Ebony birds with damaged wings
Fling themselves
Towards the darkened clouds
And find no draft to lift them.
Screeching in despairing cries
They slowly circle back to earth.

Second verse of same sad song
Echoes and reminders catch the light.
Unexpected findings ring the bell
That calls to life the waterfall.
Help is proffered by empty hands
To heartstrings that no longer tug.

And the clock goes round and round
And the Sun goes up and down
And the Moon grows somehow dim
On a path that only circles back
Into a room that has no door.
I’m home again, it seems.
ljm

The more you live
The more you love
The more you love
The more you give
The more you give
The more you get
The more you get
The more you give
The more you give
The more you love
The more you love
The more you live

The day that John met Paul
There was a summer fete in the old church hall
And it was fate that day that came to play
As the powers that be had their way
Two young boys would come of age
They’d rock the world from a golden stage
The fates combined would all agree
And Mary whispered Let It Be.

In the morning light, a shadow calls
I turn to her, still chasing waterfalls
Sunbeams beam in from the sky
Sunlight patterns catch her eye
The day begins soft and sweet
We go downstairs, it’s time to eat
Step outside, it’s still the same
The world moves on
With you or without you, that’s the game.
We walk along the sandy beach
Waves crash and splash our feet
But we’re feeling good and life’s a treat
Touch her hand, hearts beating fast
I close my eyes to make it last
The wind plays roughly roundabout
If you’re gonna speak you’ll need to shout
We drift along the sandy path
I turn to her and start to laugh
If it’s ever perfect it might be now
If it could be better, I don’t know how.
Home to change and music plays
Sparkling teeth and perfume sprays
Nighttime falls no need for shade
Head to town, you’ve got it made
Find a place we both agree
And sit inside, I brush her knee
And we eat and drink and laugh and talk
Then head for home and talk and walk
Near the end of a perfect day
We fall in bed and drift away
Share the heat, the dreaming’s sweet
The night ahead I yearn to meet.

Time is for tides
And boating lake rides
It’s for boiling your eggs
And the swimming pool regs.
Time is spent in detention
Or paying attention
Or sitting a test
Or having a rest
Time is for departing
Not for outsmarting
A pie shaped chart
With nothing to impart
A dish served cold
That chimes when your old
It scrawls lines on your face
And flutters the flag
At the end of the race
But the best of time
Is when it’s all mine
No pressure on the day
No programme to display
No seconds tick away
No words left to say
A smile paints my face
The sun warms my skin
My mind’s lost in space
My heart’s deep within
A Disney ride
With three kids in my care
Bristling with pride
The wind in my hair
And come the time
When I’m
Just a thought
Caught in your throat
That’s how to think of me
Because that’s where I’ll be.

SE

When words don’t reach
                    Peace is death
                       Pain is life
                             Hell is love
                  
                  Somewhere is nowhere’s
                                 To hide


                 When words don’t reach
                               Death is peace
                                 Life is pain
                                   Love is hell

                    Nowhere is somewhere
                                      To hide.

                     When words don’t reach
                             The whole world
                                  Dance in the rain.

they are all asleep
and I sneak under cover
of the lateness of the hour
to the comfort of my words
scrawled across a page in ink
from the nib of a fountain pen
they search for a target
I'll never achieve
on a journey through my head
reaching for perfection
I am tired by a world
always demanding more
than I'm prepared to give
always asking for more
than I could possibly have
but this moment is at least mine
stolen from the clock of life

the silvers of the moon
sing their song of winter,
exhilarating above the black
rock and distant trees, her
fire lights the night like a
street lamp, the shadows
thrown back, muted,
echoing the near-teary darks
of the clouds. i sit on the
window sill, look out,
breathe deep the midnight sky
built of love and winter rose.