How many great fables
Do tell of the battle

Between good and evil
Light and dark?

Arise hearts of sunshine!
Cast your strong rays

To banish the darkness
Of unchecked destruction!

The pathways of disappointment
Must be challenged

The disconnectedness of spirit
Must be reconnected

Abject Despair
Must transform into hope

Bitter numbness
Must not be accommodated

Fanfares will herald
The rise of humanity

Earth will be cherished
And life will abound

I cannot deny
That the edge is near
I navigate
A tightrope
Wobbling as I go

The sun rises again
Always there
Golden
Magnificent
Warming a twelve foot blanket of mist
That hugs the earth

As long as the sun rises
Nature knows what to do
Birds fly
Plants grow
Horses chew the grass
As long as the sun rises

If only the sun would rise
In my life

I would glow
I would grow
I would survive
I would thrive

I would be happy

I’ve grown tired of waiting
For another to shine

Now
I must shine
Alone

There is fear
And there is uncertainty
And it continues

And I don’t have any answers
And neither do 'they'

So we have to sit
Alone
Or with family
And wait
And wait
And wait

But we will rise up
Even though
They say that the powerful
Are strengthening their grip
On the masses

Even though
The poor and weak
Are afflicted
The most severely

Even though
The night stretches out before us
And dawn
Seems so far away

We, the people
Will find such strength
As cannot be imagined

And we will rise up
Higher and stronger
Than ever before

And through our love
And our compassion
We will
Win the day

The sky is like the sea

Golden stripes  
Blended with orange
Clouds like white horses
Decorating a mauve canopy

Three birds race across this magnificent vista
And in the distance flocks dance

A hazy mist lies above the sea line
And I feel lucky to be alive

Around the corner
A view more spectacular
Than I could ever imagine

Thin parcels of rainbow light
Straw coloured fields
Above the swirly firmament

I wonder what life is created there?
Only the birds know

I journey from the sea to the city
And the show of Autumn colours changes

Towers of trees
Rivers of light
Replaced by standing steels
Monuments of humanity
Some swathed in spirit
Others bedecked with hunger

A silent city
Devoid of people
Would tell its own history

But today is Friday
And the streams of humanity
Flow together
Once more

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

Robin
You stand atop the lamp post
Your breast red
Vibrant
Shining

You are singing

Just singing

Your eyes sparkle
As you look out to the day

Alive
Delighted to live
Happy
Confident
Joyful

Robin
You care not
For human troubles
Your day lies ahead of you
And you will live it
Without hesitation

Roses climb high
And display
Their coloured petals
In the early summer sun

Bees gladly draw
Of their nectar

And I can see things
Differently

Rumbling
Rolling
Dense
Clouds

Thick
Clustered
Blustered
Pounding

Lamppost - shuddering winds
Meet explosion of sunset illumination

Too much
To take in

The air
The light
The sounds
The temperature

Bodies
Viscerally
Eternally
Alert

All alive
Living in the extra ordinary

I’ve got myself into a ridiculous hurry
I expected everything to be done too soon
I am rushing so much that my chest aches and burns
Am I rushing myself towards  pointless doom?

When I rush I don’t breathe to the depths of my lungs
My shoulders rise up to meet my ears
My stomach it rumbles and grumbles and groans
And my mood will bring those that I love to tears

I’ve got myself into a ridiculous hurry
I expected everything to be done too soon
I am rushing so much that my chest aches and burns
Am I rushing myself towards  pointless doom?

So I’ve noticed its happening and I want it to stop
So I take a hot bath and try to smile …a lot
Even though the rush hound still growls and snarls
I’m putting into a box behind bars

I’ve got myself into a ridiculous hurry
I expected everything to be done too soon
I am rushing so much that my chest aches and burns
Am I rushing myself towards  pointless doom?

How fortunate
The view
From my eyes

Everything I need
Is at hand

The russet colours
Of autumn
Abound
Dazzling

Whilst houses sit
Quietly decaying
The seasons change
Around them
Palette of life
Transforming, renewing

This, most magnificent time of year
This twilight time
Cleanses my soul

Trees exhibit a final display of splendour
Variant with each passing day
Crisp with colour

And people
Great people
Their hearts ablaze
Come together
United through art
Joined in song
To share their lives
To share this day

It’s really quite simple
Birds flock together
Worms weave their way through the earth
Trees grow stronger every year
And the earth turns on its axis

The seasons blend, one in to another
And time passes

Babies are born
Children grow
Adults age
People die

One year ends
And another begins

As we cycle through the seasons repeatedly
Inhabiting the patterns of our behaviours

And I did not know
That trapped in my life
Was such a melancholic feeling
Of which I was never truly conscious
A heaviness hanging around my heart
Until I perceived it this morning

It was as if the mists of dawn
Had wrapped around my soul
And I, on this day
Became cloaked in a great sadness

To experience
True satisfaction
I will have to work
And work

And only after years
Of persistence
And determination
Will I be able
To feel
Truly satisfied
With what I have created

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

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

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

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

The fever is gone
Taste and smell too
Two takeaways per week
To help get us through

A Netflix subscription
Great books to read…
Love and support
Are all that I need

Calm
Cold
Deep
Glittering
Water

Currents
Pulling
Gulls
Boats
Sand

W­arm
Bodies
Shiver
Tingle
Glow

Towels
Rub
Sun
Warms
Home

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?

*** Ego
Media Frenzy
Guilty pleasures
Super rich

Mates Rates
X factor
Love me
Bust up

Gold strip
Top marks
Fashion icon
Last chance

Manic Depression
Micro meals
Super size
Up grade

Bookies favourite
Hope glory
Buy now
Pay later

Luscious lips
Hot tips
Big bones
Smart phones

Buy sell
Last few
Finish first
Quench thirst

Message me
Face book
Insta gram
Twitter handle

Blah blah
Blah blah
Blah blah
Blah blah

Blah blah
Blah blah
Blah blah
Blah blah

Blah blah
Blah blah
Listen

To the sounds of birds singing

The shadow of death
Hangs
Over every head

Even water
Left alone
Will disappear

Life is struggle
Survival
Unguaranteed

The spirit
Defines
All

All

Words sometimes flow
Like currents
In a stream

At other times
They resist
They resist

And I crumble
Under the weight
Of my pen

Life is struggle
Yet I
In my ignorance
Do not know
Where this road
Will end

So I advance
Just a little further
With faith
My lone companion

Though all seems unchanging
Perhaps mysterious fortune, awaits
Perhaps

I seek courage
To lead a strange
And magnificent existence

To work to alleviate
A poverty of the soul
To enrich the intangible
With decorous trinkets
Of creative gold

I take it in
To let it go
Except that which
I hold dear

Though pallid sickness arises
From the pit of my stomach
And time in this dimension
Only fades
The memory of this experience
Though fleeting
Reminds me
Life is truly mystic

To live long
One has to make something
Out of nothing
To create
Where there was nought

This page, this very page
Once empty
Now besmattered with thoughts
Weaves its own thread
Of inner life

And so
Another day
Is complete

And new life
Begins

You speak
Words
Of such beauty
That I find
I am lifted
From my cares
And cradled
In comfort

Your truth
Resonates
Beyond death
Each sentence
Rich with layers of meaning

Animated by the living
For the living
We listen
Enchanted
By the eloquence of your great insights

Those who use their voices
To speak these truths
Though ordinary
Are champions

Together you celebrate our complexity
And through exploration
You come to know yourself
And to know others

To act
To share one’s voice upon the stage
To bring the authors message to life
Is nothing other than an act of heroism

Rip me from the *****
That nourishes me

Separate me
From safety

Deposit me in
Whirlpools of unfamiliarity

Stare down at me
With cold eyes

Breathe the air that floats between us
As if you are more deserving of it

And then you
Will cause me to feel
Shame

Take me to the playground
And drop me in
Circles of torment

Expose me
De-clothe me

Ridicule me
Pinch me and scrape me

Hurl your
Bullying fists

Because the heart you possess
Is that of a frightened child

Because you perpetrate
That which you dread

Shame

Though hot blood pumps
Through your temples
Thumping like a kettle drum
As you stand on the precipice

Though you strut as champion
Of a small world
Master of
A frail castle

In your bed
White fever  
Grips your throat in the middle of the night

And bad dreams
Clutch your organs
Piercing them with fire

And you feel

Shame

The quivering impotence
Of being the one who
Shames
Others

And the emptiness
And the loneliness

Are more awful
Than the temporary relief
Of the bullying

For you are alone

And you carry
This great weight

Until one day
You unpack
Your burden

And ask
Why?

Why do I do this?

Why am I alone?

Why?

To be in this team
Surrounded by friends
Willing each other on
Even though
We might be defeated
By these circumstances
Is precious

For when we look back
We know
That we will have fought together
And our shared struggle will be
Such a precious memory
That when our victory comes
It will be that much sweeter
And we will celebrate
All the more

Dreams

Relationships

Friendships

Soul

Beliefs

Finances

Hope­

Health

Talent

Direction

Laughter

Body

Life


No

No

No

Broken, maybe

But not shattered.

I lie
Breathing
Observing pulses of pink
And purple light
Oozing
Behind closed eyelids

I wait on the surface of the earth
Ready to drop into the empty abyss
Of earthlessness below

My mind
Gradually loosens its grip
On the present
And I am no longer here
I am gone
To a better, deeper place
Where I am playful, rested, relaxed

Until, your voice calls me back
And I must return to my feet

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

One - tries
To outshine
The other

How does what I have done
Make you feel?
Make me feel?

Let me show you
My latest video
And tell you about my great battles
And marvellous achievements

Why must you tell me?
Does this make you great?
Greater than me
More valuable, more worthy
Of our parents love?

Are you trying to show me
A successful way to live?
Is THIS  how to do it?

We emerged from the same womb
But our journeys in this world
Have taken us to different places
In different ways

What is more important?
Our shared heritage
Or our divergent paths?

For the sake of peace
Let us share love with humility
Express kindness and consideration
Not pride and competition

The hair
Landing on the barber’s shawl
Is white

Sandy and white
Like speckles
Of salt and pepper

How did it get to be
That colour?

How did I get to be…
Old?

I remember Sundays
Sitting in the barber’s chair
Watching blond strands drop
Whilst my father read the paper
Sipping a coffee
Waiting to take me home

And now my hair
Is white

Where does the time go?

I think I have lived well
And I hope I have lived true
So, I don’t mind my age
But sometimes
I am surprised
By the signs of change

Fill your cup with alcohol
To drown out the silence

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

Silent piano
Soft is your texture
Beneath my fingers

Infinitesimal
The potential combinations
Of your ebonies
Ivories

Sweet is your grace

Up and down you go
Deep and high are you
Running
Majestic
Soft
Booming

You could decorate
The air
With your response to the touch of another

My room is reflected in your varnish
Your smooth corners
Decorate the banal white contours of this place

Your voice is a flight to another world
Solace from angry words
The gift of harmony

Silent piano
Your precision
Mathematical
Tense
Still
Awaits
A friend
To bring life to you

You stand patiently
Listening to the sounds of this house

The clock
The washing machine
The soft pad of a cat's footsteps
The rumble of traffic

All of these
Are nothing to you

Silent piano

For you know great secrets

Wine, cheese and crackers
Simple things
Make me happy

To win in life
Means
To never give up

There will be failures
There will be disappointments
There will be good days
And there will be bad days

But to win in life
Means continuing
To the very end

Striving
To better oneself

Yearning
To take one step further

Determining
To never ever. ever give up

There is part of me
That cannot figure things out
I know it is there
But I cannot get to know it
It is my node of confusion
My spinning top
Ever whirring
Beaten by external forces

A part of me
That is lost for ever
Numbed, isolated, defeated and shipwrecked
An injured butterfly
Frail, uncertain

I wish I could understand
My deep uncertainty
My sinking groaning silent place

When it takes hold
I miss my mother
I miss my hope
I miss my self

I sit and watch the tide come in
I watch wild flames engulf dry wood
I watch the green eyes of my wife
I sit with the unease of my humanity

Sleep little child
Winter has come
Trees standing leafless
Reach to the sun

Your mother's love
Pours from the heart
Melting the frosts
That cling to the grass

Open your eyes
And you will see
Light burning bright
Along the sea

Father's gone away
Into the war
He's fighting the winds
That batter his door

Sleep little child
Rest as you are
Life is long
You must travel far

Have we been sleepwalking
Towards this sorry state of affairs?

Have we refused to think hard enough
About the biggest problems facing humanity?

Have our eyes been closed
And our heads buried in golden sand?

Have too many of our people died
Because we couldn’t be bothered
To do the work needed
To protect each other?

Have we been so obsessed with private gain
That we have pushed those in poverty
Over the edge?

What is humanity’s purpose?  
What is our greatest achievement?
Of what can we be most proud?

What will we be glad of
At our own day of reckoning?

Water creeps over
The surface of a pier
Lending it
The appearance
Of a great black whale
Basking in the shallows

Golden sunrise sparkles
On the glass planes
Of distant shores
And I begin
A most unusual journey

It really is a brilliant view
Which, somehow falls
Beyond my grasp

Bobble hats glide through the morning air
While noses run and sniff

And then
All is quiet

I softly, methodically dance
Through the daze, the maze
Of my morning

As fellow voyagers
Struggle
To find their way

The sun
Perfectly golden
Utterly invincible
Arises

Nothing could approach it
Or ever destroy it
Except
Itself

My sun
My heart
Waits

Will it burn brightly?
Or slowly suffocate?

I can see
That you are struggling
To survive

You are battling
The approach
Of the abyss
But you are not giving up

You are brave
And quiet
Just breathing
Hard

And floating
Held by
Your environment
Your world

I do not know
If you will make it through

I hope you do

Rain
And
Snow

Flutter through
The Early blossom
Of the cherry tree

The world
Is gripped
By the panic
Of a virus

Which spreads
From nation
To nation

But the
Rain
And
Snow

Fall softly
Gently
Soothingly

'It's snaining'
I tell my daughter
She groans
At the stupidity
Of my made up word

Rain
And
Snow

Falling softly
A small miracle
In our chaotic world

If things didn’t work out
The way we wanted
In the political world

I guess we will have
To make things happen
The way we want them to
In the real world

I think I will get out of bed
I think I will feed the cat
I think I will make some tea
I think I will pray

I think I will shave and take a shower
I think I will get dressed
I think I will eat a bowl of cereal
I think I will clean my teeth

I think I will stroke the kitten
And look in on my sleeping daughter
I think I will walk to the station
I think I will buy my ticket
And go to work

Maybe there I will find what I am looking for?
Maybe there I will find out who I am
Because on this particular morning, I am here,
But I am not here

I am present,
But I am not present

Even the beauty of a silent and glassy high tide
Cannot reach my heart
The person I want to be
Is somewhere else

The person I thought I would become
Is somewhere else

Songbird
Full of cheer
At dawn
Of day
Only you
Know how
To sing
The truth

Songbird
You emit
Joy
Free
Of hindrance

Songbird
You invent
Melodies
Fresh
And
Dancing

Songbird
I wonder who
You sing for
Is it me?
Is it me?

Songbird
Most optimistic
Of messengers
You decorate
The sunrise
With your joy

Songbird
Please
Never
Cease
To
Sing

You say
You are sorry

That's noble
And brave

But what I want
Is change

Only then
Will the apology
Mean something real
To me

There is one companion
Who travels with me
Wherever I go

He possesses more voices
More faces
Than droplets
In the oceans

He is rising
From obscurity
To dismantle his own oppression
To set free his voices
To reveal the truth
And lead the way

There is one companion
Who remains always with me
One who has drowned
Among the voices of others
Sunk deep in the muddy slurry of hierarchies
Slipped repeatedly
On the slopes of material acquisition
For too long

Yet somehow
His staff has been found
His boots have grown claws
To grip the ice of life
And with each step
The cold winds of emptiness
Flutter and wane
And the blue freeze of isolation
Yields to the warmth of the eternal sun

Child of sun
Father of insuperable unity
Emerge and celebrate
Your future

O Fortune
Like the moon
You are changeable

Pounding waves  
Force apart
The sturdy doors
Of my heart

To wash away
This heavy cloak of fatigue

Strength shines
Like a rock

Immutable

Heave **!

Sound the battle cry!

For the love of fellow man

I'm inside it
Surrounded by it

Supported by it
Bathing in it

Most pure love

Compassion
Of cosmic origin

Existence
Unity

I always was in it

I always will be

I just didn't realise

Until now

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

There are spaces between

Strength, weakness
Control, release
Living, surviving
Joy, pain

Fantasy, reality
Hope, despair
Love, hate
Winning, losing

There are spaces between

The moon is beyond my reach
But it is there
Softly
Resting
In the clear blue sky

I know it is there
Because I see it
But still
It is beyond my reach

I cannot see my future
But I know it is there
Unwritten
Unclaimed
Undecided
But it is there
This much I have learned
From living
And memory

I cannot see love
But I know it is there
Brooding
Swaying like currents of water
Swirling
Attracting one to another

I cannot see death
Yet I know it is there
Kind
Comforting
Mysterious
All powerful

There are spaces between
Waiting to be filled