Building a house
The house of life
With foundations of flesh and bone

Building a bridge
The bridge of strife
With supports of words and grit

Building a barrier
The barrier to hate
With strength of love and kindness

Culturally connected
Kneeling with both hands
Deep in home soil
Staring at green mountains

Culturally disconnected
Hands on head
On unfamiliar ground
Looking for solace

Wave after wave
White tips of foam
With grey linings run towards
A warm brun sand

Spider web white threads
On a turquoise canvas
Swirling in and out
Lapping in on a black granite frame

Emerald shore
Lined with dulse and crab
The changing sea palette
Paints a different picture every second

Slate, ash, porpoise, dove
Lead, pebble, coin and fossil
Pewter , cloud, silver and smoke
All dash towards the shore

Grey sandpipers run like kids in unison
In and out, in and out
Orange puffins land on small nests
Black and white Oystercatchers nod for food

Shifting cloud darkens the beach
Walkers led by happy dogs
Traverse the length of the coast
As the setting sun signals time to go home

20k to go
20k of dirt and grit
Pounding out the tread
Rushing through the thoughts in my head

10k to go
10k of twists and turns
Take on another hill
Take on another thrill

1k to the finish
Looks like I'll make it alive
More than a journey of strife
Moreover another page in this wonderful life

Rounding the corner
Walking from the house  
I'm thinking of my work day
Thinking what to say

Back through the woods
Smiling at the horse
Up through the copse
Strutting through the coarse

Down the busy road
Cars start to toot
Home beckons soon
Ending my fake commute

I belong to a wrong wing think tank
I like my toast buttered on no sides
I go in through the exit and..
I'm comfortable being uncomfortable

Morning, so nice to hate you
Get out, we were expecting you
I have have always disliked you
You'll, never be my friend

Come back, I'd like to give you a Glasgow kiss
Rest assured, I have no confidence in you
Once a family, never a family
Don't take what it is yours, I worked hard to provide it for you

Memories flash through my head like a deck of cards
First in last out
Last in first out
Quad core, octa core

Signals stick and queue
Buffering and quick to view
I throw my head back
And drop it to reset the stack

Flickering memories
Lights of joy
Come to me now
Release the sweat from my brow

I want an 'almost' garden
That's amongst done
Turned over soil
Staring into the sun

Unfinished fences
Half weeded walls
Root filled corners
Plants too tall

Half finished benches
Flowers still in pots
Overgrown grass
Trees covered in moss

Almost gardens take your stand
Stay unfinished from human hand
Let your presence be unhinged
Free us from our neatness binge

La Coste cap, Gucci glasses, Mr Porter white trainers
Snapchat, Whatsapp, Insta
You've been sending me messages
About who you are
You're the I in 'SelfIe'

Charity shoes, bland jeans, non branded gear,
Talking, smiling, laughing
I'm sending you my response
About what I value but you aren't listening

Earpods in, zoned out
You're not even attempting to listen to me
You'll see I'm comfortable about being uncomfortable
You are connected, I'm disconnected
You want more, I want less

Where does your message thread connect with mine?
Which bit or byte do we sync on?
We are both heating up ends of this silicon
But when will we hope to share an emoticon?

The space between my thoughts
Is where I want to be
Breathing in, breathing out
Time stands still

My heart and lungs as a piston
No thoughts now, no thoughts then
The piston moves up , moves down
That's all there is

Calm, no storm
Calm, no fear
Smiling I look up
Deep breath in and..
back to reality

System sounds, air-conditioning
Steel and glass monolith
Designed for a cast of thousands
But only a small cast today

Wondering through this building
The sound is deafening
Automatic doors, occasional voices
Free desks everywhere

This is some kind of dark business tourism
The toilets are empty and clean
The printer stacked with paper ready to go
A lone warrior armed with PC and head mic

What has happened?
What made the shift?
When will it end?
When will we work from work again?

Morning fog
Morning slog
Car light bright
Door lock tight

Fog clears
Bike steers
Sun out
More about

Dusk came
Night fame
End of slog
Prepare for fog

It's not a mobile or desktop jibe
I'm simply asking you to unsubscribe
From every bit of crap you see
For every URL you key

Scrolling through pics and words does not make any sense
The urge to stop... just so tense
The flashing screen with made up stories
Is nothing to celebrate, there is no glory

Let's unsubscribe.

Indigo Blue was a Comanche through and through
She'd sit near the Grand Canyon tourist spot
And watch the champagne and the helicopters land
White men upon Comanche sand

Alcohol fuels her people now
White man and white money drive the wheel
The land was taken, nothing left to steel
White man rules that's the deal

She smile and drags from her last cigarette
Her mother looks on..starts to fret
She know there's nothing left to do
White man has won, no time for coup

Copter blades awaken me
I start the march to the bus stop
The soldiers march to the safety of the barracks gap

Storytellers abound
The craic is good
We knew, he knew, she knows
Did you hear?

Weather draws in
Wet rain again
Patience is tested
Staring out again

Will it clear?
We have some work to do
Bullocks to dose
Lamb to stew

What colour is white?
Paint a room and have a look
Now look closer

What colour am I?
Paint my face and have a look
Now look closer

What colour is anything?
Light dances over backgrounds
Shadows darken our vision

Take a moment to consider colour
View it with innocence
Renew your vision

Night draws in on cityscapes
Sirens blaring, people swearing
Night people during night times
Streets move go from muted silence to untamed violence

People *******, people passing
Spare us some change, sorry, sorry luv
Gangs of women labelled hen do
Gangs of men, sailor hats drinking brew

Donna kebabs here, curry sauce there
Avoiding deliveroo, deliver who?
Alchemists mixing drinks and dry ice
More bouncers on the door, really, really be nice

Lovers drinking coffee liqueurs
Haters acting like cold Fuhrers
Avoiding bike, electric bike, trike, man, woman
Avoiding cars, buses and vans

12 year old screaming lying on wall
Police arriving there's a squall
In the next alley silence beacons us in
A different world a different din

Blinded by sweat
Blinded by the threat
Of obvious noise
From your Internet toys

It's gone beyond time to play
It's time to refocus words not images that stay
In your latest Instagram post
Be a word prophet toast, not a primevil tribal ghost

Let the words tell the story
Why the future is not gory
Time to take mental stock
Time to rework words that rock

Paint the future
Paint it bright
Young ones don't deserve
The path of plight

Speak the future
Tell the tale
Speak the future
Take back that veil

Live the future
It's not that dark
Live the future
Be that spark

Were we weak to react to unprovoked attack?
Did we let down those n break our human pact?
Politicians debate lethal aid with cynicism
Contributing to our mortal bleakism

Pity the child that knocks on our shore
Pity the government that's rotten to the core
To stop a life with tabloid criticism
Contributes more to our mortal bleakism

Spring came
Nothing would be the same

Looking out
No one about

Covid came
Insane

Politeness came
Would it remain?

Touch went
Hugs went
Feelings vent

Mothers wept
Fathers wept
Sanity bereft

Daily toll
Daily bread
Daily dead

Summer came
Hope came
Some things would be the same

Solstice came
Longest day
Longest year
Longest hour

Hope stayed
We played

Laughter came
Loving came
Some things would remain the same

We put together plans
But it seems you weren't a fan
All the money and toil to see someone
All the effort ruined for some fun

The more we work to keep you down
The more you stir and make us frown
It's like you don't know that we care
It's like you want our souls to bare

But we will see this through
You can't scare us with your 'boo'
You seek to spread with your velocity
But you hadn't countered on our tenacity

I'm running to Hope farm
I'm running for hope

I pass the naysayers
I pass the negative players

I reach Hope farm
I see your charm

I enter the door
Your light,  the core

Bright light blesses us this morn
The dew rises on the stems of the grass
Un-expected heat comes to pass

We reflect on the Summer that was meant to be
That most us didn't get to the sea
And most of us didn't feel free

Oh heat beam down and give us solis
Give us strength for the Winter and what may come to stall us
As we pray that the darkness will not want to call us

As the night grows dim
The Harbour bar draws us in
Past seagulls who soar
To the welcoming door

The fire is on
The people sit low
The bar is full
The taps are slow

We wait at the door
As the Guinness is poured
How you doin boy?
Not bad, just o'er from Gweedore

The craic is good
The night is long
The drum beats hard
To the Ceiltic song

More people pile in
To the small rooms 'n the floor
More Guiness to order
More time at the door

The sun reaches through thick tree branches
Noisy stream welcomes walkers
Dogs seek attention
People seek attention

Cars rush by
Lorries rush by
People smile
Dogs smile

Clothes steam on the line
Feeling fine
As the sun expectedly shines
Keeps shining expectedly

Spring becomes Summer
Summer leads us into Winter
Results come to us everyday
Everyday we see change

Exams become passes
Passes become leaving home
Sons become men
Daughters become women

Sadness becomes joy
Joy becomes sadness
Greed becomes more greed
Selflessness goes unoticed

The iterations of life
Don't knock on our door
They just happen in the background
Like leaves getting caught in spiders webs

The sound of the grit ravels
As the metal end enters the tepid ground
The mist opens up and then closes
God's not ready to start the day

As each movement unfurls
My brow gets moist with salty sweat
The small hole becomes a bigger hole
Robin redbreast comes over to investigate

I drench my hands on soil to sort the stones
Smelling the earth with a deep breath
I pause rested and squatted deep on my ankles
Stopping to think as the earth continues to spin

This work belongs with me
And I was brought up with it
Strangers who cannot handle a *****
Are alien to us, the children of the soil

I know ..
The thoughts you have of the future
I know ..
The lack of clarity and sense of frustration
I know..

That God had some part in this
I know..
That man had made this
I know..

We will come through this
I know..
We will prevail
I know.

Promise me the sun
Promise me some fun
Promise me a good next year
Promise me a year without fear

Give me your grace
Give me a smile across your face
Give me the sun
n' I'll be the one

Underneath the rug
Near the curled up crisp packet
There is still joy

Underneath the hospital bed
Near the vial of medicine
There is still joy

Underneath the bridge
Inside the cardboard home
There is still joy

Underneath my scalp
Between the two cortex's
My synapses fire

Neurons become thoughts
Thoughts become friends and enemies
Only I can decide

Joy is hope and hope never dies

Make the call
Sieze the point
Make the call
Ease the joint

Make the call
Take the stand
Make the call
Take my hand

Make the call
Change the rhetoric
Make the call
Move to betterment

I'm vapin on my escoota
Goin up da hill
iPhone12 in hand
Life is quite a thrill

Town centa is the destination
MackyDs to stop
A quarter pounder is the deal
Onions and analogue cheese all da the way to the top

Cor that babe looks nice
I'm looking supa cool on my scoota
Shoulda packed my ****
Got to put that idea thru ya

When you think about it we are all storytellers
Whose story do we believe?
Whose story is out to deceive?
What story will you tell today?
Are sad, mad or glad?

                                                  
                                                            I
                                                     am the eye
                                               I      see every  thing
                                                    ­  Don't you
                                                           see?

I am ampersand
et you are you
My mantra is continuous
To support us through

There is no juncture
No delay, no puncture
No sign of stopping
No sign of dropping

The pressure is high
We can still touch the sky
We can meet the demand
We are ampersand

Like some form of re-animator
I morph into a new creature daily
To surprise you

My nails grow talons naturally
My hair becomes thick and black
Huge spikes come out of my back

My breathe gets hot and fiery
My smell of that of a fox
I stare at you and dribble
As you settle down and watch Googlebox

Notifications come in..
'Your iCloud account is full'
'Your Google account is full'
Full of what.. I wonder?
Bits and bytes of memories
Some of which matter, most of which don't
Data cooking on servers, data cooking the world with heat

Handle won't move
Drawers full
Wardrobes full
Full of what.. I wonder?
Clothes that haven't been worn once this year
Shoes that lie dormant in little door mice boxes
Decent covers for others that need them to stay warm

Fridge door is stuck
Shelves are full
Cupboards are full
Full of what.. I wonder?
Good fruit, tinned meat and veg that I sometimes eat
But mostly goes into recycling
Fuel for hungry soles

I stutt..er, words can't come out
Synapses stuck
Brain is full
Full of what.. I wonder?
Media junk from many screens
Mostly *******, occasionally useful
Negative rhetoric filling valuable spaces
Brain fog and digital clouds, clouding the future

White ear-pods in, society out
Living in a cocoon of sound
Cushioned from interruption
And deaf to everyday communication

Smartphone on loudspeaker
Holding it like a defiant torch or gun
Marching defiantly
Oblivious to the self enforced broadcast on the street and in shops

AI auto corrects my grammar
Like a bad teacher changing the sentence meaning
I consider changing it back but decide that
Digital wins and I give in,
Elon can have my words
Back to solace, back to pen and paper

Everything has value
Everything you see
Everyone can contribute
Everyone can be

Nothing is worth ignoring
Nothing is less than than it's sum
Nothing needs a break
Nothing is not fake

Something is worth holding onto
Something is the start
Something is the mind start
Something is the art

Hope is the ignition
Hope is the cart
Hope will take us to that place
Hope is that smile on your face

We used to ride in cars
Now w're sending rockets to Mars
It's the brilliant way to feel
As we drive 'round in batteries on wheels

Carbon fuels are the past
Select ignition, then blast
Fuels cells on roofs
Gas 'n smog aloof

Next holiday in space
More progress for the human race
Earth has been our first stop
Now in the ionosphere, first stage time to drop.

Cold thru stone
Cold thru to the bone
Can't get warm today
Wandering from radiator to radiator

Change a top
Change a crop
Chilling flesh too cold
Winter story untold

Need a cuppa
Need some suppa
Gritting teeth need to stop
Let's turn up the heat before we drop

After the storm the mist forms over Mussenden.
A cargo ship appears to sit still in the bay.
Lit up like a landing beacon at night.
Hardy souls on board.
White sea horses rumble over kelp strewn shores.

Wagtails dart over basalt towers
The strand with it's white sand round the corner.
Donegal, hidden by dreich looks like a far away land.
All is quiet.. nothing to report...calm returns.

The times we fought
Over things we see as important
The battlefield laid out
Our armour ready to take the blows

Our weapons drawn as soon as we speak
The waring words of attack
Only serve to try and justify
The forbidding onslaught

For I won't try and be your victor
No badge of honour shall I take
No carrying the flag to the hill top
No victory salute from the cop

I'm not like you
I'm different
Your assumption that I share the same
Is not for you to ascertain

A different island I have come
Different father, different son
Different accent, different view
Different food, different cue

Don't assume I'll take to you
Please don't see this as something blue
You just need to know there is something true
I'm not the same, I'm not like you

Dreich day
Wet rain falling
Wet icy rain falling
Cooling my face
Cooling my body

Robin soaked
Blackbird happy
Blue **** flitting
Sparrows committing

Dreich day
Endless grey

Vaccine 2 I love you
Mass vacation can start anew
The year can begin with hope
The year can begin...we can cope

Hats off to the Oxford team
Efficacy numbers from a dream
Now it's down to Johnson's lot
2 million a week, no time to stop

Back to burgers
Back to beer
Streets full of laughter
Streets full of cheer

Back to haircuts
Back to the gym
People start to chatter
People start to grin

Long time coming
Long time to sleep
Ok to vent now
Ok to weep

Next stage is coming
Next to open up
More fun to be having
More new life erupts

Empty is the soul
Cruel is the mind
That makes me think of me
Instead of others

Empty is the pocket
Of the old man on the street
We pass without looking at
We pass and pretend that isn't there

Empty is the world
The world that we live in
Deep are the pockets of the rich men
The rich men that don't act or care

Like some kind of Irish David Lynch
I awake, words fuse together
As my synapses spark

Nanosecond choices
Picosecond bonds
Served up to me
Shall I offer to others to see?

Phrases of alien tongue
'The Pernapalise principle'
'The Goodwin ghost'

The day goes by
More synapses fire
Less frequently this time

Normality resumes
I give in to reality
Time for bed