searching for the truth
buried inside
buried beneath layers of expectation
apprehension and self-doubt
confidence camouflaged by reality
soul-searching scrutiny
suspicion and speculation
introvert – extrovert
are we who we really are?

butterfly wings flittering
fleeting glimpse
colours flashing
fluttering delicate gauze
lifting drifting
spiralling high
pastel sky embraces
ethereal wings

children’s laughter drifts on winds
blown across land, in from the sea
moats surrounding the castles of their imagination
as water surrounds our island
waves move on sand, over rock
cleansing the coastline
churning sand, shells and shingle
simmering, seething tides
they toss and tumble
depositing debris as it’s washed ashore
this line of litter demarcates high tide
creating a moat around the castle of our imagination

nature's song muted
by the melodic hum of traffic
and voices on cell phones
as a dawn chorus of city workers flock
in mass migration their coffee to go
shoes shine and shaven faces
monochromatic suited uniform
with neck tie hued individuality
solemn expressions and unseeing eyes
march as one, this army of office soldiers

Time is constant
Consistent
Persistent
Moves so slow
Passes so fast
Not enough – Too much
Where does it go?

Time — stands — still

Day becomes night
Sun into moonlight
Time moves on
Uninterrupted
Constant
Consistent
Persistent
Never-Ending

Tic­k Tock

Humanity moves forward
Evolving
Innovating
Changing
Time flows into polluted rivers of progress
Contamination
Destruction
Regression

Time to wake up
Realization
Understanding
Consternation

Take responsibility
Time moves on
As we stand still

dull blanket of grey
disgorge waterfall of tears
mourning summer's warmth

Slogans
Persuasion
Lies and coercion
Fabricated truth
Immigration pressure
A misleading agenda

Pause

Pass the buck

Uninformed public
With biased opinion
Fear and distrust
A nation divided
Europe loses

We lose

Pause

Liberty descending
With eyes glinting
All for the taking
The viper’s striking
Paralysing government

Pause

What now?

the shutters are down
a light so bright, now absent in the dark

bleak heart
where does life go at the end of days?

a vision of hope
once within reach, has slipped below the horizon
fading sight, as nightmares pull dreams from peaceful slumber
grasping fingers of smoke
hold tight
you fight
resist the darkness
hold on to the light

but it’s too late

the shutters are down and your light so bright . . .   has gone.

To live life our way
Learning the how and why
and what of social norms
Conforming to perceived ideals
Striving to fit in
Losing our individuality

Is there strength in numbers?

Am I part of something bigger than me
Bigger than you
Or us?
Should we desire an independent life
To take control
And be our own man, woman, child?

Is there strength in numbers
or is autonomy stronger?

shadows surround in silent solitude
scattered thoughts scrutinise
as serpentine spirit speculates
a skewed sentiment of sorrow
– sensitivity and sympathy
sprinkled sequins of slanted light
– stir sentient sight
a spectre summoned

I think of you
the sun shines
close my eyes

imagine

you at my side
inseparable
always young in memory
warm sand between our toes
building castles
hand in hand running into the waves

always laughing

I’d die to protect you
–  my brother

but you left first
now you remain
forever young

if your life’s a vacuum with empty shades of grey
and no one there beside you to add colour to your day

trapped within four walls in an isolated room
the chill air and the darkness suggestive of a tomb

curtains drawn at windows, locks to keep you safe
a self-constructed prison, and no hope of escape

the phone as dead as you, disconnected from the wall
and technicoloured mailshots lie scattered in the hall

through the tiny window gleams kaleidoscopic light
dancing on the tiled floor until day meets the night

do you live in shades of grey?

sunrise sweet silence
sanctuary surrounding solitude
sorrow springs since summer’s
shimmering sparkling sunshine
squandered sentiment
sundown’s smoky sunset
saddened sombre skies
starlight specks swallowed
shaded sublunary shadows
soon sunrise showers soft soil

I live in the shadows
Away from prying eyes
Step back from the glare and glow of life’s spotlight
Don’t make me take centre stage
An actress in my own drama
With you, the audience
Watching
Examining my every move
Each word that spills from my lips analysed
An exhibit in a museum
A mammal in a zoo
I am not a masterpiece of God’s creation
My flaws are your flaws
My desires are your desires
Allow me to live in the shadows, while you take centre stage

Time on your hands
Time to change
Time waits –
– for no man

Be on time –
– or take your time

Time is freedom
– a constraint
The ties that bind
– control our time

Break free

Make time
Waste time
Spend time
– being you

Your time
– is my time
Our time
– loving time
Take your time
The time is now

I hear your needs
your wants
flooding my head
hammering me down, until
I’m laid flat on the ground
a shallow puddle of murky water

demands creating ripples across my surface
lapping at the edges of my being
spreading me out wider
and thinner
and further away from
.                                      myself

two dimensions; existence and acquiescence
make me a servant
a slave-like submissive
sharing assent, but not consent
a monochrome playwright scripting lines
etched on a chalk board
played out in a monotonous reality

a perpetual eternity of you say
and I do
until trampled by the soles of your feet
droplets of me scatter
my shallow puddle recedes
moving me further away from
.                                                     myself

I am the waves in the ocean
I am my past
my family and friends
I am my mistakes
despair and sorrow

I am pebbles on the beach
I am my present
my thoughts and feelings
I am my success
and my knowledge

I am seeds in the ground
and rain in the clouds
I am my future
once lost but now found
I am hope and desire

I am my heart and soul
the molten core of the earth
I am loved and cherished
casting light in the dark
I am the stars in the sky

copyright © 2018 Karen Horsley
blueskydays365.com

Gusty winds swirl crisp autumn leaves
Storm clouds gather overhead
Fading light, as the sun
Obscured, hides its glow

Definition dulled as misty rain
Blurs shapes and disguises beauty
Vibrant colours bleached
Washed out and muted

Sparkling beads hang from trees
Spiderwebs glisten and shine
Droplets quiver then fall
Silently to the ground

Nature’s warm blanket now sodden
As water seeps into the soil
Reviving and nourishing life
Bringing new hope

Washed by rain, the earth shimmers
The sun’s golden rays intensify
Nature’s glorious colours
Of kaleidoscopic beauty

copyright © 2018 Karen Horsley
blueskydays365.com

life is a circle
endless flow
collecting dreams
creating reality
with you, the centre

life is a circle
with spokes
like a bicycle wheel
ideas expanding
from you, the centre

life is a circle
dreams take shape
as they germinate
from the tiny seed
of you, the centre

life is a circle
enclosing your hopes
dreams and plans
success and failure
just you at the centre

each life is a circle
independently formed
inextricably linked
and intersecting
from our own centre

copyright © 2019 Karen Horsley
blueskydays365.com