Andrew James Shepherd

Andrew James Shepherd Nov 2017

I dreamily posted you my letter
You successfully flushed it down the drain
I had visions of us sharing some breakfast
But my image didn’t even enter your brain
I could see your eyes in my mind
You could see a lady in white
I had thoughts of us taking a walk
But you loved her that girl from upstairs and one to the right
I beeped when I saw you running
You didn’t lift your head or even look around
I could feel my heart beating when stood next to you
But your heart never flickered or made a single sound
I plucked up the courage eventually
You said I wasn’t your type
I folded like a deckchair on a beach
But then recovered and gave my head a wipe
I’ve never understood why you got to me so intensely
You became close with that girl from the floor above
I guess there’s no harder feeling
But it’s the truth it’s just unrequited love

Andrew James Shepherd Nov 2017

Hiding

A tainted world is lived in
Paper masks hide idle lies
Glorious sunshine sifts through clouds
Blinding the weary eyes
Optimism hovers on cold days
Away from naked untouched truth
Elusive intrusive shadowy feelings
Seem so buried yet so aloof
Shout with your loudest voices
Laugh at humour on the air
A fool will make his own sorrows
Enigmatic is the man without care

Andrew James Shepherd May 2017

The innocents of Manchester

A canal made by hand
Running through the very heart
Won't forget you

The theatres and the venues
Entertaining when it's raining
Won't forget you

Quiet pubs and loud clubs
Sanctuaries for us all
Won't forget you

Office blocks and the nearby docks
Providing stability and a wage
Won't forget you

Taxis, buses, rickshaws or cycles
Ferrying us around our city
Won't forget you

The shops and the food halls
Giving us so much freedom
Won't forget you

The people we live amongst
Through their thoughts and prayer
Won't forget you

This is a poem for the innocent men, women and children killed in my hometown on Tuesday evening

Andrew James Shepherd May 2017

The Devil that wears the Backpack

Forget the sharp black horns
Or the points of the blood red fork
The frightening red skinned monster
Is defying the angels talk

Cause the devil has changed its image
He's found a new way to win
Creeping into human vessels
That succumb and let him in

Gratuitous acts of violence
Generated by his wicked untruth
With engine, gun or knife
Gloriously delivering us prove

Lurking in the civilian shadows
Waiting for the time of attack
This world now has a new danger
It's the devil that wears the backpack

Andrew James Shepherd May 2017

The tree

From my window I see it daily
All withered and tangled in a mess
Its leaves have a long time fallen
Now a spectical so hard to digest
Through the rain I watch it stand
No friends no companion no life
Beautiful yet utterly haunting
Bark all broken by pen and by knife
Theres a nest sitting in the branches
The more I look the more I smile
A tree has now gained some purpose
For years or maybe for a little while
And then a thought enters my head
Which only time can let us see
Will I watch it crash and tumble
Or is that tree going to out live me

Andrew James Shepherd Apr 2017

Peaceful

I walk through the happiness as it falls like rain
Ignoring the sheet of shallowness
A wonderous feeling plays with my brain
Because no more am I waltzing in the hallowness
Many a time I have stood on the edge
And peered into a dark and murky abyss
Then I made myself a cast iron pledge
To only saunter amongst the joy and the bliss
Foolhardy or unrealistic it may appear
Calamitous and dangerous it can often seem
But everyone in this world can stop fear
Stamp on it, clean it up and make it gleam
Let a scream from your lungs ring out
Beat your chest in a defiant fashion
Things that once made you cry and shout
Have been replaced by a peaceful and undying passion

Andrew James Shepherd Apr 2017

The conscience

Dance into the moonlight
Make noise with the wine
Flirt seductively with the night
But always leave the door open for me

Mingle joyously through the crowd
Keep your mind away from trouble
And the shadows that begin to shroud
Then leave the door open for me

Your head will get weary and dull
And you limbs will feel lose and weak
Thoughts will creep and pull
Please leave the door open for me

Cause I am the conscience
A logical in a world of mad
I choose to ignore all the nonsense
Always leave the door open for me