There’s always a threat to be pandered to
Always a cloud in the sky
Always the ones who are doomed to die
A drug, a panacea is yours you can take
There’s always hope if you buy it
Beware of the choices you make
Your fear will help you grow old
If you have the coin, give them all that you’ve got
You may be here, though others may not
You are part and parcel, a cog in the wheel
They will teach you to think, teach you to feel
Remember that threat will always be here
The shadows they show you will fill you with fear
There’s always a cloud in the sky......

Ask yourself why

She could do anything
The girl with talents diverse
Act in a play
No need to rehearse
She could write a song
You’d be humming
All night long
She could strum a tune
You’d be strumming
Strumming along
She could do anything
She could sing
She could do so much
So much was not enough
When the living got tough
There was one thing
She could never do
That was to love herself
The girl with talents diverse
Her heart was a stone
She was lost, so alone
Left on the shelf
She could do anything
But she could not
Would not do anything
To set herself free
I could not
Do anything
To make her love me

When the wind blows
When the snow snows
When nobody knows
What will be
All drowsy with sleep
My love you will keep
You’ll find me
Dreaming of, dreaming of thee

When oceans roar
Open the door
To my troubled heart
Set me free
I do nothing more
Than wait on the shore
Forever
Dreaming of, dreaming of thee

Nothing so blind
As cannot find
The beauty around
Or to see
The hopes and the plans
In the love for one man
Eternally
Dreaming of, dreaming of thee

Storm breaks in the ocean
Your ship is in motion
Sailing through wind and through rain
You’ll return soon I know
Through sun and through snow
‘Till I see you again
I’ll be
Dreaming of, dreaming of thee

No sir, no not me
Come no closer, can’t you see?
I’m freezing as the springtime frost
So won’t you let me be?
Wind tossed as the blossom
Bleeding from the tree
I am but a child; I’m lost
I am wild, not dutiful
Scarred inside; not beautiful
My demon lover  left me
Underneath the cherry tree
No sir, no not me

No sir, no not me
Come no closer, can’t you see?
I am not a fresh faced maid
No sir, we can’t be
Plucking cherries in the glade
Walking in the evening shade
I’m buried in the foetid earth
Awaiting spring, denied rebirth
In the soft sun, in the rain
I shall never rise again
No-one can ever set me free
No sir, no not me

I’m not a hero in any sense of the word
I’m not a brave heart, not a tough guy
I question so much in this head of mine
I question but get no answers most of the time
In my mind goldfish swim round senselessly
I am forgetting all the things I said
I read but I am not well read
My head keeps spinning relentlessly
Is this uncommon, can I be mad
Is this the norm, it makes me  sad
To think of the cruelty that we face
The money, all the wars and hate
I want to be a hero,  save the world
I want to be an angel, but I am just a girl
Making her way every  day
In an agony of indecision, a catalogue of division
So I’m not a hero in any sense at all
But if you are a hero, a brave heart
Please save the world, answer the call

It must be the small things that make the difference
The birds singing in the morning light
It must be the small things, some near some distant
Have we really  become beauty resistant?
To moonbeams chasing sunbeams
Sunshine filtering through green clad glades
Memories  I treasure are haunting my dreams
It would be funny, if it wasn’t tragic
We are losing the plot, forgetting the magic
Why are these pockets of joy too hard to find?
Why do we ignore the small things
Why are they forgotten, when did we leave them behind?

You are calling my name in vain
I can’t hear; ears blocked like a drain
The tide flings me ashore, all in a rush
Drifting to land, no fanfare, as if I wasn’t there
There’s a mystery in the monkey puzzle tree
I am clueless, as I expected to be
Still there’s history between us
Absolution for you, too late for me
The waves are calm, you could part them if you so desired
Not I, I lie here unable to move, so tired
I am continually tossed as the winds blow over me
No longer tempestuous, wild untamed
You are calm serene, I will be blamed for my wrongdoings,
While you will charm the angels, make them sing
And I will fall into the abyss
A lost inhuman inconsequential thing

I don’t think you know me
I think I know you
I don’t think you owe me
You think that you do
I try to get inside your head
I can’t remember
Can’t remember
All the things I did and said
I don’t think you want me
I think I want you
I don’t think you’ll love me
Why should you love me too?
All this thinking makes me weary
My eyes are heavy as my heart
I don’t think you’ll hear me
When I say we must never
Never never  ever part

You are a whisper, a shudder of delight
You are a hint of better times
Sweet as the grape fresh off the vine
Always in the shadows, a sunlight ray
If only you were with me every day
Then I could breathe again, you are my essence
All I was meant to be
If only I was free, but I’m lonely, need your presence
Shine on me in everything I say and do
I know you can’t be pressurised
Though I try to disguise the sadness in my eyes
My tears reveal the truth, compound the lies
I’m trying not to worry, not to hurry, to get it right
Happiness please be with me, stay with me tonight

You can tell when it’s a North Easter
You’re bones jangle, your ears ping
You know what’s coming
Nothing you can do about it
They call it spring
Evening skies divine
Purple blue and white
Promises to be fine
The inconstant veil parts
The fun starts
Rocks hurled by angry Gods
They call it hail
Running along the street
Your collar high, umbrella closed
Suppose this must be thunder
Still, what are the odds?
The garden’s shining bright
Eerily blanketed in white
In this topsy turvy world
All the colours unfurled
It makes the heart to sing
No wonder
They call it spring

Looking back into the night
Darkest storms, can’t see no light
Looking back through all the years
Looking back through all the tears

Looking back things seemed so bad
Life itself was all I had
Looking back I’d lost my dreams
Fabric torn, ripped at the seams

Looking back is not much fun
Remembering battles lost not won
Looking back in retrospect
I chose my path, time to forget

Looking back at a young boy
Kicking heels, heart filled with joy
Remembering him I feel ashamed
Was life so bad, or have I changed?

Looking forward to every day
Looking forward, I need to pray
The soul to cleanse, the heart to heal
A different way to think and feel

It’s a gravy boat
Gravy is delicious
It’s a gravy boat
For your appetite
Spicy, nicey onions float
In the lovely gravy boat
If you should want to know
It’s not a train
Don’t buy a ticket
That’s not cricket
It’s a gravy boat
And it contains
Liquid velvet for the throat
Absurdly decadent and smooth
It’s a gravy boat, not a gravy train
I pour gravy on my food
It’s a gravy boat
It’s not a train
If it was then I’d complain
A train is always late
And I refuse to wait
Anyway, railway food’s appalling
Wait, I hear my dinner calling
It’s a s......... gravy boat
Now we’ve got that right
Bon, bon bon............
Bon appetite!  (or appetit?)

Anyway if there ever was a gravy train, (and I’m not saying there was,) the last train has gone forever, utterly broken, irreparable, too many  politicians scrabbling to climb aboard, (don’t you watch the news darling?)

Miracles they say are for those who know their way
Those who are the gifted ones, the special and the fey
When I look out of my window at the turquoise dawning light
I see so many miracles, in the day and in the night
The miracle of the sky, the magic of the Earth
The innocence of a child, the wonder of his birth
The sun and moon and stars are shining just for me
And all I ever need to ask
Is to be blessed with eyes to see

I viewed the world as grey, the people full of woe
Never thought to look up or to touch the Earth below
To be caught up in the blindness; now I see it’s all a game
Distraction and, destruction; invasions of my dreams
Emerging from my shell I feel
A shining in my soul
Nothing can be as it seems
All shall be revealed
How could I ever want for anything again?
When I delight in  sunlight
And soft refreshing rain

They come with their news, and their views
They swamp you with dire predictions
Say you can’t win but you’ll lose
If you listen to all their convictions
This world’s a bad place, well oh dear
We’ve fallen from grace so we hear
But I see the sky in the mornings
I hear birds singing their songs
Soon a new day is dawning
Won’t spend that day living in fear
They say if you try harder it’s good
They say work much longer; you should
There’ll be more industry
More for you,  more for me
But all I can see are the trees
The flowers the bees and the honey
I should know my place, well oh dear
But all they can think of is money
So why should I heed all their warnings
And spend my life living in fear

It’s a mere inconvenience
That we shouldn’t meet
Can’t meet in the flesh
But our memories stay fresh
I can see you any day
You don’t live far away
And we wave, we smile
Sharing joy in one another
We talk on the ‘phone
Talk all day ‘till the cows come home
We exchange pictures and films
All that stuff to keep connected
Like a new young lover
You leave flowers at my door
Bouquets; treated like a bride
I wish you could come inside
Somehow it’s not the same
Why do I feel neglected?
Ah.......the flesh is weak
I’m missing you each time we speak

As we meandered down memory lane
You recaptured the ghost of your smile
Tonight the real you emerged
Loving, intuitive
We parted with reluctant goodbyes
The medication granted us this......
Tonight we kissed.
For one last time I knew you
The thought is like heady wine
Tonight.........
And only for tonight.......
You were mine

There are ladders to the soul so they say
Pathways to the Gods; but fears get in the way
There are ladders to unwind, weaving upwards through the mind
To climb these ladders first get past your head
Your head is filled with subterfuge and shame
You wake up every morning and your mind is just the same
Your soul knows no stain, has no notion
Of why you think as you do, it’s an ocean
Of true self, ego free and timeless
Overflowing love, sincerity and kindness

There are saints and there are sinners
There are losers, there are winners
Then there’s me, then there’s you
When we envy, when we’re mean
There are stools we fall between
We fall straight through
That is me, that is you
Not really bad, we are trying
Not really good, until we’re dying
Saints and sinners from the start
Repeating lies by heart
That’s what we do
To get us through
Diving down into the depths
To bury sorrows and regrets
There’s always more
Left on the shore
For the saints and all the sinners
The losers and the winners
Don’t have a clue
Like me and you
We muddle through.....

That’s what we do

Spare me a dream faery man
Spare me a dream faery woman
Bake me a ginger bread cottage
Weave wishes to bind with the dough
With icing as white as the snow

Cut me a thread faery man
Sew me a seam faery woman
Bind with the blossom in May
Pink as the rose, soft as the lamb
To wind round the bed where I lay

Write me a poem faery man
Faery woman sing me your love
Casting your light, by the waxing of moon
Set words to music and play me a tune
To brighten my heart all the day

So spare me a dream faery man
Spare me a dream faery woman
Bake me a ginger bread cottage
Weave wishes to bind with the dough
With icing as white as the snow

There are little tiny Muselings playing in my head
They whisper in my ear and follow me to bed
Into my soul they gently creep, singing ‘till I fall asleep
Morning finds me filled with wonder and delight
My eyes can only see the magic of the night
What should I do? Blessed with all this beauty
To my own heart be true; an honour not a duty

To
.......................

Pick up my pen and write

Oh lord the winds are blowing
Oh lord there is no knowing
When the storm gives way
To another kind of day
People come and go
They seem to be real
But how would I know
How they think or how they feel
Not allowed outside my door
What is the living for?
It seems another species
Aliens are coming through
Wearing masks, a disguise
All they reveal is in their eyes
They don’t seem happy
They don’t seem free
I want to talk to them
But I have to let them be
Oh lord the winds are blowing
Blowing over me
Blowing over you too
And there is nothing
There is nothing

.....................................

Nothing I can do

I won’t know what to say
If you go away
I don’t know what I’ll do
When our life together is through
The fire has burnt low
Still I beg you; don’t go
I won’t say goodbye
I can’t reignite us however I try
Flames rising with my sweet desire
Blazing higher and higher
The embers burn down
Old sparks go to ground...

If you are lost.................

I may never be found

I dreamt of you last night
You were laughing in the light
I was laughing with you too
We had nothing else to do
We never looked ahead or behind us
I’d forgotten how life could be
Sparkling easy and free
Now I don’t do very much
Routine chains me, keeps me in touch
With reality such as it is
I do miss you and the fizz
You were my bottle of champagne
In my dreams you will remain
I dreamt of you
Yes I dreamt of you.......

Last night

Wear your pyjamas and stay in your bed
No need for alarm it’s a cold in your head
It’s not the ‘flu and it’s not beri- beri
What you should do is eat and be merry
Resist little germies; take advice from your Mum
Phone up your worky and say you can’t come
Hot lemon and whisky tots flavoured with honey
Loosens your cold and makes you go maudlin
Put on your  music, Bob Dylan is calling
When you are well, he feels kind of sad
When you are sick you agree with your Dad
Bob is the best friend that you ever had
Never wear headphones, annoy next door neighbours
Send your Mum shopping for Lemsip from Savers
After a while you’ll start to enjoy
All the care and fussing you had as a boy
So when the certificate comes to an end
Work is a no-no; a don’t want to go-go
Spots on your face will keep you in bed
Your belly is scarlet; your face is all red
Under the sheets hide a *** and a pen
With luck you won’t have to work ever again

I want to write for you but I can’t
Shine a light for you but I can’t
Must inspiration depend
On the journeys end
I want to write for you
If you only knew
How much I want to write
I want to write a beautiful song
I want to write, but the words are wrong
With pure insight and sheer delight
I want to write

I want to write for you but I can’t
Light a candle, meditate and chant
Find fertile soil to plant
I want to write for you
Words bubbling like fountains
Gushing down mountains
Doesn’t have to be good
Even if it never could
I want to write for you is all
Simply for the joy that I recall
I want to write

Oh what a jolly day when you let life go away
If you don’t choose to listen to all the things they say
It’s easy to ignore all the talk of war and strife
When you stopper up your ears you can live a happy life
You can smell the roses, fresh from the rain
Life is more than you supposes, be happy once again!
If only for a while when life seems to be insane
You can shut your door when unsure what life is for
Look down at your body, does it appear to be well fed
Look at your house; do you have a comfy bed?
Are you safe from the storm, is your fire nice and warm
If the answer is yes I suggest a cup of tea
Take a step back, contemplate on how to be
And one day you may find you say
That was a jolly day when I let life go away
Just for a little time, some hours of repose
Awakened to the power, the scent of the rose
It eased all my misery took away the pain
Life is more than I supposes, I’m happy once again!

Winter is calling, now on the way
All hopes of the sun are waning today
Mist and fog are all that I see
They swirl and they cover the loftiest tree
Afternoon cloaked in the shadowy night
Darkness soon swallows all of the light
A sleepy time girl as this blast of cold
Seeps into my body, into my soul
When I awaken my blood starts to flow
I take a brisk walk through sparkling snow
Outside all is calm, white flakes fill the skies
As I breathe in the beauty, tears fill my eyes
Fir trees looming, ancient and proud
Silver moon peeping from under a cloud
I hope that the sun will brighten my way
For Winter is calling, calling today

Come dark days, come dark days come
With grey louring skies the wind rushes by
Dark days, it’s time that we freed you
No more hiding in skies azure blue
Dark days are refreshing the plain
Though people get bored with the rain
Some folks never let go of the sun
Yet when all’s said and done
Dark days reveal a different show
As beauty revives with the snow
Those with the knowledge of old
Lay logs on the fire when it grows cold
Brew mulled wine with cranberries red
Bake mince pies and sweet gingerbread
Waiting for spring is a beautiful thing
Time is slowed down, frost on the ground
Come dark days, come dark days come
Stay ‘till your work here is done

You are here in the morning light
You are here in the darkening night
Eternal, ancient, unceasingly new
You are known to many, lost to a few
In the wonder of breathing you lie
In the wonder of being, all seeing eye
In mountains in valleys, seascape and sky
You speak to the world, never saying a word
Your voice  a sweet cry, from the throat of a bird
No matter if we know or believe
You are here to give, we to receive
Our laughter and tears tossed in the sea
As the waves rise and fall, old history
You are what you are, you are glory
Enriching our lives, never ending your story

......................

You are here

I’m a ghost at my own party
Blown away by the machine
I’m a ghost at my own party
Rarely heard and never seen
The clock upon the mantelpiece
Keeps tick tocking away
The hands are stuck at half past nine
Every single day

I don’t remember growing old, I simply don’t believe
I don’t remember when it was time to end my dream
When I forget my glasses, I’m young, I’m just the same
With lipstick, powder face creams, I’m still in the game
There’s a cold wind in the garden, chills the soul right through
The weeds are steadily growing, so much for me to do
I call you from the window, why don’t you respond?
The fish still in the water
It’s time to clear the pond


People come and people go, I don’t remember them
Some are kindly ladies, some are gentlemen
They are all familiar, sometimes they stay awhile
I study all the people, yet never find your smile
Some days I wake from sleep refreshed, feeling like a child
A flower in the garden, a rambler running wild
Now you are sitting on the old oak bench in your shirt of blue
Waiting oh so patiently....
Yes, I remember you


I’m a ghost at my own party
Blown away by the machine
I’m a ghost at my own party
Rarely heard and never seen
The clock upon the mantelpiece
Keeps tick tocking away
The hands are stuck at half past nine
Every single day


I

We all see life through different eyes
Everybody has their own beliefs
Their share of grief and good times too
We are not so dissimilar me and you
We all feel pain that much is true
The things we discuss are familiar
I am realising now that polarisation
Is becoming more and more an obligation
We don’t mix and match our data
We choose to be a lover or a hater
We don’t deal with emotions with tact
We see the same sun over the horizon
If only we could keep our eyes on that
Before our personal truths become fact
Privileged is he that accepts how different we all are
Who listens when he hears multitudinous voices
Respects their right to be heard

..................

And rejoices

My love the wind blows long
The wind blows, my love is strong
You are the young man of my dreams
You are the young man I’ve often seen
Walking through moonlight, a jolly young tar
You are the young man the braggart I know
You are the young man with girls near and far
When you call they come to your arms
When you call they fall for your charms
Before day is over, I’ll lie with my rover
My sailor boy, my lover my joy
For the wind blows, the ship knows
The sea is straining for a beautiful lad
The sea will take the best lover I’ve ever had
So blow foul winds do your worst
Though I stand on the quay and curse
I will not go down like the ship you are on
I will not go down I will be strong
One last triumph to hold on to my heart
To let go of my sorrow though we must part

A star in the sky, the moon is full
A tear in my eye; I feel her pull
When she rises my heart is in tune
Itinerant moon her energy grows
The swell of the tide, the thrill of the ride
Beckons me on to be by her side
Sometimes the thrill is too much to bear
She is high in the sky I want to be there
At one with the moon, I can’t let her go
As days go by the moon she must die
Sinking into emotionless sea
Waiting for rebirth, tied to the Earth
I die a little each time she is low
Next time she will take me ....
Next time I will go

He’s a familiar stranger in an unfamiliar town
Silent as a sunbeam as he spreads his light around
Sometimes he’s reflected in a puddle on the street
His image a projection of the people he will meet
Sometimes when he smiles it’s like the sun is coming out
Sometimes when he winks at you, your troubles and your doubt
Vapourise like steam upon wet washing as you sing
As you dance away your worries, finding joy in everything
Unsullied by that hammer that lies deep inside your head
That wakes you much too early, yet makes you stay in bed
He’s like the horse you’d like to ride if you had a free rein
To be the one you thought you were, and can be once again
Thought or feelings start to bring the message loud and clear
As he dissipates your cares and woe, eradicates your fear
Bringing freedom with the laughter there can really be no doubt
As he covers you with giggling spray the magic gushes out
This familiar stranger in an unfamiliar town
Has been here for a thousand years, sometimes lost, sometimes found
In the glimmer of a street lamp when the moonlight chases day
In the whistle of a morning train speeding on its way
Silent as a sunbeam as he spreads his light around
This familiar stranger in this unfamiliar town
Is as precious as a sparkling jewel, glimpsed darkly through a prism
Familiar stranger giving birth to optimism
Me and thee would be so glad, we go so well together
Familiar stranger; will you stay with me.... forever?

Tired of the screaming, the negative thoughts
Tired of the shoulds the musts and the ought’s
I want to be allowed to live in my dream
No ego, no pride, want to swim in the stream
I want to break free to be loving and kind
But the trolls and detractors mess with my mind
My sleep it is haunted by things I have done
No dreams bright and breezy of the days I had fun
No joy and laughter, the nightmares have begun
There’s so little that uplifts that is all that I’m saying
We need to unite, we need to start praying
I hope someone somewhere is having a ball
If you are and you know where I’m coming from
Help a poor human kind grow into a swan
Let love’s flame burn brighter, stand in the light
May love and peace be with you tonight

It’s a song that bursts through the walls
Of discontent, a song that enthrals
A song to move mountains of years
A song that is sweet in your ears
Never underestimate, never decry
The power of your song as time passes by
Over the years the melody lingers
Let the music run through your fingers
Kings have been moved by its power
Your song she is growing hour by hour
It’s a personal treasure, special to you
There in your heart whatever you do
Never underestimate, never decry
The power of your song, don’t let it die

I’m easy to please when the sun shines
I’m easy to please, good friend of mine
It's easy when there is  nothing to do
My mind not taxed,I'm laughing, relaxed
Dark thoughts confuse me with anger and fear
You may offer comfort; I won’t let you get near
The pressure’s on to keep going,
I know that you’re kind
But all of my doubts interfere with my mind
This rainy day me is a debt that I’m owing
My debt to you, that debt is growing
I’m easy to please when the sun’s in my sky
I want to please you in good times and bad
You are the best friend that I ever had

He never thought he was old, unless reminded
He thought age was a number, he never counted
He was alive; some people are a long time dead
He had all his wits that he never doubted
He took what he needed from the past
Some things were good, made to last
Others best not mentioned,
It was never his intention to make people sad,
He’d talk about the better days he’d had
Days of hope and optimism when he was a lad
A man about town, with a happy weathered face
Sitting on a bench in his usual place
Most days he’d speak to passers by
Giving his opinions, lending a listening ear, a watchful eye
A welcome presence everywhere he went
Discussing politics and philosophy intelligently
Though his back was bent he went his merry way,
A powerful force, yet always finding something kind to say
Until fate steered him on a different course
His roller coaster life morphed into a slide
Gone his independence, he had to stay inside
He never thought he was old until someone said
He thought age was a number, he never counted
He was so alive; some people are a long time dead

Write me a song, make me sweet music
Wrapped round my heart so I never lose it
May the words resonate like old friends of mine
The music remind me of sweet summer wine
The song celebrate all the things that we do
Re-create loving memories of you
Will the chords harmonise, strike the right note
Will I want to sing, will it burst from my throat
Like a waterfall tumbling over the ground
Lilting and splashing the music around
A song you gave me when we were together
And when it is written, will you and me be
Singing our love song forever and ever

It’s good to notice things again
Good to notice when it rains
To reconnect, to respect the seasons
Good to go out; good to be about
To be out for no other reason
Than it feels good to breathe the air
Shops are still there, they won’t go away
They can wait until another day
Closed and shuttered, shrouded in grey
Reminders of a world on hold
Everything to be bought and sold
Compensation comes at a price
I will not calculate the cost, not today
Nor get all political, my mood is analytical
Today a little healing is taking place in my heart
So noticing the rain is good, walking in the wood
Is even better, with nothing to complain about
It really is so good

................


To be out

Autumn Story
By Sheila Haskins


The story’s in the breeze drifting through the trees
In yellow and red leaves falling on my head
Feeling mellow; it’s like a drug, like a bug, a disease
Can’t get enough of mornings such as these
I yearn to be outside to wish the trees well
Soon they’ll have a different story for me to tell
Comatosed as days fly by; I pray that Autumn lingers
I cry as the swallows fly; I miss the birds the most
Bees humming no more, golden leaves dying on the floor
There is good in every season, always a reason to be glad
Even though my heart is feeling pain as Autumn bleeds
As she recedes I want to welcome winters’ thrill
Be the first to know the touch of her icy fingers
Winter with all her vagaries as yet a mystery
As Autumn slowly fades into history
Winter may compensate with her frosted glory
She can excite us, and invite us
And that my friend is

Yet

...........

Another Story

It seems I have no aptitude for gratitude
I am grateful in an abstract kind of way
For all the things I have today
I am grateful when it’s cold outdoors
Feeling warmth as the fire roars
Grateful for the days and nights
Grateful for the warm sunlight
I am grateful for the food I eat
The clothes I wear, shoes on my feet
I am grateful when the music’s loud
For all the things of which I’m proud
If I am grateful why do I moan
Why does my spirit wander
Far from this well loved place, my home
Is it a disease of man
That though he has all that he can
It never seems to be enough
Sometimes it takes times to get tough
To turn the abstract into real
To appreciate, to feel release
To truly regain that inner peace

Strong Man
By Sheila Haskins

You stand strong, your back to the wall
When you stand strong, I can recall
The days of your youth, now so far away
Sometimes returning when you have a good day
You lead the way a proud resolute man
I catch my breath; you do all that you can
A teardrop glistens, takes me by surprise
Your strength is not missing; it’s there in your eyes
Some things that you do are not temperate or clever
I ask myself when were you these things, were you ever?
You do what you do right or wrong
You do what you do to be strong
................
Stay Strong

Some are smiling
Some are frowning
Some beguiling
These words that must go down
Some are filled with pathos,
Others red with rage
Some are marching armies
Striding across the page
Sometimes they have battles,
Sometimes they make war
Sometimes win, sometimes lose
And end up on the floor
Some are wild, out of control
Some are good, some are poor
Some a gateway to the door
Releasing the poet’s soul
Some are growing angel wings
Love comes shining through
Some are filled with lovely things
Others painted blue
Some you share, some pass around
Some go wrong, some go right
Many will haunt your dreams tonight
...................
These words that must go down

Reunion

I  visit you after all this time
In my hands a glass of wine
In this place where you have been
So many years passed in-between
Quietly sitting in your chair
Perfect face and perfect hair
Where is the girl in the flowery dress?
The girl whose room was such a mess
The girl who toasted me with beer
I remember how we drank till one
You used to say, life’s meant for fun
We sometimes worked, sometimes not
I know we used to laugh a lot
When did you join the sensible?
Was it your choice, did you lose freewill
If you could would you choose us?
Still I want to take your hand and cry
I want to be with you, want to try
The walls we built will not come down
I know you don’t want me around
No beer today, a simple wine
Like grapes we’ve fallen from the vine
Our time is gone, all I am to you
Is someone you once thought you knew

It’s a ******
A ****** of crows
There’s a place in the forest where nobody goes
No sun only darkness, no moon casting light
In the grove where he gave her his ring
No more shall sweet nightingales sing
Black shades in the night
Black shadows in flight
It’s a ******
A ****** of crows

It’s a ******
A ****** of crows
The roses are fragrant, the night velvet blue
She gave him her heart, an oath to be true
He gave her his darkness, stole all her dreams
A flapping of wings and no more is she seen
No-one hears her cries
With the night bird she flies
It’s a ******
A ****** of crows

It’s a ******
A ****** of crows
Black birds the demons, death in their wings
Taking his love to an unholy nest
Devouring the maiden he’d held to his breast
Cast aside, foul and bloodied his bride
Now he’s half human half crow, gone his pride
Wings outstretched no love by his side

It’s a ******
A ****** of crows

The rain is falling from the skies
It’s not that you were heaven sent; you weren’t, me neither
We have faults enough it’s true but when I’m feeling blue
I believe in the value of we two although I see sadness in your eyes
Is it wise to disguise the memories of the pain?
Or is it good to talk together, override the stormy weather
Walk headlong through the thunder, hand in hand
Until the wonder of our lives dispels the falling rain
And we say what the hell, making sunshine out of showers,
Reviving happy hours that we shared, because we cared,
Still you are here where you remain
My rainbow shining through the sun,
The storm was fierce, and now it’s done
If you weren’t heaven sent then I think that you were lent
And our lives together
..................................
Must be meant

I want to dance she said
Now’s my chance she said
Today I’ll close the blinds
No-one here to mind
There is no need she said
To answer the front door
No-body dropping by
Perhaps I’ll sew she said
Fancy things that have no uses
No apologies, no excuses
The day is mine to drink wine
To write a poem or to compose
Sit in a chair and lightly doze
Lots of lounging to be done
Lots of laughter, lots of fun
Fool around, or I could caper
Drown in chocolate, read the paper
Perhaps I’ll go to bed
Lie under the covers, watch TV
This day is mine, only for me
When all is said and done
This could be my chance
To grow my wings
That is why
I want to dance
And do lots and lots of
Other lovely things
But really I just want to dance
She said, I’m going to do it

................

Now’s my chance!

Friends are all around me
Near, yet far away
Friends are all around me
The same as yesterday
As pale moons in the distance
Golden sun beams in the sky
They are here come rain or shine
And here’s the reason why
The world changed in an instant
Yet we are still the same
Although my friends are distant
They’re players in this game
Memories of those other times
Of lazy days; of sharing wine
I think of all the hours we had
Happy times outweigh the sad
Now I know that friends will grow
From the seeds of antecedence
The weeds fade in the afterglow
No more I’ll grant them credence
Choked by love with wings they fly
While  far away in  summer sky
Friends are all around me
.............

Until the day I die

(Thoughts during the Covid Pandemic Lockdown 2020)

By Sheila Haskins

Moon and stars shining lights in the sky
Bold heavens of blue, feels so strange
Life’s a fathomless ocean, no clouds passing by
Something, something has changed

Rain  coming down,  making no sound
Refreshing the tears in my eyes
Pure air so rare, a soft breeze in my hair
Something, something has changed

It’s quiet in the garden, small creatures appear
Friends I have not seen for years
Time passes by in the blink of any eye,
Something, something has changed

The earth tastes so sweet, nothing to fear
All that I see and I hear
Fuels positivity, a charged electricity
Something, something has changed

Outside of this home there is pain
Enemies  no man can ignore
Pandemics and war on the increase again
Yet, something, something has changed

High in the sky is a rainbow
Sunshine intermingles with rain
When storms are  gone, life carries on
New winds are  beginning to blow
Fresh seedlings to plant, green grass to mow
Some things are lost, some things are gained
...........

Something, something has changed