witnesses say they heard you say
you were innocent -
unsuspecting audiences quiet to their devices
we were not kids running through fields anymore
we brushed with death breathing fumes
of hatred and virus, the body begins to deteriorate
like a hand soaked in a bowl of gasoline -
the moon falls behind the earth
as you smile until it returns

but one word pounded in my head
echoing in my mind
I have a headache
I feel sick
"No chance... I'm sorry..."
you're not
you don't know
the pain,
heartache..
but one word pounded in my head
echoing in my mind
*"Gone..."

Chinese bells red tassels
scarlet swaying winds
Mongolian warriors on horseback
leather gauntlet falcons
grip with strong talons
Face-bent good and hot
Cheese curds steaming
in the cold winter night
on the mountain snow-covered
steppes step back front
door and took out to the
horizon horses drive towards
the mud and centre of our camp
Young girls wrestle in embroidered boots
helmets on lacquered heads black
as satin and moth wings...

Maybe twilight time
Is a small slice of heaven
Seeping through the cracks

I was strolling down the aisle
We were shopping there in style
With my daughter sitting smiling in the cart,
I was stretching out my hand
For the Martinelli's brand
When the apple of my eye gave me a start.

With the bottle in my grasp
I saw, coming toward us fast,
A high heeled damsel, scarfed and towing her caddie
And she smirked as I, condemned,
Stood up to comprehend
The reason, as my child said "Whisky Daddy?"

There was nothing I could say,
To make it seem another way,
To vanquish the conviction so compelling
It was the color you could tell
And the shape she knew so well,
The question that my daughter asked was telling.

Neil Stewart McLeod

Stronger, but not invincible
Hidden, but not invisible
Unclear, but not unaware
Careful,
          but no longer care.

Today there is no work to be done.
There is only rest
and the simplicity allowed
as the spaceman sleeps.

He dreams not of galaxies,
but the land and ocean
as he catches bass
down by the bay.

His peers worry
about opportunities missed
amongst the stars
as their astronaut
is calling in sick today.

He opens his eyes
and mumbles
about the plentiful
amount of fish and waves
the men down by the dock
get to catch each day.