'

Mother, Mother
are you crying?
Come and look,
the roses are dying.

Mother, Mother
I am hungry.
Come and see,
the dishes are piling.

Mother, Mother
I am lonely.
Come and hear,
My heart's key is snapping.

Mother, Mother
are you sleeping?
Come and run,
Let's play in the sun once more.



_ _ ✒
○●
°

guitar frets, waiting
no one ever comes around
concert-hall daydreams

talk sick mask
you'll in it bleed
in turn all miss
originally strung
together speaks
well of ill-formed
blossoms in make-
shift flower beds
and never mindful
of implements or
their wielders' hands

it's when you looked my way
and first took notice of me...
that is how I came to be.

Some things weigh more than verse, it’s true,
Like a baby’s cry or a dog’s need to chew.
A kettle’s loud whistle, talk shows that fight,
TikTok trends fading into the night.

Our days are a mix of both bright and the bland,
With meals that we savour and dawn’s gentle hand.
Viral clips flicker, then quickly they fade,
Yet in simple moments, our memories are made.

Through ups and through downs, life’s a wild ride,
With heartbeats and laughter right by our side.
In acts that are simple, our stories unfold,
With love in our lives, the best tales are told.

Hear, here!
to the part of you
that no longer feels

that secret place
where a rainbow peels;
each colour fading out

then glowing in--
a time and place
where time stands still*



●○
°

when they can't tell
you from a soap bar
yet expect you to be
their defining relationship
that's when you know
you're in a messy affair

would they be 
any less -dead-
if you spelt it D-E-D?




●○
°

quiet rain-kissed bed
dewy blooms of verse caress
tempest shatters peace

poet on the run
pulls a Bachman manoeuvre
forgets all, save self

dawn's early light breaks
ever silently reveals
hope of reunion

a walk down flaming paths
fueled by spawning oceans
dulls bioluminescent sparkles,
momentarily eclipses senses;
waiting for veils to rise up
as breezes begin to blow

specified number
syllabicated wonder
naturally sweet

if every drop of rain fell
to cancel out each tear
then let every petal tell
who'll love not or have you near

580 may be a random number
meaning less to you than
to the keeper of our data
yet to one who easily bruises
beneath its title every line
reveals secrets of a greater plan

from misty stupor
faceless sentinels are roused
absinthian rev'ries

There is somewhere you belong,
a realm where the echoes of your youth
dance with the whispers of time.
As a wee one, you wielded words,
the mystery of thoughts made tangible—
not just happenstance,
but purpose, power, a pulse
running through each phrase,
each heartbeat recorded,
etched in the canvas of your heart.

Lift your soulful gaze,
eyes ignited, ablaze,
travel back to that moment—
the bedimpled smile,
the laughter swirling like autumn leaves.
Face the sunrise that beckons,
the bold step forward,
tear-stained cheeks,
yet still, the joy remains.
For in each line lies a journey,
a truth that screams:
words unwritten leave us incomplete,
less than whole without you.

tears on yon rosy cheek
make bravest men, meek

each issue of nagging jaw
swing of a mortal claw

round tables of legend
always beyond reach

and wet dog hair never
fails to make you sneeze