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

Drift
Away
From
The relentless noise
Of the mind
And enter
Another world

A space
Of latency
A realm
Of potential

All comes through the body
All that we are
All that we do
Is carried in our flesh

Look at your fingers
Look at your knuckles
And wonder
What things
Have you done
With your hands
What things will you do?

Latency
Unborn
Yet to arrive
But certain to
In time
Pervades existence

Dig deep
Into your soul
And allow
Your dreams
To materialise

Give flight to your greatest desires
Give them space, air, room
And then
Imagine
Your dreams
Transforming into reality

Allow yourself
To become the protagonist
Of your desires

And live
With renewed
Hope

My small friend
You have returned
From the abyss
And recovered

Your small body shines
Brighter than it ever did
As if you
Have shed your skin

Life pulses through you
And you seem
More inquisitive
More vibrant
More alive

More connected
To the challenge
Of being

And further
From the mystery
Of dying

I see the eyes of the child
In your face
Shining brightly
Then recoiling suddenly, imploring
As you whisper
The horrors you have witnessed

Secrets you have kept
Shame you have felt
Guilt you have borne
When you were too young
To bear it

The fear you endured
The terror of your survival
The aching for a new dawn
The longing for safety

All are yours

Friend
You share
Your darkest secrets with me
Guiding me willingly
Through the dark, screaming tunnels
Of a traumatic youth

And I see your fear
I see your despair
Written with a tear
In your human eyes

Why am I telling you this?
You ask me
And I listen, with all my being
To the darkness of your sorrow

Friend
I know that you are ready
To be who you truly are
To set the child free
To become the one
You have the right to become

Yours is the future now
The tormentors are gone
Their histories will no longer
Strangle your hopes

When I sit with you
Silent
In the pitch black caverns of the past
I listen and I listen

And
Wonder

As you become
A candle
You become
A flame
You become
A beacon
You become
An inspiration
For millions and millions of lives
For whom terror
Is
The truth

In your search for your truth
You illuminate the truth for me
And I
Am left
Humbled
By your gift
Honoured by
Your life
Changed by
Your courage
Renewed by
You

How many lifetimes
Have I searched for you?

How many dreamtimes
Have I yearned for you?

How many voyages
Have I travelled to find you?

And now
You are here

Tender green eyes
Softest skin
Warmest embrace
Heart flowing with love

Beauty beyond compare

You allow me
To become
The man I want to be

I will never let you go
For you are

My true love

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

We are nearly there
Nearly at the place we dreamed we would get to
Nearly at the place where our reality has changed
Nearly

It all started in our minds
And spread to our hearts

We took the action
That we believed was right
And now we can see the end point
Aswe stand together and observe
What has been created

And it is beautiful
Imperfect
Wonderful

And although we may look the same
Although the land looks just like it always did
Somehow
Inside
We have changed

Round and round we go
On the same negative loop
We’ve been round this circular path so many times
That our footprints have worn away the soil
And we have crafted a trench for ourselves
That gets harder and harder to escape

If we fail to climb the ladder of hope and transformation
Our footprints will deepen the trench
Until, one day,  all we can see
Are the walls that enclose us
The walls we have created with our own footsteps
And all we can feel
Is the repetitive grind and drudgery
Of our negative loop

This is what I think
This is what I think
This is what I think
This is what I think

This is what I know
This is what I know
This is what I know
This is what I know

So, this is what I think
This is what I know
So, this is what I think
This is what I know
So, this is what I think

This is how it is
This is how it is
This is how it is
This is how it is
So this is how I act
This is how it is
So this is how I act

This is how things are
This is how things are
This is how things are
This is how things are
So this is what I do
This is how things are
So this is what I do

This is what I do
This is what I do
This is what I do
This is what I do

Is it?
Is it?
Is it?
Is it?
Is
It
How
I
Think
It
Is
?

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

Am I too old to change?
Is it too late to develop?
Have I gone as far as I can go?

I know I cannot run as fast as I used to
Although part of me thinks I can

I know I cannot lift as much as I used to
Although part of me thinks I can

If true human challenge
Means to stretch oneself
Beyond one’s own boundaries
Then my boundaries are becoming more visible to me

Fear of death
Fear of unknown things
Vanity
Loss of youth

I cling to these, my increasingly familiar demons
Whilst ironically complaining about stagnation

I have to challenge myself to challenge my life
And this I must do
Amongst people

Alone I am stuck with myself
And my anxieties

With others I can change
I can take on
The challenge

All the things
I thought of myself
Not true
Not true

I'm stronger
Braver
Wiser
Kinder
Than I thought I was
Than I thought I was

All the things
I thought about you
Not true
Not true

You're stronger
Braver
Wiser
Kinder
Than I thought you were
Than I thought you were

You are my blanket
And I am yours
You wrap me up warmly against life
I wrap you up tightly against fear
I hold you safe
You hold me dear
I hold you close
You hold me near

The truth is so different
Than we think it should be
If we want it to be
If we want it to be

The hospitals are quieter at night
Nurses sit at desks reading case notes by lamplight
Preparing medicines, making their checks
As Doctors try to sleep
Restless, expecting to be called

Patients try and doze
Removed from the familiarity of home
They contemplate life in the growing darkness
Wondering how they have come to be here

Cleaners dust handrails and mop floors
This is all part of another days work for them
Nothing extraordinary
They sweep away the dramas of the day
Dispersing the difficult conversations
Polishing the tear stained floors of waiting rooms
Preparing each room for another life and death battle

They will puff ******* cigarettes and pull coats around them
When they finish their shifts

The hiss of oxygen dancing through plastic tubes
Mixing with the hoots of owls
While balmy air floats over the concrete roofs

Sunrise is a long way off
And the night will grow darker and darker still
Tomorrow, some will go home
Other will take their last breath
Make their last gaze
Have their last contact with another human
Tomorrow feels like a long way away

Machines will deliver cheap coffee
In plastic cups to offer hot comfort
For weary relatives and night time arrivals
And tired eyes will blink
Under strip lighting, wishing they were tucked up at home

At eight o’clock the shutters of the café will be pulled up
And ordinary people will awaken the corridors
Banishing the spirits of the night hospital

But for now, though, the world sleeps
The hospital only waits
Never sleeping, only waiting for life to take its next turn

Pale
Moon
Complete
Soft

Resting
Quietly
In
Morning sky

Placid
In victory
Illuminator
Of Night

Graceful
Harbinger
Of
New dawn

Sun
Rising
Golden
Glow

Dazzling
Showing me
How
To stand

I have to win
In the morning

To live out
My mission
Noble
Proud

Nostalgia
Neuralgia
Nostalgia
Neuralgia
Nostalgia
Neuralgia
Nos
Nos

Nostalgia
Neuralgia
Nostalgia
Neuralgia
Nostalgia
Neuralgia­
Nos
Nos

Nostalgia
Neuralgia
Nostalgia
Neuralgia
Nostalgia
Neuralgia­
Nos
Nos

Nostalgia
Neuralgia
Nostalgia
Neuralgia
Nostalgia
Neuralgia­
Nos
Nos

(Ad infinitum)

Not a word
I can tell what you are feeling
By how you move

Not a word
Even the slightest curve of your mouth
Tells me everything

Not a word
You lift up your lover
Effortlessly, gracefully

Not a word
Your body bends
Into a million different shapes

Not a word
In perfect synchronicity
You decorate the stage

Not a word
You hold our gaze
Transporting us from this world

Not a word
Yours is the story
Waiting to be told

Not a word
Yours is the dance
Of the soul

Your body
Is not for sale

What you show
Does not change
What is within

I cannot buy you
And you are not buying me

We are not commodity

We are more precious
Than all money

We are not measured
By the shape of our physical exterior

Instead we are known for
What we think
What is in our hearts
What we do

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 I reach my lowest ebb
When I have hit rock bottom
When I feel little or no hope for the future

That is the time to breakthrough
That is when to stand up
That is when victory can be achieved

For what good is there in giving up?
What help in deciding that I am beaten?

This is the greatest of times
To start over again

Yes

Yes

Yes

You and me
Upon the sea
Are floating
On the breeze

Tripping
Slipping
Skipping
Flipping

To a beat
That’s deep
Neat
And Sweet

We move
With the groove
And the rhythm
Of the flow

We click
Are slick
Fit
And quick

Tired Eyes
Long day
Fuzzy head
Short sleep
Up again
Off we go

I wish I could
Stop and stare
At the trees
For an hour

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

I am gripping the sand with my toes
Experiencing the cold wind on my skin
Watching the grey undulations of the swell
As I leave my clothes behind

I am at the water’s edge
Striding boldly through the water
Diving under the surface
Kicking my legs hard

Gasping as the water hits me
Pushing forwards into the deep
Breathing hard to survive
Thinking of nothing but the moment

I am out of my depth
Going deeper
My skin burning with the cold
Fully awake
No more confusion
One with this experience

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

One day
I will be your refugee
I will be your migrant child
I will be the one
Knocking on your door

No warm croissants
No safe train rides to work
No comfy sofas
No birthday cards and presents

One day I will be your refugee
A homeless traveller
Seeking asylum
Longing for safety
Searching for humanity

One day
One day

One day
You will be my refugee
And you will come to me for help

You will reach out your hand for money
For something to eat
For a roof over your head
You will ask me for a shelter
For your family

And my door will be open to you
I promise

So are you in?
Or are you out?

What lifetime are you in
In this lifetime?

Are you one of the lucky ones?
One of the us’s?
Or one of the them’s?

One day
We will all have our part to play

In need
Or helper

How we play
Is our legacy

At the end of this day
Two children no longer have a mother

A husband no longer has a wife
She was gunned down

Swept away by the fury
Of a political argument

I think of her children
Tucked up in their beds
Stunned at the madness
Of the adult world

Silent on this night

Young people
Do not despair
Do not lose hope

The tragic frailty
Of your forefathers
Need not be your destiny

This society is yours to change
Choose another way
Pave your path with dignity and empathy
And never join the ranks
Of a violent few

One day
Guns will only line
The cases of museums
No longer will they terrorise
The citizens of the world
One day humans will live as one people
And children will no longer mourn their lost mothers

It’s been a very tough year
For everyone

Our nations
Have suffered
So much

It is bonds of friendship
That hold us all together

And your one kind act
Has greater significance
Than you realise

Encouraging me
And my friends
Greatly

Thank you

One million
Grains of sand
In my palm

When will you
Become nothing?

A million stars
In the night sky

Are you become nothing?

One million thoughts
Pass through my head
Are but a few of you
Worth nothing?

What is nothing?
Silence?
Non-existence?
Death?
Waiting?

One trillion voices
Calling out
For peace and hope

Everything

One mistake
Alters
The course
Of history

One error
And everything
Changes

Maybe
For the better

Maybe
Not

One mistake
Alters
The course
Of history

One mistake
One

Never gone hungry
Never slept rough
Never been beaten
Nor outcast

Never been enslaved
Or forced to flee
Never been attacked
Just for being me

One of those crows
Knows
How to glide
In the air outside

One of those crows
Knows
How to ride
Slip and slide

One of those crows
Knows
What to do
To catch the flue

One of those crows
Knows
How to be free
Easily

Thick tarry black matter
Clogs my neurones
Blocking the flow

Fragments of metal
Infiltrate my joints
And prevent me
From dancing

Desperate thoughts rise
Surfacing like weighty angels
Shouting
Impossible!
Impossible!
Impossible!

I never knew
That it could be so difficult

I never expected
To experience days like this

And yet

There has been joy

Companionship

Laughter
Closeness

Sunlight
And

Music
Of such purity

Only devils
Would try to disrupt

Days like these

Muddy
Slippery
Wet
Grey
Brown
White
Unpredictable
Quiet
Determined
Curved
Multifaceted
S­leepy
Cross
Layered
Blonde
Brown
Yellow
Green
Speckled
Parallax
H­orizon
Fresh
Mobile
Itinerant
Watching
Silent
Resting

Only
Humans
Know
Death
Will
Come

Only one planet
On which to live

Only one earth
To cultivate and tend

Only so much water
To use as we ought

Only these metals
And minerals to craft

Only this air
To breathe in, breathe out

Only these people
To live with together

Only this time
To act and do right

Only one heart
To beat in my chest

Only one mind
To choose sense from nonsense

Only this life
To share our thoughts

Only this audience
To listen to hear

Only one me
Only one you

Only the us
That we make together

Only one people
Across all these nations

Only this moment
Only this time

It’s only the trees
That see me
It’s only the trees
That feel me
It’s only the trees
That know who I am
Only the trees
Who understand

It’s only the trees
Who stand watching
Only the trees
Who wait patiently
Only the trees
Who breath air to the world
Only the trees
Who will tell

On this day
The world can see clearly
The lies
That we knew
Were told
And sold
To the people

On this day
The photographs
Tell deeper truths
As bereaved mothers
Hold pictures of their departed sons

On this day
The self righteous leader
Is named by one as
The worst terrorist of all

On this day
The people
Are at a loss
To know
Whom to trust

On this day
Although my heart sinks low
And I grieve
At all loss
I will try to believe
That we can change

As I hear
The news
Of your deep commitment

Of your vow
I know
Joy

A tide of warmth
Bathing my chest
A light breeze
Caressing my neck
A smile
So natural
To refresh my face

And
Gratitude

Deep gratitude
That you
Will join
On this great journey

On your marks
Get set
Go!

This is it
This is the moment
We’ve all been waiting for.

Let’s leap out of bed
Grab the chance
Live the dream
Supremely

Once and for all
Let’s win them all

Breathe in the beauty
Of the freshest air

Make music while we can
Dance like we’ve never danced before

Spin, turn, sing,
Shout, leap, jump

There is no fear here
No fear anywhere

Let’s advance
On this wonderful dance

Reconnect with who we are
Learn all about our brilliance

Let our ideas take wing
And make them a reality

Stories of life are greater
Than anyone can imagine

This is our great drama
This is ours

When someone
Dares
To share
Their heart
Others’ hearts open too

And from the opening
Comes
Brotherhood
Sisterhood
Family
Care
Love
And a reason
To love

Open your heart
You never know
What you will find there

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

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

A glimmer of hope
Is all that is needed
To break through the darkness

The human spirit
Is boundless
Creative
Free
Strong
And Unchained.

It is our gift
To the Universe
And our gift
From the Universe

With my own eyes
I can see it
With my mind
I can understand
But my heart
Cannot feel it

So I talk about it
To strangers
Who try to help me
Showing me
Faces
Full of caring

Living together
Isn’t easy
Living alone
Is harder still
If only I had the energy
To find a way
To make it work

There’s beauty in the world
But I just cannot feel it
Its seems to be
On the other side
Of a screen

I am invited to look in
Or to look out
But to be part of it
Is a different matter
One day I will
Fly away
For sure
For sure

It all happens
So quickly
Life’s moments
Together
Connections
And meetings
As time
Marches by

So stop
To engage
And savour each moment
For seconds pass freely
To ether
Without rest

Each beat
Allowing
A precious creation
Of memories
Heart bonds
To honour
Our lives

One day I'll be ancient
Withered
Frail
Yet ever connected
To the child
That once was

Am I over-stimulating myself
With my plans, hopes and dreams?

Is a life’s work nothing but endless torment and toil?

How much can one brain handle
How much effort can one person make

What is the destination for all this
Merely survival?  Collapse?

To what end have we set ourselves
On what course are we advancing?

Panic attacks
Build
And explode
Then pass
As transient
As April showers
Banished by the sunshine
Leaving barely a trace
But certain to return

I am sitting on a planet
Rotating on its axis
Circling the sun
Whilst flying through space
At incredible speeds

I am composed of 37 trillion cells
Organised in such a way
That I can walk, run
And jump if I want to

I can make my inner thoughts
Known to others
By passing air over my vocal chords
In ways of my choosing

I am composed of billions of atoms
Each of whom is billions of years old
But the thoughts that pass through my mind
Are original and new

And yet
Why is it
That I sometimes feel
I amount
To very little?

I need to be here
I need to be there
I have to do this
And mustn’t waste time

I rush from this
And jump to that
A hot tin roof
A sore paw cat

With this and that
My day bundles up
With parcels of time
That are no longer mine

You've got to
You have to
You ought to
You should've

You mustn't
You ought not
You best not
You're not

You must've
You should've
You'd better
You best not

You're better
Than that
Much better
By far

But if you
Or if you
When you do
What you do

You know you
Can't do that
Without this
For sure

So do it
Don't do that
Or do this
Or do that

Or else you'll
Find out you
Don't know who
You are