Even in
This dark, dark moment
When my mind tells me
I am defeated
There is joy

Even though
I feel like I am not capable
Amongst others who are
There is joy

Even when
I imagine the future
Based on the smaller limits
Of past experiences
There is joy

Even now
As I perceive a temporary opening
Of my heart
And my eyes moisten with tears of gratitude
There is joy

There is joy to be found
In every corner of human existence
Joy that can, and will, illuminate and transform
The lowest, ugliest and basest actions of man

It is all in our hands, in our hearts, in our gift as living beings
It is up to us

Yes, we know there are wars
While the cost of living soars
We know there are scandals
About the political shambles
But…why aren’t we talking about climate?

We know about inflation
And the economy’s grim destination
We know about Brexit
And the gossip about Megxit
But…why aren’t we talking about climate?

We see petrol costs rise
And dwindling supplies
The poor have got poorer
Our children insecurer
So, why aren’t we talking about climate?

Our home is the earth
Where all mothers give birth
And all the earth gives
Enables each human to live
So, why aren’t we talking about climate?

News stories mean nothing  
If the planet is boiling
1.5 draws near
Our future unclear
So, why aren’t we talking about climate?

There still is some hope
If people take note
And demand of Earth’s leaders
That immediate change that is needed
So, let’s make sure that they also talk about climate

Please sign and share this petition - at 100,000 signatures the Government will be required to debate this issue and maybe the UK can do something special before we handover our COP responsibility.  Thank you very much!  https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/615537

I choose to forget
That which I cannot
Remember

I couldn’t write
For days
As I felt…
Nothing

And the Nothing
That I felt
Was strong
And grew stronger
Each passing day

Until
I sat
And had to write
Again

The urge
To feel something
Surpassing
The emptiness
Of feeling
Nothing

When you are in the dark
It is easy to forget
What it was like
When you were in the light

Work
Work
Work
Work
Work

I have forgotten
How
To play

It feels
Like this
Will go on
For ever
And ever

But
It can’t

Underneath it all
The currents of time
Are churning

And change
Is coming

Today’s mess
Is
Tomorrow’s problem

This tiny virus
Cannot survive without us
Cannot live outside us
Has brought us so much sadness
This tiny virus

This tiny virus
Is spreading fast among us
Taking what we took for granted
Maybe will outlast us
This tiny virus

This tiny virus
Has carried away so many
Worn down our energy
Changed all society
This tiny virus

This tiny virus
Was it made by us?
Did it escape from the science lab?
Or jump from other species?
This tiny virus

This tiny virus
Has stopped us in our tracks
Made us think about how we live
Might rescue us from ourselves
This tiny virus

What can I do today?
What can I do?

I could do...
Nothing

Let the day...
Pass
Hoping somehow
Things will just...
Fall into place

But would things fall
The way
I want them to?

What can I do today?
What can I do?

I could focus on
Everything that I can’t do
As that is plain
And easy to see
And a good reason
To do very little

But rather
I would be
Someone
Who tried
To do
Something

So I ask myself...

What can I do today?
What can I do?

I’m up when I speak to you
Even though I was feeling blue
So, when I connect to you
On the Zoom line
Somehow, all of a sudden
I feel fine

I’m up when I speak to you
Even though I was feeling blue
Your stories of the day
Coming done the internet line
Somehow, all of a sudden
Make me feel fine

I’m up when I speak to you
Knowing you’ll do what you have to do
It won’t be long
That we’ll be back online
And I know that when we are
We’ll feel fine

I’m up when I speak to you

There’s always something
To look forward to
There’s always something
To look back on with pride
There’s always someone
To be thankful for
There’s always right here
There’s always right now

There’s always time
Until time has passed
There’s always tomorrow
Just out of reach
There’s always a memory
Whilst we choose to remember
There’s always a vision
If we choose to believe

There’s always a father
There’s always a mum
There’s always a family
From which we all come
There’s always the sky
There’s always the sun
There’s always the earth
To which we return

I’ll do today’s work
Tomorrow
The books in the box
That should go in the loft
I’ll do today’s work
Tomorrow

I’ll do today’s work
Tomorrow
The hoovering, the cleaning
The washing, the weeding
I’ll do today’s work
Tomorrow


I’ll do today’s work
Tomorrow
The paperwork the admin
The tax return for filing
I’ll do today’s work
Tomorrow

I’ll do today’s work
Tomorrow
The rushing and racing
The hastening and chasing
I’ll do today’s work
Tomorrow

I’ll do today’s work
Tomorrow
For today I will...

Stop...

And listen to the sounds...
That surround me
And I will be happy
That I am alive

Behind every door
In this town
People are living together
Day in day out
The energies that they create
Are swirling and mixing
Blending to create a whirlpool
That joins the whirlpool
Of their neighbours
And their neighbour’s neighbours

Each singular energy
Connects to
And affects
All other energies
Seen and unseen
A change in energy
Be it positive or negative
Affects everyone
In the community

Beyond the bluster and hatred
The anger and vitriol

Came a new dawn
Sunlight
Reason
Dignity
Honour
Quiet
Truth

We can breathe easily once more
No longer are we braced
For sudden shocks
Charged with adrenaline
Tense with fear

No longer are we fearful
Of who we are
And the differences of others

We know the challenges
We face
Now we can address them
With the resolve and understanding
That we possess
Everything we need
Within us
To overcome all obstacles.

And it will be
Our behaviours and actions
As human beings
That will define us
And our legacy

You are our friend
You have grown ill
And are facing the end
We are sending personal prayers
Hoping to ease your pain

You are our friend
And we are all thinking of you
We are sharing our pictures of you
From times gone by
That make us smile

You are our friend
Illness and death
Will come to us all one day
And we realise
How important it is
That we have
Friends

When I hear great music
I don’t need anything else

Not money
Not food
Nor shelter

The Music Takes Over
And I am carried away

Not money
Not food
Nor shelter

On a magic carpet
Into a plane

Not money
Not food
Nor shelter

Where my body moves
And my heart rises

Not money
Not food
Nor shelter

And my soul is set free
By the mystic entity

Not money
Not food
Nor shelter

Did I learn anything today?

As I took my daily walk
Around the sodden park
I noticed fear in the blackened eyes
Of those passed I
On the narrow pathways

Was it fear of contagion?
Fear of infection?

I wanted to stop
And talk to them
To say...
‘Don’t be afraid
It’ll be ok’

But the people
Walked on
Faces veiled
Preferring to cast their eyes
Downwards

Whatever power this lockdown has
Is draining people
Of their social instincts
And replacing them
With a mistrust
Of others

I have so many feelings
But the one that holds me now
Is exhaustion

So I must rest
And let sleep restore me
So that I can emerge
Into a new day
And experience
It’s many treasures

The rain fell and fell today
As if to wash away
The dirt from this world

The rain will fall again and again
Tomorrow

Until there are enough trees
To drink up the rainfall
Water will gather
In great floods and torrents
Laying waste to all in their path

The rain it falls
Like tears of the Gods
Weeping at what they see before them

Raindrops are messengers
Sent from the heavens
To remind us
Of what we must do

A second impeachment
For the man called
Trump
He will stand trial
And answer for his actions
A fitting end
To a miserable presidency

Somewhere...

Music is playing
Cocktails are pouring
Lovers are loving
Friends are laughing
Families are hugging
Champagne is bubbling
Voices are singing
Children are grinning
Musicians are gigging
Dancers are jigging
Crowds are gathering
Heartbeats are racing

But right here
Right now
I am with my family
At home

I long to change
The inner
Liberate the weight
Of the outer
Return to the form
Of the times before

I want to evaporate
The strain
That I possess
It’s making a mess
Of my body
And mind

I crave
The youthfulness
Of yesterday
Dancing with friends
Until the very end

I grieve lost days
Trapped in this maze
Gripped by the haze
Of the fiery rage
Of a pandemic

It’s all right

The sun rises
And sets with dignity
It’s all right

It’s all right

The moon whispers cosmic stories to us
As we sleep
It’s all right

It’s all right

The earth
Knows all the secrets of the universe
It’s all right

It’s all right
We will rise up again and again
Until we fulfil our mission

It’s
All
Right

Trump’s angry war cry
Has incited the storming of the US Capitol
By a crazed mob
The scenes are shocking and disgusting

Joe Biden emerges
To speak with honour and dignity
Trump refuses to appear
To call off the protest

This has become a battle
Between good and evil
Reason and riot
Honour and shame

When the music plays
People dance
Movement emerges
From inner places
An internal response
To the outer vibration
As the rhythm reverberates
The dance expands
And each heighten the other
As primeval personalities are revealed
And anything can happen

Why are we drawn towards artists?
Perhaps because they embody
The human being
In its most natural and unrestricted state

Four golden legs
The smoothest back
A wide brim
With soft white skin
Deep and hot
Always inviting
Best enjoyed
With candle lighting

I’m heavy and strong
I live very long
I make you believe
You don't want to leave
In my belly
There's room for two
Once you’re in
The dreams begin

Who am I?
I’ll make you laugh
A very special
Cast iron bath

It is the last day of 2020
A time to say goodbye
To a year of troubles

We have learned
Who we are collectively
And what we must do
For the sake of our children
For the sake of each other
And for the sake of the planet

For what we have lost
We grieve
And for what we have learned
We are grateful

The closer together we are

The stronger the attraction

The further apart

The weaker the pull

Goodbye friend
Life for you
Was troubled and dark
In the end
You felt too alone
To survive this world

Goodbye friend
Although you are gone too soon
Drowned in a sea of swallowed pills
I still feel your presence

Goodbye friend
I hope that our prayers
Will touch your life
As it journeys through the cosmos
And direct you towards
The happiness you deserve
In your next life

Goodbye friend
In the end
A darkness dominated your final days
But we know your natural state
Was one of light and life

Goodbye friend
We will miss you
And we regret that you weren’t able
To come through it all
To experience a different life

This is who I am
This is all I’ve got
It may be rather ordinary
But it’s also quite a lot

I may not have a mansion
Or a Lamborghini car
I don't have a very high IQ
And I'm not married to a movie star

I celebrate the ordinary
As something quite profound
Because it is the ordinary
That make the world go round

The famous may be enviable
In their own particular way
But I'd rather be without pretence
Being ordinary every day

So rejoice at being ordinary
It’s greater than they say
Because your particular 'ordinary'
Is extraordinary in every way

There is always something
That can be done
To make a difference

Don’t give up hope

There is the joy of nature
The symphony of bird song at dawn
The warmth of the sun

Don’t give up hope

The sound of a friendly voice
A greeting from a stranger
The purring of a cat

Don’t give up hope

The embrace of a loved one
A meal shared with others
A good night’s sleep

Don’t give up hope

Don’t give up hope

Don’t give up hope

It is important to know
That the hurt
That is caused
Injures the perpetrator most of all

It enters their life
And blends with their soul
Becoming part of who they are

Their legacy, their role on the stage of life
Becomes tarnished
Only redeemable by realisation, absolute apology
And commitment to work on reparations without ceasing
Until the wrongs that have been wrought
Are put to right

Time marches onwards
And is sometimes generous to wrongdoers
Although, sadly for others
Is less so, and redemption evades them

Isn’t it easier to let go
Than to keep holding on
To things as they were

Isn’t it wiser
To be taken down the river
Than to fight the current of the times

Isn’t it braver
To say what you really think
Than to try and please the people you think you ought to?

Isn’t it certain
That the times are changing
And the best we can do is change with them?

I renounce the restrictions that hold me down
I cut the binding cords that I have let wrap round me
I release myself from the straightjackets
Into which I have stepped daily
For I realise that my life is as great and wide as the universe
And what is there to lose, but face, pride, status
If I should try to fulfil my wildest dreams

I don’t cope well with uncertainty
It's exhausting living like this
I end up feeling so worn out
I can’t even sleep to cure my ills

Does it matter that I show you
A ***** in my armour?
Does it matter that you drink your nights away?
If I were a different man I guess I’d lead a different life
It's simple, some might say

If I could shrug off this heavy coat
Be sure, I’d take it off
But as it is, all I can do
Is wear it with some pride

And so like treacle, thick and dense
This year draws to an end
Its hard to think what to make of that
Which waits around the bend

I close my eyes
And wait for what may come

And then, I remember the man
With the sore skin and red face
Who passed me by today

In the blank spaces of my mind I recall
The woman praying
As a young child drops a penny in her cup
And then
The elderly man on his knees
Holding out his begging cap

I remember the light rain
Moistening the coats of thrifty shoppers
As an African lady pulls a one wheeled trolley
Noisily along the cobbled pavement

People with blunted expressions
Talk of how they will spend their Christmas
Now that we cannot be together
And I sense
The dim reflected light of despair
In their eyes

How much more
Do we have to take
Before we emerge from this storm?

And I ask myself
What is left
When everything else is taken away?

I'm waiting on the line
Passing the time
Feeling fine
This day

I watch the tides
People strolling by
In grey winter time
This day

Grannies hold the hands
Of children in their prams
Whilst blackbirds pick at sand
Across the bay

Christmas cheer
May be quieter this year
As we’ll remember
All that’s passed

In the New Year
Perhaps we will be freer
Kinder than ever before?

Our hope will rise
Each new sunrise
As Spring draws ever
Nearer

People can change
But
You can't change people

Tap tap tap
Drip drip drip
Slip slip slip
Drop drop drop

Rush rush rush
Trip trip trip
Hush hush hush
Flop flop flop

Flip flip flip
Bit bit bit
Flit flit flit
Scrap scrap scrap

Scrape scrape scrape
Late Late Late
Light light light
Night night night

Words escape
Like water between my fingers

Thoughts evaporate
As surely as dewdrops facing sunrise

Inspiration eludes
Like snow in summer

But still

My page needs to be filled
And l sit
Without a meaningful thought in my head

There are days when I think
How wonderful it would be
To abandon myself to the great waves
Of the oceans
To be one with the sea
To roll in and out on the tides
Sighing with each breath
At the smallness of my worries
And the majesty of the world

It is a creature
That cannot be tamed

It is invisible
And cannot be photographed

It is energy
That pervades the cosmos

It is a force
That makes us move

It is visceral
But you can't taste or smell it

It forgets
But it's in our memories

It is

Music

Pick up your pen!
And tell your truth
To the world

Spread it loud
And Wide

Pick up your pen!
And let it be known
That we will not accept this
Anymore
For all people
Must be allowed to live
With dignity

Safe
Secure
Happy

Take up your pen!
Do not hide your belief
Let the whole world hear
That we must protect
This planet of ours
And all life
That is to be found in our community

Take up your pen!
Imprint the truth of the day
On your page
Write to create a future
Filled with courageous hope

Take up your pen!
Let not this moment pass
Take up the challenge
And create the future
We desire

I want
Happiness
To be
My default

Cut
Skin
Heals

Think of three things
That made you smile today

Now...

Say them out loud

What should a man be
If he is not...
A source of strength to others
A pillar of his family and society
Free of ego
Ready to help others in his community

What should a man be
If he is not...
Kind, caring and wise
Patient, enduring and present
Calm, reasonable, even tempered
Happy with who he is

What should a man be
If he is not...
Sensitive, quiet, one who listens
Reflective, determined and brave
Strong as iron
Honest, whole, dependable
Flexible, deep and true