if we say stop
scream stop
shout stop
cry stop
utter stop
whisper stop
whimper stop
long enough
loud enough
enough enough
then surely
at some point
eventually
enough will be enough
at some point
surely?

Leave it now
at this late hour
leave it at the door
in the morning
the sunrise will
surely scourge its power

Life kicked in
around nine o ‘clock
last night
don’t know why I am
surprised
my father told me
it would happen
someday
still
it took me unawares
it took me
totally
by surprise

I have no strength
to wage war upon you
anymore
white flag
It’s me
I surrender

I have many many
friends
and a few of them
I suspect
are real.

I will leave my words here now
scattered upon the floor
as I have
so many times before
gather them or discard them
reject them or suspect them
scorn them or pity them
love them or lose them
or simply dismiss them
as you have done
so many times before

Do you remember we swapped toys
when we were five
Do you remember we swapped promises
when we were ten
Do you remember we swapped kisses
at fifteen
Do you remember we swapped dreams
when we were twenty
Do you remember we swapped tears
at twenty five
Do you remember we swapped lovers
when we were thirty
Do you remember we swapped lives
at thirty five
Do you remember we swapped lies
at forty
Do you remember we swapped partners
at forty five
Do you remember we swapped kids
at fifty
Do you remember we swapped dreams
at fifty five
Do you remember you swapped life
when you were sixty .

You are not stupid
you know
there are roughly 267 questions
scattered on the floor
go now
I will sweep them up
I will put them somewhere safe
away from you
where they
will only have meaning
to those of us
who
know enough
to
sweep the floor.

somewhere in the the depths of this
I saw myself
drowning in pain
it was a distant and silent view
somewhere lost in tomorrow
I saw myself
desperately reaching for the surface
it was exhausting and harrow
somewhere in the shadow.of this
I see myself
swimming  desperately swimming
desperately searching for the shore

Here’s the truth
I’ve switched the truth
to make you look bad
it’s a small twitch
but enough
to help me sleep well
and happy.
Night all!

I lost you just when the tailwinds started
God, they howled
Now I am swimming just a beat ahead of
the storm
I’m running for cover
and looking back for you
always.

I have a hundred dreams
that didn’t happen
take them all
now
You are welcome
I have no use
for them
anymore

Take my toxic words
and turn them
into wine.

if by chance
I never make another friend
for the rest of my life
I think I’m okay  with that
I think maybe
you are enough friend
for the best of my life.

You and me
are just a tale of
a heart
defining chance

I don’t want to talk about us now
can’t you see the storm clouds
gathering to the west?

I think you know me
more than I know me
so I’m going to let you
do all the talking

It was a freezing cold
New York  city night
you laid my love down on the sidewalk
in Chelsea
it was too heavy
to carry home
I get that
we hailed a taxi
and bundled it into the back

I will take my expensive wine
if you don’t mind
and my conversation
jump in a taxi
short trip
to someone
more kind.

I hailed a taxi
to take me two blocks away
from my life
then realised
you were waiting there
and
everywhere

Can someone  teach me
how to be
the woman
my mother always said
I should be?

I don’t know who
I  should be
without you
come home
and teach me

My tears are rooted
in my mother
and
my father
no apologies
needed

Sometimes I think
tears are just whispers
nobody
hears

Do not try to
dry my tears
they have been weeping
for a hundred years
from my eyes
my mothers eyes
and the eyes of others
long gone
and disappeared

I cry my tears
inside
because
otherwise
they would stain
my lily white
disguise

I will give you two words
and two minutes
to tell me
the world.

Tell me how
to do better
as me
I promise
I will listen

Tell me
what to do
with the
bits
you
you left
behind

We are deep into a
conversation
there is no turning away from
you should have backed out
ten minutes
ago

We all knew who Thaddeus was
The handsome boy from the wrong side of town
We all knew who Thaddeus was
Sweet of tongue  with an easy smile
We all knew who Thaddeus was
The day the Clement boys came to town
We all knew who Thaddeus was
When he stood in their way
To save young Miss Brown
We all knew who Thaddeus was
When the Clement boys put him in the ground
we all knew our silence would **** him
One way or the other
The Clement boys, Miss Brown
And the rest of us who inhabit
This global town

Happy new year to those of you on this site
who have read and encouraged me this year
and more importantly thank you for writing words that I have loved
and will remember
and on we go!
Here’s to 2024!
See you on the other side!

give me your love
the very best of you
I will inhale it
without care
for that is what I do.

I wanted to write you a love poem
Better than any love poem ever written
By anyone
Ever before
But I couldn’t
I wanted to say words to you
Better than any words that were ever  said by anyone
anywhere
ever before
But I couldn’t
In the end we settled for a drink
And Billy Joel
And that was good enough
At least
That’s what you said

and then out of nowhere
there was you.

And then
When there was no one
left in sight
I put out my cigarette
and said
Good Night!

and then
we laughed out loud
albeit a bit too loud
we just
didn’t know what else to do

love
and then a little bit more
love
and then a whole lot more
love
otherwise
what’s the point?

are you the one?
you are singing the song
dancing the dance
talking the talk
walking the walk
you might just be in
with a chance
except
from the corner of your eye
I detect
a lie

In all honesty
I have nothing important or
relevant left to say
but I am definitely
going to say things
anyway

I guess this time
I’m really leaving
I guess this time
you can see
my heart is  really
bleeding

Words flow from me
he said
I can write a poem
without a thought
Words escape me
I said
I can’t write a poem
with a thought

I have no words left
Seriously
I used them all up
Before I was three
Now they tell me
Be careful what you say
you are too old now
Be careful what you say
No one told me that
I would use all the free words
up
before
the age of three

Three words
John
Jack
Boo
Now that’s poetry!

Driving
three bundles of love
to nowhere specific
but loving
the journey

Throw the rope
I’m here
Barely hanging on
That’s clear
Throw it
I’m here
Racked with fear
Throw it
Let’s pretend
even at this late hour
Something
will stay dear

When we are all
piled up and held up
and ******* and styled up
maybe then
and only then
when we all feel safe
we will eventually start to think
about escape

I will love you
‘till the feeling comes back
again.

God
if there was ever a time
it’s now.