Helpless to overcome the failings,

The fall out of a selfish, cowardly man

Heart broken, fury stoking, a mother

Does all she can
                             And then some


She’ll work until her fingers break

Holding tears, enveloped in rage

Impossible tasks she'll power through

A mother’s love will do
                                       As it needs to

The Cat is in the box
The box is too small
She sleeps by the fire
Caring not at all

NCL April 2019

Buzz mosquito, buzz ineffectually
Cruel, bizarre and crudely placed
Your hatred stings but momentarily
Leaving only your buzz disgraced

You have never gone after
what you really wanted.
Sure, at the last moment, you
have desperately leaped out
and tried to grab on to something
as it went by. That doesn’t count;
you never stood a chance,
you never put all of your heart
and soul on the line, to humbly and
doggedly pursue anything at all.

Maybe you’ve never needed
anything, but I think that’s a lie
and you know it. You might say
that you needed it too much,
so much so that even the thought
of failing is too painful to endure.
You froze that feeling out, called it
impractical, unreasonable,
unnecessary. Those were lies
as well. You can hide behind the lies
but they will never feed your soul.

There is something you need.
Something you want down to
the very spark of your being,
something that will fill you up
with the life force of the universe
and set you ablaze to hang
in the heavens, among the stars.

You can continue failing through
inaction, hoping your passion
will atrophy, and it might, but that
inner you, the you that wants so
many things for you, it will atrophy
too, until you are a husk
of a person. There is nothing
sadder than a person who
used to have fire within their soul.

You can choose to smother yourself
or you can choose to go for it,
to coax that spark to flame and feed
the fire until it blazes forward carrying
you along. You can choose.

NCL September 2019

Your trip is not a secret
You can’t hide it from the Cat
She knows who comes and goes
And when they should, at that

She’s marked all the luggage
On the inside and the out
Any pets you might encounter
Will know you’re hers, no doubt

She hopes you booked the sitter
And not boarding at the vet
Bastet forbid you take her along
Cats neither forgive nor forget

Extra treats will be in order
And scratches round her ears
Wouldn’t want your favorite chair
To meet claws like pruning shears

But have a great adventure
That Cat says you need not worry
She’ll guard her castle expertly
Take your time, don’t hurry

NCL July 2019

They put babies in cages,
Sell them to the highest bidders,
Build fences on stolen land.
Is it still a legal agreement if it's in a
Language they couldn't understand?

No permanent harm, they say
Of our earth, crowned in plastic,
Shackled and smothered as well.
When ***** money pays the bills
Can we believe the lies they sell?

The rich get richer,
The planet gets sicker
And the poor struggle to survive.
All these distractions and unfair transactions,
it's a wonder anyone's alive.

If a planet is dying and noone is watching
Does it even make a sound?
If leaders are lying and non complying,
Do treasonous acts abound?
If enough people collaborate and participate
Can we still turn things around?

NCL April 2019

I would like to recline, rest
these weary limbs of mine
- head down, feet up,
giant sigh -

Resting for a moment, really,  
I'm not going to sleep right
now...  I just need to rescue
these poor feet... only a
moment...

I’m not sinking deep into
the couch... one little show
and then off to bed I’ll go...

Yes, that last blink
lingered… and the next
more so - another sigh -
and I sink deeper…

One more blink… weighs
heavy on… dreaming
eyes… too late to fight…
good… night...

NCL 2019

i have felt
the rush of blood
pounding in my veins;

surrendered
to over-reaction,
cursing the same


NCL September 2019

My coffee was stolen
With half a cup left
This unfair atrocity
Has left me bereft

He wasn't at all sorry
Not a bit of regret
“It was just a few sips
No need for upset”

“Sleep with one eye open”
I tell the brazen thief
“Finders aren’t keepers
That’s a false belief”

I need my espresso
I need my caffeine
I’m a monster without it
Not a human bean

NCL April 2019

Doesn't everyone check
the locks on the children
before bed? And on the
doors asleep in their
bunks? That the
dishwasher has been fed,
the coffee is chugging
along and the cat is ground
for tomorrow. Is that so wrong?

And while we're here in
the kitchen, it's no
trouble to confirm that
the compost is turned off,
the stove doors are shut
tight and the fridge is
secured. Doesn't everyone?

Neighbourhood bash
In a flash
We dashed
We splashed
Garbage thrashed
and cached
We conquered trash
To earn our sash
See you at the rehash

The maple trees, their trunks festooned with moss and lichen;
Tiny ferns wave in the breeze where the branches meet;
Further out, limbs bear an expanse of rain glossy leaves,
High fives in a million different shades of shiny green


NCL September 2019

Greta sat alone that day,
Presence more than words could say.
And in the time that's passed since then,
Greta's warned us again and again
The time is now, we need to act;
Earth is in danger, that's an urgent fact

Power tells us there's nothing we can do,
We're too small to see changes through;
But Greta won't cower for lying buffoons,
Their disdain of her only self impugns;
The earth is for all, from tiny to massive,
Those who can speak can't remain passive

If one girl's message can gain velocity,
One girl's uncensored words unveil atrocity,
It's hard to feel that hope's not there
When together we act, together we dare
To demand action, demand accountability;
Then maybe we'll survive past this century

They prayed to porcelain gods
In pursuit of imitation beauty;
Blithely sacrificing their youth
At the altar of fraudulent immortality

On hardened knees, they offered pleas
And the remains of their unconstraint;
They worshipped at magazines,
The gospel of each shiny, shallow saint

They believed in their inadequacy,
Failing scales, they purged their dreams;
Feeding hollows with empty fantasies;
Less is more is not always as it seems

The Cat was innocently
Sitting on the counter
When she noticed
The human noticing her
With a twitch of her whiskers
And a sniff of disdain
Down jumped the cat
Proclaiming her free reign

With her tail held up high
And her chin in the air
The Cat sashayed by
Seemingly without care
She absolutely wasn’t
Plotting or scheming
Cats don’t make plans
They’re only daydreaming

Now perched by the window
Eyes mostly closed
The Cat waits for a moment
When she’s unopposed
Finally, it happens
The humans have all left
The time has arrived
For a dashing, daring theft

Upon their return
The humans will discover
The dinner they left out
Was half-consumed by another
The Cat hasn't a clue
How this came to pass
She would never steal food
Of course she isn't that crass


NCL 2019

Sometimes I stop and read twice
My head wasn’t in the right place
And I was rushing by
With no consideration of rhythm
Or particularly wonderful sounds
Taking no time
To make pictures behind eyes
Or try on borrowed feelings
Until everything comes alive

Sometimes I stop and read twice
Appreciating beauty
Or a clever turn of pen
Tasting every syllable
Feeling every beat
Wilfully losing time and place
Sometimes once is not enough space
To really live

The cat would like to make it known
That the conditions in her drop zone
Have not been sufficiently attended
As such, her visits are now suspended

Of course, she didn’t say it with a note
Feline communication can be cutthroat
No texts, no gestures, no logical clues
She left a warm “present” in vacant shoes

A warning, a show of superb restraint,
If things don’t improve post-this complaint
If her privy is not lavishly filled
The cat will show she’s not just one-skilled

Her range is amazing, very precise
She doesn’t go big, when small will suffice
She hopes that her message is well received
And improvements are directly achieved

Running on mad
It’s not the best fuel
Simple interactions
Turn into a duel
Everyone *****
They’re annoying and lazy
They’ll drive me quite nuts
If I’m not already crazy

Running on mad
I know that’s not good
It’s hard to slow down
Even when I should
It’s tough to feel empathy,
Impossible to forgive,
Forget about another shot,
Let’s just live and let live

Running on zen
Or trying to find it
Taking slow breaths
Until I get behind it
Counting to ten
Or even much higher
Until the mad disappears
and I'm no ball of fire


NCL July 2019

Dear mama bear
Now that I’m a mama bear too
I better appreciate all
The things that you do
And the things that you did
That I didn’t even know
The places you went
When you didn’t want to go
Thank you for guiding me
For helping me grow
Thank you for giving up
More than I’ll ever know
Thank you for loving me
When I wasn’t at my best
Thank you for everything
I am truly blessed

I was ma’am-ed - not once, but twice,
By the same person - it really wasn’t nice
What did I do wrong? I wasn’t being rude
This is just my face, not a bad attitude

NCL August 2019

Unzipping the small pocket
(the one like a clothing pocket)
Of the empty luggage
Sliding a tentative hand within
Hoping not to find anything
From the last trip
Or even before then
Especially nothing that decomposed
Or worse yet, something alive
An unfortunate rodent
Or unidentified colony of creepy crawlers
Alive or dead, it's something I dread
Maybe I should buy another...


NCL July 2019

Don’t trust these people
Who promise to be trustworthy
If they are not disappointed
In themselves
When they fall short

Don’t trust these people
Who pretend to be
Just like you
When they hold you down
To elevate themselves

Don’t trust these people
Who treat others with cruelty
Or disregard suffering
They will never take responsibility
For the consequences
Of their actions or omissions

Don't trust these people
Who rely on appearances
Instead of humanity
They burn too brightly
Stealing air
From those around them

Find the people who spread
Tolerance and compassion
The people who
Look for solutions
When they see problems
Who do the right thing
Even when it is hard or unpopular

Find the people who
Make the world a better place
A funnier, happier, or easier place
Trust these people
Who catch light and
Reflect positive energy back out
Into the universe around them

I am sorry I picked you up
off the top of the fridge
and draped you scarflike
over my shoulders;

To be fair, the fridgetop
looked unsafe, even for
sure-footed feline folk;
then I couldn’t resist,

All that fur, fluffy and soft;
your reprimand was
fairly played; forgive me,
you make a cozy scarf


NCL October 2019

Spring is here
My little dear
Collects flowers
In every colour of the rainbow
From trees and fields
But not from gardens
Mostly

On our walk
We saw fifteen worms
Enjoying a spring shower
My boy told us
He once ate a worm
On a piece of cheese
He doesn’t eat worms anymore
Mostly

I hope you enjoy
My heart served on that platter
Take a slice or a few
It doesn’t matter
Add a topping, maybe two
Do what you need to do
I don’t mind
As long as you don't
Leave any crumbs behind

NCL August 2019

He lies so much, that when he tells you the truth,
You don't believe him, not without proof and even then...
Megalomaniac would be an improvement.

His life is expensive but his taste is cheap.
He treats people poorly and he never loses sleep.
It’s kind of amazing. And also enraging.

He lives his life as if it's one big reality show.
It’s not a good one but that's a fact he’ll never know.
He’ll never see the truth, they won’t let him.

He thinks he deserves more than the rest of us,
As if we’re subhuman and he’s the best of us.
Like his family, he’s morally bankrupt.

He’d steal from a baby, no ifs and no maybe,
It’s far from the worst he’s done.
It’s subliminal.
He’s not just a criminal.

Deep in his soul, he’s raving mad or he’s just truly bad.
Regardless, it’s dangerous. Someone should stop him.
Why don’t they stop him?

He doesn’t respect boundaries but he claims to like walls.
He really likes walls, not so much for protocols.
It’s utter *******. He's completely unfit.

The Cat was sleeping on the chair
Beneath the table, that is where
She woke to find herself entrapped
She circled twice and then, unflapped,
Stretched through a tiny gap and
Like a slinky, or sleight of hand
Slow at first and then quite fleet
She descended indiscreet
Streaking off to cat-knows-where
Not two minutes passed out there
When she returned swift and steady
Jumped up, peered out, cat ninja ready

NCL 2019

In my head
There is a mirror
A time travelling mirror
Smudged and cracked
Reflecting a past
I didn't fully appreciate


NCL September 2019

Shout into the void
Superfluous offerings
Am I a poet

I want to believe
That we are all
Trying our best
But sometimes
I wonder
If some people
Couldn’t try
Quite a bit harder

Hey big sister
I do think of you
And the magical memories
Of the things we would do
When we were young
When the world wasn’t grey
When things were more simple
When we didn’t have to speak to say
I love you to the stars
I love you to the moon
I love you to infinity
But maybe that's too soon
I know you’re out there
And I hope you’re alright
I can’t love you up close
But I’ll love you despite

NCL April 2019

For the love and the likes, the attention, the spikes of adrenaline; for validation in creation, a brief vacation from every day, I want to say...

NCL April 2019

Life didn't give her lemons
It gave her a whole ******* grove
She made oceans of lemonade
From an early age
Serving it with flair
In pretty glasses with umbrellas
You never taste the pain
When she serves you
We don't deserve her
But that's not how lemonade works