The simple way to arrive at an appreciation of poetry is to read it - then to read it again.

Desmond Flower, The Pursuit Of Poetry (1939)

Lock down
Locked in
Mixed emotions spilling over

Fear of the unknown
Of family safety
Rushing over in tsunami waves

Floundering
Crying
Drowning in this tide of uncertainty

Through the darkness
A life line
Messages of hope and caring

Reaching out
Into homes
Relationships forged in crisis

Love and laughter
Shared with all
A nation brought together

The difference between genuine poetry and
the poetry of Dryden, Pope, and all their
school, is briefly this: their poetry is
conceived and composed in their wits,
genuine poetry is conceived and composed
in the soul.

Matthew Arnold, Essays in Criticism (1865)

It is fatal to decide, intellectually, what good poetry is because you are then in honour bound to try to write it, instead of the poems
that only you can write.

Philip Larkin, Poets of the 1950s (Ed. D. J. Enright, 1955)

Poetry is simply the most beautiful,
impressive, and widely effective mode of saying things, and hence its importance.

Matthew Arnold, Essays in Criticism (1865)

That first kiss...

Caress of lips touching
Warmth of breaths mingling
Sweetness of tongues tasting

Ignited a fire within
That would burn for all eternity

Her story unfolded beneath his caress
Each kiss of his lips a new page
Every touch of his hands a chapter
Feeding his thirst for knowledge
Of her beauty, her passion, her soul


But there would be no finality
No epilogue to conclude
For with each kiss of his lips
And touch of his hands
He added to her story

"Forgive me!" she silently begged
Her heart breaking
The loss a tangible thing.
Like shrapnel, piercing
Shredding her heart
Inconsolable tears
Cried inside, alone.
Adrift on waves
Of self recrimination.
Seemingly endless time
To face the truth
The savage reality
He wasn't hers to save.

You
The real you
The pain of your words cut deep
Not in retribution or contrived delivery
But by the agony behind them
Conveying raw emotion
Your bleeding heart exposed
No frills
No fuss
No 'woe is me'
Just soul wrenching honesty in each and every line
The heartache and pain, flowing like a raging river
Across the page and beyond
Reaching out, begging for recognition
Of the person behind the crimson tide of verse
I hear you
I see you
I heed you
And I feel you
I am drawn to you, drawn to your words
To the man behind the words
And I care
Enough to offer friendship
More to offer love
To know you need not be alone
For I am here
For you
With you
A shoulder to cry on
A chest to lean on
Arms to enfold you and ease the burden of heartache
So powerful is the pull
To be that friend
I cannot ignore, I cannot fight
I surrender to it
I surrender to you
To the beauty of a new friendship
So pure in its infancy
With a lifetime of first and forevers
This I pledge to you

Once a flowing wound of words but now
Creative flow staunched and stitched
No bleeding of verse or prose  
Just an ugly scar of silence
                                    
The need and longing to inflict and cut
For the release of poetic flow                                              
The razor sharp blade of sorrow?
The serrated edge of loneliness?
                                        
An overwhelming desire to ****** deep to release
The swirling vortex of words
Bleeding onto the page
Thoughts, feelings and dreams  

Bringing sweet pain and pleasure
Of the written word
Baring our soul
For all to read

I miss you more today than yesterday
But less than I will tomorrow
My heart aches with your sudden passing
And is filled with sadness and sorrow

You left a void in my life that
No-one can ever fill
But I take comfort from the thought
That this was God's wish and His will

To have you in his home and by his side
To dwell forever more
You earned your angel wings daddy
So be free to live and soar

How I long for the bliss of oblivion
Just a blackness, all encompassing
Covering me, enfolding me
In its emptiness
A ‘life’ without feeling
Without emotion
Without pain ……
I am lured by its seductive call
Getting stronger day by day
Is that hell?
Certainly not heaven if by my choosing
By my hand
An end to the heartache
To be just …….. nothing

Take me for who I am, not what you want me to be
Faults and flaws all together, make the person you see
No hourglass figure, but pretty eyes so I am told
“Meat on the bones”, more to hug and to hold!

A heart so gentle, so much love to go around
More for that special person, not easily found
A passion for laughter, good times to be had
No time for lies, that just makes me feel sad

Family and friends, the most important thing
Share in the love and comfort they bring
My sons, my whole world, my reason for living
The love of a mother, powerful and giving

A ‘bestie’ , a sister , a daughter, an aunt
All powerful titles, unto me have been grant
So this is me and my life, and willing to share
My friendship, my love, to cherish and care

My mind races to capture the cacophony of poetic soup
That simmers in my thoughts
Striving to correlate and blend thoughts, words, sounds and nuances,
Of the written verse
To produce a smooth, rich, soul feeding bounty
Of poetry, to feed my hunger

Like a rolling mist I wish the clouds in my mind would dissipate
As letters are typed,
Spilling onto the page in front of me, resonating with a timbre of desperation
Lest the flow subsides
Leaving me an empty vessel of frustration and the loneliness of
A poet with no words

My journey down life’s path is a long one
With many highs and an abundance of lows
Yet here I stand, head held high
Taking whatever life my way throws

Forty six years ago we find the beginning
Where my reason for being has its start
Born to such amazing parents, mom and dad
From that day a family, never to be apart

Raising me was no easy task I am told
Strong-willed and determined to be
Always right and get my own way
A wild spirit waiting to soar free

But persevere my parents did do
And loved me, no conditions in place
Raising me with a firm foundation
Upon which to build and embrace

And so too do I love my children
And hope I have shown the same
As my parent’s unconditional love
So proud of whom they became

Life will come around full circle
Remember what you reap is what you sow
So be true, and honest and above all else
To yourself your deepest love should bestow

For love can and will conquer all
Of everything thrown our way
Celebrate your life and family too
So forever, together you’ll stay

Falling deeper into this pit of despair
Clawing, fighting a way out
Why does it seem so hard?
Plagued with pity and self-doubt!

Dark, scared and lonely is my life
Seemingly endless days of pain
Who will help me?
Strident cries for release in vain!

Daylight beckons on the far horizon
Just a flicker of life giving light
Come to rescue me?
From this my life’s plight!

So onward and upward steadily
Clutching at eternal hope
Is it my time?
Please, someone, help me to cope!

Made of steel yet her heart so soft
Opening arms to comfort all who seek
The anchor of the family binding together
Her love knows no bounds or limitations
Enveloping all she cares for in her warmth
R*ichly blessing all who are honoured to call her *Mother

I sit here, lost and alone
Wishing I was gone from this earth but not wanting to die
The sadness, the helplessness overwhelms me
And I cry

Where is my “light at the end of the tunnel”?
The bleakness of my future extending with no break
Stretching out before me
And I fear

The daily grindstone that wears me down
Powered by my steps through this life
Not daring to stop
And I tremble

But life continues, with the world passing by
A façade of normalcy in place
I move ahead
And I hope

Erased, eradicated, wiped clean away
That is how I am wishing I was today
No more sorrow, hurt, anguish or pain
No more heartbreak for me again

I tried to explain and do what’s right
Never wanting it to be a fight
I only ever had your health at heart
Now it is the cause of our being apart

A mother’s love is unconditional and true
All I ever tried to give to you
Tossed back at me like yesterday’s news
Beaten, crushed, my heart a bruise

So have your wish and be let free
No more input or advice from me
To live your life as you desire
From this battle I will retire

But just remember as years go by
I wasn’t always the only bad guy
Take time to think and maybe reflect
About my love you chose to reject

So I wish you well and pray for success
A life of joy and free from stress
Be happy and healthy and always take care
Be true to yourself, honest and fair

Standing at the ocean’s edge
A slight breeze tugs at my hair
The sun shining oh so brightly
A saltiness to the air

Thoughts abound in my head
Emotions running high
Whipped away on wings of wind
A deep contented sigh

Your arms wrapped tight around me
Holding me to your heart so near
Protecting me with your love and strength
Vanquishing all of my fear

Today you asked me to be your wife
Now and forever more
My answer a resounding heartfelt yes
As we stood on that ocean shore

You are my love and my life
Eternal as the deep blue ocean
Droplets of sea spray on your cheeks
Like tears of intense emotion

As we look out at the horizon
As far as the eye can see
So will our love be immeasurable
When you and I become ‘we’

Departed from our earthly lives
At peace in heaven
Days are not the same without you
Daddy dearest
Y**ou are loved and missed

The old man walks down the street
Cobbled and uneven
Bent over against the cold
Of this the winter season

With the aid of a stick he navigates
The badly rutted lane
Deeply etched grooves line his face
From surviving in constant pain

In his head his thoughts are in
A constant random wander
Precious moments of his life
Lost in contemplative squander

'Tis his daily chore bestowed
On him to buy the bread
To fail in this a simple task
Would bring war down on his head

Reaching the store he enters
Hiding from pitiful stares
Head downcast he makes his way
To the shelf of required wares

His basket full he makes his way
To the counter to pay his bill
Purchases paid, he turns to leave
Praying his shopping not to spill

As he leaves the store he hears
The whispers behind his back
"Why does he keep on doing it?"
His drooping shoulders slack

Once outside he hurries
Scurries back from whence he came
As fast as his arthritic legs will take him
An added burden is his shame

Back to his eternal prison
The place he once called home
Never left to his own devices
Perchance he should choose to roam

His wife is standing waiting
For him at the front door
Her face twisted in roiling anger
Her venom over him to pour

A nasty piece of work is she
No patience for his age acquired senility
Treating him like a mongrel dog
With waves of open hostility

So sad to see this once young man
Who has seen life and so much more
Reduced to being a bidden slave
And forced to daily chore

How life can be so cruel and fate
Play the meanest of all tricks
Just by choosing a wrong life mate
Be caught in constant conflicts

Yet day after day he continues
To walk the road of shame
For go he must and listen he does
For the woman who bears his name

Through our love of poetry we met
Perchance, as if fate decreed
Two strangers

Living so far apart, oceans away
Yet held together by bonds of friendship
So strong

Your sweetness and kindness
A true gentleman I have come to know
And love

Sharing our days, overlapping and beginning
As you awake and ending with me asleep
Keeping company

The weekends so long as Friday we bid goodbye
Until Monday dawns and again
We greet

Your compassion and kindness shown to me
During my heartbreaking loss, you became
My rock

Thank you for being a part of my world
Enriching my soul and heart
My life

Let this Valentine’s Day be a chance to say
What you mean to me
For ever

No flowers or gifts
Just a few words to let you know
You are loved

Poetry is the music to my soul
The words that bring about healing
Putting pen to paper and writing
Leaving emotions open and revealing

Cathartic release as the words flow
Staining the blank white page
Helping to raise and deal with all
The bitterness, sadness and rage

My poetic journey takes me
To places that need to be faced
No matter how hard or painful it may be
How bitter the aftertaste

Emerging from the final line
Renewed, refreshed and calm
Shedding the pain of writing these words
The finish, a soothing balm