It is raining confetti in good shades of pink
Beneath a blossom tree is where I am stood
I do not feel any cold not is it wet
But I fastened the buttons on my coat
and tied the string on my hood.

My hair is covered with petals
from the delicate shooting blossom tree
I feel like a young fresh faced bride
and I'm getting to like this fantasy of me.

The leaves coloured lime are waxy and young
rather like I was once and the blossom rains down
The sun starts to shine through the canopy above
and I notice that I am wearing a beautiful pink crown.

The Pig That Sizzled

The pig, dressed with a rosy reminder
Shoved deep inside its mouth
A rod unfortunately attached
Travelled very south.
Rotating on a spit
And its frying skin leaves an oily mess
Not long before it’s cooked
And served on a roll I guess.
“Slice of pork sir
And a spoonful of onions”
“Trotters excluded sir,
The pig had bunions”
Nice bit of meat
And it cooked nice and early.
All to do with the tail
It was straight not curly.
I fail to see the difference
That makes to the taste of the meat
And I’m not sure what his reference
Meant about the pig’s feet.
“Deep fried bat Sir,
Care to try some”
Now that is just plain cruel
I think very definitely not
I will stick to what I have here
Which had gone far from hot?

Read Mike's work and you will find
humour sincerity and a story well defined.
He oozes talent, is a master of his craft
With all twenty six letters, he's not daft.
His timing is brilliant, he'll put a smile on your face
His quick wit will have you rolling about the place.
You are Mike the world champion of poetry.

Look deeply into her eyes
Tell her how attractive they are
They are the windows to her soul
Capture moonbeams in a jar.
Collect the rainbows in a bag
Sprinkle life's happiness on top
and you have it all in one hand
and she wont want it to stop.
Gather rose petals, sweeter than sweet
Leave these in a trail facing the same way
They must be all the same shade of red
and be very careful what you say.
For only romantic words are allowed
Words that will capture your heart
Love has now been planted deeper than deep
and its true you will never be apart.

The Coastline
The salty spray
Crashing to the shore
Takes my breath away
I want to see more.
The coastline curves
Around the glorious bay
The beach huts serve
The finest cafe au lait.
Crunching pebbles underfoot
Sand in-between my toes
Forgetting the time it’s took
But then nobody knows.
Knows my whereabouts
Where I have been
Cannot hear my shouts
Or hear me scream
I’m joined by a lone gull
I offer him to share my lunch
In two seconds flat our space was full
Of hungry beaks eager to munch.
I enjoyed their company
Although I couldn’t hear myself think
There was that many
Birds fighting to eat and drink.
They eventually flew
They had other plans I could see
They had found someone new
And had finished with me.
I cared not a jot now and explored
The ragged coastline to the new town.
Rusty red boats were moored
Next to new ones clad in brown.
Ropes twisted, knotted and tied
Holding fast against the afternoon swell
The time suggests the incoming tide
My walk was over by order of the ship's bell.

I'm like the wind
rushing brushing leaves against my will
until I find
I'm spiralling
into a never never land
without demand, without the real me.
Just disappearing down my own little drain
I shall not complain but just disappear.

A red, rich ruby rose
Like the soil in which it grows.
For it is blood from my heart
it was love that tore us apart.
Now that all the rose can do is die
I will be left here forever to cry.
and you will be with the rose
and for me that's when time froze.

Allow me to put together a few words about love
Sharing feelings and all what it consists of.
To me love is strong like a knight in armour
Brave and solid dressed all in white
Love is sweet like Turkish delight
Love has an undying power
Yet gentle like a delicate flower.
It is like having a mad love affair
With your favourite teddy bear.
Love is every reason t look out for
Holding your hand; opening the door.
Let us just suppose
That it is soft like a red rose
As stormy as a grey sea,
Romantic like the last dance
An everlasting romance that is love.

I sit alone just observing, staring
I'm on my well deserved tea break
Just enjoying the view, not complaining
Taking in the beauty of the lake.

The water ripples and across glides a swan
and I notice the slow path it takes
I question where my life seems to have gone
and I realise I need more tea breaks.

Sadly Paddy Martin lost his life but I will always remember him.
He was a friend, a dear poet friend and I miss him.

Paddy Martin wherever you are, whichever cloud you are
sitting on this is for you.

He once told me that I touch hearts
but it was Paddy that had a heart of gold.
You always knew where you stood with Paddy
and what was about to unfold.

He took in homeless children, giving them hope
and the love that they needed and the rest.
And not everyone can find that in their heart
when your own back's against the wall and at test.

He had a loving family, adored his wife so very much
She died of a broken heart when Paddy left this Earth.
But to me they both live on, sitting on a cloud somewhere
busy writing on a scrap of paper for all that it was worth.

His poems turned pages themselves, as if by magic
He had a unique gift that is very seldom seen
He could turn the sky blue on a dull miserable day
and make the scorched grass turn once more green.

He had a stroke and I developed saucepan talk
He'd bash the lid once for yes twice for no.
The phone rang once and I heard a single  bash
He made me giggle that night but he had to go.

He knew himself that this bash meant goodbye
and the tears even now flow steadily down my face.
Paddy you were and still are champion of the world
I wish you were still around, in Paddy's place.

A tribute to a much loved poet who will be forever sadly missed.

This is a true story and it touched my heart.............

A smile shines upon a face
Cracked and parched by the sun
Blistered feet trek in the heat
Carrying water for everyone.
Three hours daily they walk
To a watering hole ***** and crude
Yet still he smiles having no choice
But to bring water to cook food.
Foreigners arrive to lay new pipes
Hope lies now on a wrinkled face
Water gushes from a shiny tap
Drenching life into a dismal place.
Children scream with delight and joy
Sadly they have never splashed before
Tears well in the foreigner’s eye
A shiny tap now means so much more.
A new smile shines upon a face
Pleased that the work has been done
Blistered hands applaud in the heat
At long last the children can have fun.

The page turns
A new chapter begins
introductions not needed
but the blood thins.
It runs through warped veins
straight to a broken heart
wishing I could just go back
to the very start.
But I'm at the point of no return
the page has been clipped into place
Just dont bend the corners down
just leave the page without trace.
that is harder said than done
The paper has seen better days.
So no trace just a new leaf turned
better step forward in my new ways.
Memories stored in ink for all time
as if by magic it is the pages
the precious pages of my life written down
in acts,  chapters and in stages.

Silence Will Be My Best Friend

Never again will I say what I think
It is as bad as being condemned.
In future my thoughts will be in my head
And silence will be my best friend.

Like a glass of cloudy beer
It will soon become crystal clear
Unless they have made a mistake
And the situation remains opaque.
But things will become apparent
Plans remain transparent.
But then life is as mad as a box of frogs
When it is raining cats and dogs.

He is an eating machine
who gives himself grief
Devouring expensive cuisine
Whilst sitting on his leaf.

The time he sit there is brief
Gosh the minutes are umpteen
Boredom gets beyond belief
And his language is obscene.

The little frog – yes that is a relief
You’d think would be nice and clean
In the water he is the God, the chief
No wonder he is a funny shade of green

It is
a
Wonderful Place
If you close your eyes
Inside your mind
You capture your prize
No telling what you’ll find.
There is a magical land
Just waiting to be explored
Available on demand
A guarantee you wont be bored.
Maybe inside your dreams
There are castles and moats
Strawberries and creams
Yachts and sailing boats.
Caves with orchestras to observe
Listen and relax and drift away.
Maybe a beautiful nature reserve
To watch lion cubs at play.
Maybe there are chocolate waterfalls
And the rocks are made of fudge
A tree where a kingfisher calls
Or where nobody can criticise or judge.
In your mind are flowers made of silk
And last forever and ever
The cows produce flavoured milk
Cold with ice for whoever and whenever.
You can visit these things anytime
Just close your eyes and you are there
No rivers to cross, no hills to climb
No parking ticket required , no taxi fare.
It is a free service, provided just for you
Just close your eyes, enjoy what you see
See your fields of green, your skies of blue
Your rivers of chocolate and a butterfly tree.

What does he look like with his “Kiss Me Quick “hat on
Traipsing back and forth, day in day out rain or shine
Yesterday he was made to wear a silly hat saying
The dreaded word for a donkey “Be Mine”.

But the children love him that is why he carries on
To see a smile on their little faces is what counts
They cannot offer refund on tickets
Or do not expect any kind of discount.

What see is the ride you get
That is what to expect from them you see.
Been like that for years upon years
Before tourists even came to Torquay.

The donkeys love it though, they do not complain
When the spotlight is on it is a bonus
They love being tickled on their heads
To be honest they enjoy all the fuss.

A dog on a silver lead walked past a shiny window
In the reflection he was horrified what he saw
He had no fur, no silky hair on his head, bald
Just skin and bone from his tail to his paw.
He thought to himself , "now don't I look a fright"
"You would have thought they would have helped me."
His thoughts mulled over in his little brain all day
and he eventually put together a rather good plea.
He sat signalling to his owner rubbing his paw on his head
Twiddling the air in a manner suggesting something big
Then pointing to this sofa with his tip of his tail
Therefore in doggy language he wanted a brown hairy wig.
But his master was confused and thought he'd gone mad
thought he needed to go outside to relieve himself
But the dog now at the point of uselessness was bartking
and began sniffing and crying at the brush on the shelf.
"If only I could make him see what I need"
Gesturing to the hairs hanging from this tatty brush.
"I need a wig, something to adorn my skin, cant you see"
"dont walk away stop telling me to shush."
He tried to bark his talk mimicking "I need a wig"
in four short sharp barks, " woof, woof, woof, woof. "
He should understand that, that's done the trick
I have portrayed my message, that is enough.
His eyes dropped to the floor when he saw his prize
It is enough to make the angry pooch bleed.
It wasn't a nice furry wig or coat that came
I was his trusty, now so hated silver lead. ****.

I would love to possess a magic wand
One that would work without cable
The freedom it would have - unbelievable
To the world's advantage and if I were able.
The facility to change lives for the better
The power to reverse the evil and the curse.
To do all of that would e a miracle
It would certainly be more positive not worse.
I would get to the root of the evil of some things
Chopping out the bad, making it all good for all
Creating harmony, spreading more love all around
allowing the weak to stand on mountains, be tall.
Give the voice to those that need it and will sing
Give the strength back where dormant muscles lie
Allow the ebb to return and send us more flow
Return of happiness to those that constantly cry.
Take away the pain from those that suffer
Day in, day out so that hurt becomes a thing of the past
Fill up streams with clear running water to drink
Change the crop seasons so that more food lasts.
Have seeds rain from the clouds, to end all hunger
Plant a fruit tree every few yards from those that need it
Grow instant apple pies with ready made custard
Bring extra chairs for those that walk all day and want to sit.
I could go on and on all of the day about things we need
I could stand on a soap box and put the world to right.
But why does this not happen without it turning to greed
Why is it we choose to argue, be sad and always fight?
I dont understand, perhaps someone could explain?
why doesn't someone stand on this mountain of change
take away sadness, suffering and above all the pain.

Respect our elders, for we'll be the same one day
with wrinkles, forgetfull and hair of silver grey
But apart from the old wrinkle
in the eye there will be a twinkle
As the old ones dont hold back on what they say.

Then they smile and deny what they have said
Have no remorse or feelings of guilt in their head
Nobody minds if they blow raspberries galore
or gulp down the sherry and then ask for more
I dont think being old is nothing to fear or dread!

It is enough to make any decent fairy cry
To have wings but not able to fly.
They were as white as milk
Soft and gentle as rich silk
But they would not flap and she did try.

Beneath The Mist
Every little leaf,  bronzed around the edge
Every little scarlet berry hidden beneath
Is touched by the morning mist
And the beauty is beyond belief.
Around street corners
Hovering like some alien being
Cobwebs frozen in time
See their producer fleeing.
Teeth chattering, kneecaps knocking
Scarves covering an icy breath
Birds eggs shattered on a footpath
An unborn bird takes an early death
Car tyres crunching on a blackened surface
Sprinkled with salt to get a good grip
An elderly person’s walking stick gave way
Not much good now with a broken hip.
The morning mist, has its drawbacks
Danger hidden under black ice
Keep the eyes peeled for there are traps
Think carefully and think twice.

Looking from a distance
Above and beyond
Is there life somewhere else
and would they ever respond.
I sit and watch the shooting star
zooming across the midnight sky
Wondering where it came from
and how, and when and why.
Has it seen stuff that would make
our hair just curl up and die?
Or is it just innocent and youthfull
and just simply passing Earth by.
They are perhaps life's little secret
Maybe moonbeams do float in a jar
Perhaps we shall never know the answer
of the mystery of the shooting star.

It is like feeling warm
when there are a few drops of rain
It is that someone listening
when you moan and complain.
Your heart beats to a thousand drums
and the knees steadily knock.
Very often the Earth moves
and then it is as still as a rock.
When there are tears
there is a finger to wipe them away
And that special smile for each other
and there is everything to say.
But three words mean so very much
and nothing could be more true.
Than those special three little words
and you mean it - I love you.

Lift the blanket and peep out
The rush of wind hits the socket
a finger dares to explore the cold air
That gets shoved back in the pocket.
Oh it is oh so cold out there
I can hear the wind rush round the trees
I wonder if Jack Frost has been
I can now feel the cold around my knees.
Well take the bold step and out I pop
from the safety and warmth of my bed
A quick dash here and a quick dash there
Pull on the nearest warm thing and off I shoot
To the kitchen for my tummy to be fed!

There once was a snowman that would not melt
he refused, point blank, that's how he felt.
His emotions got the better of him
He began to thaw and get thin
And gradually slid through his black belt.

There once was an alien from outer space
Whose craft crashed in its resting place
His spaceship was on red alert
But he managed to escape unhurt
and subsequently disappeared without trace.

A footstep is heard
a stone's throw away.
A creak of a twig snaps
Like a squeaky doorway.
Silence haunts the wood
Desperate for something
Anxiety is the order of the day
But alas there is nothing.
A rush of the wind
drapes tension across my face
The rain suggests play
But leaves no trace.
Then there she is
The sunlight is following
The sight of her very being
is absolutely amazing.
I cannot speak
My words do not come out
I am overwehlmed with excitement
I cannot even shout.
I want to say something
Just something audible
but my eyes are filled with tears
this moment in time is incredible.
I just want to hug my friend Sally
we have met for the very first time
But I know this is all a dream
and words are just in rhyme.
But I wish it were true.
and my dear friend Sally I wish a sincere
and Happy Christmas to you.
Your friend Cheryl

I have never heard of a horrible cup of tea
The passion for a good slurp of tea will never tire
Waiting for Santa Claus to shoot down the chimney
With a bit of a scream with his trousers on fire.
Patting out the flames seeking the cold mince pie
He did not notice me drinking my tea.
I witnessed him knocking back the sherry
and out the corner of his eye he spotted me.
Well, his cheeks were as red as his coat
and he gave me the nicest and broadest smile.
I offered him the rest of the half-dunk tea, which he took
he said it was better than the sherry by a mile.
He scrambled back up the fireplace disappearing quick
I had to admire him for the speed of his journey
as his fingernails dug into each and every brick.
I took pity in the sight of a charred behind
The pain of climbing a hot chimney without delay
Hats of to the man, he deserves a nice cup of tea
I bet he is glad to get back to his comfortable sleigh!

To all on Hello Poetry may you have a safe, peaceful and happy
Christmas.  I wish you a wonderful New Year and keep writing the wonderful poems.  Cheryl

Today I have realised
One very big thing
That I had better start
loving myself and bring
back my confidence
my inner strength
Thank you for showing me
that I have a say
that I count
that this very day
is the first day of the rest of my life.

Hush now, my gentle sweet soul
Everything will be alright.
When the time comes,  worry later
Close those eyes and hug me tight.

Cake for the money
which is neither here or there.
Ginger for my honey
whether or not I care!

Get the trowel out
Im piling it on thick
Sequins and the glitter
and the red lipstick.
Slap it all on
To paint the town red
When the evening is over
I shall smear it on the bed.

Such is a time when
Admiring the flow of the river
The reflection of the birch
Its bark so patchy and silver.
The call of the dove
Breaks the silence of the flow
Water cascading against a pebble
Lapping the bank where reeds grow
And otters play at night.
Four babies and mother
silver like the moon
streaks across the reflection
and very soon
shadows will be gone
the sun will arrive
and the otters will depart
and once again
the circle of the silver will start.

The trees in the winter months
Branches laden with sparkling snow
Like little diamonds reflecting in the sun
Dressed but nowhere to go.

Berries dappled on bushes on hedgerows
Tucked safely where the wind doesn’t blow
Like rubies and garnets on the bushes fingers
Dressed but nowhere to go.

Fairies dancing in the midnight moonlight
Providing a spectacular floor show.
Lacy cobwebs for table cloths and spun specially
Dressed but nowhere to go.

The winter is almost upon us
Spices enrich Christmas bread dough
Icing drips neatly onto the floor in puddles
It is dressed but nowhere to go.

I however have my glad rags on,
My painted face, rich ruby lips and so
With my sequins, high heeled shoes
I am painting the town red and raring to go.

Tired and exhausted on Christmas Day
Santa thought he’d repair his damaged sleigh.
The snow was thick and falling
The reindeer understood he was calling
At top speed he shot off into the sky and away.

He pleaded to stop until he was blue in the face
Because the reindeer were in a competitive race
Santa repeatedly hit the deck
Now he’s a minute speck
As he has shot off to outer space.