I am running
On faith

Everything
I thought I had
Is gone

Everything
I thought I was
Has changed

And I am an outline
Of the man
I was

I have been
Emptied
Into time

I am
Now

Full of nothing
But

Faith

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

Movement of earth
Skies above
A flash of light

But a dream

Winged creatures
Leafy promontories
Well trodden pathways

But a dream

Shroud of mist
Unknown futures
Exciting to ponder

But a dream

Familiar to unfamiliar
The song of an infant
Grey brown warriors emerging

But a dream

Everyone should know
That there’s a place to go
When they’re feeling weak
Or frightened

Security
Is paramount
To the healthy development
Of the soul

I wake up
Sensing the fragility
Of who I am

I decide to fill
A tiny cup
With a small draft
Of courage

This I draw
From dwindling reserves
To quench
The thirst of my anxiety
As bricks of fear
Build walls
Around my essence

I think of everyone

I think again

Confidence is powerful  
To wear its armour well
Is magnificent

This day
Spreads before me
And my legs shake at
The thought of it

My chest tightens
And I realise
What a fool…
What a fool I am.

I can be
Whatever I wish to be today

I can support others
I can write

I can live
I can create unique memories

I can interact with the universe

A rose-bed of fragrant experiences awaits

I only need
To step out

And walk
In the cool breezes
Of the morning
And bless
The tears that well in my eyes
At the smallest of happenings

Walking the tightrope of life
I shed my skin
Give my blood
Yield my sweat
And let my tears fall

To live, to live
Is beautiful

A great thick bell tolls
For my future

As the shutters of my eyes close
Ideas roll like billiard *****

And I let go
Of what was supposed to be
And regain what it is
To be

The time and tide
Will wait for me
As a single leaf falls
To earth

Outside the fireworks of Autumn
Decorate trees
Red, orange, green, brown

Inside
Lilies stand
Timeless
In floral jug

Each flower an artwork
Six flesh-pink petals
Six bristling males
Aching to shed powdery pollen
A single queen
Standing tallest
Mysterious
Owner of seed

A clock ticks softly
As male and female
Stand millimeters apart
Awaiting
Union

I am nearing the end
My final few hours
And I look back
At time

And I see death

Death of ordinary people
Children
Fathers
Mothers
Grandparents

Men
Standing
In uniforms
Hold their guns high
Waving their decorated arms
Smiling

I see
The washed up bodies
Of infants

Innocent
Like rag dolls

Cradled in the arms
Of rescue workers

I see women intimidated
Men bullish
Political agendas
Thrusting decency and courtesy
Aside

And I feel myself
Pulled downwards
By the current of inhumanity

And I worry
About myself

Alone

In some distant
Safe place
Hearts beat together
Warm

Children have no fear
And adults
Are united

There are no wars
There is no hunger
Home is home
And no one is forced away from it

There is more than enough
Food to go round

And people take pleasure
In offering to others

And the air is clean
And the water pure
And the land is filled
With the sounds of nature

And I wonder

How kind
Can one man be
In twenty
Seventeen?

Child
Caught in adult form
Regressing
Disappearing
Into smaller circles

Moving only
Into the past
Hurting those
Who happen to be close

Comfort in conflict
Fearful of unity
Mistrust
Your only constant companion

If you wish
To be free
You need
To understand
That you
Are beautiful

Shallow understanding
Of this world
Is insufficient

A profound insight
Into your life
Is necessary
You must have
Strong character
Perseverance
Endurance

Then
You will experience
The true joy
Of being
Who you are

People
Rush around
Other people
Who rush around
Other people
To create a swirl
Of activity

It seems
As if

Nothing stands still

And I
Worry
That
I am not doing enough

The rain
Has washed me
I am renewed
Clean, fresh

Tomorrow
Awaits
An adventure
Unwritten

Don’t make the politicians
Responsible for the future
Our collective imagination
Will change everything

I want to think more clearly
I want to take more care
I want to breathe more deeply
Enjoying being here

I’d like to have more laughter
To taste the food I eat
I’d like to use my face to smile
At people that I meet

I’d like to sleep more deeply
And wake up more refreshed
I’d like to love my family
As if today’s my last

I’d like to feel my heart beat
And listen to its sound
Grateful for the miracle
That sends each day around

To build a home
I need
A solid foundation

Love

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

The cuts
Slice through plans
Disturbing the future
We had envisioned for ourselves

Lives interrupted
As the flow of money ceases
And is re-directed elsewhere

Big ideas freeze
And the future crumbles

But, where does the money go?

Into growing
Or stopping?
Welcoming in
Or keeping out?

Sixty five million just to work out
How to leave the European Union

Why not stay
And continue to play?

So who decides
Where the money goes?
Who decides and why?

Is it really the people
Who decide?

Or is it the people with the money
Who decide

Where the money goes

Strip me naked
And lay me bare

You will find
Not a penny on me

It's all
Decided in
Our minds

Words
Cutting through
Still air
Express
The hearts
Of a people


Fluttering through
The portals of endless minds
Unifying
Through shared experience

Piping the marrow
Of deepest consciousness
Tapping a reservoir of
Human hope

While we live
We can be poets
In death
Our words and deeds
Remain

There is one thing
That I can do now

And that is
To write

My critical voice
Is so strong.

You are…

A failure
No good
Burnt out
Ageing
Depressed
Uncertain
Unable to plan for the future
****!
****!
****!

Disappear!
Extinguish your life!
Eradicate your spirit!

And yet
If I coax myself
My wise spirit knows…

Never to give up
Even though hands can scarecely move
Even if the heart can barely beat
Even if eyes just want to close

Never underestimate one’s mission
Never slander one's potential

Look for the things
That I am not seeing

Challenge
That which I don’t believe

Discover
What needs to change

Work
Towards something great

From here I can grow
From here I will grow

If I am kind enough
To myself

I will wrap
A blanket of love around you
To keep you safe and warm

I will protect you
As you make your way
Into the unknown

I will fly
To the furthest corner of the universe
If you need me

And my thoughts will be with yours
As you dance through the good times
And scream and shout through the bad

Birds sit upon branches of blackened trees
Watching the landscape
Seeking safety

And I will sit through
The darkest of nights with you
Until the dawn breaks

I
Have

This day
This body
This family
This food
This drink
This air
This sky
This water

This earth
This community
This challenge
This opportunity
This moment
This chance
This hope
This life

I
Will
Not
Waste
It

I sit
Silent
Still
One with inertia

Wind and rain swirl
Beyond the window

On the table
A candle flame
Sways gently

Eyes return
Waiting
As I sit
And Listen
For the answer

It’s time to decide
To break the news
Of one big change
For eternity

Is it possible?  
That I can free myself?
Decide and stick with it?

It’s tough
And yet
Procrastination is tougher

Years go by
In waiting

It might work out
Better
After all

In the silent spaces
Of pre-dawn
Particles of dreams
Oscillate
And merge

Dewdrops sparkle
Catching rays of pure sun
As the wondrous
Unfettered
Glory of creativity
Awakens

Super-natural bodies dance
And smiles drift into sleeping faces
As delicately as the approach of spring

Songs are born
And writers take up pens
Artists splodge their brushes
Into thick globs of paint

Actors breathe deeply
Singers warm their voices
And poets notice
Each blade of grass
And bow in wonder
At each tiny miracle

This great world
Is the cradle
Of human endeavour
And true art
A supreme act of gratitude

I am living
My life
For me
I am connecting
With others
Who see me
For who I am
The insults
The nastiness
The bruises and scars
I bear
Show that I can survive

Tall grasses grow
In a holy place
Swaying softly in dusky breezes

For some
It is over

And even the moon
Laments their loss

People have made
All of this
Happen

All of it

Everyone
Without realising
Played a part

Even those...
Especially those
Who did...
Nothing

Nothing
Nothing

Slept
Slept through their instincts

Walked in a daze
Of deluded dreams
Cosseted, closeted from the tides

But the winds will catch up
And the nothing doers
Will be rid of the numbness

And return to the battle ground again and again
And again and again

Until...
One day
Dawn breaks
Most vital
And fresh
And goodness
Will appear

“Without the sun and the moon
How could the plants grow?

If the sun and moon were not in the heavens,
How could plants and trees grow?

Human beings have both a father and a mother.
It is hard for children to grow up when even one parent is missing.”

Thus spoke a wise man

And thus do I wonder at all life

Nothing is without its origin
And all things are connected
On each element we depend

Yet we are human
One with the universe
Blessed with the capacity
To promote new life, new growth

Cursed with the capacity
To destroy and annihilate

Though landscapes seem unchanging
And the blackness of night
Weighs down
Like a sodden blanket

One day
Of life
Is such
Treasure

Dawn will emerge
Fresh and new
Cleansing
Open

Geese will soar overhead
Making V shapes
And bodies of water
Hold secrets
In salty depths

The bookends of these days
Enfold
Memories
Melting in the dark caverns
Of my mind

And I, like slow congealing milk
Yearn for change
Ache for the revolution
Long for adventure

To draw my sword
And fight off the insidious invasions
Of ageing

And live
Once more, with vigour

In the first seven years of life
The world changes so

A new universe
Is born
Through each moment of discovery

And now
I am older
Waiting

Waiting

For what lies ahead

What lies ahead?

In seven years time
Where will I be?

Will I be here?
Will I be here?

What will I experience
In seven years time?

Birth and death?
Loss and gain?

Seven years
Seven years
Seven years

Who will I be?
Who will I have been?

What will I have become?

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

Today at 8pm
My family stood at our front door
To applaud the efforts
Of our national health service workers

Neighbours I have not yet met
Stood all down our street
And we clapped and cheered
And generated a new sense of togetherness

I have learned
A greater appreciation
For all the efforts that are being made
By people to create society

This is the world we need
Where people treasure people
And each precious contribution
Is valued and honoured

The scars of the past run deep
They are hard to erase

Invisible to the eye
Yet powerful in the mind

Drilled like channels into the human soul
They re-awaken, triggered by the turn of the seasons

Causing people to behave
Differently

It’s back to school week
Back to work week
And in my dreams
I am...lost

I can’t find my way home
I am over-tired, over-worked
Clutching too many bags

Dodging through the park
In the blackness of the night
To reach the station

Now I’m lost in the tunnels of the underground
I can’t understand the maps
As the trains crash by

Where is my station?
I’ve forgotten where I live
Can't anybody help me?

I never make it home

I am lost in my dreams

And as I awaken
My body groans
My mouth parched

I lie motionless
Check the clock
5.07am

Another fifty three minutes
Until the broken arpeggio
Of my alarm
Breaks the tension

And my routine begins

Most people
Just want to be loved
And if they don’t feel loved enough
They will find ways to
Let the world know

What once was there
Has gone

I never knew loss
Until now

Your great presence
Has departed
Like the last train
Disappearing softly into the night

And we, who are left
On the platform of our lives
Feel your absence
Remember your presence
And realise, the good times we shared
Are over

We who experience the loss
One day will become ‘the departing’
And our pain
Will be felt
By others

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

Silent is this night
Though storms rage within me
Still is the air
Though my heart beats wildly
Fickle are my feelings
As my mind works frantically
Battered is my soul
As I face new deadlock
Constant are the words
Of great authors
To whom I turn
In my hour of need

I got the old furlough blues
I simply don’t know what to do
The world has changed
And I’ve got no clue
If normal will return
For me and you

I had a job
But its all shot through
I’ve got three weeks of nothing
The State’s paying my dues

I wake up late
But I don’t sleep well
The smallest task
Starts feeling like hell

I got the old furlough blues
I simply don’t know what to do
The world has changed
And I’ve got no clue
If normal will return
For me and you

I’m trying to keep on
An upbeat path
But reality is
This isn’t a laugh

I’m tired of dealing
In uncertainty
I’m bored of the endless
Cups of tea

I got the old furlough blues
I simply don’t know what to do
The world has changed
And I’ve got no clue
If normal will return
For me and you

I want to break out
I want to feel free
To give you a hug
And dance until three

I’m through with this lockdown
I’m sad and I’m blue
Guess that’s what they call
The Furlough blues

I gasp

There you are
Stretched
Across my window

Perfectly still
Resting in mid air
High
Above the ground

Yesterday
You were not there
And somehow
Overnight
You appeared

Your symmetrical body is poised
Securely resting  
Upon the mesh
Of night long labours

Your task was simple

Climb to safety
Make a home
Survive
Reproduce

Are you so different from me?

And yet

Others must die
So you can live

Are you so different from me?

Why choose my window?
Why look in?

Perhaps you watch what I do?
Perhaps you want to make me...think?

I will count the days that you endure
Observe your presence
Ponder
Your message

You will wait
For death
Silently
As balmy breezes ripple
Your web

Encoded words
Spell
Desire

Luscious fruits float
Before blurry eyes

And I lose consciousness

The future
Is too close

In my charred malady
Dizziness sways me
And expectantly
I count the days until...

I stop

All expectation

And enter
The forest
Of my dreams

The end

Is

The beginning

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

The right wing
Is emerging
As an ugly force
In this country
Of ours

Those who talk with reason
Are shouted down
Those who wish to discuss
Are ejected
Those who have wriggled
Into positions of power
Remove those who disagree

Democracy is dying
This road only leads to destruction
And I do not want to travel it

A heavy pyrexial over coat
Hunches my shoulders

A tight coil
Compresses my forehead

And my mind stutters
Incapable of making
The simplest of decisions.

I slip unnoticed
From being well
To unwell.

The descent is fast and certain

Recovery will be slow

And so
Is the pattern
Of being.

All I yearn for
Is deep refreshing sleep.
I would I could drift
Into oceans of it
Only to return to
A brighter shore

An island bedecked
With glistening fruits
And lush futures.

Instead, the train timetable
Awaits me

And I will iron my shirt
Before bed.

There is so much beauty
In each
Moment

The young do not see the future
The same way as their seniors
Elders have traveled their own unique path
Gaining wisdom along the way

The young will take a different path
Collecting new wisdom
Learning new truths
Building society anew

Yet somehow
A bridge binds
Old and young

Hope exchanges with experience
And vitality blends
With the security of wisdom

When the old guide the young
Towards a brilliant future
Then there will be hope
For every one
Of us

Raindrops nod the leaves
Like the reply of piano keys
And the music of nature
Swirls
In abundance

Here
Birds are happy
Pure grasses carpet
Ancient Earth

Gazing
Into the distance
Eternal friends
Have joined hands
To carry each other
Over uneven
Mountain passes

Though my feet are weak
My spirit is strong
And I will bathe in
Great waterfalls
Of re-invigorating
Sounds

With you
My companions
I am truth
And you
Great tree
Lend your boughs
As shelter
To blackbirds
Who have time
To live
Time
To sing

A shot in the arm
Is on the way
Hip hip
Hop hop
Ouch…Hooray?!

What will it mean
For life on this earth?
Have we learned
What nature is worth?

A shot in the arm
Is on the way
Hip hip
Hop hop
Ouch…Hooray?!

This year has been full
Of loss and pain
But we have to do better
Not repeat the same

A shot in the arm
Is on the way
Hip hip
Hop hop
Ouch…Hooray?!

I hope this pandemic
Made us stop and grow
We have to put love
At the heart of tomorrow

A shot in the arm
Is on the way
Hip hip
Hop hop
Ouch…Hooray?!

The storm approaches
And a horse on a chain
Tries to run free
Yet all she can do
Is circle

Tired graffiti
And coils of barbed wire
Blur in the impatient air

A ******* a bench sits cross legged
And flocks circle the fields
Without knowing that she is waiting

Sparks will fly
As bearded men
Return to their dwellings
And youths **** on beer bottles

She is an oak
Without knowing
Strong without realising
Many branches growing

She holds firm
To the earth
And rings
Gather around her

I am the watcher
Of such things
As they pass before
My window

Why not make this year,
A truly great year?

Why not make this life
The happiest I can?

Why not do the things
I so want to do?

Why not?
Why not?

Why not choose to live
In a winning way?

Why not laugh off doubts
And stick my neck out?

Why not go for dreams
Wholeheartedly?

Why not?
Why not?

Why not forget
The pains of the past?

Why not imagine
Great successes ahead?

Why not discover
Who I truly am?

Why not?
Why not?

Why not say great things
Of myself and my friends?

Why not treat each life
With the greatest respect?

Why not write a script
That's unique and magnificent?

Why not?
Why not?

Why not sing
At the top of my voice?

Why not delight
At the stars up above?

Why not play
Like a child in a dream world?

Why not?
Why not?

‘I’m almost back to normal’
I told a friend today
He said …’if you’re almost normal
don’t go all the way…

…Stay a bit abnormal
It’ll be a clever touch
Normal and abnormal...
We’ll love you just as much!’

Every effort
Lays foundations
For future generations

Small problems
Are no match
For the greater self

Be rich
In life

The sun
Never fails
To shine
Nor should we

A clever spider
Who bunches his feet
To become round like a tiny stone

An early morning swim
Alone in the Atlantic
Waves of sand gentle
Beneath my feet
A seagull resting on the glassy surface
My sole companion

Coffee sweetened with sugar

My soul guiding me
Not my mind

My last day of holidays
In Cornwall

Beautiful land of nature
May you always remain
Untouched by the impatient advances
Of avaricious technology

Today I travel from coast to coast
But my memories of this beautiful day
Nourish me
And prepare me for
A new future

My usual seat is taken

A thin man
Opens his Stella

It's 7.40am

School boys play music
Out loud on their phones
In the quiet carriage

I feel lost

Over stretched
Straight-jacketed
By my lifestyle

Struggling, trying and failing
To keep it all together

I am losing
And winning
In my belief

I notice the sun
Shining
Whether clouds confront it or not
And I think
So what if it’s tough
Just keep fighting

The day is long

I finish work
The ticket office is closed
The police are everywhere

Attack with a noxious substance
They say


I walk home