My pen exists
Between heaven and hell
And feels the pull of both.
Swinging like an undecided compass,
I never know what mood
Will govern it.
Which polar end will win today?
It taps the page like a metronome
And I wait with bated breath.

Fly struggles in vain
Spider's eyes gleam in darkness
The silken trap worked

Spider crawls on paths
Spotted by the silent bird
Swoops in for the ****

Cat slinks through the grass
Eyes locked on newly plump bird
Poised for the attack

Echoes in her blood
Ancient times long forgotten
The call of the hunt

He found the shape of angels
In the curvature of her body,
smelled the sweet scent of heaven
In the hollow of her neck,
Heard the harps of cherubs
In her honeyed voice
And tasted eden
On her cupid's bow.
And when her pain
Licked him like dancing flames,
He rode a wave of ecstacy
Toward a hellish nirvana.

In times of adversity
We will not be constrained
This river runs free.

We might flow down to the sea
or end up being drained.
In times of adversity

There is no need for lock and key
We will not live in chains
This river runs free.

We will not dwell on misery
will not be overcome by pain
In times of adversity

As we flow tirelessly
on a relentless campaign
This river runs free

We will not live in slavery
We will not be restrained
In times of adversity
This river runs free

Sunlight streaming in
Making glorious dancers
Of dust in the air

A broken mirror
Holds a thousand
Eyes.

Shattered images
Of confused
Components.

Witnessing
From angles
Anew.

The struggle
To recognize
True self
Is infinite.

And the
Reflection
Is never
The same.

Stop, if you have a minute
And please look a while
Upon the face of the girl with the frozen smile.

Stop.
Do you see her?
Or do you see a lie?
Tell me
Will you forget her
By and by?

Or will you forever
Ask yourself why
You didnt stop for the girl wirh the frozen smile?

The tree outside does dance,
Moves in such a way
That the dying light of day
Has me entranced.

Such a blissful feeling
Staring at the pirouettes
Of the branches' silhouettes
Upon my ceiling.

A colourless cascade
Of contrasting dark and light,
I could watch this scene all night
But light does fade.

The music swells
To an almighty crescendo
And I stand alone
In an empty room,
Arms held aloft
To welcome the
Sweep of emotion.
Hands dancing on the air,
Conducting
An invisible orchestra.
Tears seeping
Through closed lids.
Drained.
Exhausted.
Exhilirated.
In the moment.

My pen is untrained
Uncultured
And uncouth.
If you came to read ballet
You'll be sorely disappointed.
It's more the dance
Of a young colt
Still trying to find her feet
Moving to a staccato rhythm.
No mellifluous flow
But a drum
With a dodgy beat

Hopes, dreams
And any thought
Of a future,
Cast by the side
Of the road,
Among broken bones
That never learnt
To dance
Or kiss
Or love
Or lose,
The way we've
Suddenly,
Brutally,
Learnt.
A small broken body
Breeding broken
Hearts.

I am a composer
of poems
and a conductor
of musings,
The words,
together
a symphony of wonder
in rehearsals,
fall flat
at showtime,
but still
they sound sweet to me.
And so I dance.

The **** crows at dawn
Robbing sleep from the farmer
As he tries to wake

The farmer labours
Underneath a scorching sun
Drenched in his own sweat

His wife brings him lunch
And he drinks straight from the well
His thirst, satisfied.

Struggles to endure
No longer a man of youth
Greys at his temples

The day is over
Destined to be repeated
Breaking soil breaks backs

A once-loved trike
Sits alone in a corner of the garden.
A basket full
Of rotting flowers, long forgotten.
Pedals unused
Yielding to rust,
A child, slightly older,
No longer fussed

Moonlight reflected
In the ocean of your eyes
Like priceless diamonds

There may have been
Something unholy
About his eyes, but
God!
How I worshipped him!

The brightest lights in my life
Show me the darkest corners.
Stalked by fears unknown,
There is nowhere left to hide.
I refuse to clip their wings
Though my fingers itch to do so.
To give them life is frightening,
To let them live it is terrifying.

The apple tree
Bore rotten fruit
And blamed it
On the garden
Refusing to
Acknowledge
That her
Shallow roots
Could also
Be at fault

At the end of it all
These walls will fall
And the naked truth
Of your misspent youth
Will stalk your night
And bring to light
The shadowed ways
Of your formative days
But shed your fears
And save your tears,
Your past will not define you.

Flames that licked upon our tender fingers,
Blisters on the skin of our youthful hands,
The grim taste of ash is all that lingers
As we stumble around these foreign lands.

Faces once well known are now such strangers.
Haunted by wishes now dissipated,
Hunting for safety among dangers,
Searching for what's long evaporated.

Expectations crumbling to such sorrow
And disappointment littered all around.
The longing for a better tomorrow
Sprinkled like seedlings on infertile ground.

We shield our eyes upon finding treasure.
Time takes it's toll, but not beyond measure.

Squinting against
The light of truth
As it scorches
Your corneas
Lifting cataracts
Of deceit
Clearing the fog
Of lies
Leaving you
Painfully
Achingly
Sickeningly
Sighted

Let me hold your hand, my friend.
Let me guide you on your way
As you approach the end.

I cannot comprehend
This dying light of day.
Let me hold your hand, my friend.

Into darkness we descend,
To my horror and dismay,
As you approach the end.

And though I can't pretend
That your love I can repay.
Let me hold your hand, my friend.

The time you've left to spend
Slips cruelly away
As you approach the end.

How can I contend
With what death has to say.
Let me hold your hand, my friend
As you approach the end.

Beyond the veil
Of the spellbinding falls
Lies a cave
Of no light.
Clever creatures make
Their home
Where nobody hears them
Over nature's roar
And eyes deny
What they see.

The beginning and ending
May already have been written,
But the chapters in-between
Are mine to write.
I will make mistakes
That cannot be erased
And my pen will falter
But never fall.
I will not always like
To read them back,
But the chapters
Are mine to write.

Sometimes my silent screams
Drown the white noise.
Sometimes my shattered smile
Comforts their fickle tears.
Sometimes I wrap your hand in mine
And feel the love unspoken.
Sometimes words are not enough.
Sometimes words cannot be found.
Sometimes ....

On a floating pier,
My legs are steady.
The rhythm of the sea
Settling and soothing.
The whistling wind
A sweet piccolo.
The tide may leave,
But always returns.
Home.

My eyes snap open
Wrenching me back
From the abyss.
Heart racing
And palms sweating,
A physical reaction
To imagined fear.
The realization
That it was only a nightmare
Provides meagre comfort
As the mind
Still struggles
Against what it saw
In it's own theatre.
The flashbacks
Will taint the day

The impervious nature
of humankind littering the beaches,
painting a repugnant scene
upon a breathtaking canvas.
Paper wins again.

Thick grey clouds rolled over
The tall grey buildings.
The stench of despair
Like a creeping mist,
******* happiness
Straight from my soul.
The angry clouds
Birth a raging downpour
And a flower

A burst of colour
In a world of darkness

Grasps the drops
Like a lifeline.
They lie scattered
Like an intricate pattern
Of delicate diamonds
And I'm reminded
There's beauty
In the ugliest of things.

The sun will
Give way
To the moon,
This day will
At last
Be done with.
And my
Hollow heart
Can learn
To beat
Once more.

I walk in a wilderness
Of raw emotion
And feral thoughts
Constricting my chest
In a relentless vice
Unique calls
Echo in silence
Turning me deaf
And the shadows
Assault my eyes
Hiding in the blind spot.
My mind is *****
And my body is ravaged
The hollow knock
On an empty box
And somehow
I am home

Stars, don't mock me,
Looking down
Without a care in the world.
Challenging me,
Who will be next?
I admire your beauty
And fear
Your ruthlesness.
Do you really need another
To join your ranks?
Leave her with me,
I pray.
Your world will be
No different
With her in it,
Yet mine will be
So much the worse
Without her.

A short stroll up a lonely lane
Wild flowers filling the hedges,
Romancing our eyes
And flirting with our noses.
Inquisitive cows
Leaning over rickety gates
To better inspect us interlopers.
A broken path,
Crevices straining to trip us up.
A five minute dander for us.
A dangerous adventure in unexplored territories for them.

Wicked vines
Come wrap around me,
Dip into my soul
And feed your blackened branches.
Trail your fingers
In the water.
Constant ripples,
Ever changing reflection.
Give me roots to call my own.
Sink and save me.

How she loved!
She loved how
He made her laugh,
Loved how he held her
While they danced.
Loved how he stroked her face
When he thought no-one was watching
Loved how emotional he got
At the first scan.
Loved how he loved
Their child
Loved how he stared at her
And promised to love her forever
Loved how he asked how she was
When they learnt he was sick.
Loved how grateful he was
For a glass of water in bed
Loved how he tried
To make her laugh instead of cry
Loved how he held their child
Even though his arms were so weak
Loved how he let her cuddle in
As his breathing slowed
Loved how even when he was gone
The memory of him brought joy to her heart.
Loved how when anyone asked her
What she had done with her life
She could look them in the eye
And honestly declare
"I truly loved‘"

Elbow deep in soil
I place my fingers on earth's wrist
And feel the pulse of nature
As it hums in my blood
And vibrates my bones

All men are created equal

.............

Except some

..............

Some are better

Waves roll to the shore
Peaks and troughs race each other
To whisper 'I'm home'

Bury my smile
And silence my laugh.
Let my chin drop
And my shoulders sag.
In the absence of company
I remove the vestiges
Of the person they think I am.
The last of the great pretenders.

Sarcasm?
Really?
Ooooh fabulous!
I love sarcasm.

Trees, a canopy
Of gold and green above me
Wonder of the woods