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Mar 2020 · 616
Hedera
John Ryles Mar 2020
Hedera

I like Ivy when it's very small
Growing on the garden wall
Under control in the right place
Covering up a barren space

Walking in our beautiful dene
Or down beside the brook
I suddenly became aware
Of alien growth arboreal look

Trees that once looked beautiful
Are all changed beyond repair
From root right  up to canopy
A green devil hanging there

The hedera's climbing everywhere
Growing all year round
Covering beautiful foliage
Its ugliness so profound

Obscuring silver birch and native yew
Not a parasite they say
It does not damage our trees
But it certainly looks that way
Mar 2020 · 164
Power Bank
John Ryles Mar 2020
We're constantly being reminded
Technology disrupts  our lives
Breaking essential communication
Between family friend and wife's


I don't let my phone distract me
In fact I barely look
I'm usually watching telly
Or reading my ebook

Sometimes my computer
Needs me to update
This can take a while
Keeping me up late

But I always have time for family
If my facebook page is down
Then Instagram and snapchat
Give news within  my town

Once things went really bad
my screens were all blank
Now I've got my life back
A  Power Pack  to thank
Mar 2020 · 117
Diffidence
John Ryles Mar 2020
It's not the way they looked at me
That really hurt the most
It's that they never saw me
Even when I was standing close

I simply lacked in confidence
Words I could not say
So I lived in silence
Every single day

No one actually hurt me
But something kept me down
Hiding behind a mask
Like a silent clown

Then I began to notice
Others wore masks like me
The pain they could not share
No one else could see

Slowly I held out my hand
To see just  how it felt
As the masks were removed
Years on silence began to melt

Then I met this person
Who understood so well
Blessing me with confidence
As if by magic spell
Mar 2020 · 123
Reach out
John Ryles Mar 2020
You may not have noticed,
When you begin to lose control.
Feelings and emotions,
Lost without a goal.

While everyone one seemed happy,
Taking life in their stride.
Most people will not notice,
The pain you had to hide.

With a feeling that you're falling,
Spiraling into a darkened space.
Not until you reach the bottom,
You'll begin to feel disgrace.

Now you must take a look up,
For we are waiting here for you.
To accept and understand,
But first  hold out your hand.
Feb 2020 · 123
Seaside
John Ryles Feb 2020
My Seaside

Walking on the beach,
With a troubled mind.
Looking for an answer,
That I may not find.

Could it be just nothing,
I imagined it all day.
Maybe if I stop thinking,
It will go away.

I feel salty air upon my face,
A calming tide that sings.
Sand and shells a carpet,
Happier thoughts it brings.

Then in amongst the pebbles,
I see little bits of glass.
Stooping to pick some,
My problem starts to pass.

How can I feel so negative,
In my hand a great display.
Memories of my childhood,
   Collecting gems all  day.

The tide is on the turn,
I must leave the peaceful sea.
Returning very soon,
I take a clear mind with me.
Jan 2020 · 108
Look
John Ryles Jan 2020
A stranger looked at me one day,
I asked him for his name.
Taking another look,
I saw  we are both the same.
Then noticing the mirror,
I made a quick retreat.
I will recognise that face,
Next time that we meet.
Jan 2020 · 123
I saw you today
John Ryles Jan 2020
When did you see me last as I passed by,
Were you really looking at the sky.
I saw you glancing straight through me,
Pretending casually no to see.
Did I offend, I don’t recall,
I treated you as I do all.
Maybe it’s just most memories fade,
Some friends are lost and  new are made.
Dec 2019 · 141
When I was young
John Ryles Dec 2019
I know that place called yesterday,
I used to live there to.
All my clothes were handed down,
Not just coat and shoe.

Father was the family head,
But mother took control.
He kept a firm hand on us,
We never lied or stole.

At school we behaeved our self's,
Teachers always right.
Learning tables with a rhyme,
Doing homework every night.

Playing in the back street,
Skiping rope from side to side.
Jumping in and out,
Taking turns with pride.

A single policeman patroled this patch,
His motorbike was  heard.
Mischievous children stopped in owe,
cautiously moving  on deterred.

Respect was taught a way of life,
Not for reward or gain.
We were all brought up this way,
Why can't we be that way again?.
Mar 2018 · 330
The Blast
John Ryles Mar 2018
An Industrial scar on the south face of town,
at the bottom of cliffs dark muddy brown.
Once golden sands now slate grey,
the polluter’s price we've had to pay.
A most convenient place to tip shale,
by conveyor or down the rail.
Men would glean coal from the beach,
nanny goats path they risked to reach.
None could have foreseen the fall of all three,
Coal reserves reaching far out to sea.
Political decision’s in cloaked disguise,
bringing about Seaham's mining demise.
Erected symbols of our past,
none as poignant than the Blast.
May 2016 · 1.4k
Magic Garden
John Ryles May 2016
"There are no Fairies in my garden,
or rather  I've seen none yet.
But I keep a look out,
in case I miss one with regret.


There is a king of magic,
beneath our cherry tree.
In amongst the flowers,
with butterfly and bee.


Blackbird in the evergreen,
nesting out of sight.
Blue *** in the bird box,
colourful and bright.

A  tiny mouse hides in the corner,
taking refuge from a cat.
As it prances round the lawn,
from the nearby flat.

We have some garden lights,
don't look much in day.
They twinkle in the dark,
we hope the fairies play.

So in my retirement,
I set imagination free.
That's when to my amazement,
A flutter of Fairies I could see."
Dec 2015 · 656
Never Too Late.
John Ryles Dec 2015
When the armies of the world amass on the plains,
a desolate place where it never rains.
Is this Armageddon as predicted?,
a terrible end freedoms restricted.
No more children climbing up trees,
coming home happy with ***** knees.
Just panic and fear in shopping malls,
hatred daubed on all the walls.
Why should we follow words written in books,
lost in translation where no one looks.
At the beginning true meaning of life,
A simple message where man takes a wife.
We still have time to break down the wall,
If both sides share,
there will be plenty for all.
Jul 2015 · 2.7k
Bee Orchid
John Ryles Jul 2015
In a limestone meadow ,
near a quarry by the sea.
There grows a beautiful Orchid,
that looks just like a bee.

After summer solstice,
standing in full bloom.
Like natures beauty queen,
every head turns in the room.

Whenever I pay Homage,
while down on one knee.
I capture an image,
for everyone to see.

Among the sandy rocks,
against the odds it grows.
Slim  chance of survival,
as the North wind blows.

Maybe we could learn,
from this special plant.
No matter how stony your life,
our inner beauty we could grant.
Jul 2015 · 958
Cherry Tree
John Ryles Jul 2015
While sitting in my garden,
one summer's day.
Watching the children,
where they love to play.

just how important,
a focal point can be.
Climbing frame or leafy shade,
A happy place to be.

Planted when we moved in,
with children very small.
Both  branches and family,
have grown very tall.

Abundant pink blossom,
bringing forth it's fruit.
Beautiful red cherries,
to eat or take root.

Trees are special people,
with a language of their own.
Making lots of friends,
wherever they are grown.

Now that we older,
branches aging to.
Our Family  Cherry Tree,
it's friendship gives to you.
May 2015 · 680
Back to Eden
John Ryles May 2015
I love my garden it is Shangri-La to me,
in my life there is no place I'd rather be.
All year round I attend with loving care,
I feel a serenity a peacefulness   we share.
Suddenly from nowhere an Aquilegia appears,
grasping my affection  awakening   my fears.
Neglecting the flower beds weeds begin to grow,
killing off the annuals that need my help I know.
Realising my folly distracted in this way,
blossom  begins to wilt this beauty cannot stay.
"I Fell in Love" with Columbine for a season,
but "I'm In Love" with my Rose of Eden.
Apr 2015 · 696
Black Cat
John Ryles Apr 2015
Black cat in the garden,
playing all day.
Practicing predator,
stalking its prey.
In and out the bushes,
onto the lawn.
Where there is no hiding,
unlike a field of corn.
A calculated pounce,
delivers a fatal blow.
Poor little rodent,
just too slow.
Now just a plaything,
a bony piece of meat.
Tossed into the air,
with no intention to eat.
As interest fails,
in field  mouse's demise.
It's carried by the tail,
like a show offs  prize.
Apr 2015 · 590
Fate
John Ryles Apr 2015
It's not really me you see,
I hide my true  identity.
With a smile to   protect,
from awesome social intellect.
Confidents is not mine,
timid nature not a crime.
More often holding back,
ambition I seemed to lack.
But now I see another side,
flamboyant people  displaying  pride.
Celebrity pressure we do not see,
they may even suffer anxiety.  
But fate has dealt a lucky hand,
throughout  my life it had command.
My Destiny  is what it brought,
ENJOY life is what it taught .
Apr 2015 · 734
Rappers
John Ryles Apr 2015
Where do rappers hibernate?
out comes the sun so do they
summer is their time to play
boombox blasting as they pass
bass so loud it could shatter glass
in my garden birds have fled
my tamper high I'm seeing red
they go so fast to match the beat
daren't cross the road with my slow feet
one by one like a plague of ants
to this kind of music I can't dance
closing my ears to block them out
keeping my calm or I would shout
but English summers ore so short
let them have their fun
like a holiday resort.
Apr 2015 · 763
Recognition
John Ryles Apr 2015
If you see me will you know,
or even ask before you go.
Can you see what I feel,
did you see me am I real.
If no spoken word we share,
will I speak will I dare.
Was I here in the past,
or tomorrow will I last.
Would it be known I was here,
If recognition is what I fear.
Apr 2015 · 666
Facebook
John Ryles Apr 2015
Not much time for pondering on the past,
or asking how long it may last.
Busy working day by day,
another year come what may.
Many jobs friends I'd greet,
some still meet on the street.
But now most move in circles new,
I sometimes ask just how they do.
Missing chat's with mates of old,
retired now tracks are cold.
But through this media I still see,
as I look at them they look at me.
Back to life acquaintances  come,
on a screen mate or  chum.
So social media I will embrace,
There  to see a friendly face.
Feb 2015 · 1.0k
Mining Museum
John Ryles Feb 2015
All Pitheads have gone, none remain in Seaham,
Not much to ask for a small Mining museum.
They are removing our heritage, sweeping it away,
Leaving no sign of how we would work and play.
A pigeon loft now protection listed,
A day of rest for hands callus  and blistered.
But where three great mines used to stand,
Proud and tall a scare on the land.
Just one to show how it used to be ,
When coal was once shipped out by sea.
Now we have a bright new town,
What a pity they had to pull it All down.
May 2014 · 713
Celebration
John Ryles May 2014
As I walk through leafy woods
Towards my favourite seat
Signs that life is passing by
All around and under feet

Mossy trees Slow decay
New life emerges every day
Seasons show change goes on
Here a while then we’re gone

My younger days were longer
Months we had to fill
A year would seem forever
As if time were standing still

Ageing is just an experience
We should enjoy as we grow
Nature displays the facts of life
Showing all we need to know
Apr 2014 · 3.1k
Dingley dell
John Ryles Apr 2014
The bleating of the newborn lambs
As they prance about the fields
Yellow of the rapeseed
Prepare for summers yield

Birds twitter on every bough
While making up their nests
Tapping of the woodpecker
Pointed beak and coloured crest

Gone the snowdrops and daffodils
Now bluebells carpet the floor
Wild garlic with its pungent smell
You may dislike or adore

Seasons change so quickly
As time passes on its way
No beauty can compare
To nature day by day
Apr 2014 · 638
My Avatar
John Ryles Apr 2014
Sometimes when I’m not aware
Suddenly I feel
Someone standing next to me
His presence seams quit real

He can get inside my head
Driving me round the bend
But sometimes he just stands there
Like an imaginary friend

No one seems to notice
When he's by my side
Because the image he reflects
Only the camera sees inside
Mar 2014 · 1.6k
Ice Cream Parlour
John Ryles Mar 2014
Seaham now has a marina
Boats bobbing up and down
Bringing new life
To this seaside town

There are also shops
Where you can have a treat
A cup of coffee
Or something to eat

My personal favourite
Is the ice-cream shop
13 different flavours
With things on top

I must be carful
About what I eat
But my doctor tells me
Don't deny yourself a treat

The Nicey Icey parlour
Passes the test
It beats competition
Because it’s better than the rest
Jan 2013 · 1.3k
Minkymonk Garden
John Ryles Jan 2013
Minkymonks are funny things
I thought you'd like to know
They're neither young nor old
But never seem to growth

Standing proud in a garden
Along the north road sands
We passed them on a Sunday
On our way to Grans


Bright coloured creatures
Beside the trees so tall
In amongst the flowers
Then half way up the wall

Occasionally changed
Making way for new
Creating excitement
Coming into view


Dragon,horse,leprechaun,
Comic caricatures bright
We passed in the morning
Then back again at night


Sitting quietly in father's car
In Grans the front room to
No television or computer games
We knew just what to do

Sometimes playing in the garden
Or drawing thing we had seen
Simple childhood pleasures
Those happy days have been.
Jan 2013 · 829
Resolution
John Ryles Jan 2013
Do not judge
But be aware
Be observant
No need to stare

When friends stumble
Or loos their way
Be ready to listen
To what they have to say


To themselves
They may not admit
While in front of them
You may sit

Releasing feelings
Reliving stress
To outsiders
Just a mess

Given time
Their pain may ease
With sympathy
From one who sees
Dec 2012 · 12.0k
Hedgehog
John Ryles Dec 2012
Hedgehog

Something in my garden,
Small dark stout.
Is it coming in?
Or maybe going out?

Hidden in the long grass,
Almost out of sight.
Edging in slowly ,
In case it gets a fright.

Little beady eyes,
Long thin nose.
Sharp bent clause,
On little hairy toes.


As it scurries off quickly,
To winter hibernate.
I see the snow is coming,
Hope he's not too late.
Oct 2012 · 663
She
John Ryles Oct 2012
She
She brings
Peace and tranquility
To this
Harsh world,s
Reality
Oct 2012 · 988
Shoe Shine Box
John Ryles Oct 2012
In the cupboard there is a box
That used to belong to Dad
He showed me it's secrets
When I was just a lad

It was full of polish
In brightly coloured tins
With a deep smell of wax
When you opened up the lid

To keep the leather healthy
And really looking good
You need to polish regularly
This I soon understood

One brush to put it on
Another to polish to a shine
Keep the colours separate
And they will always look fine

I can see my father sitting
On his three legged stool
With his little box of polishes
He used before I went to school

Now father and stool
Have long since gone
But the lessons I learned
Were simply second to none
Mar 2012 · 12.5k
Skateboard
John Ryles Mar 2012
With one old roller skate
I'd be out to play
The local boys
Would stay all day

Remove the straps
You’re left with a chassis
Then an old Beano book
It looked real classy

Now to the longest bank
Only one car a day
Place the book on top
We’re on our way

Sitting low legs outstretched
Leaning back the race begins
Round the corner leaning to the side
Riding our skateboards with pride

No designer logo
Or high speed wheels
To come to a stop
We used our heels

Those summer days we were young
Happy children having fun
It cost not a penny to improvise
One old skate with a book the right size

It's quite sad to see
All the waste today
Expensive toys
Just thrown away
Mar 2012 · 706
Acceptance(10word)
John Ryles Mar 2012
Understanding
Your own
Weaknesses
Can eventually
Bring forth
Your strengths
Feb 2012 · 685
Virtue (10word)
John Ryles Feb 2012
Greed can’t share
Jealousy won't trust
Love will always
Forgive
Feb 2012 · 1.7k
Icicles cry(10word)
John Ryles Feb 2012
As the icicles cry

Bright spring sun

Wave’s winter goodbye
Jan 2012 · 579
Dreams
John Ryles Jan 2012
Dreams

*In our dreams do we see
The other side of reality
Haunting screens of the night
Another side where dark is light

Secrets we dare not show
So deep no one must know
Nowhere to hide all is seen
Shadows cast where we have been

Powerless to take control
While demons torment our soul
To break free we must wake
Here we lie tethered to the stake

morning greets in a sweat
Hair and chest cold and wet
Raising from the bed
Secrets kept nothing said
Awake in safety of my home
Happy to see I am not alone
Jan 2012 · 580
Sight(10word)
John Ryles Jan 2012
Without reflections
None would see
How beautiful
Life can be
Dec 2011 · 4.0k
Mistletoe Kiss
John Ryles Dec 2011
Mistletoe kissing
Can be fun
Linger too long
It's a roulette gun

Do not return
For a second kiss
Waste no time
To reminisce

A   parasitic attraction
With limbs attached
Growing around you
Passion snatched

Divine male essence
Is presented here
Then it fades
For another year
Dec 2011 · 687
Christmas Memories (10word)
John Ryles Dec 2011
Sugar mice
Pink and white
Tree
Log fire
Candle light
Nov 2011 · 1.7k
Oak Tree(10word)
John Ryles Nov 2011
Great Oak
Acorn ripe
Squirrels harvest
For long
Winter nights
Nov 2011 · 537
Show your love(10word)
John Ryles Nov 2011
Love not given
Or even shown
Cannot return
To unknown
Nov 2011 · 645
The fall(10word)
John Ryles Nov 2011
Rustic leaves
Autumn’s crown
Seasons reign
Will
Bring
Them
Down
Nov 2011 · 1.3k
Shadow Puppets (10word)
John Ryles Nov 2011
Perfumed candle
Laminar flame
Flickering stave
Casting shadows
Puppets misbehave
Waxing lyrical
Nov 2011 · 934
Honesty(10word)
John Ryles Nov 2011
Lies deception
Then you fall
Stay true
Honesty
Conquers all
truth will conquer
Nov 2011 · 912
Umberella(10word)
John Ryles Nov 2011
Umbrella
Keep me dry
Until rain clouds
Pass on bye
10 word poem
Nov 2011 · 5.5k
Daydreaming
John Ryles Nov 2011
A penny for your thoughts,
Is what we used to say.
When someone looked
many miles away...
To fall into a reverie,
Be in another place.
With a distant look
painted on your face.
It sometimes happens,
when you least expect.
Almost as if the memory,
Just slipped into neglect.
Vivid images on your mind,
Random thoughts of a kind.
Daydreaming..
Daydreaming or Reality?
Nov 2011 · 743
Old Soldier
John Ryles Nov 2011
I was called to a bedside,
There lay a giant of a man.
Age one hundred and five,
I wonder how he survived.
Saying he was leaving today,
He wanted to go his way.
Comrades, Family, and friends,
They had long since gone.
We supported him now all alone,
While living in our nursing home.
He would tell stories of the war,
Horrors he lived to deplore.
Charging out from a trench,
Face to face in the stench.
Fear around almost smelt,
His faith inside began to melt.
These haunting memories,
He would carry to the end.
Now as I stood by his bed,
Comfort was all I could lend.
Honoured to be with him that day,
I held his hand as he slipped away.
Touching his brow I said goodbye,
Ending this shift tear in my eye.
*(December 1994)*
Oct 2011 · 579
Who Are They
John Ryles Oct 2011
Who am I sitting here?
People all around, I see and hear.
Some like me sit and stare,
Others walk around with food to share.
In front of me a beautiful woman,
She wears a wedding ring.
On her knee a child with a birthday card,
He says granddad and wants to sing.
As she leans to kiss goodbye
I see a tear in her eye.
What lovely people, I like them.
As they drive away in their car,
I wish that I could remember
Just who they are.
Oct 2011 · 1.6k
Forgive Me
John Ryles Oct 2011
Don’t close your eyes
Don’t turn away
I need you now
I beg you stay
I did wrong
Can you forgive?
Abused your trust,
I gave in to lust.
Now I see clear,
It's losing you I fear.
How could I be tempted?
Easily giving in,
Midlife crisis my only sin.
Although no excuse,
Now I plead,
It is you my Love that I need.
Please forgive me.
Oct 2011 · 1.9k
Internet
John Ryles Oct 2011
World Wide Web full of thing that may inspire,
Digital information traveling down a wire.
While surfing with your friends,
With data you want to share,
Beware of the Trojans they are everywhere.
They may hide a little worm that burrows to the core,
Then when they activate they infect more and more.
Stealing your passwords in ways you never thought,
Leaving you offline disabled and distraught.
So enjoy your surfing but always be aware,
Update your antivirus before you share.
Never open a page that you might regret,
It is not the web we need to fear,
It is the infected internet.
Oct 2011 · 753
Hands
John Ryles Oct 2011
We held hands walking home,
The first day that we met.
Placed together we took our vows,
A union of love never would regret.
Gripping tight arrival of our first boy,
You called out with pain and joy.
Weeping when you were very ill,
By your bedside holding on still.
Now time cannot tear us apart,
Hand in hand from the start.
Sep 2011 · 7.1k
Venus Flytrap
John Ryles Sep 2011
It was an autumn day; a fresh aroma the air.
Breathing in deeply, I was trapped in a snare.
How was I loured into this dangerous trap,
I just was not looking or even aware.
There was a sweet sticky dew tasting like mead,
This honey nectar turned my head to greed.
Losing control I was going out of my mind,
In a strange flower bed, I left my world behind.
Now wondering in a deep psychedelic dream,
I am floating eagerly down a rainbow stream.
Tender fresh flesh standing bold and proud,
Attracting prey with her bright coloured shroud.
Giving in freely, about to be devoured.    
My censors telling me I was being deflowered.
There were silky soft hairs all over my skin,
Is a shocking end about to begin?
If no one had noticed I was ensnared in this place,
It may have all ended in humiliation and disgrace.
Now in so deep I have lost all self control,
It was as if a demon had stolen my soul.
Just then a watchful serpent raised its head,
Looking straight at me it hissed and said.
“I can see you; you have had your fun,
Now it is time to pay, or get out and run”.
Shocked out of the dream, I saw my plight,
What he said was true, I made my flight.
Lucky to escape, my advice is here,
If you see a Venus Flytrap,
STAY CLEAR.
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