,
Dancing, bowing in the air.
Paint an image so serene
The sweetest scarlet lady fair.
Meadows, fields of floral show
To the landscape, briefly lent;
Come to me where here I grow ~
Lie with me amongst my scent.

Blood red blooms in golden light
Smiling skyward t'ward the blue;
Morning comes with evening's flight
As sunbeams start the day anew.
Gaze on me, peruse my poise,
Enjoy my sanguine, wooing charm;
Hear me sing, consume my noise ~
Lie with me amongst the calm.

Blood red blooms, as crisp as crêpe,
In proudly blazed eccentric rows;
Form their rouge unbounded drape
Where their seed chose to appose.
Here within a rural sea
Swimming, floating as a shoal;
Immerse your being, set you free ~
Lie with me and bathe your soul.

Blood red blooms of poppies gay,
Battling in a wind so strong;
Sent to blow them all away
And sweep their countenance along.
Blood red hues ~ now black as hell,
The winds of war have caused them weep;
Stay you here, this field you fell ~
Lie with me and soundly sleep.

It rained all day, it came to pass,
As I looked to the sky.
The droplets fell, like tears of glass,
Assailing from on high.
The heavy clouds were charged and full
They, laden to the brim.
The hazy day was dead and dull,
The air was dun and dim.

I marched along and braved the force
Of thunder on my head;
I might have skulked indoors, of course ~
I could have stayed a-bed.
But through the deluge, heaven sent,
My path I splished and splashed,
Forward through the flood I went
As on and on I crashed.

At journey's end I dried my face,
I'd gad the extra mile;
I dabbed away the rain to place
Upon my lips a smile.
It rained all day, it came to pass,
I see it all the more;
I fear not of the rain, alas,
It's rained all day before.

I had a chocolate soldier
He had a chocolate heart;
He had a chocolate lady fair,
They never were apart.

They marched out in the morning
As daytime had begun
And there, beneath a cloudless sky,
They melted in the sun.

The hour boldly strikes midnight inside my head.
I have already endured a long and thoughtful day.
I'm courting precious ambitions of sleep and bed
But there remain, still, things for me to do...
So many untitled pages are left unread, unsaid.

It's night-time within and so very dark,
I wonder if I am truly able to see.
But inside my head I detect a forlorn spark;
Distant, sure, but just bright enough ~
It's an uncertain voyage on which my ideations embark.

I see before me another adventurous day looming.
Awaiting the daylight which is no longer here.
I think of my existence, my thoughts consuming
And devouring these ideas until it has nourished it's fill.
Clouds of conceptions, or misconceptions, are forever pluming.

As I live and breathe in order to stagger along
I stumble blindly through this darkness of mine.
I have grown week now but my mind stays strong.
I am conscious of all the tasks I must perform
And place things in the order in which they belong.

I longingly look forward to the morning's golden thread.
Birds will sing sweetly and the sun will illuminate me.
All my words are covered over with blue and red
But tomorrow a new day is born and I will remember them
Though, for now ~ maybe forever ~ it's still midnight inside my head.

The wind is come to sojourn once more
Delivering tidings from far away, yonder.
It expires its breath and wheezes veracity.


Eyes may not see but ears are alarmed
As the wind calls out its blustery voice
And those who listen will know it well.


The legend told is one of timeworn myth
But nought can change, save for illusions,
And he who walked before us also follows.


The wind is come to visit this day
To test our faith and inquest our soul
For the wind that comes to call, this day, knows all.

The oak and rowan slumber still
Reposing in their frosted bed;
Holding off the shivered chill
Dormant, docile, all but dead.
Skeletons drab against the cloud
Leafless limbs up-reaching high;
Clothed dew, a frozen shroud,
Below them hidden secrets lie.

On the ground the snowdrops burst
Early risers of the year
Contending to be blooming first
A fleetly winter's end is near.
Premature, the sunlight's rays,
Icy stalactites eroding,
Tumbling down a spectral haze
With leafy newborn buds exploding.

A feathered bird-throng fills the skies
With warbled wonder aforetime;
Showing up in sweet surprise
Stepping out before its prime.
And now a season, bright and bold,
Marches on afresh and new
Driving out the drizzled cold
As spring has sprung before her due.

The day came slowly as I peered out from behind my eyes,
There was no noise, only nonsense.
The sunrise had chosen not to wait for me.
He was needless of my acquaintance as he clambered over the hill ~
As the day was yet still.


A forlorn bottle lay reposing on the floor beside me for company,
His once golden torso now appeared transparent and vacant.
He cast his wide-open eye over me curiously.
I wondered what he wondered, what he thought ~
I expect it was nought.


Far away in the kitchen the coffee *** murmured and babbled,
His familiar fragrance filling the morning air
As I thought of the blackness that he embodied
I recalled the blackness of the night before ~
As I lay on the floor.


Suddenly a feminine voice cried "Coffee?",
Her unfamiliar fragrance filling the morning air.
Where the hell did she come from?
Oh well!
Time will tell.


I cautiously attempted to stand,
Stumbling across to the table in the next room.
I resolved never to partake of such a thing again.
This morning of abject sorrow ~
At least not until tomorrow.

If I could take my time again
A different thing I'd do;
I'd take the comfort, leave the pain,
I'd take the sunshine, leave the rain,
If only I could start anew.

If I could be another's son
A different path I'd choose;
I'd walk along, I wouldn't run,
I'd leave the sorrow, take the fun,
If only I could re-infuse.

If I could start another hour
A different way I'd go;
I'd take the sweetness, leave the sour,
I'd take the jolly, leave the dour,
If only I could make it so.

If I could live another day
I'd tread a different way;
I'd leave the turmoil, take the calm,
And leave the coarseness, take the charm,
If I could take my time again...
I'd take the sunshine, leave the rain.

ASJ

Those were the days my friend, how blessed we were
Although, in past quandam days, knew it not.
Home to us was warm and dry, sound and safe.

Not called on to fight, we had years to play,
Free of conscripted combat ~ with time to ****;
Time to learn, time to listen, time to speak.

Clothes were brightly colourful and charming,
Hair long and flowing ~ blowin' in the wind.
Money no object ~ or so it would seem.

The world appeared to be as a fairground,
A hall of mirrors in which to reflect;
The tunnel of love was always with us.

We played our music and we rocked-'n'-rolled
Our hearts evoked by transistors not sense;
Twisting the night away, far away, lost.

We thought those days, my friend, would never end,
Timeless days of golden spring and summer.
There were no clouds to keep secret the skies.

Yet time moves on and takes its undue toll.
Some of us are carried off with the tide,
Others remain stranded on the surf's shore.

"How lucky to be here!"  I often muse
For now I know a generation raised
Was never conceived to grow up at all.

No longer the leaves show their full summer green,
As this cool autumn day
Takes their own youth away
As it once did with me a long time ago...
As forty short years have now seen
(But are the leaves still beautiful?)

Green changes to gold, as now it must,
Though more subtle to see
(Floating down from a tree)
As it is with myself, as I know well;
Soon we will both (the leaves and I) turn to dust
(But are the leaves still beautiful?)

Resplendent leaves no longer steep in the sun;
As I walk down life's lane
With the wind and the rain
I see myself, see what I now am.
I see my own autumn has begun
(But are the leaves still beautiful?)

Wrinkled, and as delicate and brittle
As the twig and the nut,
As they snap underfoot,
They became so downtrodden
And are now applauded little
(But are the leaves still beautiful?)

Then suddenly appears a seasonal breeze;
Where it blows all around
Swirling there on the ground
And the frail, weak leaves are parted...
Stolen from their home in the trees
(But are the leaves still beautiful?)

And as darkness falls o'er the wooded scar
The time is now nigh
For leaves to blow by...
To yield to a greater influence than I
(But are the leaves still beautiful?)
Yes, they are!

Where have all the raindrops gone
Spilling from on high?
Which once would fall about my head
But now my head is dry.
Where have all the snowflakes gone
Ambling down from space?
Shivering in the winter wild
And melting on my face.

Where have all the rivers gone
Dashing to and fro?
They once would splash across the land
As seaward they would go.
Where have all the oceans gone
To crash against the shore?
All that's left is salted sand
Upon a seabed floor.

Where have all the rainbows gone?
They lighted up the days.
They once would bow and bend and reach
So far, the eye could gaze.
Where have all the sundrops gone
To energise the rain?
Absent now, without a trace,
And never seen again.

And where have all my brothers gone?
Each walked the earth with me;
O'er moor and mountain, here and there,
From clifftop to the sea.
And where have all my sisters gone
And all the loves I've known?
Disappeared, just like the rain,
So, now I'm left alone.

                                ASJ

Pipe me a tune I can dance to
Or play a lament, as of old.
And pipe you a song
Serenely and strong
For then, I will pay you in gold.

Pipe, at the early of morning
Just as the sun forces through.
Then, stand you alone
And quaver your tone
For a sovereign, I'll offer to you.

Pipe, at the lull of the evening,
Play you the sweetest refrain.
As darkness is cast
You pipe you your last
For I shall not pay you again.

The place I lived when I was ten
I sometimes think of there, and then,
And when I'm drowsing in my chair
My dozy thoughts go back to there.

I rest nearby a fireside glare
A glass in hand and here is where
I think of things I used to do
When I was merely eight and two.

But this was when my world was new,
And in the hours before I grew,
Outside the door and down the way,
For, this is where I used to play.

When all the words I used to say
Concerned such things as came that day.
I hear the songs I used to sing
And all the joy that they would bring.

No more I live where I was king
Yet still the memories from there ring.
I've been aside so long a time
Yet still the memories from there chime.

So, as I dream of days, sublime;
As recollections higher climb;
I sometimes, now, remember when...
And how I wish that I was ten.

Here, this day, I up and trek
Aways away from home
Across the lane, beyond the beck
That bubbles through the brome.
Ascending, slipshod, up the hill
Where green is twice as nice
Where here the mood is hushed and still
And air is sweet as spice.

There atop a cloudy peak
All but to the sky;
That's where I asylum seek
(Or the least I try).
There where flowing rills below
Divide the valley floor
And there above ~ since long ago ~
The golden eagles soar.

By myself I halt and rest
(Though I am not alone)
As breezes whisper from the west
And chill me to the bone.
I have no destination sure
I leave my angst elsewhere,
Guided by the tranquil lure
I wander here and there.

ASJ

The coldest, forceful wind may blow;
The sun may, sometimes, golden glow;
The rain may, often, showery show;
The sky may dust the land with snow.

When it blows my hat is tied;
In the heat,  'neath shade I hide;
I shy from rain until it's dried;
And as it snows, I stay inside.

I don't mind a raucous gale
Or the sunburn in the vale
And nor the damp as raindrops sail
I love the biting snowflake hail.

A gust may roar throughout the night
But by the day the sun may bright;
A storm may rage with all its might ~
The winter snowfall purest white.

Come what may my senses see
All that nature gifts to me.
Fair or foul, wild and free,
That's the way it's meant to be.

                                     ASJ

The Busting of Spring
(A Spenserian Sonnet)

The winter is bleak and it chills the soul;
Ice and snow keep you clothed in full.
The frosty day makes its way after all
But the whole day long is gloomy and dull.

Near frozen sheep wearing icicled wool;
Jumbled together to ward off the cold.
The horse and the cow, the ox and the bull,
Facing this winter ~ the young and the old.

But springtime bursts through with verses of gold
Warming the earth with the voice of the sun
Painting a landscape with colours untold,
Lighting the hillsides when day has begun.

Now that the daytime is longer by far,
Stroll with your loved one, enjoy where you are.  

                                                         ­     ASJ

Where the ocean meets the sky
Far away, some distant place;
There is where so often I,
That is where I often try,
To seek a mild solace.

Where the ocean joins the cloud
And nothing in between;
There is where I think aloud
Neath the heavens' sheltered shroud
Where nought is ever seen.

Where the ocean finds the sun
There is where it's bright;
Even when the day is done,
When the shining while has run ~
Even when it's night.

Where the ocean gulps the air
And crashing waves are stirred;
There is where, without a care,
Neath the heavens' sultry stare,
Where nought is ever heard.

Where the ocean meets the sky
And where my thoughts unwind;
There is where I ponder why,
Where my true devotions lie ~
Horizons of my mind.

ASJ

The spongy earth springs underfoot
Concealing all below;
You mind your way,
This eerie day,
You're careful how you go.

As mists roll off the craggy moss
Concealing all above;
You find your way,
This eerie day,
About a place you love.

A speck of rain anoints your head
Concealing thoughts inside;
You see your way,
This eerie day,
To let your qualms, subside.

The heather forms a carpet here
Concealing peril's traits;
You pick your way,
This eerie day,
Where a quaggy snare awaits.

The day is cool, the wind is sharp
Concealing mortal sound;
You hear your way,
This eerie day,
Ear firmly to the ground.

Envisage ghosts of people past
Concealing souls admired;
You wend your way,
This eerie day,
Where Brontë's were inspired.

But you are where you need to be
Concealing troth secure;
You hide away,
This eerie day,
In the solace of the moor.

ASJ

The night was red as from my bed
I tumbled to the sky.
The breeze was blue as I heard you
Around the garden fly.
The day was black as I stepped back
And felt a gum tree grow.
The rain dripped dry as only I
Would see a rooster crow.

I found my hat and stroked my cat
And led my sows to market.
I saw you say my snout was grey
So steered my car to park it.
I had to flee to Southend Sea
To drop of in the sands.
I went to view the voice of you,
I walked there on my hands.

I robbed a song of two words long
But coughed ~ it didn't rhyme.
Blame begged my heart to stop and start
For beating out of date.
You sailed about the room to shout
And say less, all the more.
From then you came to scream your name,
You entered by the fire.

So as the day was turned to clay
I scrambled through the wall.
I dug a hill for Jack and Jill
And watched them upwards fall.
From deep within a box of gin
I spent an inch or so
I chanced a bite and thought I might
Smoke whiskey through a straw.

And as the time was now sublime
The postman called and bowed.
I washed my words and watched small birds
Pitch snowballs at a cloud.
So back in bed to nest my head
In time to bake a cake.
I fell onto a dullness new,
There slumbered sound awake.

ASJ

I had so much to tell you
A while ago away;
And, although our tidings few,
There seemed so much to say.
When you were old ~ whilst I was young,
I might have listened when
A weave of words, together strung,
Were tendered now and then.


But note!  the hour has wandered late
And dulls the muse of mind;
Time and tide for no man wait ~
Ago remains behind.
So, words unspoken, not to know,
Are words that time forgot,
They mattered to me then, ago,
But now they matter not.

ASJ

There is no god in England
(I learned of that this day)
For when a man is stricken
He has no more to say.
He lies in expectation,
The end to shortly be,
Torment is blindly gazing out
Through eyes that barely see.

The blaze within his body
Radiates, and yet,
The chilling of his very soul
Allows him to forget.
With sonance all around him,
The sobbing and the tears,
He listens to so many words
Whereas he hardly hears.

And so, within his restless mind
His hopes are all he'll keep;
All he'll find to warm his heart
As those about him weep.
And in the darkness of the hour,
When all is done and said,
He sleeps the sleep that comes to pass
And rapes his weary head.

ASJ

Who am I?  I wonder oft
And hope that I may see,
Who it is that is me,
And ask my maker up aloft
Who, indeed, I be?

Whyfor I'm here I ask aloud
And yearn for his reply,
And search for reason why,
From he beyond the cloud
Who, indeed, be I?

What use am I ?  I cannot know
If I am never told
What place that I should hold,
The direction I should go,
Until, indeed, I'm old.

When do I die?  I ask again
When will my day be through?
If, now, I only knew,
I query this in vain
I do: indeed, I do.

No answer do I, yet, receive,
For he replying not,
No reason for my lot
Then, am I when I take my leave,
The soul that God forgot?

ASJ

The bravest of the brave
Will rise to meet the foe
And fear not who they well may be
As marching on they go.
They stand before the fierce
And find the faith to put
Their trust in God, yet still they take
A bullet in the foot.

The bravest of the brave
Will rise and soldier on
And have no fear of danger
Till all their rivals gone
They fight their ****** war
Oblivious to harm,
They trust in God yet still they take
A bullet in the arm.

The bravest of the brave
Will fear not where they tread
But in the end they're sure to take
A bullet in the head.
With all our brave men slaughtered,
Be that as it may,
The bravest of the very brave
Must rise to face the day.

I am not now the one I used to be.
Time has changed me, as to everyone it does;
I am a divergent wight now, as you see,
My soul has become so much more infinite
And so, with contrasting ideas I now agree.

That one I used to be I am not still.
I am no wiser despite the fleeting years;
Though I exist in the hope that until
(Or that time comes when I am able)
All my aspirations I may yet fulfil.

There was a time when I saw things very clear
Though that is not exactly so today.
There was a time when I held things very dear
But now I am older, I admit my concerns ~
Though when I was young, I harboured no fear.

I now view friends in a different way;
Without them what would a person's existence be?
Without them what would be left to say?
Even if, at times, you disagree with a friend
You keep them close as your allies for another day.

So, the one I was I no longer am,
Although my own god has survived intact.
Other mortals' idols I no longer **** ~
As each and every one of us has his own convictions...
Non sum qualis eram

ASJ

I planted out an oak tree
One hundred years ago;
I saw her fed and watered,
I watched her lithely grow.
I watched her through the winter wild
Frosted, frore and dark.
I watched her as the summer sunburn
Baked her golden bark.

My friend the ardent oak tree
Drew me by the hand;
Her strength an inspiration,
She taught me how to stand.
Amidst the savage blizzard
She learned to bow and bend;
Resisting stormful battles,
Triumphant in the end.

Now an aged oak tree,
Her wisdom with me resting,
She, towering tall, majestic
Withstanding nature's testing.
Her arms suffuse, embracing,
She beckoned me with pride;
I laid me down within her shroud
And neath her sanctum died.

ASJ

His coat has many colours,
Joseph is his name;
Although some call him 'Joey'
It's Joseph just the same.

The collar on his cloak
Is such a vibrant red;
From his shoulders to his pointy chin
It goes right to his head.

The nether of his robe
Has hues of greens and blues
From his chubby, rounded waist
To his rugged grey-black shoes.

His sleeves are speckled yellow,
A dazzling golden shade;
And silver sprays within the fold ~
Delightful how they're made.

Bright scarlet and vermilion
Make threads of coloured joy;
For, Joey is a parrot
And 'e's a pretty boy.

ASJ

In every life some rain must fall,
Though wherefrom heaven knows.
With passing years, the storm may call,
The tempest comes and goes.
The day could see a cloudburst hail
To soak you through and through
Yet silver raindrops deftly fail
To bathe away the blue.

As thunder quakes the path of life,
Like cannons in the sky.
And lightning, cutting like a knife,
An electric charge on high.
When icy drops sleet all about
And crisis canters near
Then windy blows that scream and shout
Bombard the soul with fear.

So now I'm old, though seldom sad,
I think of days long gone.
I smile about the good and bad
And savour every one.
Although the darkened clouds may drift
And bluster out their rains
I still salute a special gift ~
The sunshine here remains.

ASJ

A willow trembles in the breeze
And stoops in awe as angels sneeze;
Quaking feebly to its knees,
Bending, doleful, if you please.

A day, as this, when squalls blow wild
The willow cries as like a child;
Deserted, sad, forlorn, beguiled,
And all aloof, left out, exiled.

Now her branches droop away
Blenching down throughout the day;
Keeping blusts of gusts at bay
Harboured from the rainy spray.

Underfoot a lonely duck
Shelters in a babbling brook,
Dabbling in a shady nook
Safe and sound, her haven took.

Then above the daylight seeps,
In the sky the sunlight peeps,
She, thankful for the faith she keeps...
The trembling willow gently weeps.

ASJ

And so, the day in earnest comes,
She slowly starts to grow.
Then the daylight blush appears
And gently starts to show.
Just as the songbirds first awake
To serenade the air...
Digest the moment, listen well
Their voice spills everywhere.

As strands of brilliant light are born
To saturate the ground;
Creatures of the daytime stir
And deftly move around;
Watch them roused (unbeknownst to them)
And see them frisk and quest,
Remember soundly all you see...
Creation at its best.

When flowery blooms have made their debut
Here on nature's stage.
Their heads have lifted from their sleep
To pay you their homage.
Perfumed petals blazing brightly
Giving all they've got;
Note their beauty, air and grace,
Therefore, forget them not.

The mighty army - ancient oaks -
Protect from rain and sun;
Stout and towering overhead
Their defence has now begun.
They creak and groan against the wind
Bending in the breeze...
Retain this aspect in your mind,
The visage of the trees.

In the sunshine you may walk
Beside the one you care for;
(Or talk and listen in the rain)
Embrace this time and therefore...
Applaud this day with all your heart
As daytime glow is cast;
Seize the day - carpe diem -
This day may be your last.

ASJ

Clouds loom drifting, passing by,
The west wind gently tempts them on
Though no one knows what cause them cry
And no one hears their pleading voice
As all their acid tears well dry.

Snowy white, in rank and file,
The south wind warmly glides them far;
Smiling wryly all the while
Natant high above the earth
Ambling on, mile after mile.

Alluring to the offhand glancer
The east wind briskly chafes them forth
Skittering like the showtime dancer
Yet hidden deep within their breast
A growing rude and covert cancer.

But nature's wrath will bid her toll
The north wind casts the clouds astray
Freezing, breezing, pole to pole,
The stricken, tainted, wisps will wane ~
Dare no one care to save their soul?

So now as time is dwindling low
As the ill winds clime their worst
The poisoned rains, in flooding flow,
**** our land to end mankind ~
And still, the winds shall wanton blow

ASJ