we teach a child abc
as toddler on mother's knee
learns for life (for life learns he),
the person and being he'll grow to be

so it's vital to know which abc
you teach your child, adult to be,

is it a for apathy, in face of suffering,
b for brusque at child's snuffling,
c for coldness at beggar's uncovering,
the abc of demonic discovering?

or a for assistance to those in suffering
b for benevolence to child snuffling
c for concern at beggar's uncovering
the abc of devout discovering

the abc your child learns
will steer him in his life's sojourn,
when you're no longer by his side,
that abc will be his guide

so make sure those first small steps
set him right on life's project
so when he's faced with life's neglects
his instinct knows what to do next

for beneath an urbane veneer
can lie a devilish sneer
but mother's early applaud 'n cheer
sets an unshakeable frontier

there's a valley being filled
with pain and tears
its colour scarlet grill'd
by scare and fears

spilt by tool infernal
all the years
every drop eternal
wails in ears

the cries of babes and wives
rent asunder
the innocence of lives
laid to plunder

let me wade in the blood
be part 'n under
let me sink into the mud
o' eternal blunder

or may i choose life
for every drop spilt
for every cut of the knife
for untimely wilt

for the sake of the slain
stand up straight
for the sake of the pain
give up hate

increase acts of love
soar toward
on wings of white dove
the Elusive Lord

take His Hand in mine
salve His Sorrow
for together we can twine
a better morrow

dissect the flower, analyse its beauty
listen for heartbeat of soul,
they quash the essence through academic duty
and say they've reached their goal

spirit's illusion, it cannot be,
it shows not up on graph or tree
beauty, a fantasy, ape-evolution,
guilt and merit, states of confusion

and so they educate their world-leaders
their politicians and news-readers
their children and their teachers
church-goers and their preachers

the world's an accident, matter of opinion,
as is the lollygagging of cryptic religion,
then they're surprised, feign outrage
as world fills with killing, **** 'n rampage

Am I dead yet?
Killed complete?
Without knife or bayonet,
Life taken, discreet?

Is what was, no longer?
Did she the fire extinguish?
Have I lost to the warmonger?
Soul perished in anguish?

Yes, the drummer still beats
With rhythm sweet,
But it's faint and retreats,
As a distant bleat.

I'm not gone yet,
There is a flame,
E'en extinguished cigarette
Can still inflame.

I believe still,
A fire can ignite,
As spring daffodil
On a building-site.

Don't give up hope,
Don't slide the *****,
If she still hurts,
There's sweet deserts.

Keep on fighting,
Try your best,
Know her biting
Is the acid-test.

he had the wherewithal and the madness
held West to the wall
exploded ultimate bomb of sadness
laughed at country's fall
there was cough, there was splutter
in the corridors of democracy
there was slight embarrassed stutter
as they crumbled 'fore monocracy
as they waved white flag in flutter
wrung their hands before the violence
as they washed the ash down gutter.
as they kept their pledge of silence

Would that my eyes were a fountain of tears
to mourn those cut off in the prime of their years
the children, young boys, teenagers and men
that will never see the earth or the sky again
crushed underfoot in dearth unrelenting
in crowd unawares, in world unrepenting,
mothers are wailing and fathers are rending,
unable to fathom their child's early ending,
infants are crying and siblings lamenting,
'father', 'brother', their cries tormenting,
who can give voice to the emotions venting,
o'er jewels and gems, sweet men of learning,
the innocent souls never returning,
to parents, to spouses, to houses of learning,
world, take heed, abjure your errors,
say enough to the pain, the fright 'n the terrors,
let the cries go out to heal humanity,
from its stupidity, its ridiculous insanity,
my mind is weary from thinking on this,
thus pen i lay down, from writing desist.

unploughed soil, with pebbles 'n stone,
none witness to its prowess,
it lies there empty, all alone,
but of potential boundless

nothing ventured, nothing gained,
sleep will not build Rome,
only through action summit's attained,
and then you may dine at home

We owe fealty to ourselves,
fealty to our soul,
for therein the divinity dwells,
till death doth take its toll

slowly, darkly,
creeps the creeper upward,
gently, softly,
seeking subject subvert,

squeezing, choking,
round and round it winds so,
clutching, grasping,
as in Hitchcock slide-show,

chloroplast it seeks,
in the silence it you speaks,
in dreaded game o' hide-and-seek,
deadly snare that slides and sneaks
binds together wild and weak
tames them unto mild and meek

deftly, smoothly,
pulls you up on seaboard,
unawares he smiles at you,
plants his tentacle deep in you,
plays on you as keyboard,
poisons inner mind-ward,
extradites your innocence,
chaste and untouched inner sense,
skillfully and neatly you are his.

no longer does my mind rush on,
harried by incessant chatter,
no longer does my pen bear fruit
with workings of grey-cell matter

the highs, the lows, have softened 'n mellowed,
as fields of grain, of browns and yellows,
time goes faster and weeks race by
as two days between two Saturdays lie

the wine, maturing, regrets lost time,
the lost opportunities of me in my prime,
i long for those days when i sailed the skies,
when the sun and moon shone in my eyes

finally, finally, i'm coming to terms,
with my mortality, the diet of worms,
a finality that priceless make
the minutes 'n seconds i'm still awake

a s sweet innocence stares
g host of blackened sin
h aunts the universe
a ttacks the soul within
s oft, gentle tiptoe
t urns to shout and blow

a nd no-one bats an eyelid
g oes to save the kid
h elps the untouched soul
a gainst the gaping hole
s ucking in the piety
t o satiate society

a ghast divinity shivers
g asps for inner light
h ungers for Caregiver
a midst the ghouls of night
s inking in black river
t he tears of human blight

Air, transparent nothingness,
Sustaining life with lovingness,
Shining fairie confronting us,
Embracing us, loving us.

Sweet oxygen and nitrogen,
Carbon dioxide 'n hydrogen,
Awe-inspiring leviathan,
Vitalising Heineken.

i go outside, it's sunny,
but half a mo, that's funny,
Microsoft PC says 'rain'!
i must be dreaming again

else i'm living in alternate reality
of imagination or sweet fantasy
for the computer never lies
so who am i to say otherwise?

our lives ruled by externalism,
idle chatter and palaver,
egotism, journalism,
pave the way to world disaster.

let's tune in to inner world
morality and true goodness
let us stop being swirled 'n twirled
ruled by puffed up lewdness

give me a leader of themselves a master
before he drives world to disaster
because if himself he cannot rule
we might as well be led by mule.

i met him once
so long ago
seems like centuries
covered by snow

and beneath
the miles of ice
he's still there
from paradise

a place where rivers
and lakes join hands
and sing in joy
with trees on land

a place where music
and light combine
where multi-colours
radiate shine

a place where water
is made of wisdom
revealing order
unending kingdom

a place where waterfalls
gush forth bliss
speaking the secrets
of eternal kiss

a place where angels
sing like stars
where thoughts are sharp
like scimitars

where sun 'n venus
mars and moon
collaborate in one
infinite tune

aye, he's still there
i feel him still
but up above
on lonely hill

i live as madman
in drunken stupor
oblivious, blind,
to past or future

subsist without aim
a non sequitur
actions as child
with no genitor

one day, i'll wake,
i'll find him afresh,
let's hope, for my sake,
i'm still in this flesh

or else, i know,
it'll be too late
for there's no going back
once you've passed the gate.

animal writhes on stomach
whispers in your heart
entices you to plummet
from your soul to part

it won't be terrible
you'll get over it
the sin'll be bearable
in a minute you'll quit

the more you think, the more you're caught
in net of sticky strand
don't get caught up in his thoughts
enticement like quick-sand

dart swift across, don't hark back,
engage in some other good deed,
before you know it, he'll stop attack
when he sees he can't succeed

sacred oak, strength in your veins,
aged grandeur of royal girth
moonlight flitting over your plains
through gnarled roots claiming the earth

many lives your eyes have seen
darkened circles proclaim you've been
spying secrets of youth on green
luscious vernality 'neath sylvan sheen

horn-rimmed spectacles would fit her well,
a wide-eyed owl surveying tree dell,
scanning everything from her perch,
watching the battle-field, ready to lurch

with still glance, as priest with bell,
all and sundry, she seeks to quell,
with tongue as whip to flail and scourge,
all else besmear, purge and smirch

if she berates, she'll make it clear,
her will is paramount, just quake in fear
from the rooftop she seeks applause
and will rejoice in finding flaws

bumptious 'n pushy, she rules her cell,
hers is paradise, all others, hell,
if you're lucky, you may carry her verge,
and at her bequest, sing her dirge

i rattle the bars of my cage
prowl back 'n forth with inner rage

but the metal is mirage
mind construct, subconscious montage

imprisoned by my vision
hear echoes of derision

a ****** of indecision
failing in life's mission

subtle as an amber sunset
midst blushing orange clouds
as the flames that play duet
with pyre of corpse in shrouds

subtle as the rush of water
cascading in mock wrath
daring to the death 'n slaughter
the rocks that lie in path

subtle as beguiling magic
wrapping mind 'n heart in veil
blurring sadness, memories tragic,
in golden misty dale

What am I?

"it's the swolgamouth", he said,
"and i thought he was dead!
he's clearly gone ahead
and on my swoth he's fed".

"a swolgamouth?", i challenged,
"are you quite unbalanced?"
"You mean a sort of moth
is feeding on your swoth?"

"a moth?", he cried, "why, no!",
giving his nose a blow,
"It's a type of bendigo!
I'm surprised you didn't know."

"A bendigo?", I quoth,
"you mean a type of sloth?
but, I say, in troth,
sloth don't feed on swoth!"

"the bendigo", he said,
with exaggerated composure,
but he seemed to lower his head
as he made the grave disclosure

and his eyes darted left 'n right
that he wasn't overheard
and shrank back in affright
at cry of flying bird

"Why it's", but then was silence,
as he vanished from my view,
it seems the bendigo tyrants
had him taken as their due.

Up to Mighty One he came
Inspired man one day
Laid his supplications fore
The One Who holds all sway

Singing songs o' Divine Lily
Stranded in love-affair
'til he got excited and
he shouted into the air:

It's a long way to G-d's Prairie
It's a long long way to go.
It's a long way to G-d's Prairie
To the Sweetest One I know!

Ascend Divine Lily,
Express your love so fair!
It's a long long way to G-d's Prairie
But my heart's right there.

It's a long way to G-d's Prairie
It's a long way to go.
It's a long way to G-d's Prairie
To the sweetest One I know!

Ascend Divine Lily,
Express your love so fair!
It's a long long way to G-d's Prairie
But my heart's right there.

-                               your goal                 your hereafter                       
                depends on intent                    'neath heaven's rafter
        of your soul                                           is made by your actions
    the ascent                                                         and sweet reactions
                                      your love and smiles     
                                    to life's kisses and trials

one
tear
trickled
down
broke into a million cries

i climb the scaffolding
look down below
spirit faltering
will i die in the blow?

caffeine swirling,
dizziness whirling,
truth obscured
devil-lured

dry darkness,
unfeeling eyes,
dropping, heartless
out of the skies

failing, falling,
faster than water,
missed my calling,
embracing slaughter

but i'm still here,
didn't dare,
risk the fear
of devil's snare

ribbons 'n posies, royal salute,
guns and canons in chorus shoot

poppies to adorn the sleeping dead
on rocks 'n pebbles and bullets of lead

blood splashes on cream-white stones
dusty granite and weary bones

death and silence drowning the cries
no-one hears as soldier dies

plastic posies, nugatory salute,
together, forever, the canons will shoot

lemon and lime fill the air
bedeck the boughs with sunshine glare
deck the earth with golden stair
before Lord Winter lays all bare

"hi there, folks!
that's you at home!
i'm up on the oaks,
my place to roam.

to remember my stores
my memory matches yours
to hide all my nuts
best food for my guts

while you're lazing the autumn
i'm burying amounts awesome
though i forget where i put half
i find the rest, so don't laugh

i'm a squirrel, 'case you hadn't noticed,
though i always look so focused,
upbeat, sanguine, that's me all over,
love to frolic through grass 'n clover

so next time you spy an intelligent lookin' male
with winsome grin and bushy tail
hoppin' around or walkin' a strut
it's likely me, so throw me a nut!"

perched on fir-tree, towering o'er fences,
its gold and scarlet delighting my senses,
his song piercing miasma o' reverie,
awakening the past, the shadow of memory

of years gone by, of years gone past,
of time that has run, away so fast,
a time when sadness had not yet intruded,
a time i lived, myself secluded

a time i passed through wild fields,
in morn of golden sunshine,
when rays of happiness pierced the shields
o' corporeal, to reveal the divine,

there in thickets, oblivious to man,
sings the goldfinch as only he can,
with black and red and beige of royalty,
as corporal general dressed flamboyantly

unaware of its own grandeur
twittering as skilled raconteur,
he ruled the air of my school days
and to this day sends forth his rays

if you can try
to cast your mind
to times gone by
left far behind

those days of yore,
aeons ago,
long before
men kneaded dough

before time begins,
before internet,
when man wore skins,
and a woman, corset,

those days when Luddites
meant English weavers,
'n churches were tight
with avid believers

when a Yankee still dreamt
his country was golden,
a queen, monarch meant,
if quaint and olden,

when people still dialled
to each other on phones,
implied lazybones [that idled]
when they carped on about drones,

when block was an obstacle
placed in a road,
canoe, pointed vehicle
by one paddler rowed

when catfish a marine creature
dwelling in sea
and cloud a sky-vapour
that veiled clarity

when tweet was sound chirped
oft by a bird
and old text was a script
inscribed on a sherd,

when RED was a colour,
as indeed was blue,
e'en then, my dear fella,
we still knew a thing or two.

softer than the ocean sand
caressed by moonlight tender
the skin of my beloved
radiant with cherub's splendor

deeper than woodland pools
bluer than the skies
the wellsprings of my jewel's
cerulean, emerald eyes.

untouched as yon ****** soil
innocent as newborn calf
Like buttered cream, wine and oil,
His comments and epitaphs

As a thousand rainbows bright
'Midst gloom cloud 'n dark 'n sorrow
Like electric flash of whiter light
that heralds the new morrow

Is the laughter of my boy
that washes away my tears
the fountain of my love and joy
my son of nine years.

Light, unending beauty,
soundless music shattering ears,
your chords, soul of rainbow strings,
play golden melody of moving spheres,

in beatitude, let me bow
pronounce in happiest tears
a benediction, blest art Thou
O Creator of Light and Years

brown crackled underfoot
crinkly, dead matter
buried with the sod and soot
buried 'neath the constant patter

gone the joy of boyhood
crystal before its shatter
sits beneath the tree of wood
silent among the chatter

piled in a corner
left in no-man's land
bereft of friend or mourner
bereft of comfort's hand

if i saw myself through 'nother's eyes
what would i see?
a bumbling mess behind the lies
or some other entity?

some of us are so concerned
with how the other views us
but the reality of their impression
would utterly confuse us

my advice, at the end of the day,
forget the other person
be yourself as best you may
just be your own best version

i heard it whispered by the wind
weeping o'er seas and land
i heard it sighed by the child
building castles in the sand

i heard it spluttered as he killed
as they fell as one unmanned
amongst the corpses as they piled
death at home in devil's land

i heard it muttered midst the trees
shivering naked in the breeze
i heard it buzzed between the bees
among the blackbirds from overseas

they'd seen him with his scythe in hand
they'd seen him threshing to and fro
they'd seen him travelling 'cross the land
with swing and strike and swipe and blow

how the mighty fell before him
weak and meek 'uns too
how their life was torn from limb
as they struggled to pull through

as they struggled 'gainst the *******
jaws of gaping hell
as they wrestled 'gainst his plucking
cord of bell and knell

as they fell into the clutches
of the scion of diablo
defenceless they 'gainst his touches
'gainst his charge on Death Row

they whispered secrets in my ear
chilling message ringing clear
better the rampage of G-d's courier
than predator of war-nuclear

better to fall into the hand of the L-rd
then the hand of man*
who kills 'n plunders with raving sword
without G-d's merciful plan

but my blindness saw as futile
the death of those five million
their suffering meaningless 'n brutal,
the adults, babes and children

but who am i to stand and judge
from my vantage here on earth
mine is but to drudge 'n trudge
till I'm too pulled to berth

there, beyond the death corporeal,
there beyond the silent sleep
beyond the clutch of snake primordial
the swing of soundless reap

i'll join the wisdom, joy supernal
beyond all peeve and pique
within the light of One Eternal,
Whose Name I dare not speak

though saints there are and holy men too
beware of the priest that bows too low
for his overt servility makes fool of you
as he treads upon unwary foe

for in his eyes, the layman and laic
are way beneath his dignity
just placed there to create mosaic
'gainst which to display his divinity

**** your self by giving
of yourself, that's living,
seek enjoyment and take
of others, 'n wither 'n flake

so goes the ancient wisdom
that has not aged with time
its part of ancient system
no sugar-coated rhyme

seek to give
and not receive
you will live
and will not grieve

but if in receipt
of constant eat
that breathing breath
is living death

he who lives it knows it
it aint so quaint to hear,
but if you're one who chose it
you'll know its truth is clear

He dipped a pen into the ink
and let the letters flow
like running a finger down a mink
forming blackbirds in the snow
the liquid flowed in courses deep
betwixt the fibrous path
on either side an ivory heap
as plaster 'tween the lath

the letters had a life their own
glinting in the sun
as shiny beads or poppy seeds
sprinkled on iced bun
and then, as corn, newly sown
choreographed as one
the letters marched, in unison,
as soldiers with a gun

each distinct, they swayed together
as wing compos'd of feather
the harmony of black and white
milk stars on velvet night,
and then, just when, all was right,
they vanished all together,
as all at once, they took to flight
and flew into the ether.

and now, each night, when all is still,
they visit me in my dreams,
those raven-black letters of quill
dance wisdom in moonlight streams
as homing pigeons coming to roost
coo mysteries in the dew
as prancing horses newly hoofed
flashing waves of sea-green hue,

and as young maid new seduced
'neath heavens of sky-blue
where rainbow colours introduce
soft butterflies flying through,
wherein conception, zen-induced,
old friends appear as new
i lend my ear to hear produced
their music i once knew

when pen in hand i sought to spill
the secrets hidden 'n true
of why the very highest hill
is home to lowly shrew
and why from ash beneath the grill
a phoenix wakes anew
and why the soul allows its will
to bivouac in corpse shoe.

the chocolate brown, curling brew,
with ebony structure,
opens my eyes so i see you,
conscious rupture

what magic is this that stirs the mind,
bewitching spirit,
opens the eyes, gives sight to the blind
breaks speed limit

though indeed i rarely gormandise
this be my third cuppa
i need four cups before i can normalise
to last me to supper

boom boom boom the djembe goes
a dance, in rhythmic throws,
on bougarabou and ngoma drum,
the frenzied beating thumb

ooooh ooooh ahh the spirit grows
body at soul's behest
twists 'n turns, the birthing throes
soul 'n spirit possessed

bom bom bom, the djembe goes
in prance the rhythm flows
dum patter pat, together we hum,
ashiko and djun-djun drum

bom bom bom, the djembe goes
in trance, cataclysmic pose,
with doumbek and the talking drum
sing spirits in fingers' strum.

bom bom bom goes the djembes
ashiko and ngoma drums
dancing rhythmic on the embers
body to spirit succumbs.