Can I be grateful…truly?
Can I open my heart…fully?
Can I connect…deeply?
Can I be me…absolutely?
Daily life, daily life, daily life
Dawn and dusk
Sunrise, sunset
Sun and rain
Waking and sleeping
Making and unmaking
Ever turning
In a sea of change

Today
With dignified steps
Advance cheerfully
Be bright
Respect others
Listen
Make today wonderful
Listen
Respect others
Be bright
Advance cheerfully
With dignified steps
Today

Hovering
Delicately
Gently

Floating above the earth
Calming
Cleansing

A man
In black suit
With briefcase

Walks
Proudly through

A bicycle
A footbridge

All in this moment
Of beauty

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!

Warrior
You fight for meaning
Live for justice
Celebrate life

Warrior
Your life is a flower
A ray of hope
Encouraging all

Warrior
You fight depression
Defeat anxiety
Banish inertia

Warrior
You bid ‘Welcome!’
To life’s true joy
And all are with you

Warrior
You battle illness
Defeating all sorrow
Extinguishing doubt

Warrior
You open the door
Bringing all peoples
Into your home

Warrior
You cure all illness
Bring peace to the world
Eliminate war

Warrior
You live for others
You are yourself
You die triumphant

I’m back again
On the early train
And the clocks have gone back
So, it’s light in the morning

I can faintly smell
The salt of the low tide

A flock of seagulls
Races alongside my train

A man with a high visibility jacket, purple hat and a coffee
Gets on
I wonder what his day will be like

It is Monday
The beginning of a week
That will be like no other

Leadership
Is caring
About everyone

Such pure smiles
Such enthusiasm
Such independence

So smart
So prepared
So organised
So sweet
And lovely

My daughter
You enter
A whole
New world

May your true spirit
Shine strongly
And your light
Burn brightly

May you glide
Into a world
Of joyful learning

May you thrive

Dragonfly
I think you must be returning home
After your day in the sun

I wonder if you remember
When you were young?

A tiny nymph
Growing
Shedding skin
Feeding
Beneath the water

Waiting
Waiting
For the time to arrive

For you to take
Your first flight
And leave the water
Far behind

Dragonfly
Did you suffer as you hung
From the river bank
Waiting for your wings to grow?

Dragonfly
Your transformation is complete
And you fly free across the evening sky
As if it were the easiest thing to do

Dragonfly
You will wait quietly somewhere  
For tomorrow to come
And I gaze at the soft sky thinking
Will I surrender to my own transformation
Just as you did?

I see you in the sunlight through the trees
I remember your bright blue eyes
I cannot forget the love you gave me

Optimist
In the midst of chaos
You open up pathways
To a brighter future

Optimist
When all others depart
Looking for safety
Smiling, you set to work

Optimist
You are never defeated
You always continue
Braver than the fiercest enemy

Optimist
The words you speak
Are fresh and fragrant
Like the purest of roses

Optimist
Though some think you crazy
Sneer and call you dreamer
It’s you who change everything

Optimist
You stand alone
Inspiring fresh hope
You are the victor

Optimist
You believe the impossible
And then make it possible
Rousing brave hearts, to realise peace

The truth is –
I am not worthless
I am not weak
Because strength comes from character
It comes from what you do
When your back is up against the wall

Worth is not measured by how much money you have acquired
The partner you have got
The house you live in
The clothes you wear

True enduring worth lies within your heart
How you treat others
How you treat yourself
How you act
How you express your feelings
How you choose to live

The truth is -
You are not worthless
No matter what experiences
Have led you to this point
No matter what trials and sufferings you have endured
The truth is that your life
Is worth more than you can ever imagine

Young politician
Remember to learn
Before you try to lead
'Driving up standards
Takes leadership', you say

Leadership is listening
Leadership is caring
Leadership is learning

Leadership means reforming your own character
Instead of trying to reform others

Before you build something new
Build on what is there

Young politician
You are there to serve
Not to dictate
You are there to explore
Not to judge

Young politician
Others must guide you
For you may guide yourself and others
To desperation

I'm having a day off
I'm taking my time
I'm not carrying on carrying on

I'm having a day off
I'm taking it easy
I'm not even answering the phone

I'm taking a break from all rushing about
I'm pressing the pause button down
I'm staring aimlessly right out of my window
Apparently l'm out of town

I'm quietly being alone
I'm quietly being myself
I'm letting the others charge on with their stuff
I'm making myself feel at home

I'm boiling the kettle for endless tea
And preparing to do nothing at all
I'm waiting for quiet, then birdsong and then
I’ll listen to nothing some more

I'm taking a day off from everything
I'm cancelling all meetings today
I'm out of the office
And stuck in the bath
I will not be coming out to play

I swim up and down
The pool of my life
Longing for the weekend

And when I surface for air
I realise that I'm in the same pool
As I was before

I duck back under the water
And swim backwards and forwards
Wondering...

Is it possible to be kinder
Than ever before?

Is there a limit to the compassion
Of a single human being?

Red Admiral
You land on my hand
In the warmth
Of this Cornish summer evening

Your arrival takes me by surprise
And I hold still
To witness the special moment

One full minute
You sit in silence
Motionless
Sunning your wings
Of red, black and white

Back arched
Proud chest pushing forward
As if to say
‘Look at me!
Look how beautiful  I am!
You too
Can live a life as beautiful
If you can survive transformation’

The wings close
And I am shown the rippled bark-like brown
Of the underwing

I wait
Barely breathing
As still as the butterfly
And then
She is gone
Forever

But my poem
Will secure her visit
In my memory

Courage is grace
Grace under pressure

I saw it written  
In a florist's book

As I walk down the street
I see my old friend

He greets me cheerfully
And somehow he laughs

He's going to be fired
After thirty odd years

Grace under pressure
Grace under pressure

Each day I rotate
And I spin and I turn

How can I create?
Can I create?

I need to give more
Be more, learn more

Turn my old heart
Inside out

Get what's within me
Onto the outside

I can’t hold it in
I have to release

No matter how ugly
Life's not always pretty

Sometimes it's sick
Unhappy, unholy

But that’s what it is
That's just what it is

I will wonder aloud
How to use my power

In which direction
To focus my strength

To be as I am
Just as I am

And pass days with dignity
One then another.

The Dragon Blood tree
On the isle of Socotra

Stands tall and quiet
Uncomplainingly

The Dragon Blood tree
Shows grace under pressure

It lives as it should
Courageously

Red
Bed
Lead
Head

Gob
Rob
Sob
Mob

Flit
Fit
Bit
Writ

Ooze
Cruis­e
Choose
Lose

Glut
****
Rut
Mutt

Ace
Race
Space
Face

Haze
Craz­e
Daze
Maze

Crump
****
Dump
Slump

Wipe
Ripe
Snipe
Tripe

Dub
Gr­ub
Tub
Hub

Gnaw
Draw
Flaw
Saw

Gape
Ape
Tape
Vape

Lick
Sick
Nic­k
Pick

Flop
Plop
Drop
Mop

Age
Rage
Sage
Page

Bend
Tend
Mend
En­d

Hossty mogarty
Fistral brist
Ay sluggery bithlle bat
Tinkletun misk

Foraven mo groggle
Terappitur drast
In camperidge burbow
Ill wungledon masst

Ee burbinger hoddle
Yie tungldown gossts
Am risstle oopsingen
Ter platiffer hoast

En dungledoon oppers
Woa bloaten ett ghabb
Mer tickerrn billborron
Furen dishten lab

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

Think of yourself
As wonderful

Place your dreams
In the middle
And grow
Day by day

Lower a bucket
Into a well spring of hope
And draw deeply
So that in your final hour
You will be ready to journey
Into new adventures
Free from regret

Some things
Mean everything

Like being loved
For who you are
By those you love

Life is everywhere
Sometimes
A red berry
Sometimes
A horse

I am life
Manifest
In human form

Dancing in the ocean of time and space
I plot my own course

Somewhere
Far from here
Is a heavenly place

Where I bathe my head
In primrose water

Poetry flows
From rosebud lips

And dreams float
Before my eyes

Somewhere far from here
Birds sing delicate melodies
While Gallic harps play ancient music

Friendships abound
Abundant as the wild grasses

Somewhere far from here
Each single moment
Is precious
And special

Gentle folks gather to hear
Great stories of heroism

Somewhere far from here
The efforts of men
Combine to make
The wings of peace
And families relax
Into their most creative natures

Somewhere far from here
People yearn to inhabit
A place that can be created
A place that can be found

Why not
Chase
Childhood dreams
Why not
Roll
The dice of life
Why not
Start
Upon a journey
Why not
Live
A different life

Why
Hold on
To painful memories
Why
Decide
To give things up
Why
Believe
That you can’t do it
Why
Get stuck
Within a rut

Why not
Run
If legs are able
Why not
Sing
If voices can
Why not
Love
If hearts are beating
Why not
Jump
Because you can

Why
Wait years
To beat the devil
Why
Watch others
Take their stand
Why
Decide
That you’re too tired
To venture through
A troubled land

Why not
Ask
If 'Why?' is blocking
All the
Things
You want to do
Why not
Stop
Procrastination
When ‘Why not?’’s
A better path
To choose

Being able to change
How I feel
About how I feel

Being able to feel
Without wanting to stop
My feelings

Being able to be
Alive

Human

Wanting to be free
Wanting to be safe
Wanting to be
Free

In touch with Freedom
Safe with Freedom

Experiencing joy
Experiencing humanity

Feeling everything
All of
Me

People watching people
Gazing at screens
Crouching behind veneers
Of interconnected
Digital
Fibre optic
Cabling

Safely connected
Safely disconnected
To their
Subjects
Objects

Judging them
Demanding cosmesis
Ordering alteration
Controlling behaviours
Controlling people
In an out of control world

The watched
Conforming
Naively
Desperately
Daily
To gross
Aesthetic stereotypes

Pandering
To the hits

Prostituting
For numbers

Disordered society
In which watchers
Hold power

Are you asked
How many views do you have?

Is it enough?

Are you popular
Enough?

Are you worth
Enough?

Are you ever
Enough?

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

Betrayal
Has come
Hidden
But visible
Left to be found
Surprising
Yet not

Sharp
Like a dagger
A piercing
Of safety
Dull
Like concussion
A kick
In the heart

Damaged
Are children
Broken
Is Trust
Weakened
Are families
Branches
Are Cut

Betrayal
Of hearts
Assumes
Dumbness
Of victims
A slur
On humanity
Driven
By
Self

Betrayal
Of union
Years of great effort
Crumble
Like sandcastles
Under your feet

Betrayal
Great robber
Of my human
Dignity
Futures are frozen
Our cords
Are cut

Betrayal
Most human
Act
Of cowardice
Unspoken
Discovered
We meet
To part

This most beautiful morning
Stirs my heart

A lone black horse
Stands motionless
In a frost encrusted field
Waiting for the sun
To warm his body

The grasses and trees
Ice covered
Are waiting too

They are waiting
For the orange sun
To revive them
To free them
Of their crystalline encasements

My frozen heart
Is melting
At the beauty
Of Autumn

Brown, orange, red, straw

Everything stands still
On this early Saturday morning
Waiting for the thaw

Reminding us all
That we are small

And telling me
To offer my prayers

To the magnificent sun

‘Three steps and in!’

To the crashing waves at Praa Sands
Wife, daughter, niece and me
Four lucky people
Swimming together
Lifted up screeching by the swelling waves
Shivering and screaming in excitement
At the masterful physicality
Of the great sea
As we are thrown this way
And that

All problems have gone
And we are totally absorbed
By the great cleansing motion
Up, down, swell and dip

All arguments, frustrations, anger
Are swept away
By the power of this Cornish high tide

We are free to experience
The pull of this wonder

Just for a moment
We are all completely happy

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!

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

Everything matters
It all matters
Nothing is irrelevant
Nothing insignificant
Everything counts
Even the slightest movement
Or gesture
Changes the present
And creates the future

The slightest doubt
The quietest and tiniest of thoughts
The briefest of smiles
The blink of an eye
A card that is sent
The nod of a head
A sigh
A frown
They all count
Everything matters
It all matters

The Ghosts of Christmas Past
Haunt the hearts
Of teenagers and parents
As the clock counts down
To Christmas Day

The hopes and fears
Of those we hold dear
Bubble
And Steam
And
Burst

There was a moment today
When I felt it
In my chest
A warm cascade
Of utter joy
At being alive
Simply being
Who I am

My body tingled
My eyes lit up
My face broke into
A most natural smile

And I was just
Happy
To be who I am

And then
I snapped back
To myself
Like a rubber band
And how instantaneously
My mind
Took back control
Returning me
To my default
Of feeling
Less than I am

To accepting
The compromise
Of a smaller life

Of deciding
To be bound
By a lesser reality

To be fearful

But
Oh!
To feel free
For one split second

How wonderful to know
That unrestrained joy
To imagine
That I could live like that

How encouraging
To believe
In being happy
Just as I am

Each precious person
Each precious moment
Each unique day
Worth more than gold

Life
So strange, unpredictable
Life
With its mountains to climb
Life
With its counterpart death
Precious
Magical
Worth more than gold

You
Me
The air that we breathe
The sky above
The compassionate earth
The drops of rain
The birds that sing
Worth more than gold
Worth more than gold

Giant whale
Lying on the beach
What have you come to show us?

For years you quietly graced
This blue planet
And now
You spend your final hours
Exposed to the world
Naked
Helpless
Dying

Far from the familiarity
Of the deep
Separate from the safety
Of your pod
What courage you have
Great whale
In delivering your message
For all to see

Sharing your final suffering
Motionless
Dignified
Giant and sad

Great whale
Great whale

People have learned
To fly away
To distant planets
To drill great holes
Beneath the earth
To join the elements
And build mighty towers

But for all we have done,
We cannot return you to safety
We cannot do a thing to save you

All we can do is watch
Dumbstruck by your presence
Hoping for the tides to restore you

In vain
In vain

Great whale
I wish that I could talk to you
Understand your secrets
Hear your wisdom

But no words of comfort
Do you speak
Great Whale
No words

Your quiet message
Your being
Here
Grips our silence

Today, my stomach is a flutter with butterflies
My head holds too many thoughts
A collision of a lifetime of experiences
Accelerating to this moment

Today, I have journeyed to a decision
To try and change

Today, I travel
To face my fears
To look them
Squarely in the face
To do battle with my pain

Today
I will forgive myself
I do not need to regret
Who I am

Today
I let go of any blame
And guilt that I carry

Today
I wonder at my existence
And give thanks

Today, my life burns brightly

Today I can smile
And release my suffering
And let it blend
With the air

To whom do I pledge allegiance?
To whom do I vow?
What is my existence for?
To live I don’t know how

Today I fight my worries
My doubts and inner fears
To live and love another
And wash away their tears?

To whom do I pledge allegiance?
To whom do I vow?
What is my existence for?
To live I don’t know how

I vow to do my best
At what I do not know?
To improve the tiny things I do
Spread happiness as I go?

To whom do I pledge allegiance?
To whom do I vow?
What is my existence for?
To live I don’t know how

For what is right is oft proved wrong
Within the course of time
But as the wheel turns on and on
I seem to toe the line

To whom do I pledge allegiance?
To whom do I vow?
What is my existence for?
To live I don’t know how

Perhaps it is the simple things
The holding of the door
The phone call to a friend in need
That live for ever more

To whom do I pledge allegiance?
To whom do I vow?
What is my existence for?
To live I don’t know how

To monarch, country or to Gods
To fathers or to mothers
To gang lords wearing city suits
To nature or to lovers

To whom do I pledge allegiance?
To whom do I vow?
What is my existence for?
To live I don’t know how

The ice
Around my heart
Protects me from
The piercings
Of your knife

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

Great estuary
You refresh me with your eternal
Ebb and flow

Your surface
Undulates
Glittering serenely
In the summer sun

I enter you fatigued, dusty, worn
And then
Your salty body
Washes mine
Embracing me
Like a long lost lover

Your mixed currents
Warm and cool me
And I emerge
As if reborn
Hot blood blazing
Through my cooled veins

Seagulls bob quietly upon your surface
They rest and relax
As the moon pulls you in
And lets you go

Pulls you in
And lets you go

Like a great grandfather clock
Your pendulum swings
Beating time with your rhythm of tides

I will grow old
Gazing upon you
In awe of your constancy
Ever enchanted by
Your restorative power

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

What’s underneath
Your long blond hair

What makes you jump
From your comfortable chair

Who will place
A ring on your finger?
Whose first kiss
Will make you linger?

Im going to die
I don’t know why
Or what will take me
From this place

I’ve run my race
Revealed my face
Am out of place
Without disgrace

Who will buy
My heart and soul
Roll the dice
To make me whole

I'm broken apart
There's nothing there
I stare beyond
Your empty chair

This morning I saw
A turtle dove
It flew across my path
It landed on the pavement
And then it waddled off

I wondered what it was doing
What thoughts were in its head?

'I must gather food
I must perfect my nest
I must look after my child'

I wondered as I walked
About the thoughts I possess

My family
My workplace
Society
A mess?

Would it be simpler if I were a turtle dove?

Being human means caring for everything

The sun
The sky
The earth

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

To be left behind
Alone
On the shores of one’s life

Deserted
Lost
As the ships of fortune
Roll away beyond reach

To perceive
Even the smallest things
As a source of terror

To shrink
From the very light of day
Yearning for the escapology
Of black night hours

To let roll
Tears of desperation
As one recognises
One is nothing
But a broken being

How strange to be
So isolated
So alone
In this whirlpool
Of *******
Black
Tar

If only describing
The sentiment of inadequacy
Could disable its grip
And free one
From its power

The cold winter months  
Take hold
Of my entire being
As I stare at emptiness within me
Longing for escape

Bruised words spill
Over my page
In tribute to
The crisis hours

Person for sale

Able to:

Breathe quietly
Talk when needed
Wear acceptable clothes on work days
Use transport facilities in a timely fashion

Willing to:

Spend time with people
They don’t like
Set aside any feelings of
Boredom
Restlessness
Apathy
Disinterest
Disillusionment
Malais­e
Fatigue
Stress

And feign:

Interest
Enthusiasm
Concern
Delight
Contentment
Joie de vivre
Passion
Commitment

Willing to:

Sit stoically
In front of a square screen
Sending typed messages back and forth
Quietly count the days, months and years
As they tick by
Cover unsightly grey hairs
With unnatural dyes (at personal expense)
Spend hours in the same rooms with the same people
Use communal toilet facilities
Sit on trains
Day after day
Use caffeine and sugar
As the acceptable drug of choice

Prepared to scream out in silence
When it all gets too much

Person
For
Sale

Love deepens
The colours of my thoughts

Softens
The texture
Of living

Rings
With
Laughter

Dances
With
Joy

It lies deeper than
Feelings
Carried from beneath consciousness

Forged
Beyond safety

Borne
From uncertainty

To be in love
To be loved
To be love
To love

Is more
Than
I could ever
Say