an end blended
and send word
with meaning bended

our escape now
a band of sand
on an island bound

tomorrow's bond
lifts these eyes
ever upward*




°

The world, indeed, is too much with us...
There is a rumbling in the distance
and he turns around to see shadows;
stunning and seductive in form,
unrelenting in its melodies.
Belatedly it dawned on him,
his imagination was hijacked with permission.
And still they rumble, ever closer; on and on.

a queen of not so long ago
said to a queen of yesterday
move aside, you're in my way
to which she swished her train
the other stood as frozen rain
and neither did a foothold gain

you'll suffer anything for it,
suffer everything because of it

let's take a stroll through
flowing sheets, as they waltz
to dappled, sunlit beats

let's reach for crystal door-handles
cool to touch, prismatic to eye;
and floorboards creaking secrets

of seasons lost, to years gone by--
one day they shall rise again
to display their former splendour*




●○
°

'

Once, so many years ago,
now a distant place and clime;
moments of thought and life shared,
each moved in perfect time.

Words in unison, hearts pulsed;
so intimate, each gesture,
each expression fears repulsed;
companions of great measure.

Now it seems we're worlds apart;
nothing more in common share.
The last desired thing to start,
fray last threads beyond repair.

Tomorrow bears no sunrise
with correspondent promise;
about oneself realise
quite the monster: surmise.

To let bygones be bygone,
this callow heart has not learnt;
perhaps hope had wily drawn
from past flames this quill has burnt.




_ _ _ ✒
●○
°

for many a thing
we would often stay
a few others would
most likely detour
then lead us astray

for many a deed
are flowers after
a funeral march or a
get-away drive during
an explosive discharge

should we go and
leave behind, our
trophies and triumphs past
what's left's an orange rind
and a lonely sail-less mast

What you might not see
your heart will know
it was never wasted --

your investment in
time or affection,
tears and concern

meals you've cooked
candles you've burned
advices, however stern

we have come this far
'coz when we needed it--
always, you were there;

for your love and constant prayers
and that strong will: "never say never"--
we are ever thankful, forever and ever*


●○
°

whole, on widescreen
tumblring at band speed
etched in mindscape

immortalised secret
longing fingertips
touchscreen caresses
offering online trysts

decrepit offline reality
disjointedness tides
monitor-eyed numbness*



●○
°

Any boy can dance 

even for girls harbouring 

ill jested kabuki livery 



men never opt pretty

quintessent revelry 

spending time under vague 



worldly xanadic yearning zeugma.

'

stately tall, you meekly stand 
on your finger the signet band 
for my sake you shunned your crown 
for my breath your devotion fierce 

you gave for me your sword and squire 
your hospitality did never tire 
proud brothers in battle or play 
companionly we went about each day 

in your shadow I had no care 
my home's cupboards were never bare 
song and merriment never missed 
hunger a stranger to my lips 

your place at court set second to mine 
your heart pure - best fruit of the vine 
your eyes reflect esteem so dear 
no man's affection held so near 

O gallant Prince, in battle slain 
my soul cries out for you in pain 
why you've set Saul's crown on my head - 
a long-held secret I shan't covet 

My lord, could one ever repay; 
the debt of friendship's love dismay? 
to live this life as noble and true 
to generously care and give as you 

Prince of the Realm, if you could hear 
the Scroll of the Upright, loud and clear 
in the Song of the Bow proclaimed 
praise of our filial bond inscribed. 




_ __ ✒
○●
°

atypical,
in conclusive
      after conviction
once enough--
all-sufficiency
independent of
popular priorities

is to Be or Not
perhaps apart
from partying
to debaucheries

atypical
               this love
begottenness from above
alights anew, like a dove
heaven-sourced repatriation
     vile, in estimation
clouded vision, rejected
by inutile estimation

until a singular day
glistens in the sky

put on your headphones and  listen*




●○
°

is always a poem after this one;
an understudy to today's centre stage:

this poem however, is never unimportant,
as individual as the poem that follows;
many poems have unwritten forbears-
each is breathed and lived; rarely spoken.

this poem's panorama is found in one place –
a window of its reader's imagination;
so each poem is just a beginning point
of new journeys that we join with the poet.

another is birthing at the end of this one;
there may be several, in fact, awaiting their turn.*




_ _ __ ✒
●○
°

My quest for the 'extended metaphor' is flowing 
into the daily beat of my typical day. 

Something of my day is breathing out meaning and song - 
expressing and teaching me with whispers that can blare so loudly 
that their silence flashes blindingly with a brilliance that shadows 
the darkness and illumines the gentle curves of Truth. 

My quest takes me on a journey where I can no longer lay back and watch the rising and setting of the sun, the moon, and yes, even the stars that crown a head filled with dreams and thoughts in that sable field that is beyond and within us.... 

Something of this day shall imprint itself in my soul and yell out invectives.... grabbing my shoulders and throttling my awareness. 

My quest requires that I take on my gear and trek the unknown twists and turns, of unchartered horizons, and risk the possible heartache.... 
it compels me to be the sun, the moon, and yes, even the stars - traversing the vast expanse of universal experience.... 

Something in this day shall filter into my nights nagging and wailing, crooning and serenading - lifting my spirits with its rise and ebb.... and as I float on midnight blues and obsidian hues, I sense one thought forming: 

My quest is yours, and the universality of human experience shall meld our separate yet mirrored conditions into a unified expression of what we vainly and clumsily perceive and call 'love'.


__✒
○●
°

There you are
Image of domestic bliss
Passing each other

Cups & saucers

While I sit
Being waited upon
To take it all in --

This apparition
Of harmony.

Why was this not possible
When roses bloomed
In the garden?

wonder at boiling blood
would they scald veins
all that rage would soon
bust vessels for naught
spewing bright fountains
of sanguinal disillusion*



●○
°

warmth envelops
dissolving the
bustle and noise
liquid stillness
offers but a momentary
tranquil once upon a time
it is so easy to 
drift off and forget

here the watery balm
soothes celiac rashes
a moment's reprieve
that shuts out reality
provides sombre retreat
cares float away
until unwanted thoughts
stray with blistered report

it is quite possible
through bolted locks 
to lay victim
to home invasion
for someone to play
Corday to one's Marat
a hapless victim stabbed
at home in one's bath*




_ _ __ ✒
○●
°

cease turning my green to grey
with wilful acts of nature
your heart is found in theirs
providing for the urgency
to lose love's indifference,
redeem that part of self
that once felt only for you*






____✒
○●

people's cupboards and fridges
tell a curious tale of everything
some a cluttered obstacle course
others an impenetrable rainforest
some coyly veiling their secrets
others flamboyantly revealing
mysteries both shallow and deep
behind doors their treasures keep

some may prefer violence
to being always ignored
a busted lip,  a swollen eye
to being always bypassed

some prefer constant abuse
to being always neglected
a bruised ego, a battered thigh
to being always unattended

it ***** to be nobody
so a price we steeply pay
enmeshed, convoluted reality
to co-dependent toxicity

it was fun while it lasted
and perhaps will again be
if only we find us gifted
with another opportunity

acceptance is essential,
more so than tolerance,
but together, they allow
for steps towards - - belonging






____✒
○●

as it is with tares 
that freely tower 

shoulder to shoulder 
with golding crop of wheat 
so, lurks wickedness 

seen but unrecognised 

cloaked in brille shimmer 
of genial, ambient light 

amidst our sun-kiss days 
disquieted togetherness;
spoils any utopian dream*




_ _ __ ✒
●○
°

how many farewells
will it take to matter
less than this burning
shall warm wherever
tomorrow may takes us

paisley prints on
sunflower smiles
sitting alongside
a leopard that so

happily munched
on grated parsley
paw in hand now
waiting on the sand

for flying fish to skip
on cobalt banners as
lazy summer breezes
pan-flute recollections

on this Iberian coast--
if you don't get it, still
just ask your BFF, for
they most surely will

breathe:

      all else

      is
        do
          wn
            wa
                rd
                    spin*


○●
°

Daedalean feathers
tutored our wings to fly

while in open fields
or vaulted ceilings

flowing angel tears have
taught our hearts to cry*




●○
°

just because you're a pro and
cope and turn it all around
doesn't make it less difficult, 
definitely not any less lonely

when the sun plays hide and seek
solar panels are less appealing
when this moonlit night's cloudy
night time jaunts seem less romantic

could they have been sarcastic
when they said all's fair in love
and winning war is fantastic
while keeping peace makes us starve

one day silent pens get justice; though
the voice that's heard is loudest
but each strain of a balladeer's refrain
are the words that make us honest*




●○
°

your varied one-nighters
are a psychedelic journey
heavy on the shutter release
but leaving the lens cap on -
a self-guided tour for two
is far more appealing