Seductive songsters
woo  with sweet dawn melodies;
grey heron takes flight.

Poison delivered
in the chalice of your smile.
Thundered love the prize.

Birdsong melody
woven into morning mist.
Snowdrops, buzzard. Life.

bed shared with i. Pad.
shadowed sleep greets echoed dawn
as soul whispers hope.

A sickly sweet smell lingers
Bodies
Legs in the air
Bloated bellies

Senseless slaughter
Rivers of blood in country lanes
Hundreds of thousands dead
If this were a war in a foreign land there would be outrage

Instead of crying “Shame… Stop…”
The government shouts “****…Cull…”
and drafts the Army into a battle
on home soil that they're not trained for

It’s got all the facets of a work of fiction
******, lies, cover up
larger than life figures and unsung heroes
And above all, innocent victims

What will our children say
when they read of this real-life genocide?
Heads will hang in shame
and the pervasive memory of death will remain

Out of madness came serenity
gliding barefoot
across potholed pavements

Swathed in saffron
folded cloth falling gracefully
over peaceful form

Shaven scalp
beatific countenance
eyes cast downwards in respect

Alms bowl held to chest
accepting of all given
accepting if nothing given

Radiant
Present
Awake

A lesson in motionless motion

Apples and Blackberrys
The fruits of your belonging
On the table… place of prominence
Screaming ‘look at me!’
Clinging to their network
As you do to yours

Talking to your colleagues
Eyes flitting from one to other
As your fingers anxiously search
The table next to your glass
Constantly seeking the reassurance
Of your disconnected connectivity

Voices compete with ringtones
Over the rumble of the traffic
And the hollow echoes of your laughter
I can’t help but ask myself
Where are you?
Are you really there?