Gleaming morning dew
Kisses the flowers awake
Intimate mornings

I sit on the step
And draw
The cold around me
Like a blanket,
Savouring the numbness
And the heat
That begins within.
Swallowed by the night
Drunk on wine
And stars.
Hot tears on cold cheeks.
Seasoning for
Chapped lips
Stinging
Bringing fresh tears.
I take refuge
In the silence,
Under the gaze of
Sympathetic eyes.
My friends.
My constant companions.
Drunk on wine
And stars.

Shadows sliding down,
Enshrouding the mountainside,
Heralding day's end

She was as light as a feather
Carried on the sweetest wind.
A tonne weight locked
Around my fiercely protective heart.
As sure as an apple falling from a tree,
She brought uncertainties in abundance.
Physics had no question
For the answer she gave.

I will lay me down
And bow my back
To the point of breaking
So I can be your bridge
To better things

A beautiful swan
Of the finest crystal
Sat upon a shelf,
Wings poised
To take flight,
Refracting weak sunlight
To create a halo of beauty.
For years she sat gathering dust
Until one day she fell
In a graceful arc,
Smashing on tiles
With the sweetest sound.
Of freedom.
At last.

I read your words
And feel your emotions,
Am drawn into your worlds
And feed off your thoughts.

I'm the original copycat

She reminds me of a foxglove
Eyes drawn to her like steel to a magnet
She reminds me of a foxglove
Her sweet perfume an olfactory pleasure
She reminds me of a foxglove
Tall, slender, beautiful
And just as poisonous

She came in a world of pain
Grinding my bones to dust
And setting my body on fire.
Fear and despair
Fighting each other
And waves of nausea
Threatening to knock me down.

And then it was over
and I knew.

I would go through all
The pain again (and more)
If it meant
That I got you.

It was written in the sand
But the sea washed it away.
It was written on the cliffs
But they crumbled day by day.
It was written on the sun
But the clouds did claim the sky.
And then we wrote it in our hearts
So that it will never die.

In my dreams you came,
as if you had never gone,
carrying branches
with buds still closed.
Paralysed
with awe
I could not stop you leaving.
I woke.
Shaken to the core.
I could not stop you leaving.

The lies
like dirt under
fingernails.
Call on your inner
Lady Macbeth
but no amount of scrubbing
can cleanse them.
They lie thick
on the tongue
tainting tastes
with blistered buds.
A thousand ants
marching on your
skin.
Unscratchable itch.
Descending into
madness.
Only truth can
set you free.
Only you can
free the truth.

Let's set this bird free;
See if it comes back.

Her arms flailing
pinwheeling through the air
in dramatic attempt at emphasis.
His arms across his body
to absorb the impact
from her words.
Her eyes wide
like something possessed,
as expressionists weep.
His eyes closed
to keep at bay
the wicked witch.
Welcome to the new tribal dance.

The cheddar-like moon
Flirting with the bashful stars
tipping them the wink

You may say the shame is mine,
But I wear it with a pride you can't imagine,
And my head will never be bowed.

I will not bow down
To defeat.
I storm ahead and
Won't retreat.
I am the captain
Of this fleet.

The storms may rage
Beneath my feet,
But in this race
I will compete.
I will not bow down
To defeat.

He sits by the stop  
But never boards the bus
Smoking sweet smelling
Cigarettes
Fingers yellowed.
Drinking straight from
The can
Under the midday sun.
Beads of sweat on the brow.
People get on
And people get off.
Never him.
He tells me that
Sometimes
The greatest joy in life
Is watching others make the journey.

Shoulder to shoulder
These young men,
Boys,
Stood for the rights of all,
Thumbing their noses
At the iron fist that crushed
Their people's heart,
Giving voice
To those rendered mute
And heart
To those without hope.
Shoulder to shoulder
These young men,
Boys,
Stood while bullets ripped
And cannons bellowed
Until they could stand no more,
The word surrender
Unheard and unspoken.
Shoulder to shoulder
These young men,
Boys,
Lay at peace.
They lit a spark
That ignited a revolution
And the dreams of giants
Were realized
With the sacrifice of
These young men,
Boys,
Legends.

In dreams we dance,
under a sweet pastel sky,
where the sun sets the mountains ablaze.
And the birds long to nest,
but are loathe to leave,
and the broken buds
and the beautiful souls
are carried on an eternal wind.
And the feathers that fall
are white.

Riding high on crests
Whispers hidden 'neath the waves,
Our desire to drown

Like stained glass,
She was breathtakingly beautiful
But easily broken

Just an ordinary
Boy,
With an extraordinary
Smile
That is gifted only
To me.
What an ordinary
Life
What extraordinary
Love
The ordinary boy
And me.

They move like dancers
Fuelled by bloodlust.
Heavy hands weighted
With the hopes of a nation.
An ampitheatre of
Fluorescent lights.
The chariots of the colosseum
Move through the shadows
And the savage beasts
Walk on two feet.

She offered up her heart
Upon a plate.
He feasted

Silenced, in awe,
They watched her paint,
Bringing life to a canvas.
Bold colours
And fierce brushstrokes.
They marvelled at her masterpiece.
Me, I watched her face as she painted,
The emotions sweeping over her,
Bringing life to the canvas she was.
And I was humbled
And I was in awe
And I marvelled
At the true masterpiece.

Beyond the clouds
There is a light
Gentle and strong
The promise
Of the end of night.
It shimmers
With the sound of
Children's laughter.
The hint of
A happily ever after.
Or maybe just
Okay for now,
But we'll make it
Through this storm
Somehow.

She is a mass of contradictions,
smooth curves and sharp tongue,
soft skin and hard thoughts,
happy mouth and sad eyes.
An alluring curiousity,
she travels with the freak show;
under constant scrutiny.
Beauty struggles under
harsh lighting,
grotesque truth
brought to the fore.
Free within a cage
To which you hold the key.
Redundant wings now used
To cover her face.

As she rises
In the blackened sky
And the waves
Meet the shore
With a gentle sigh,
She lays a tender kiss
Of silver light
Upon ocean's breast
Of anticipating crests.
And the lovers
Are reunited.

I was the boss.
Emotions kept in check.
Tears shed only in solitude.
Tough as old boots.
No-one could break this ice queen.
Then she looked at me.
This tiny scrap of humanity.
And I crumbled.

Mutinous clouds like a suit of armour
Obscuring views.
Crescent moon finds a *****
And lifts the mood.

Surrounded by birds
making orchestral music
I soar high with them

I'll meet you at the top of the mountain
When the sun is setting
And the stars are in the wings.
Where the wind tosses our hair
But the cold is superficial.
Where we stare across the lough,
Our whole world before us
In miniature
Where we hold hands
So we won't fall off
Or we'll fall together.
I'll meet you at the top of the mountain
When the sun is setting.

We sleep
So our darkest thoughts
Can be passed off
As nightmares

I have lied my way
Through life
And spilled my truth
Upon these pages.
A persona presented
Face to face
Is lost within the ink
Of the pen.
Created by insecurities,
Derived from expectations
Unjudged by blank sheets.
Only those who read me
Truly know me.

With your hands
Held aloft
And passion blazing in your eyes,
Your voice resonates
In an empty room
For the audience
Strain to hear
The whispers from the shadows.
And the applause
Echoing in your ears
Is merely a work of fiction.
Those who shout loudest
Will be the first
To lose their voice.