If
I Love You
And
You Love Me

Is
That True Love
Or
What Will Be?*

© Cinco Espiritus Creation

Paul Simon wrote of sitting at a railway station,
With a ticket for his destination,
A cool autumn morn, and I’m doing the same,
Penning my thoughts, while awaiting my train.

A nice warm coffee cupped in my hand,
My trusty pen, the poet’s wand,
More travellers arrive, their tickets purchase,
While I just sit, composing verses.

My I-Pod blasts out Thin Lizzy live,
The music helps my poem thrive,
People staring, I'm deep in thought,
Me thinks this poem won’t be short.

The train arrives, of course its late,
So much to do, I cannot wait,
We pass through villages, towns and fields,
The lonely scarecrow, no secrets he yields.

The stunning views sure do amaze,
As we journey on through drizzly haze,
The farmer’s fields and their misty shroud,
As I travel further from maddening crowd.

Through the cloud comes a shaft of light,
Then forms a rainbow, bold and bright,
You see the world with a different view,
Or perhaps not, as we pass through Crewe.

Great, sods law, one working loo,
And yes of course, there’s quite a queue,
I-Pod still belting out the tunes,
As along the track, the train it zooms.

Ahh, now my destination is in sight,
Now a cracking day and drunken night,
A time to catch up with good friends,
And where both Journey, and poem ends.*

© Cinco Espiritus Creation
2013

If I knew then, what I know now,
My life would be so much different, and how!!
But if I knew then, what I know now,
Would mean life without my kids, which I  could not allow!
So my life of mistakes, and there's been quite a few,
Will just have to suffice, and I'll have to make do,
My life isn't perfect, far from it in fact,
But I still fight each day, and I'm reasonably intact,
Mistakes that we make, lead us down many roads,
But it's made me the person I am I suppose.

*Cinco Espiritus Creation
2017

Regret not mistakes made in the past,
That decision’s made, that die is cast,
Life will change in so many ways,
Don’t let the past destroy future days.

One life to live, one life to share,
One chance to show how much you care,
Life isn’t measured in what you achieve,
But more upon what impression you leave.

Some days you’ll love, some days you’ll hate,
Those days dictated by your fate,
Each day of life will prove a test,
But in each day, just do your best.

Life is hope, life is dreams,
Some days alone, or so it seems,
Each day is exciting, each day is new,
But ultimately, each day is lived by you.

© Cinco Espiritus Creation
2014

I sit alone, I wonder why,
My life once bright, now upside down,
I fight the tears, I want to cry,
The smile I wore is now a frown.

I wonder why, I sit perplexed,
My mind a blank, I’m so confused,
Deceived by you, I’m feeling vexed,
No reason why, hence I’m bemused.

The smile I wear, merely a shroud,
My inner soul has formed a shell,
The joker playing to the crowd,
Disguising pain of inner hell.

This happy chap, once so bold,
Always one to laugh and joke,
Is torn in two, and feels so old,
His strength is gone, his feelings choke.

A dark and lonely, dreary place,
A tortured soul, all hope is gone,
A pale, gaunt look upon my face,
Where once was happiness, now there’s none.

You played your game and more fool me,
I share some blame, of this that’s true,
I will be back, just wait and see,
A stronger man, all thanks to you!

I’ve been a fool, deceived by lust,
You preyed on me, when I was down,
But you lost my heart, when you lost my trust,
And soon this joker shall lose his frown.

We live and learn in all we do,
As long as I learn from these mistakes,
But now I’ll find somebody true,
One to save this soul that aches.

A person warm, a soul like me,
A kindred spirit, alike in mind,
A lonely fish in a stormy sea,
One to share, the life we find.

This person exists, I know it now,
A soul mate true, a life long friend,
Our paths will cross, I care not how,
To share my life until it’s end.*

© Cinco Espiritus Creation
2012

Clickety click, Clickety clack,
The train it rolls along the track.
The kids all get restless the parents all natter,
But at least they aren’t crying, so that doesn’t matter.

Clickety clack, Clickety click,
A child hollers out “mum I feel sick!”
“What did I tell you about eating those sweets?”
“Don’t make a mess all over these seats!”

Clickety click, Clickety clack,
The guard sitting bored, in his cab at the back.
We thunder through towns and all of its people,
Passing by churches, and that old pointed steeple.

Clickety clack, Clickety click,
A drinks cart on the train? Ah just the trick,
A nice cup of coffee and a cold can of beer,
“How much?  You’re kidding!”  I won’t get much change here!

Clickety click, Clickety clunk,
Oops, sounds like that rail's missing a chunk.
We cross over bridges, spanning their rivers,
I must close that window, it’s giving me shivers.

Clickety click, Clickety clack,
I’m getting hungry; I could use a good snack.
Back comes the hostess with her goods laden trolley,
No chance I’m parting with even more lolly.

Clickety clack, Clickety click,
So many destinations, which one should I pick?
Should I stay local, or should I go far?
It’s certainly more peaceful than driving a car.

Clickety click, Clickety clack,
It feels like we’re speeding along a fair whack.
The seconds to minutes, the minutes to hours,
From towns and their houses, to fields and their flowers.

Clickety clack, Clickety click,
Wherever I’m going, I’m getting there quick.
Bright eyed young faces, an adventure, exciting,
The doddery old folk, complain when alighting

Clickety click, Clickety clack,
We pass many crossings and a ***** old shack.
How many golf courses and quaint country pubs?
And weekend gardeners out pruning their shrubs.

Clickety clack, Clickety click,
These seats so uncomfy, now my neck's got a crick!
Now finally I've reached my long journey’s end,
And I'm glad that I've shared it with you my dear friend.

© Cinco Espiritus Creation
2012

Through life I gave you memories,
Through memories you give me life.

© Cinco Espiritus Creation

Today is a gift given by yesterday,
But not promised for tomorrow.

Be remembered for your actions today,
As tomorrow you may be forgotten.*

© Cinco Espiritus Creation
2014

To hope is to dream for all we can achieve,
To aid this path through life we weave.
Our time on earth is all to brief,
Our passing brings our loved ones grief.

But life is a journey we should always treasure,
Our passing memories should bring back pleasure.
To family, friends and loved ones all,
Those times we’ve shared too many to recall.

We live, we love, we laugh, we cry,
These moments grow as days go by.
Our memories gathered through the years,
So please don’t think of us through tears.

The gift of a child is a sight to see,
They fill our lives with so much glee.
We give them hope and aspiration,
Yet our passing fills them with desperation.

We do not choose our final date,
That rests purely in the hands of fate.
So we leave behind the ones we love,
As our calling comes, from high above.*

© Cinco Espiritus Creation
2013

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
A line oft quoted from Shakespeare’s play.
Love quotes work when out to woo,
But my quotes come from me to you.

Her eyes so soft, her hair so fine,
Her smile so warm, come rain or shine,
She is my soul, my essence of life,
She melts away my woes and strife.

Beauty lies with the beholder,
And I can’t recall the times I’ve told her,
We all have ways to show we care,
Tho’ some are private, we cannot share.

To be with you, to see your smile,
To wonder at your strength and guile,
To feel your love, to hear your laughter,
At last I’ve found my happy ever after.

To hopes and dreams of what tomorrow brings,
I hear your voice, my heart it sings,
My soul it smiles with hope anew,
As one thing I know, is I love you.

© Cinco Espiritus Creation
2012

Is there in existence unconditional love?
Where two hearts fit like hand in glove?
Is it possible to give away so much trust?
To see it fail, blown away in the dust?
Is there a love, so impassioned and wild?
I believe that it's true, but only parent and child!*


© Cinco Espiritus Creation
2016

I like the dark, I like the cold,
Away from life that makes me old,
To stop and ponder what should be,
And escape the life that's crippling me.

I like to sit out in the rain,
The splosh of droplets, relieve the strain,
This crash of water, the growing puddles,
Oft clear my mind, and all it's muddles.

To sit and feel the pelt of hail,
That crisp, sharp sting and blast of gale,
The swirling wind, no sounds of man,
Here I can work out who I am.

I want some time from behind the mask,
I do not think that's much to ask?
I like to get away from it all,
For chance to be the real Paul.

Working out which path to follow,
To stop me feeling empty, hollow,
Where to go, to do what next?
This age old problem leaves me vexed!

From within my soul I feel its growl,
It's evil, demented, cavernous howl,
It's mere presence chills to the bone,
This demon follows, wherever I roam.

Controlling thoughts, fuelling fears,
Crippling ambition, driving tears,
My plans to go forward, it brings to a halt,
As everything in life, is always my fault.

My future remains lost in the haze,
Living with this darkness for all my days,
All that remains, is my epilogue,
I'm living with the big black dog!*

© Cinco Espiritus Creation
2016

Weren't you the person I used to be?
Weren't you the person so timid and shy?
Weren't you the person of low self esteem?
Weren't you the person to hide in the crowd?
Weren't you the person with no confidence?
Weren't you the person that knew when to laugh?
Weren't you the person that knew when to cry?
Weren't you the person that hid it all behind a mask?
I'm still the person I used to be,
I'm still the person timid and shy,
I'm still the person of low self esteem,
I'm still the person hiding in the crowd,
I'm still the person of no confidence,
I'm still the person that knows when to laugh,
I'm still the person that knows when to cry,
I'm just a person that now wears a better mask!
That's who the **** I am!

© Cinco Espiritus Creation
2016

Why do I do it?
Why do I torment myself so?
Why do I imagine things that will never be?
Why do I interpret more than is ever said?
Why do I see things as me and you?
Because you bring my soul to life.

© Cinco Espiritus Creation
2016

Widnes aint much, but to me she’s sweet home,
Safe refuge from wherever I roam,
Many may claim that she’s ugly and ******,
But open your eyes, and she’s really quite pretty.

From down by the snig, to up to the Crown,
There’s pubs a plenty where sorrows can drown,
The Globe, The Coterie, now Pesto of course,
But to all us old locals, it’s still the Black Horse.

Town centre drunks, laugh while they rant,
Old ICI and their Paraquat plant,
An industrial past, its dirt and its grime,
A ***** old river, her sludge and her slime.

Of nature reserves, we have quite a few,
From out of our wastelands, something wonderful grew,
Wildlife thriving where once we dumped *******,
Now even the Mersey lives once more with fish.

The factory smells that insulted our noses,
Spike Island, proud host once to the Stone Roses,
Paul Simon himself, when loneliness found,
On one of our stations,  wrote Homeward Bound.

The Beatles once played our dear Queens Hall,
Derelict now, no more curtains to call,
We love our music live and loud,
We truly are a passionate crowd.

A sporty town, but leagues our game,
Tho’ recent years have been quite a shame,
Myler, Karalius, Davies, Offiah,
Crowned World champs, our status climbed higher.

Proud we cheered in old Naughton Park,
The cowsheds, cold, smelly and dark,
The glory days, they came and went,
Old fans speak in sad lament.

The whole town’s roads, my how they’ve changed,
Drivers sit there now, all deranged,
Confusing sets of roundabouts,
That lead us there, or thereabouts.

Morrisons, Aldi and now a Tesco,
Asda Halebank, well that had to go,
A curious accent, not manc or scouse,
Just hear us speak with Woolyback nouse.

W’s in words, like one, two, three, foewer,
And entering homes, through a front doewer,
It’s hard to explain in a few lines here,
But a few minutes in town, and all becomes clear.

Bowling, cinema and now an ice rink,
The town is recovering, back from the brink,
There’s Costa, Next, Boots and Wilkos,
Who else is coming, no one quite knows.

Widnes has changed in my 40 years,
But filled with hopes now instead of fears,
Change for the better? Let’s wait and see,
But no matter what, she’s still home to me.

© Cinco Espiritus Creation
2012

Words are a gift we must beware how we use,
We can use them to love, or to hate and abuse,
To be uttered in hope, or to hurl them as curse,
We can place them together as a rhyme or a verse.

Words are a weapon we can use in discord,
As it’s claimed that the pen, is more mighty than sword,
Words can be empty, their meaning be hollow,
Or we can say them in strength, so that others may follow.

Words and their meanings, can so often confuse,
Or their meanings dramatic, with their use on the news,
Their meaning may change with the way we infer,
Do they mean we are hated?  Do they mean that we care?

To me there’s no doubt, that our words are a gift,
We must use them for good, to give others a lift,
If you use them to harm, or to give fear and dread,
Then I think that it’s far better left as unsaid.

We must use them to love, and for comfort in grief,
We must use them for those that are short on belief,
We must use them to settle any quarrel or rift,
And it’s why that I know that their use is a gift!*

© Cinco Espiritus Creation
2013

Day - Night
Dark - Light
Bitter - Sweet
Untidy - Neat

Up - Down
Smile - Frown
Happy - Sad
Good - Bad

Positive or negative
Defines your day
Your mood dictates
Which one holds sway*

© Cinco Espiritus Creation
2016

Society today looks down on youth,
Through sneering glasses and attitudes aloof,
The times have changed, old ways can’t last,
So to the children, the future is passed.

It’s true that respect itself is earned,
But let them benefit from lessons we’ve learned,
So the next generation, our experience can borrow,
For without today, there will be no tomorrow.

© Cinco Espiritus Creation
2012