Musings from the shadows

I live in this dust; the cathedral quiet loads
encasement into the psyche of a lost spirit.
The old house plays her tune of shadows;
a refuge for the fettered dead,
and I dread another rising of the moon.

The small boy will see me tonight and cry,
afraid and unaware as he stares at a suggestion
of a face, a hint of existence in another place,
a bad copy, greyed and lost.
At what cost the extension of a soul?

Dawn sprays the walls in light, effaces again.
The pain of solitude locks me into plaster.
This is no dream, I scream without sound;
I stop, unseen. Unheard. Unnoticed.
Life without form, death without end.

Last Night In The Wood...

I walked into the wood last night;
I wandered in the wild,
waxing with wordless wisdom.
Owls in oaks orchestrated cries;
shrill singing at the still moon.

Leaves long lost lay beneath,
above the abject sky;
layered loosely, left bereft
by the hard harvest of winter.
Armed with an anthem of ages, I smiled.

I surfed the strange tides of night,
I kissed the silent starlight,
I sang with a heart whole and happy;
unhinged from fear and fraud.
I paused to ply the peace with prayer

Ghanaian Girl

I saw her coming back,
Red-smocked urchin riddled with the dew of false promise,
Beaming as she spoke of bright tomorrows.
Couldn’t bring myself to tell her of the sorrows
That waited to strike us down.

Yes, we’ve been happy,
In moments stolen after work sharing dreams spawned by their lies.
She believed them, is believing still.
Yet, I fight to find the will
To raise my head each day.

They have our hope hostage,
Its holy nature yoked to their greed, deceiving us daily.
They shout to us often of pay rises,
Promising rewards and great surprises,
If only we gave more.

I hate to leave my child.
Some uncle’s wife is struggling to cope with the village young.
When she first bleeds I will be here,
I cannot know another year
In separation from my light.

Last month people came from Europe,
They saw their new school, fresh water and underprivileged smiles.
Such self-congratulation! Such effervescence!
I will not assuage collective conscience
With demeaning thanksgiving.

We yet have our dignity.
We know great honour and pride in the quiet suffering of our duty.
(Do you think He will stop the pain?
Will He pause in his great work to explain
Why I was singled out?)

After the word storm.

So, what of me, so who cares?
It went wrong, we wouldn't talk,
self defence sowed hate in eyes
that saw lies expressed by a honest face;
disgrace in words given truthfully.
Quiet now. Hurt alone.

If, perhaps, I had kept my counsel,
been silent when injustice ran amok,
Not allowed the angry waves of spite
licence to uproot the bright flowers of peace;
love may yet have kept her throne.
Silence does not atone.

Tomorrow will be cold, colourless,
each persistent heartbeat, redundant.
What is life if it is not shared?
We all should be paired with another-
all able to approach an end and know
that someone once cared.

Paphos Embrace

I look out to sea and perceive you;
Soft focused eyes, moist mouth.
Your words are magic music,
Like musk they move my mind.

You glide gently towards me;
Gown falling to glistening waves.
Your eyes glow of meadow green,
Your hair gleams of ethereal gold.

With scents that scintillate senses
You ****** and secure submission.
Feather soft skin in warm succulence
Enthrals as hungry fingers roam.

My strident want waxes proudly;
Kissed deftly by silken lips.
You rise and set above me,
Wine-wet and wide open.

With piercing joy unbridled
We fly on love's sweet euphoria.
Then lie together laughing
As I awaken to find you gone.

A New Light

Stand and celebrate the new light.
Let dawn hear your spirit sing with an open heart.
Allow the sun with healing gold
To nurse away the cruel night.

Concerns cringe and cower in a stillness
That releases the latent soul from account.
First light smiles and questions
Your value of spent time.

In this dawn a new you can be born.
Step inside and smile, you’re alive-
Given a new beginning,
Forgiven and wrapped in verdant love.

It can and should be done.
Today smiles with opulent promise;
New miles graced with scenery
Drawn by an emancipated mind.

The modelling architects of false failure are unyoked;
Every future moment excites.
Now it’s you, not their construct.
Free at last to live.