We all long to belong,
To find our community,
Our family,
Our place of safety and refuge.
But feeling different to other people,
An outsider,
Of no fixed abode,
I’m not sure where I belong,
Or who my tribe is.
I feel confused,
Discombobulated,
Wayward feelings and erroneous thoughts
Running around inside my head,
Misleading me down the garden path,
Tripping me up,
Leading me down holes
That are too deep to climb back out of

As I listen to the sound of the raging sea
relentlessly pounding on the merciful shingle,
Watching the crest’s lip glisten
under the glow of the full moon,
The flashlight from a solitary walker and his dog illuminating
majestic waves climaxing 12 foot high against the sea wall,
Seismic spray scattering far and wide,
I am reminded
Of the power and force of nature
Which will overcome us all
One day

Fire fire burning bright,
Your power and dominion respected,
As you imbibe our offerings of poetry, rhyme,
And ancient storytelling of free men.
Conspiratorial keeper of our secrets,
Mastered by none,
Your red embers and golden flames
Nurture and cajole us
To share our
Deepest
Darkest
Thoughts
And
Desires.

Do not be sad and miserable
because she has
gone.
Rejoice and be happy
for she has
Lived,
And
Loved.
And in so living
She made you
Who you are
Today,
So give thanks and gratitude,
And know
That you will meet
Once again.

To feel deeply
You must experience
Both intense happiness,
But also acute sadness,
For you cannot have one
Without the other.

With incredible happiness
Comes great highs;
But also great lows,
For you cannot feel one
Without the other.

We are all chosen ones,
But our choices and decisions dictate
Whether we can be saved, or not.
Only by looking in the mirror
Can we truly ascend,
By our words and thoughts and deeds.
Peace to one,
Peace to all.

Stream of consciousness
Residing in the pool of tranquility
Ready to seep into the marrow bones
Of all who dare

The hardest thing of all
During this fight between good and evil,
And yet the most important,
Is standing in your truth,
Holding the line,
Staying strong,
And being true to yourself,
Even when contrary to popular opinion.

A wordsmith sits patently
Sharpening and refining his tools.
He listens and he waits
For the deadly moment,
Knowing exactly when to strike.
He unsheathes his sword,
Pointing expertly towards his prey.
Words of shining steel
Slice through the air
Landing with intent,
Cutting with precision,
Twisting with malice,
Into this bleeding heart
Of mine.

An exceptional poet encapsulates the human condition from their own experience.
But the pain of realising how much you have hurt someone,
How worn out they are because of you,
Is almost too much to bear.

What’s important is Today,
Not what went before,
Or what may happen,
Don’t waste your time on these imposters both.

Living in a world of my own,
Bound in beguiling threads
In an intricately tapestried mind map,
Always thinking,
Rarely living,
Socially isolated,
Socially inept,
A prisoner of my mind,
Falling down never ending rabbit holes
Into boundless oceans of despondency and despair,
Paralysed by confusion,
An assault on the senses,
Suffocating,
Unable to breathe.

A familiar light shines in the distance,
I swim towards it,
Limbs thrashing,
One stroke forward,
Two strokes back,
One stroke forward,
One stroke back,
Two strokes forward,
One stroke back,
Slowly, slowly,
Closer and closer,
Until I reach the life raft and arms of my saviour,
Who never gave up hope of finding me again,
Even in the darkest hours.

Conversation inhibited,
Yet also free of constraint,
Small talk a challenge,
In depth conversation my forte
And interrogation my ally
Bombarding others with quick fire questions,
‘You’re too deep’ it has been said more than once
As I reveal too much once again.

Misunderstanding social cues,
Eye contact a no no,
****** expressions a blur,
Tone of voice a trigger,
Hence emotions a minefield.

Literal listening,
Literal speaking,
Leading to sense of humour bypass,
Don’t waste your innuendos, irony and sarcasm on me,
Direct speaking is what wins the day.

Overwhelming sensory overload,
Confusion,
Misunderstanding,
Mishearing,
Tendency towards negativity,
Introversion,
A war of words
Inside my head
Pouring out my mouth,
Tearing me apart
And those whom I love.

Now working hard to change the script,
To be aware of the impact of deficiencies, defensiveness and quirkiness,
To remain level headed and mindful
As I alternate between tiptoeing and running roughshod
Through the labyrinth of life.

All my life
Living under a cloud of doom and fear and negativity,
Believing I was deficient in some way,
I’d done something really bad,
But knowing not what.

Guilt now in tatters,
Shame no longer around,
Worry retreating,
As I finally discover
All I’m guilty of
Is being

Socially
Inept!

Trees swaying,
Leaves rustling,
Buzzards soaring.
Wind’s delicate caressing touch,
Autumn sun’s warming golden rays
Filtering through the trees
Onto the woodland floor.
Peace and silence reigns
In between birds’ angelic song
Of gratitude and praise
Drawing the day to a close.