Each day
Seems more beautiful
Than the last
As we learn
About who we are
And
Who we are not

The ageing
Of humanity
Reveals truth

I look ahead
To renewal
And the newness
Of each day

We have one body
One life
Destined to slowly fade
Yet full
Of eternal meaning
And legacies

There’s moisture in the air
One that speaks of spring
The trees are responding
And I hear the songs of birds

As long as I hear the songs of birds
Then I know
Life is there still
Miraculously

Life is a reflection
Everywhere there are glimpses of the self
Shades of the great universe

Channels carve their way in and out
And dust is deposited

The earth remains
Eroded yet somehow replenished
By the forces of nature

Air becomes matter
To replace death

Materials gathered from the farthest reaches
Of the universe
Make life

We are nothing but children of the universe

Plants rise up from the earth
Filling space
Each and every one
Offering nourishment to thousands upon thousands

Birds fly wisely
Rhythmically
To show the way

Humans stumble
This way and that way
Wishing to be kings and queens
Cowering at fate

Those who have given up on life
Take their lives
And take the lives of others

'Never give up!' said a wise man
'Never give up!'

The future must glow!
The future must resonate
With hope for every young person!
The bloodshed must stop!

Though blood
Escapes from the womb
Of humanity
Ceaselessly
And the fine lines between
Balance, renewal  and loss
Widen

Though blood flows too fast
Hijacking days of rest and recovery
Friendship and camaraderie
We must never give up!

We must all fight now
But only
For peace

How
Can I respond?

How
Can I connect?

What
Will I do

Now?

Why do I do things?
The way that I do?

Why am I happy?
Why am I sad?

Why do I search
For reasons
Each season?

Why am I free
The next time, mad?

When will I reach
Pure satisfaction?

Is this too much
To ask of my life?

Will I be stuck
With continual yearning?

To want this
To want that
To want more
From time?

Each moment
That passes
Will never return
Take it
Grasp it
Make it
Eternal

Take it
Grasp it
Make it
Eternal

Praise the youth!
Give them the space
And they will lead the way

Youth are respectful
Kind and warm
Praise the youth!
Praise the youth!

Youth do not complain
They know how to work
And then they know
How to play
Praise the youth!
Praise the youth!

Youth overcome shyness
And make friends quickly
They solve problems
Without ego
Praise the youth!
Praise the youth!

The future is bright
Thanks to the youth
Praise the youth!
Praise the youth!

Is it too late
To try create

A poem
At this hour?

Extract the strange and unknown thing
That's burning in the fire

And then a voice echoes within
You'e won my friend, you've won

Through sitting down and pushing on
Right up until the end

Emotions stir
Something is born

Something of me
Is somehow
Free

I'll fry an egg
And make some toast

To celebrate
This short ditty

Clouds heap upon one another
Air moves
In and out
With the tides of time

Earth breathes a sigh of relief
Home beckons weary travellers

Blossoms open
And gently close

Giant concrete pillars
Stand silent beneath the bridge

Moonlight
Is reflected
In a muddy puddle

Washing hangs quietly on a line
And I...

I remember

Loving
You

My first
My only
Soul
Companion

My
Love
I remember
Loving
You

If I was the last tree left in the world
I would allow any creature to inhabit me
I would push my roots down so far
That I would never topple

I would stand strongly
Whilst bees buzz around my branches
And make honey in my chinks

I would let children climb me
And throw ropes over my branches
To make a swing

If I were the last tree in the world
I would try to stand for a thousand years
Hoping that the world would change

My difficulties
Are mine

They make
My face scowl
My temper short
My brow furrow
My blood pressure rise
My back ache
My joie de vivre slip
My doubts strong

They make me think
I can’t win

My difficulties
Are mine

They help me change
Help me win
Even when I thought I’d lose
Help me grow
Bring me new understanding
Take me to undiscovered places
Are the opening
To my solutions

My difficulties
Are
Mine

One is one
Two are two

The space
Between
One
And another
Exists

Full
Or
Empty

Weak
Or
Strong

Women
Radiate beauty

Men
Stand firmly

Children
Play

One is but one
Two is double

Three is one more
Four is square

I am
A corner
A partner
A single
A double

One is one
We are one

One
One

Friend

Believe
That you are great

Remember
That you are kind

Realise
That you are strong

Understand
You deserve to be happy

Good people
Are drawn to you

Happiness is
Within you

Good fortune
Surrounds you

Friend

Friend

Friend

Make friends
With yourself

Build your castle
Day in day out

Take a step further
Than before

Don’t doubt
All you have achieved

Believe in
All you will achieve

Greatness is
Your daily life

Greatness is
Who you are

Whether you feel good or not
You are happy

Friend

Friend

Friend

You are
A Buddha

We are one
Inseparable

The cleaving crack
Of lightning
Reflected through
The greys of my brain

The interplay
Of sun and rain
Reflected
In unchosen destinies

Strands of unfinished work
Draped like fronds of weeping willows
Over aching limbs

The desperate thirst for health
Pervasive
Within the connected communities
Of living entities

The longing for calm
Instinctive
Necessary
Shared

Bound up
In faith

I expand my life
As only I can
Cherishing the beauty
Of what has become

I dance
Through the forests of life
Encountering roots of good fortune
As they swirl and grip the earth

There is only making
The best of things
Dancing to heavenly music as it plays

Desiring nothing more than
The happiness of others

Working
To live together
Harmoniously
As one

Tiny hands
Red lips
Bruised head
Sleeping

Sometimes shaking
Breathing softly
Dreaming
Dreaming

Eyes shut
You stir at noises
Flinching slightly
Absorbing voices

Mother’s eyes
Deep and tired
Father smiles
From a distant planet

Being born
Is not so easy
Being born
And living

Moving from
Another eden
Embarking on
An epic journey

Freed from the steep walls of karma
I contemplate

Have I disappointed you child
By failing to reverse the hands of fate?

I can only watch
As you shed sincere tears
Asking me
Can things can change?

And I wonder

Sometimes
I do not even know
The names of trees

I face you
Arms wide
And soak myself
In the energy
Of your sharp horizons
Drawn 'twixt Pembroke's sheer promontories

Rushing waves
Birth endless sounds
Of promise

Element
You penetrate me
To the core
Stirring reminiscences of childhood
In my breast

I turn
Only to turn
Once more

And drown myself
In your sea sounds

You are black
Your mother is white
You emerge from warmth and safety
Into the cold winds of March

Amnion clings to your coat
Shiny, bubbly
And you struggle to stand
On the soggy field
Searching desperately for milk

Your legs give way
But you stand again
Close against the chill of the cross winds

A cord still connects you
And while your mother grazes
You drink

You are together
United by birth
Life
And this spring afternoon

This ancient wound will be healed
The blood that pours from the mouths
Of the oppressed
Will be stopped
The thunder that rocks the bones of the weak
Will be silenced
The acrid smog that fogs young lungs
Will be cleansed
And the cancer that grips humble innards
Will evaporate
We the champions of destiny
Will flower
Our bodies will purify
Even our minds
Our vibrating essences
Will reform our dwellings
And peace will grow like a beautiful ornament

One means nothing
One million
Everything
Energy grows
As each step completes
New vistas arise
The pointless becomes meaningful
And limbs grow strong
Life prolonged

Down country lanes
Along the pavements
Through muddy fields
Along sandy beaches
Over soft carpets
Along bare floor boards
Up the stairs
Over the rocks

My feet
Your feet
Step and
Swing
Pacing five thousand times
Daily

On fifty two bones
We advance
Steadily
On fifty two bones
We walk

Ripples
Tidal
Coming
And leaving
Mounting
And declining
Embodied
And then disembodied
Apparent
Or hidden
Blocked
Or flowing
Drawn out
Or dissipated
Between two points
Or emanating from one
Electric
Humming
Pure
Stinging
Visible
Or invisible

Truth lands
Like a hammer blow
Knocking evil
From its magpie throne

Bitter tongues wag
As tyrants fall

Truth demolishes falsehood
And reveals
The beauty of justice

Kingdoms built on falsity
Will inevitably crumble

Truth and fairness
Are the firm foundation
Of all construction

Grey
The colour
Of cloud

Silently
Words
Tumble
Like petals

There are times
When everybody wants you
And there are times
When nobody wants you

There are times
When everybody needs you
And times
When nobody needs you

My body
Yearns
To rest

My mind needs nothing to contemplate
I empty the vessel of my existence
To fill it with the new

Blue note
Blue note
Help me be free
Free from the struggle
That weigh down on me

Blue Note
Blue Note
Make me belong
To somethin' much greater
Than my simple song

Blue note
Blue note
You bendin' the rhyme
You got me, a prisoner
From bygone ol’ time

Blue note
Oh blue note
I plod out my blues
And under my feet
See my vagabond shoes

Blue note
Blue note
I’ll gather my tears
And pray for redemption
For all the lost years

Blue note
Blue note
Why you so blue?
When love done gon lef' you
Ain't nothin’ to do

Blue note
Blue note
Resting down low
Ain't no one, no never
Don fall down so slow

Birds caress the spring air
With wings that seem to massage
Peaceful pathways overhead

I feel the tiredness of exertion
In my knees and back
But I don’t mind
I relish the open feeling
Of living on this spring day

Until I hear the news

Oh
To be swaddled by such a false sense of indignation
To lie in bedrooms
******* acrid smoke into bitter lungs
Imprisoned by the bars of fear and anger
And dream up desperate acts of destruction

Who would chose such a destiny?

On this magical spring day
The sun sets so beautifully
And the full moon glows orange
In sympathetic reflection

Another day
Memorable for so many reasons
Draws
To a conclusion

I can see
You are a change maker
I can see
That you bear the scars
I can see
That relationships don’t come easy
I can see  
That you reach for the stars

I can tell
You have great intentions
I can tell
That you fight for peace
I can feel
That you won’t give up hope
I can feel
That you long for release

Change maker
You are one in a million
Change maker
You find a way through the storm
Change maker
Reveal your true identity
Change maker
Open up a new dawn

Child
You just want you own way
Child
You are passive aggressive
Child
You need guidance and safety
Child
To grow up and become healthy

Bad parent
You give too much then nothing
Bad parent
You care too much or zilch
Bad parent
You don’t work and then push too hard
Bad parent
Your relationship stinks

Child
You don’t meet all my needs
Bad parent
I don’t like the look of you
Child
You smoke and you drink
Bad parent
Your life’s on the blink

Child
You waste hard earned money
Bad parent
You just need some space
Child
You're just so **** embarrassing
Bad parent
Please get out of my face

Child
I want the other one
Bad Parent
Well I’m all you’ve got
Child
If you weren’t so detestable
Bad Parent
That’s enough now just stop

Child
Just leave me alone
Bad parent
We could have a hug?
Child
Never, I think you are horrible
Bad parent
Ok, fair enough

Take care of every word you say
Each syllable
Creates the future
That you will inhabit

Birds beat
Their rhythm through the air
Advancing on unseen channels
Surely they
Are masters of living
Showing us how to soar

An infant will revitalise
An elderly one
An elderly one
Has wisdom to share
There is always hope
There is always a way
Young people
This is your day

A mix of energies
Provides hope for us all
Our differences
Are our strengths
There is always hope
There is always a way
Young people
This is your day

Birds rely upon trees
Trees rely upon rain
Rain relies upon sun
To warm the oceans
And lift the water

On each other we depend
We are inextricably intertwined
There is no separate
Only togetherness

When you realise
That you are afraid
And have been
For years

You begin to know yourself

When you understand
That your behaviours
Have been played out
As mere distractions

You begin to grow

When you face your fears
Head on
With the acceptance
That you are human
And the realisation
That you are not superhuman
Solutions
Will emerge

Incredibly

And you will
Advance
Towards
Happiness

We meet
For the first time
You have questions
And I respond

I hope you can tell
Where I am coming from
I hope you can discern
What kind of person I am

What do I want to reveal of myself
And what do I want to hide away?

What are the secrets
That are barely hidden?

What are the truths
Written on my face?

We meet
We part

And I wonder
Will we meet again?

Today I will embrace
Every single part of myself
And every single part of the day
There will be no space for sighing
No room for disappointment
Only joy and creativity

Today I invite delight
To be my companion
I will treasure each opportunity
And dance with the universe
I bid guilt and sadness farewell
Opening the door and waving them out

Today the trees wave and smile at me
And I smile back

Today I am open
And ready for anything

Today I will work to give
Give my utmost and best to whatever I do

Today I will make a plan
And stick to it

Today I am proud
Of who I am

My life has unleashed
A demon within
That tells me
You can’t win
You’re not good enough!

It laughs saying
You are getting too old
It sneers saying
You don’t deserve to be loved

But I am prepared
To fight
To the end
Even if must battle
The demon forever

As long as I fight
I know I can win
And
Tomorrow
I will hope
For a better
Day

I think I’ll take a stroll
Just to take the air 
And look upon the crescent moon
Glowing way up there

I think I’ll take a stroll
Because it’s fine to do
To feel cold air upon my face
And watch the flowers standing true

I think I’ll take a stroll
And let my thoughts emerge
As I walk along the evening streets
And contemplate the earth

I think I’ll take a stroll
Let my feet go where they will
Give my worries time to breathe
And let all else be still

On a number thirteen
London routemaster bus

A passenger
Once asked
The bus conductor

‘How are you?’

‘I’m enjoying life’
He replied
‘Enjoying life’

I was a school boy
And my bus travelled steadily
Along the Finchley road

The conductor rang the bell
Twice
To signal the driver
And then he whistled a tune

He was happy

And for the duration of our journey
We were too

A thousand and one things
Happen
In the playground of our lives

We are given what we are given
And then
We make what we can
With what
We have received

We embroider strands
Of proffered and discarded materials
To create
Uniquely fabricated realities
For ourselves

Through our education
We kid ourselves
That standards are the standard
And grades are the grade

But should we not ask
What do children need to know from us?
What do they need to learn?
To become happy?

And what was it that we learned?
What was it?

All this information
All this expectation
Are we yet beating ourselves down with it
Battering our children?

As one climbs higher
The air thins
And so I yearn to feel the closeness
Of your body

I desire to be with you
In my illness
As winter grinds on

Spring!
I call to you
Embrace me
In the milkiness of your *****!

Refresh me
As I present
My naked self

Though we are weak
We struggle
Onwards
Together

Perhaps towards uncertain victory
Imperfect as we are

Tonight
I attend you
Completely

I gaze 'pon your rainbow halo
As five rays lead to my heart
Five more lead to the heavens

You wear a golden crown
Your essence glows orange

Your light
Is like a tender rose
Your petals fragrant
Clustered and shapely

On this most reverent of nights
As the clock ticks
Hypnotically
I pause
And observe your beauty

What is easy about living
When your head feels like it is splitting in two?

An angry man tells off
A loud mobile phone woman
She leaves the quiet carriage
Indignantly
‘I am detached’ he says

My heart beats
My mind aches
I realise
I am detached too

I sit here
And busy myself with writing

Carelessness provokes anger

I must be careful
To take care
Of myself

Today I gather
Snippets of conversation

Phrases that stick in my mind

I glue them together
In collage

Again
And once more
Even though the ice clings to the grasses still
I travel in my mind
To other places
To memory

I feel the cool ****** of my ring finger
Where I lost my wedding ring
To the Cornish seas
And I am lost
No longer here

Beneath the turquoise sea
There lives a mermaid.

She waits for me

It is she
Who has captured the gold from my hand

It is she who is calling me
Westwards

‘Come my love
Run from your troubles
And let me love you’

Together we will lay
On the ocean bed
Wafted by the warm currents
Wrapped in strands of seaweed
And love each other
Truly

History

Strange tapestry of invasion

Displacement
Settlement
Resettlement

Buying
Selling
Ex­change

One idea
Supplanting another
To satisfy the needs
Of the time
To slake the thirst
Of the powerful few

History

Reflecting movements
Of generations
Upon generations
Until we ask

Where is home?
Where is home?

The great Ginko tree
Can live
Three thousand years
In one place

Watching
History

Watching
The migration
Of people

This world is
An incredible place

Home to billions
Of living entities

8.7 million species
Each contributing
Their own living efforts

Every ant, that moves a leaf
Every bird that builds a nest
Every fish that joins a shoal
Every ray of sun that warms the earth
Every rain drop that falls
Creates an interconnected symphony
Of possibilities

Making the world

Nutritious
Dynamic
Evolutionary
Compassionate

Home

What a miracle to co-exist with it all
What a miracle!

Beyond
I have travelled
Beyond

Beyond
The boundaries
Of former experience
Into uncharted territory

And I have found
Not myself

Not another
No deity
No mysticism
No other

Just
Space

To feel
To experience
To concern oneself with
The daily sufferings and joys
Of all humanity
Is to be cursed
And blessed

People make their living
Among other people
And the great swarm of people
Celebrates winners
And casts out losers

Occasionally people rise up
Exhibiting higher qualities
They burn brightly
Differently
Embodying
Deeper purpose

To feel
To experience
To concern oneself with
All things
Is to be cursed
And blessed

To transform feelings
Into thoughts, words and deeds
Is to purge
To cleanse
To purify

To free

Chocolate
When heated
Changes form
Resolidifying
When cool

My body
Is melting
And reforming
My mind
Reinventing itself

Am I growing?
Or am I ageing?
Is it possible
To do both?

Things are melting
And I am learning
How to want
Less

Energy
Sometimes gathers
Other times
Dissipates

Satisfaction
Arrives
In small parcels

We spend hours
Watching others behaviour
Hoping to become successful
Just like them

And yet
The sun
The earth
The moon
Nature
All behave
With grace and dignity

We should watch more closely
And learn
From them

Breathe in quickly
Gather more oxygen
To encourage the thought

Widen the eyes
To take it all in

Keep still
Do not talk
Or dare interrupt the moment

But give the thought space
To materialise

And then
Suddenly
There it is

Truth

Apparent
Present
Realised
Understood

Adrenaline surges
Joy flows
And there is peace with oneself
Connection to the universe

A new dawn has broken
Rich with possibilities
Changing everything

None can compare
To an artist

They know
Who they truly are

They have to make their work
Striving
Often in desperation
To share
What is in their hearts

An artist will endure poverty
For their art
Rejecting the security and comfort
Of mainstream living

An artist experiences people
Just as they are
And sees the world for what it is
And what it has become

Artists are fearless
Shapers and commentators
Of the now

They will not seek refuge
In what is past
But are only comfortable
When creating the future

It is a painful destiny
To be an artist

But there is no such life
To compare

Who cares
Just relax
The victory
Is in the action

So what
If others judge
Doesn’t matter
One little bit

So what
If life gets rough
Whose life
Is easy?

So what
Just get on with it
Relax
And smile

Who cares
If others frown
And curse at you
Or blame you

There will
Be time to love it
And time
To work it out

So what
Just be happy
With yourself
That’s the main thing

Get on with it
Be happy
No matter
What they think

Like roots pushing deep through solid earth
Like branches fighting to reach the sun
Like an infant determined to take a first step
Like a butterfly longing to hatch
Like a brilliant rainbow, shimmering through the rain

Never give up
For without struggle
There is no true growth

Is there a being of great wisdom
Who can answer me?

Would you tell?

Is it possible
To live a hundred lifetimes
In the journey of a single life?

Is it possible to shed skin
Time and again
And evolve?

Like a first watery creature
Emerging
Crawling
Gasping for breath
Labouring under the sun
Before one day
Flying
Into the brilliance of sunset

The ghosts of my emotions surface
As music tips my buried tears
Beyond my eyelids

My ageing, beating heart
Swells and groans
With the release of grief
And I experience sensations
Long trapped and then freed
Like great wide bubbles
Working their way slowly upwards
From the deep dark silent depths
Of fathomless oceans

What is the meaning of living?
I ask the stars on this still night

What is the meaning of being?

I whisper questions
To the endless expansive space
Above my misty head

Is it to wonder at the quiet miracles of life?

My heart, my body and my soul churn
Like molten butter, syrup and chocolate
Melding and reforming into one
And I soak my sorrows in silent solitude

I call to the ghosts
Of my dearly beloved departed
And hold their hands
In my wakeful sleepwalk

Dearest companions  of times passed
You have carried me with you
Through time
And space
Without ever asking why

My arms are open
And I offer to carry the universe for you
Although my shaky legs will buckle
Arthritis will weaken my white bones
And death will one day still my flesh

I will carry the universe
Because I don’t know how else to be

It’s a small distance
Between success and failure
Happiness and sadness

It’s all in the mind
It’s totally up to us

Happiness is a state of being
It’s nothing to do with what other people think
It’s only decided
By what we choose to do

Excuse me,
Did I miss something?
Did I make a mistake?

Am I on the wrong path?
Did I take a wrong turning?

Have I got this all…

Wrong?

Is there another route?
A path parallel to this one?

One on which I can glide effortlessly?
One on which I am meant to be?

If there is, when did I go wrong?
Where did I go wrong?
How did I end up getting so… lost?

Didn’t I plan to be happy and successful?
Wasn’t I meant to live adventurously?

Throw myself in and get the most out of?
Wasn’t I?

I will count down to
The beginning

I will transform myself
And rise from my pupation

More beautiful than ever

Nothing can stop me
As I endure the experience of change

I will cast aside what is no longer needed
To reveal my true self

I will fear nothing
I will state my case with confidence and clarity

I will see everything so differently
Just wait and see

I take a moment of rest
To watch seagulls circling in the clear blue sky
To wonder at the ebb and flow of the tides
To sit quietly on a sun warmed bench
To watch the peaceful sea sparkling below
To hear the cheerful songs of birds
And I can tell
That at long last
Spring is on the way