I passed a man in the lobby
He was as silent as the midnight hour
His face was as white as Christmas snow
And his demeanour was dull and dour

I passed the man again that day
Not one word left his lips
It was like the world around me stopped
As a coldness passed through my hips

I never saw the man again
He disappeared into the night air
The most unusual feeling was left with me
When normally I wouldn’t really care

Who was the man I’d only seen twice
And why did he have to go
Without the simplest flash of a smile
Or the courtesy of saying hello

And then I saw the painting
Hung like a memory on the wall
Of the man who passed me quietly
As I wandered down the hall

His face was all tired and grey
Looking like a chap of deception
He must be someone of importance
As he overlooked the hotel reception

I enquired to the desk clerk
Who is the gent up above
That is the owner of the hotel
Mr Henry J Love

Then I was hit by thunder
As my heart beat with dread
He won’t be with us tonight though sir
The mans been thirty years dead

Where did I go
When I ate my breakfast this morning
Where did I go
When I got myself dressed
Where did I go
As I looked in the mirror
Where did I go
That man I used to know
My hair looks very different
And a beard covers my face
My eyes seem all puffy
And my hair is out of place
My skin is showing wrinkles
And my nose now has hairs
My face is faint and thin
Like a stranger just moved in
Where did I go
When I closed eyes after forty
Where did I go
When my body started to change
Where did I go
When I struggled with my clothes
Where did I go
Is the age just starting to show

She’s gives me the ice cream
Then takes it away
Playfully and full of fun
But a bit naughty also
Curly haired and sweet
With a mischievous grin
Portuguese I’m told
She can be whatever she wants
For me

I used to have a friend
Or did he have me
We spoke for several hours
About family about games about tv

I used to have a friend
Or was he really there
I chased him around and around the house
Then watched him sit and stare

I used to have a friend
Who would tell me to be bad
So much that my parents would scold me
And then I’d feel sad

I used to have a friend
But one day he just disappeared
No goodbye no note no reason
As quick as he appeared

I used to have a friend
Who was imaginary I feel
But to me in those childhood days
He was there and he was real

I used to have a friend
When he went I had to make more
I suppose though if you ever came back
We could talk like we did before

She rolled around in knee high boots
All flirty with the grass
I placed my hand on her head
I’d got with her at last
We giggled for a life time
And made love for a million years
The insects were watching us in wonder
I could hear them in my ears
And then we spoke about nothing
But all the world come out
Silly little conversations
That none of us knew nothing about
We forgot about the time
The love got in the way
Fifty years and still as strong
It feels like yesterday

A tiny little island
Made of unusual interesting people
All milling around
Doing pretty much nothing
The beach is completely deserted
Why is a beach deserted
The streets empty as space
What a place this is
It’s warm yet cool
And the shops sell towels
Which is funny
Cause nobody is on the beach
An ice cream parlour
Just near the sea
Is nice not for the ice cream
But because the girl is flirting
I wander into a music shop
And buy some tapes
It’s not like home
Because it’s quiet
What a place this is
But I have to go home
Why oh why
Do I have to go home

The dancing butterflies
See how they fly
Like a scene from Swan Lake
Like birds in the sky
Skimming over grass
And twisting through the tress
Beautiful butterflies full of love
Beautiful butterflies in the breeze
Majestic and mesmerising
Enjoying their little chase
A smile at their wonder
A smile on my face
Do they weave in anger
Are they at war in flight
Is it just a friendly game
Is it love at first sight
The dancing butterflies
Racing around in the heat
I’m gripped in utter fascination
I’m gripped firmly to my seat

The red crimson liquid splatters onto the leather upholstery
As the gleaming machine passes through the crowd in the sun
Remember this day November 22nd 1963
As the day America stood still
Oh and how the ladies are howling
And the children cling to their mothers hands
Crying not at the sight of death but rather at the noise
Men fall to the floor in fear dreading another shot
As the zapruder films, one shot, two shots, dead
Pandemonium, chaos, no one really knows what to do
The cars eerily carry on driving along
The president of America John F Kennedy
Has been assassinated today

They say poetry is dead
Like a pencil without any lead
They say nobody writes
Like a holiday without the sights
They say written verse is dying
My friends they are all just lying
They say the books have dried up
Like tea leaves at the bottom of a cup
They say that interest has ceased
Like a chalet no longer leased
They say we’re running out of verses
Like hospitals without nurses
They say the day will come fast
When poetry becomes a thing of the past
They say this but its not what I believe
It’s just what society wants us all to perceive

Here am I
Growing in the rain
Forgotten by humanity
A stem with no brain
Charmless and ugly
Often hurled
The useless feature
Of a dying world
But you are wrong
There’s more to me
Cause I’m alive
Can’t you see
With my beautiful leaves
And my amazing shade
My looks will stay
As yours will fade
I am beauty
With a radiant glow
Spreading my magic
As the wind starts to blow
Don’t ignore me
Or stand on my soul
This here is a wonder
Growing out of this hole
In this land of nature
I am strong in my tower
The majestic and the mighty
The narcissist little flower

In the stillness of night
The beams of the moonlight
Scorch the marble floor
Amidst the creaking of a door
As this old house breathes again

Curtains blow up high
Causing dust to live and fly
Like pores from human skin
Then a can made of tin
Rolls through the medium of the wind

Cats meow in the air
A chorus of I don’t care
Crooked floorboards talk so loud
The moon hides behind a cloud
Plunging the house into total darkness

Then slowly the clock turns back
To when silence leads the attack
Again the darkness fights the light
In a battle with the night
For control of this dormant house

Walking along
In a daze
I felt the sun and all his rays
A little thing that life had stole
Started returning
My precious soul
Spirits lifted through my skin
As beautiful thoughts
Drifted in
I wanted to live amongst the crowd
My new found strength
Made me proud
What lay in store I didn’t know
But I made a promise
To give it a go
Walking along
In vibrant sways
I thank the sun and all his rays

It is the night tonight
That I fear the most
As I pray to god
And the Holy Ghost