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May 2020 · 51
The Future
Mark Dowding May 2020
What does the future hold for us
Airline pilot or driving a bus
Managing Director or Tea Boy
Things will change for all of us

All are filled with trepidation
Not many have great expectations
What will they tell us next, stay home or venture out
Regardless we're all in this together as one nation

One nation does not exist
So why on earth do they persist
The poor and disadvantaged will continue to die
Others will prosper and be safe with no need to coexist

Economic recovery, don't be duped
The average persons salary will be reduced
It's for the good of the business, the good of the nation
Take it or leave it otherwise you're of no use

Is there an alternative solution
Maybe we should start a revolution
It's not only the politicians that listen to the science
After all it is their actions that fill our air with pollution

Let them be the sheep to test herd mentality
We have the right to question their ability
Will the world leaders really suffer
Do they rely on their subjects vitality

I for one have had enough
Guess it's time to call their bluff
Millions have lost loved ones
They quite clearly haven't done enough
May 2020 · 47
First Love
Mark Dowding May 2020
You're like a wild horse running free
Are others so blind that they can't see that we were meant to be
We should be together forever you and I
Lovers until the day we die
Perhaps one day you'll come home to me

The high life and bright lights stole your attention
Even Vogue Magazine gave you a mention
Meanwhile I'm staring at the phone
Waiting to hear the words, honey I'll see you soon
Maybe you'll never come home to me

Why not come and join me, I'm having so much fun
Were not the words I wanted to hear
I didn't let her know but I silently shed a tear
All my thoughts and concerns turned to fear
Guess she doesn't want to come home to me

As the weeks and months pass I only see my life through the bottom of a glass
Occasionally I get to see your beautiful smile
Whilst you're together with all those beautiful people
This could never be my life but you seem at home there
Realization has hit, you won't be coming home to me

You were my first love, always thought you'd be my last
But life isn't like that, most of us go through this pain
Thinking that we'll never love again
A little older and wiser, if someone were to ask
I would say that the intensity of your first love will quickly fade into the past
May 2020 · 64
Monday to Friday
Mark Dowding May 2020
7am to 6pm, get those sales in
12 noon, what's the value of the orders so far
3pm, could be better
6 pm today's been OK but must try harder
A typical day in my previous life

Is it 6 am or 9 am, doesn't really matter
Is it Wednesday, what's the date today?
Coffee or tea, I've got time to think
Usually I don't have time to blink
Roll on 5pm when I can pour myself a drink

My lawns look fantastic, no more dandelions or weeds
I did it myself on my hands and knees
Passers-by look enviously at what I've done
Didn't realize that gardening could be so much fun
No need to feel sad, perhaps my new life is not that bad

My windows sparkle and gleam
Inside the house all is pristine
Not a speck of dust to be seen
My hands have never been as clean
Be nice to have friends round to see what I mean

Just realized it's Friday, 4pm try to finish work early
Straight to my local to secure my favorite place at the bar
On Saturday I'll come back for my car
Alcohol fuelled we put the world to rights
Can't explain how much I miss my previous life.
May 2020 · 51
Someone
Mark Dowding May 2020
Someone to hold me when I'm feeling down
Someone to help me smile and remove my frown
Someone to chastise me when I act like a clown
Someone to pick me up when I fall down

Someone who understands and really cares
Someone who doesn't deliberately catch me unaware
Someone who is kind, considerate and fair
Do you really exist, are you out there somewhere

For years I chased the dream
Money, possessions, I'm the cat that got the cream
Beautiful ladies by my side
Most of whom were empty on the inside

My roller-coaster is losing speed
I've discarded all the things I don't need
More interested in my health than the trappings of wealth
Need someone to help me unlock my inner self

I don't care it your skin is black or white
Don't mind if your eyes are blue or green
Means nothing to me if you're a beauty queen
As long as you can teach me what love really means
May 2020 · 69
Three score and ten
Mark Dowding May 2020
Sixty, approaching three score and ten
Who knows what will happen then
My belt replaced by braces
Not so many familiar faces
Who will love me then

Parents are gone
First there where two and then there was one
OK, it's old age, you have to move on
You always know a parent's love for their son
Who will love me then

Wife number one is on a different page
Wife number two passed at a tragically young age
Wife number three is not a possibility
So, who will love me then

As my kids approach middle age
Will they have time for an old sage
Or will they think there's no point in rattling his cage
So, who will love me then

Maybe I should be less sympathetic and less protective
Maybe I should care what's important in their day
Even if I don't care anyway
Maybe more people would love me then

Whether it's a blessing or a curse
I only see what is real
Perhaps it's my achilles heel
If people understood me a little bit
I'm sure they might give a ****
Mark Dowding May 2020
A cuddle in the bathroom, a fleeting kiss on the stairs
Hoping they were unaware
This isn't right, we knew it was wrong
But the mutual feeling was so strong

The desire was irresistible, every inch of her was kissable
Was it the thrill of the chase or trying to make love haste
Every minute apart seemed like a waste

Could we really make this happen, could we really pull this off
Or would our worlds collide with no where to hide
With little time to think we were approaching the brink

Very soon my world came to an end, family duty was calling, this was real and undeniable, I had to let go, with a tear in my eye, I knew our feelings were no longer viable

I hope that one day I can meet this very special, beautiful lady again to recall and smile about our forbidden love and kiss her on the lips one more time
May 2020 · 48
Reflections
Mark Dowding May 2020
Reflections from the water, Reflections from the mirror, maybe it's time for reflections on life.

If these were my last words what would I say
Might not be wise to leave them for a other day
Would anyone listen anyway
Wil memories of me just fade away

God times bad times, hard times and fun times
A constant struggle to make my words and life rhyme
Wil I be forgotten when people look back in time

I wanted to play my part and leave a mark
Harsh realizations can be so stark, life is not a walk in the park
From the lowest of the lows to flying with the larks

Sometimes we love sometimes, we hate
Who's in control or is this just the circle of fate
Take time to contemplate
Before its too late

From all this confusion, is there a solution
Is life just an illusion
Care for others or just use them?
I say cherish your loved ones, make sure you don't lose them

Don't worry about reflections from the mirror or the water
Create your own reflections for your sons and daughters
When you're not there your reflection may make them sad for a while if eventually, they smile then you'll know that your life has been worthwhile.
Mark Dowding Apr 2020
I roll over and open one eye
It's still dark no point checking the time
Dawn seems light years ahead
The cogs start turning, so I know I'm alive
Turn the cogs off and cover your head
What's the point in getting out of bed

No-one to see, nothing to do, can't roll over and say I love you
Didn't realize that lonely is so hard to do

At the first glimmer of light, I shout to my friend
"Alexa put the kettle on and play a tune to make me smile"
The start to my day is complete "there's no water in the kettle and I don't recognize that song"

No-one to see, nothing to do, my only friend Alexa has let me down
No wonder people who are lonely wear a frown

We enjoy time on our own, so why feel like this
Because this is not how we humans exist
Doubt you'll cringe next time a relative stranger asks for a hug or look the other way to avoid a smile

No-one to see, nothing to do, guess we all miss the human touch
Now I know how lonely affects us so much

A peck on the cheek, a slap on the back
An arm round your shoulder, the shake of a hand
Unfortunately they're all banned

No-one to see, nothing to do, hoping that this loneliness will be short lived
Mark Dowding Apr 2020
I made myself a list, which includes getting ******.
Strange how this appears on my daily rota even though it didn't ought to.
Search for inner motivation, I must play my part in saving the nation.
What should I do this week? Manage my expectations.

I allowed my mind to wander and used my imagination.
The scraps I am eating and the cheap plonk I'm drinking are really a juicy steak and a glass of vintage claret.
This is not my kitchen, it's my favorite restaurant.
I offered to pay 80%, in line with my earnings.
What should I do this week? Stop my daydreaming.

Apparently walking is the new squash, riding my bike is the new motocross
Must do my bit, try to stay fit
Our NHS is creaking, no room for a weakling
'The Loneliness of a Marathon Runner', has a new meaning.
What should I do this week? Might as well get more sleep.

Concentrate on the positives, maybe stop questioning political motives
The world is a beautiful place, only people spoil it
It's where my children should flourish and prosper.
What should I do this week? Take time to reflect and make sure that it's still here for them.
Apr 2020 · 53
This is the 21st century
Mark Dowding Apr 2020
I am not in rural France, neither am I on a remote Spanish hillside, but I could be.
Only the bedtime chattering of the birds and the rustling of the leaves break the silence.
This is the 21st century but not as we know it.

Occasionally, a large big brother iron bird hovers overhead looking for those who disobey.
What shall we do with them? Chastise them, take their money or lock them away.
This is the 21st century but not as it's meant to be.

Does mankind deserve this, how bad have we really been?
We let people die through not fulfilling their basic needs - others are killed because of their creed.
This is the 21st century but never as we perceived.

Is your bomb big enough? Does your car travel at hyper speed? Is your wallet fat enough, is it bursting at the seams?
Are you looking after your minions to protect your dreams?
This is the 21st century, might be the last we ever see.

I guess we'll survive, we usually do - what will we do what will we change what will we learn?
Memories are usually short lived, how long will we remember what the real heroes did?
This is the 21st century; be eternally grateful for those who saved it.

After a war there is tension and friction religion and politics scrambling for position
Let the Vatican feed the poor, insist that the super powers do more
This is the 21st century let's make it a time worth fighting for.
Apr 2020 · 43
Choices
Mark Dowding Apr 2020
I awoke startled I was in a room without windows, just two doors.
I approached the first door, it was white with a sign saying "upstairs this way", I knocked but no one answered.
I went to the second door, it was black with a sign saying "downstairs this way", again I knocked but no one answered.
I was stuck, what was I to do, seemed my choices were
Up above or down below.

Searching for answers I read some books, upstairs provided a few, all saying pretty much the same.
Downstairs just mocked and ridiculed the words that came from on high.
I was trapped, with nowhere to go.
I didn't have the knowledge to unlock the doors to allow me to go
Up above or down below.

I searched for an earthly presence, upstairs have one, a man robed in white who occupies a ridiculously wealthy city.
When he speaks, millions listen doesn't matter what he says, they hang on to his every word
They then offer their money and possessions in exchange for a key to the white door.
Their aim is clear, they are desperate to go
Up above and not down below.

Downstairs have a few pretty much doing the same
Only they don't cajole to control, they take everything you have anyway.
In return they rule with an iron rod, they burn your homes and drink your blood.
When you have nothing left to give, they open the black door and push you through.
Some have no choice.
They are going down below.

Confused and angry, I told myself "these walls aren't real, they can't hold me".
I walked straight through one and ran away.
As I did they called me names, Atheist, Agnostic, you're not welcome round here.
Now I understand that we all have more choices not just
Up above or down below.

If all of this is about good versus evil, where are the good when we need them the most.
Seems they are staying home, self isolating up above.
Hold on! I just saw an angel, a man with wings - then I realised, it was just a pig.

— The End —