Each day is blessing let's take that as read
But the emotional turmoil I handle
Makes my life fragmented and sometimes out of control
I'm a strong person
Situations don't phase me
But my feelings can be irrational
Then level, calm and in my grasp
Gaining reaction is the lifeblood
Although my confidence is high
I'm sad when the feedback I was expecting is absent
Is it usual to have standards
Overturned and disregarded by others?
Meditation

The morning awakes with stuttering respect
Night time peace is past.
The new day to me is opportunity
Familiar movements from my love
Sadly recognising that rest is done
At least for the moment
Refusing to wholly awake is one I know.
She feels that more sleep would be...well
Even on days off the climbing out is a considered move
More considered, than move
I love her for her familiar ways
My moderated interaction has taken time to evolve
I understand, we can't all be the same
I love her for what she is and has taught me
Patience and tolerance
Oh how much I've learned about myself

Love is an acceptance of difference
A morphing of two ideals
A belief that neither is right but then...
Neither is wrong
Maturing love is a joy that has moved from blindness
To being at peace with your lover
But most of all it is the recognition
That you are with someone
Who cares, understands and forgives you
Overlooks odd ways and strange sayings
The underlying passion of true love
Never recedes or diminishes, but grows
Easier in the knowledge of  an element of comfort
In wonderment and true happiness
Our jagged edges of self are no longer apparent
And the depth of our rounded love clasps us together
In time and space

Salty spray ever dripping, the months of winter merge
Black tarmac usually so robust,
Pressured by evil winds of middle earth
Boring similarity where days glide by
Watched with pale faces in despair
Wet weather conditions fail the promise of new life
Flooding events, desperate for relief wash over
Where bright, white snow might be welcome
Yet, still the greasy mud clogs our footpaths
Making any sort of walking a physical impracticality
The greyness clouding our windows
Encourages little incentive to explore outside
Spring flowers resting within their bud in the cold earth
Reluctant and selfish to break through sodden mud
Before they come and surprise us with welcome colour
Giving respite within this desperate monochrome landscape.

Desperate light eases through the curtain
Gentle moon gives way to dazzling sun
Gorgeous baby sleeping with streams highlighting her hair
Lashes tight and dark, windows shuttered and mind forlorn
Somehow sleep seems impossible as the wings of birds beat outside
Suddenly the night has gone, it's over and passed
Everytime I glance, my eyes scan the face of her
Peaceful with regular breathing, slowly rising and falling
Breezy and cool so very typically morning
It feels good but the warmth of her body is intoxicating
More comforting, relaxing and serene

I dare not look at the clock
For even in this short period it will have moved inexplicably
As the gesture of the sun traces a path across the wall
Filling the room with a lilac presence
The tinging of the wind chime reminds me of gentle cows
Moving to and fro on the Tyrolean mountainside
Their bells swinging on leather bands
Closing my eyes again I imagine green fields
The aroma of the air coming through the open window
Describes a distant place of calmness and peace.

Jan is still sleeping and I gently touch her hand to find it cold
Having been outside the covers for some hours
She does not stir
Above me the crystal at the window is sending tiny rainbow spectrum
Dancing in mad little circles, alive on this wonderful day
I feel so at rest, so in love and fortunate to have and to be
Mornings are fresh starts and gifts for us to savour
How lucky we are to have them

The reality of moving creeps over
Like a moorland mist
It promises a wonderful day at the end
But now fogs our vision and our thoughts
Planning is futile as the rescue party
Has other ideas, on time and importance
Each footstep feels heavy.
The light is dim and those guiding
Are studying a different map.
Destination certain but not the route
The days tick by and mist clears in places then comes down far worse than before
The energy travelling seems harder
As the hidden gateways have lost keys
To unpick is pointless and puzzling
If you're lucky your resolve pays off as the moorland's beauty is revealed on the horizon.
Suddenly your heart is lifted as the final mile is in sight. Then you twist your ankle and rest is required.
The journey amongst the cruel mist is challenging as the cold clammy fingers try to strangle you.
Reaching the end is filled with hurdles as the time is inflicted upon you. Carrying your load is hardest as the fine weather reverts to cloud and rain.
Shelter is at last with you but the stairway up is steep and winding.

Grey days require colourful thinking
Bouncing energy is felt
as usual with most people's faces drawn in wonder
Why do we speak out of turn?
When those that know nothing are hungry for love

How many times do we waste our actions
We never think of where we are going
And if we might care for those that suffer
Though the lack of comfort is undisclosed
We should know what this leads to
Not pretty but to a crescent of shame
Not liking definite lessons of our pathetic existence.
Singeing ones hair on a dancing candle can mean only one thing
The flaying arms of outrageous and careless action
Spells veritable acquiescence in the days events

Notice your body
Watch the curves on the numbers on the weighing machine
Scales are for dragons, lizards and fish, not you
Don't be sure that tomorrow your heart won't be aching
For the fresh winds that drag you sideways into
A superfluous distant horizon and grateful solitude
In my life I've had stirring moments but
I realise that every time I wake
My greatest achievement is still to come
Nonetheless I am delighted that I have made it
Perhaps from which eventually all my life will be judged
No word remembered, no action recalled
But the marks I've made on my canvases will tell all

As the tree overhead drips its leaves, I sit beneath
Squinting I raise my head as the sun arrows through my half closed lids
In the distance a beautiful figure in long purple attire, looking toward me
I can’t help but stare almost at once love and care abound –
This is the first time. no other  day or night has felt this good, ever
This can’t be true......
Gazing still I watch as she walks sedately, dark hair streaming
Heart thudding as a base drum, ears ringing with expectation
I keel over and lay on the green green grass breathless
Given up already I’m hit with such a gust of  her aura
Transfixed as she approaches, silently as a vision
Yet apparent and so real
Transported as she glides but  I am rooted here
I can’t lift my head yet I am floating high above the trees
Single emotions would be a luxury, but they multiply exploding within my feeble body
Making me a god of everything and a pauper at the same time, I reel
My mind is dragged along as completely as a fish hooked from a gushing stream
I want to look and see deep into her eyes as pools of light
I hear her breath and feel her presence,  all at once she’s here
In front of me and behind and above all over and around
Enwrapped in her I lapse into sleep although I already am?
Listless and with frailty I feel her hand as she reaches, soft as wings
An angel, my powers are sapped and yet strengthened with this encounter
A warm wrap encloses me, warm as a woollen blanket
Strangely I know where my destiny is,  suddenly  in my mind I’m there
If ever I was doubtful the slate is clean and my future shown as a story book
Ever real yet can life be this beautiful, I have no way of knowing?
Lifting me my arms seem just appendages loose and failing, my head lolling uselessly
She carries me and places me gently the swish of her robes intoxicating
Upon a bed of white so soft and inviting as clouds of cotton wool
I hear a whisper yet was that her voice, my eyes still tightly shut?
Her silky palm on my forehead and the same voice utters such perfect sound
The aroma of her I want to keep in my heart and release as  every morning breaks
I believe I am just born as new as new as new
More and more I feel so relaxed, complete and whole, my weaknesses mended
I want to look but am fearful  that she will just fade away
In this state I am blissful and almost unaware, gently, so gently, her lips touch mine
Opening my eyes I gasp with pure delight
It’s you, it’s real and it’s now.

To care for someone is normal
To even love them is equally fair
For friends can be as close as family
If not closer
Carving their place in your heart
With their personality and impulsive energy
The simple air about them
Sometimes irritating
Yet not half as much
As their endearing and carefree way
The  sideways glance they give you
Knowing their aspirations
You, a role model
A mentor, a figure of respect
Of strength, of calm
Friends
Friends
They know us
They don't have to be there
Unless they want to be
Jokingly they hold a weakness of yours
Up so that everyone can  see
Making you laugh at yourself
Remembering a time when you slipped
When they tripped over, you remember?
Special times,
Can you imagine that friend
Can you imagine that person
No don't......
I know what you're going to say
Keep going each of us
The times are good
We must contain our emotions
And Remember those days
I can't really forget how they made me feel
How I loved that smile
How I felt when sometimes it didn't work out
when the plans went a bit wrong.
Don't you think we laughed
We did, we did, we did
So funny, and yet now those times
Seem a million years ago
Or only yesterday
Or the day before

From where we are
I would travel back there
Right now
Right now and relive those moments
That moment when we sat with our tea
Telling about our weekends
Suddenly that cheeky smile
That vulnerable soul
That ****** stupid grin that lit up their face
And gave a feeling of life to everyone
I could hug you and squeeze you up
Thank you for that....

For my friend, my lovely friend
I miss you

Two small boys played on the waste ground
It was midsummer and the grass was in its golden glory
Dry and straw like they werd
Catching grasshoppers in the long grass
The older boy, a confident red hairded bespectacled lad
Gave advice to the younger one, 'keep your hands cupped, you'll catch one then'
The hot  the underlying concrete
The Bombies was a a patch of grass and the remains of buildings still uncleared after the second world war.
'Lets get home now' the red head suggested as they wandered still laughing back to his house not 50 metres away  down the hill.
Summer holidays spent together on the Bombies or playing cricket

Don't go to sleep babe
Stay awake with me
Don't leave me here in the dark
Whilst your body drifts into oblivion
Keep me company whilst we both
Reflect on the day, the happenings
As we see them
Tell me you are at peace
Tel you are are a better person
Because of the days events
Give me the benefit of your thoughts
Enlighten me whilst we lay
Warm and cosy in this bed
Don't go to sleep babe
Let me know the secrets of your mind
Talk to me of love and caring
Make me see through your eyes
The world of confusion and of Jan
Speak to me in that voice of reason
Soothe me and send me off
Take me to your dream
Include my heart in your night
Don't leave me alone in the space
We shared just a few minutes ago
Put your hand on my chest
Breathe into my ear and let me feel
Your body rise and fall as we ease
From this world into another
Goodnight sweet one
Love you forever

Paintings on the walls showing her face
Driven by love and passion
Cared for so deeply a facsimile always in my mind
Creating her likeness on canvas
Moving my spirit as I paint
Seeing her face so clearly
Her smooth complexion
Her distinctive chin and eyes like pools
Pools of lucid water so deep and soulful
Losing myself in her charm and her love
Waiting for her I imagine the brushes stroking
Placing the paint so gently
As if my fingers were touching and caressing her
The lightness of her smile the air of calm
Sitting and contemplating
Her hair crowning her head the sparkle in her eyes
Gazing into the space in front
Soon I look at the shapes created by her arms against her body
The angle of her crossed leg and the area of smoothness
That is her thigh.
My painting complete
Yet so tender and careful
Cannot compete with the real Jan
My shining star day and night.

The blue, blue eyes peer toward you
Never again a conscious decision
To stay over, can be taken lightly
Your life is changed
Responsibility reverbs around your brain
A parent, can I be?
The cot and tiny clothes
Confirm a positive

No child is the same and your text book planning
Is already looking like a farce
Taking the governments view

Sunbeams play on the wall
Opposite where I sit
Dancing and moving little rainbows
The colour of the spectrum displayed
In circles and similar shapes
Swinging back and forth as they wave to me
Reminding me of our love
So bright and fresh
Full of wonder and clarity
Beautiful violet through to deepest red
How lucky we are to see such brilliance
That so many people miss
How fortunate to be in love
And have such a beautiful life
How I love you my sweet
And thus it shall ever be, always

Claim the right to be mine
Discard the old notions
Feast your soul as we speak
Listen to your heartfelt rhythms
Clone your passions and keep them
Next to you and available to touch
Mother yourself and resist the temptation
From everyday door to door tedium
Even now you don't need the plan
You require nothing but vision
Look as we walk and stay focussed
Our hearts are much greater together
Our minds phenomenal
If we fall we rise above the left-over threads
Because home binds us and caresses us
The silent notes of winter
Frozen and hollow we disregard
Their implications and welcome
The spring and all it brings us
Manifesting fraying in the cold passing
And firming the winds of summer
The bright new year is at last
Holding hands with our souls
Eternally warming between us

Can this be the time once more
Of utter giving up of our control
The simple folliwing of commercial madness
Our desire for the day when food and wine
Have to be gathered about us like the defences of yore
Headlong we run from mid-summer until
We are exhausted in body, spirit or credit
The desperate worry of what to buy whom
Or when to order the especially fattened bird for your table
The ridiculous overspending on presents
When time could be the finest present you could give

Yule tide is a special period for Druids and all pagans alike,
The wonder of simplicity of reflection of our past year
The elements of sleep as mother earth regenerates herself
Resting often under the warmth of a blanket of snow
Gathering of families and loved ones
Blessings of the solstice as the wheel of the year turns
Once more into the light as the sun begins it's journey
Returning to the northern hemisphere
Our birds and native animals preparing for the winter
Storing their food, digging deep as they look for vitals

Likewise the land is resting,
The soil teems with dormant life, every insect and worm
Every root, form and bulb
Slowing right down as the degrees fall to freezing
The frosty and rime ridden mornings giving the flora
A lift of white dusting and sparkling light reflecting
The weak, beautiful winter sun
Heaves itself onto the low glancing position
Just making it to the tree tops before retiring once more to sleep
Leaving glorious swathes of orange and red
Painting the sky as it falls and rises.

Yule tide comes as all seasons, times and periods
But once a year in our short lives
The earthy sounds, the images and emotion
The smell of the newly fallen snow and woodsmoke
The foraging birds and squirrels
The warbling and tuneful song of the blackbird
And the tut tut of Mr Robin resplendent in his
Bright red waistcoat bobbing around in the crisp frost
Our lifetime of Yules is a wonder to enjoy,
I know as I look from my window where my heart is
As the distant tree bare in it's winter shroud speaks
To me as a friend and anchor within this beautiful planet.

Solstice midsummer is famous for revelry around the stones
The sacred stones on Salisbury plain
Laid as monuments by our ancestral people
The henge of countless moons and previous seasonal
wheel turns stands steadfast
Silently they hold the history we crave to unravel
The years of news, turmoil and worship
The rising and setting of our life-giving sun
The bitter cold winters, likewise winter solstice
Where few find solace holding their offerings
Or enjoying the feeble warmth from a far away star

The nature of Stonehenge carries the enigma
Which makes it special, mysterious and commands
Respect, awe and love
I believe like it's close neighbour Avebury
The Henge will remain enigmatic
A giant in the soil of the flat plains
Certain to give us the love it once received from Druidic
Peoples laying down their hopes and their wishes
Spending time absorbing, making and mending
Rekindling the connections around themselves
With the earth, through this massive conduit
The sacred stones everywhere hold their story
Close to their chest, the mirrored knowledge
That embraced the folk that built the magickal elements
Will be there for ever
Claiming the fascination of the masses but the respect
Of few that understand the real Stonehenge

Dear ancestors hear my voice
On this Samhain eve I have a
Message for you
Be sure I have found my love
A love that releases me
The version of me you may not know
The one that I have became
It is true that this love has grown
Grown into a perfect and lasting covenant
Love that is rare and true
She is the embodiment of me in a
Special and all seeing person
She has given me sight to see the world in its glory
The Vision of which I have never known
She has given me heart to carry on when all seems lost
Courage to face each day
The tenacity to make the most of my life and of hers
The soul that we share is complete in the extreme
It is extreme as it is perfect and as one
She gives me more than this more than I could ever
Ever ever say.
I found her just six years ago
She came to me in a rush of circumstance
Something unexpected and yet hoped for
I can say much of this but all I need to say
Is that I love her so dearly it hurts
It hurts because life itself is so fragile.
I hold this love in my hand and cherish it
Cherish this day as we walk together into our
Seventh year through the mist and veil
Of Samhain, oh Samhain,
This is our time  

Max Hale
Dedicted to my Jan on the anniversary of our meeting six years ago.

Distant island shapes beguiling
Floating ghosts of far off land
Appear sentinel as we lay
Hot and sunbathed on the sand.

Scorching beach has tricked our minds
Ever beckoning cool seas flow
Finely placed as time stands still
Myths of people long ago

Heat above the deep caldera
Yet at water’s edge a breeze
Every wave a stroke of calmness
Drags the black sand out with ease

Pushing, combing lava rock
Once a liquid burning hot
Hearts massaged by the tender noise
Deep sighs as the day burns on

Windy gusts caress unclad torsos
Smiling we hold hands out to catch
Throwing our heads back with the pleasure
Letting our warm brown frames collapse

Lazy resting towels on bodies
Sunbed dreaming, time for lunch
Decisions on the midday menu
A carafe of red or white, too much!

Later when the sun’s behind us
Deserted beaches for the night
Couples then prepare for evening
Soon tavernas come alight

Poolside dwelling welcomes back
Two weary souls from day outside
Scorching sun takes all about us
Thanks for love where we abide

Since we came and soaked our souls
In this perfect atmosphere
Love has blossomed even further
All is wonderful never fear

Patio evenings lying out
Herb aroma fills the nose
Drifting in and out of sleepy
Eyes feel heavy in repose

Cool wet noses brush our legs
Warm fur strokes a silken pass
Feline friends have come to visit
Glad that we are home at last

Nervous ******* lying still
Mewing loudly all surpassed
Two so gentle but true survivors
Bright eyes hiding traumas past

How lovely to have given respite
As more and more attached we grew
Warm and tender stroking softly
Alongside us as if they knew

Remembering that first time it seems just yesterday
Keeping my head together, arriving
Can’t believe how fast it’s gone by
Seven hundred days and some

Catching my breath and holding your hand
What an amazing feeling of love
Growing like a seed inside…..just
Every day more intense…. and such power!

Losing control of my life and placing it in your care
From that day I knew we were one
Together until eternity comes
The sun always shining on our souls, warming and caring

We gave our hearts to each other and we relaxed
Healing our lives and making us whole
For the very first time, we were complete
In each others arms

Seven hundred days of love
Seven hundred days of happiness
Seven hundred days of contentment
Seven hundred days of you and me

The life we wanted is here and now
The love we wanted, nay, craved was there from that first time
The future we once dreaded has become one to relish
And the best is yet to come

Thank you for being mine, for taking the trouble
To understand and be there for me
Thank you for saying the things that you say
For looking me straight in the eye when you do

Thank you forever for seven hundred days
Every one has been a special gem to cherish
Your heart is so true just like everything you are
But most of all thank you for loving me as I love you.

Sometimes I miss you in a way that it hurts
Sometimes I so need to hold you when you're not here
I pick up your pillow and hug it
Sometimes you're here holding my hand,
Your breath kissing my cheek
Sometimes I feel you in the room silently keeping me safe
Sometimes a message reaches my soul from yours that lifts my spirit
Sometimes I can't go on without you and yearn for your return
Sometimes love is a mistress
That takes you and throws you against the wall but never lets go
Sometimes my heart overflows with so much love
It drenches me
My body soaked and heavy with emotion, passion
And a longing for the brush of your lips on mine
Sometimes this life is a mass of lost thoughts
Competing with a reality of the day
Sometimes I wish I could lift you up in my arms
Take you to a field of buttercups, poppies and cornflowers
And just lie and stare at the sky with you in my arms
Sometimes,  sometimes,  sometimes

See me sitting looking into space
My emulations are not purposeful
Thinking of your joyous image and recalling the last words
Wings of birds beat out the rhythm of my heart
Waiting for the next time we meet
Umbilically connected as two so close
Maintaining nourishment for our souls
Generous hearts retain such energy
Battery-like running down as time moves on
Charging my mind with your thoughts
Feeding me, keeping me alive
Whomsoever will see me will believe
No change is apparent
Yet inside my longing for you is prominent
Especially on slow days
Keep safe my love, come home soon

Special is a word I was unaquainted with
It is not usually in my vocabulary
I used different words
Until I met my love

She must be the epitome of that word
The perfect match
In fact the only word that describes her
Not really, but it suits how she is to me

Fairy shoes on polished floors
Green light glowing in the waxy surface
Making glorious rings of transmitted light
Rainbows breaking up as the windows agree to let in

The dancing cherries of summer days.
Curling shadows cast from pretty arms
Made round as sleep endured
After busy day body resides in the comfortable reception

Sinking as weight increases as you let go
Relaxing muscles, duvet covers hold fast the shape of rest?
Yes rest is altered as time moves on.
No more feast of food or discussion  just peaceful slumber

Special she is as special she does
Counting simple things that endear me
Or humming a familiar tune
Checking the weather or slipping her hand in mine

She doesn't need to be extraordinary to be special
No flags or drum rolls
No letters of distinction or accolades of merit
She is special by just being mine.

Sunshine on the windows catching my eye
Fresh and lovely just like you
Filling the world with bright mellowness
Polishing the blue sky as it passes
Feeling warm and melting the morning mist
Drifting clouds waving as they bye
Deep feelings of love that overwhelm me
Sadness that we are apart today even though
We are never separated, always one
Thoughts of you invade my mind constantly
Missing your touch and voice in my ear
Yearning for home-time when you’ll be back
Gracing my vision once more
Reflections of my life vivid yet peaceful
Thankful of events and happenings
Loving you is all I need and want
Simple contentment and happiness
You by my side, together in the sunshine.

Simply lain your hair sits proudly, cut
Creating a crown of beauty
Feathered, the strands which pour
rivulets down your smooth neck
Your shoulder shelving the resting place
of curls
the deep dark light now kinder as you sleep
still but vibrant ever full of sweetness
merry as the moon shines
lighting the room as dreaming
you are complete and at one
with the world
Your brown hair
rests whilst you slumber
waiting to become the glory again

Moorland skies and breaking dawn clouds,
forcing the weak sunlight through the barren trees.
Crows with no particular places dart from one copse to the other.
Flying above your head, tearing the morning skies into shreds.
Elusive mists on the undulating lanscapes give peeks of field stubble or dark  grass.
Nearer, the feel of the five bar gate
Is damp and slimy with the dew,
The rough wood barely discernable
Until the warmth of your hand gives up enough heat to release its underlying texture.
To the right the west seems still asleep,
Unaware of the fingers of the sun's rays inching closer.
Sliding through gateways,
Over ponds and into unexpected windows.
To the east its almost day,
Cool yellow light weaving it's way through or past the trees,
Hedges, odd building and rests at your feet.
Bowed in reverence as if to hand you this day on a platter saying, '
'This day is my gift to you, enjoy.'

Composition of my body that leaves a space
Complete resonance with the world around me
Take me but treat me with care
I have but one long fissure of love
Magnify that with the salt of the earth
The birdsong and the fresh air that is ours
Dont regard me as a static soul
But one that writhes under the actions of being
The truly enacted movements witn intent
This soul is gentle and kind
Matched with a body giving
I expect little but the little must be special
The light in my heart burns deeply for you
It carries the fuel of years
Never ending but eternal.
Feed me with your love, take my soul
Treat it well and give too
The desire for completeness has been sated
The continuing elements that keep us
Float on a sea of tides
Pulled and caressed by the Goddess
She keeps us rounded, calm and serene
Breathe your life giving prana and rejoice
Whilst the light in my heart burns for you

Give  me your hand darling
Rest it lightly near me
Place your cool fingers on my cheek
Say gentle words as we lie together
Let me hold you close and feel
Your body relaxing muscle by muscle

Close your eyes and pretend
Pretend that sleep has overcome you
Breathe deeply and rhythmically
I know you have had a busy day
Don’t worry my love I know how much
You have felt this peace and wanted it to consume you

You are beautiful in your stillness
The arc of your mouth describes the way
Oh how much I can feel those lips and want them
Your eyelids quiver as the remnants of the day leave you
Then as your cheek calms and rests so do they
Lashes still, as you drift into rest

Delightful baby you are mine so completely
I picture you and see my love reassured
A tumble of dark hair framing your face on the pillow
Enjoying the magical senses that caress and protect you
Whilst the darkness engulfs us
Peacefully and with tender soothing

In the half light I hear your little sleepy noises
The darkness seems to magnify each sound
A bird outside in the distance calls it’s mate
It is met with silence
I place my hand on your midriff yet cannot feel your breath
Then, the mantle of the night caresses our faces
Our bodies give in as it keeps us in love as we sleep

Sometimes the expectations of a journey
Can be foreboding
Even dreadful
Does that make it a surprise
When enjoyment arrives?
Perhaps all aspects of life are similar
But that doesn't help when as a natural optimist
My journey is usually familiar
Whatever my thoughts, the moment is key
The wasted effort of worry and dread
In essence was emotion inevitably led
By confidence or the lack of connected thought
For day to day incidences are often banal
So shouldn't we make each trip much less fraught
By living each minute for all it is worth.

Fair and brightly shining
So is my heart
This new day
Bring the sky
The blue sky
After its hidden time
Out of the cupboard
Or the laundry where
It's refreshing wash and scrub
Now renders it clear, blue and reflective
Fly to the roof of this world
Be our cover and our umbrella
Our hope and soul-lifting spirit
Our eyes to absorb the azure
The reds, oranges and yellows
Of every day, morphing from
Morning till night.
When your work is done
The moon, your friends the stars
And the still black night
Take the evening shift
To enable you to rest
Refreshed and new
Ready to fly once more
The sun pinning you with it's
Warmth of global reach
In time and space
Holding your hand as together
You light our world

Keeping me here in your heart
Is all I ever wanted
No special fanfare
No mission or announcement
Journeying together is everything
No looking sideways but forwards
Don;t turn around to see, focus on the horizon
Greater love is hard to see from the vision
We created when we met.
How terrible when the peace is broken
And our day is shaken
Not under the spell of you but in,
in pure love as ever anyone can be
Can you imagine the day without this?
The day without our silly games and our
rhetoric of simple living
Hands touching even now is electric
Anything else is like a firework
Shooting into the inky sky and lifting
Everything in it;s path
Incredibly we are grounded now
Even dreams
Following and holding us
I know my life has meaning
The only true meaning is us.

For my lovely Jan ***

Remembering that day
The first sight of your little face
Rounded cheeks and beautiful mouth
Eyes tightly shut.
How proud I was to have
a daughter
Since then I have continued
to be proud and thankful
How many Dads have such beauty
****** into their lives that lasts?
Not just beauty of a visual nature
But one that is from the core
Throughout body and soul.
You have never given a second
of disappointment or sadness
No anger, no worry nor concern
Just happiness and joy
Perfection is an over used hyperbole
In this case not
Thank you for giving me and everyone
the love and steadfast care
We may or may not deserve.
So on this special day
From my heart and from
every fibre of my being
I want to tell you that
There is no-one like you
You have a special place inside me
My love goes with you always
May you feel the energy of the cosmos
Caring for you and the life blood
Of our earth supporting
Helping and keeping you safe
Amongst the trials of this mortal life
And as the winter solstice approaches
When the sun is reborn into our world
May you have health and love always

For my special daughter Vicky

Dad ***

In our house we have a lovely life
Small it may be in size but enormous in what it holds
Floor space is at a premium especially but..
It doesn’t matter because we live within each other
Our spirits locked together in a warm embrace
Physically we are close too, always
Our garden and our house mean much to us
It’s our first home together
When we buy anything we struggle to place it
Moving something else as we shuffle things around
Grateful for the chance to be us, we survive
Every day a wonderful experience
Our little house holds lots of love
Keeping us safe from the world outside
The little spaces and tiny places
Make this house just what it is…
Our  lovely home

Fear of the next day
Content at the thought of being inside
The world and the people you know
May be there but do they care
Really care and pass their day in the
Mirror of your life
Hankering after a peaceful finale
A strange edifice of warming thoughts
Surrounding my heart and my simple body
Do not keep a vigil on me
Don't pretend you care
When you quite simply aren't even
In the wreck of the days proceedings
I cannot tell you the things you need to hear
My voice is silent as the moon
I feel sorry for you but then
You feel the same way for yourslf
Isn't that how it gets when time
Just ticks away at the clockface of immobility
My love is still here as ever it was
I always think poor man
I can't justify this message as it manifests
A lump within my throat and I can hear
My heart beating out an untimely rhythm
Afraid of the future, don't be
Your resolve is impressive
Continue your day to day survival
You will surprise yourself as weeks
turn into months then years
There is a life, just believe it
For each must bear the hard cross of lost
Passion and of pleasant encounters
It seems that these count for nothing in the
Short term of soul searching and nostalgia
Nothing is now beyond you
Your best period may be just about to arrive.

For my friend Ken

To winter from autumn seems gradual
the colder days seem never to come
then suddenly
Evenings dark and misty, mornings grey
Daytime unpredictable as moods
Changing the way I feel about the season
Can be down to the moment
As the weather is pocketed in sealed containers
waiting for nature to unwrap
Crisp leaves that grow slippery and brown
as they become a slight carpeting on the dampness
Stones of summer now covered in brown rain
their reflective paths a dismal slide, waiting
for your forceful heel to push against the tide
Steaming car exhausts hang in the air
The drivers clothed in coloured warmth
avoiding the stupid local cold
Inside the cabins the impossible air grates
through the vents and produces unnatural
heat as respectful workers chug their way onward
The uncertain and limbo times of autumn's life
is it just a precurser to the false star of Christmas
A painful unnecessary period of man's making
For what? A need to have time feeling justified
Of wasted resource and overfeeding.
How desperate this must sound to our ancestors
The souls that made us what we are.
Who had precious few pleasures. How much
would they appreciate our behaviour
At this time of fallow and rest. Conserving,
containing, consolidating our harvest
Saving our gain from mother earth
To keep our winter wholesome and honest.
No need to look far for goodness, the days
are all exquisite, the elements bring us
back to our roots and encourage our piety, for
each and everyone I ask for moderation,
careful spending and realisation that the
moving of warm, to cool, to cold is a message of love
from our earth. Not a reason to spend
A reason to exploit or ignore the wonderful gift
we are sent at Yule, the chance to dwell
and to mull over the year and be thankful
For we are the keepers of the earth
an endowment of faith and love for all
Be still and feel the chill air as it encompasses
our body but most of all enjoy the peace
As earth sleeps

The cool domain of fox and geese
Or how they proved to live
The tinted shed was far from done
The staggered lock was loose
Contained in moonlight ere they walked
The geese were faultless there
The ***** fixed her wandering snout
The cool breeze filled her nose
Maintaining position the fox stood fast
Her gaze was stark and still
The errant geese came hoddlng past
Without a gate nor care
Moonlight gathering clouds that passed
Once bright and then not so
Skating by with scarce a look
By gaggle and in pairs
The red predator crouched low
Her nostrils flared as the breath
Eased her silent mouth shut
With gainful stealth her muscle hard body
Demanded freedom from this in-waiting stance
Her piercing eyes strained in the half light
The geese came silent reaching the house
Leaping forward in a trice the vixens sinewy body
Made speed through the grass
The white geese blissfully unaware
The padding paws thudding hard in the fox's ears
As she neared the final ground
Fluttering flapping wings and frantic noise broke the silence
Honking, snapping, darting, red fur and snapping jaws
The *****'s quest held up
But white feather miasma flared like plume
Beating and writhing, hissing and growling under the moon's
Gentle gaze, the ***** retreats her mission falters
Her tail is blood red but no spoils does she take
Retiring away, she licks her wounds and lies
Panting, casting gazes left and right, breathing heavily
This time beaten, thwarted ....

Weekend walls come down
containing our free will
navigating our minds and meeting
us on the way home
dragging our thoughts and vision
mothering our bodies and liberating our minds
weekend walls are boundless
despite their presence and their substance
weekends would be dull without their fall
freedom is a state of mind and letting
us move and think without measure
is just too much as the goodness they hold is exposed
not walls but views of the world
as we want it and how we make it
peaceful and requiring no support.

Silver birch and holly tree
Along the path I walk
Woodland curtain
Bringing cool elements to mind

Squelchy footprints and ice cold wind
Cutting through the trees
Silence of the woods brings peace
Except for the chatter of the crows

I see noone but imagine souls
Of long-gone folk not far away
Hiding, hiding
I quicken my step, yet the paths
Incline keeps my breathing steady but deep

My fingers start to numb in my gloves
A typical feeling as the temperature
Hits just above freezing

I shiver but maintain my step
Removing my gloves
Thrusting my hands
Deep into my pockets,

The light is failing now
Winter solstice only a week away
I feel alone yet strangely
The wood seems full of people.

My imagination running wild.
Turning back as the path ends I realise
How the sunlight has gone
Twilight wraps its grey fingers around me.

Windward side stands firm and proud
The sailing ship its sails a-straining
Clever sailors move around
Guiding hull through stormy waters
Masts are bending through the gales

Taking gusts within their shape
Canvas flapping then goes taught
Calmer waters seem so distant
Temper timings never fraught
Faces stung with salty sea spray
Leathered hands holding firm
Sheets are straining, weather raining
Noise of waves is deafening too

Sometimes when the ship is yawing
Pitching, rolling, deck like glass
It's no wonder cleats and blocks
Are creaking, matelots lives are holding fast

Bring down the Yuletide smile
Of countless generations and open winter faces
Gaining frail but everlasting spirits
Feeling tender and warm at pieces of literature
Made relevant with countless references to such
Wondrous elements known to man

Not wishing to send negatives of loud examples
Moods of love and forgiveness abound
But can they last as time moves from a tiny
Microcosm of capsule-like events
Hung like baubles to an expectation
Why is this so?

Nothing is as regimented as December
True Yuletide is a celebration of an end
And a beginning,  a pagan festival
Sustainable and honest from a tangible simple respect
Banded about and tainted by commerce and Jesus
Nothing could be further from seasonal vita

Yuletide essays read poorly of spiritual love
Save of winter concerns of cold hands and feet
But to me my warmth is from within and without
From sensitive elements and looks of expectancy
All through the year I am loved and brought home by generous arms
Holding my tender heart with simple fingers of gentleness
At Yule my fears are ones of inability to conform
Yet I know that my love will be kept holding small edifices
Of temperate thoughts and radiant hopes
Lest our love is exposed to the winter blast
It has no maintenance worries as we stay locked
Deeply embracing through the chill of the night
In the mornings there may be white blankets of snow
Which drive others to feel  isolation and loneliness
But here at Yule as ever our hearts are as one
Despite the dragging pressures of the seasonal presence
New Year is a triumph of milestone epic
Fantasising our minds with future conquerings
Especially as most are timid in their push for reality
Ours has been honed to supernatural  levels
Although we look deeply into bringing these to bear
We know from our hearts these are just around the corner
Upon the very road we travel