Subtle changes in the night
Now the stars are not so bright
And the moon declines to shine
The way it used to do

Where once I felt warmth
Now I feel only emptiness
Emanating towards me
And I believe that I'm past caring

And in the face of negligence
A heart merely becomes feral
With the loveless it is gone
Needing nothing and wanting none
It is gone
Far gone

                         By Phil Roberts

When life screws you this hard
are you supposed to
     scream?
     Or sigh?
Or just shut up and enjoy
     the ride?

Johnny hates the open air
He doesn't like the rain
Johnny's in his bedroom
On the ‘net again

They tried him with a lego set
That went in the bin
Johnny's collecting passwords
Credit cards and pins

For a lad of only twelve
He's doing rather well
He hacked into the Pentagon
And crashed the shares in Shell

The FBI got on his trail
For causing such a fuss
They wondered should we send the boy to jail
Or make him work for us

We take a mains water supply and proper drainage for granted now,
but not so long ago they were new things, and not everybody had them.

My old boss told me about the time they turned up for work at a cottage where a woman lived alone, just in time to see her empty her **** *** out of the bedroom window onto the tiles of the lean-to.

Half way through the morning she asked if they would like a glass of home-made lemonade, and dipped a jug into the water ****, saying
" I like to use soft water. "

Having noticed that the lean-to tiles emptied into the water ****,
they found themselves in a slightly awkward position.

When the woman appeared proudly offering the full glasses of lemonade,
my old boss said  " I think I heard someone at the front door. "

Off she scurried and the lemonade was quickly disposed of in the flower bed.

CLIMBING TREES IN HIGH HEELS

the swish of her
dress as
thigh crosses thigh

the static electricity of her
nylons laddered
from climbing trees in high heels

the rescued cat now
safely asleep by the fire
snoring not purring

the whiskey a jewel
in the cut-glass decanter
the glint in her eye

again the sigh
as thigh crosses thigh
she singing softly to her

self as if
she was the only one
left in existence

the clock leaving
a longer and longer
silence  between each tick

and tock

and tock


the clock now stopped

looking elegant
in a thin white vase
the yellow chrysanthemums

just stare and stared
as if they were frightened
of the silence

a shepherd carrying a lamb
in chipped china
looking out of place

without his companion piece
a ***** shepherdess
broken only last week

it was ten past 7
though the clock did not know
that

Time had abandoned
the room
outside the first snowflake falling

Everything is leaving.
Water evaporates.
Currents race away.

The leaves part ways
with the trees that sway.
Flowers lose their petals
then loose themselves.

Bees take off for the hive.
Butterflies take off for the sky
then die.

Particles pass away
separated from what
they once were.

The seasons leave
and when the new year
gets here
the old one disappears.

Hair, skin, and teeth
Wrinkle, fall out, or just
become dust.

Even those you love
family, friends
pets, and partners
exit this stage.
Till, it is your turn
to find your place
and fade away.