Sometimes in life
I've taken all I that could get
And at other times
I've given all that I am
And then ultimately
I was empty of everything
And full of nothing
But at least I've lived
And lived hard at that

                                By Phil Roberts

They lie warm together
In the afterglow of torrid love
Her head on his chest, he says
"Sing me to sleep, my love"
So she hums and croons
A tune he does not recognize
With soothing sounding words
In a language he does not recognize
"I love you," he murmurs as his eyes close
"I know," she says smiling
And so, as he sleeps
She lies open-eyed
Imagining a future he will not recognize

                                        By Phil Roberts

I made my way
Through the raging years
To a certain tenderness
And I've known
A grown man's tears
And the agony of emptiness

And in my time
I have done and seen
More than I could stand
But what was then
And wherever I've been
I'm just another tired man

                             By Phil Roberts

It’s not that big a surprise
How much I adore Amsterdam
Like immigrants long ago
So welcomed here just as I am
In the historic Lloyd Hotel
To witness a wedding so swell
I’m glad I’m here in Amsterdam

Canals and bikes aplenty
Whizzing past on every street
The Keukenhof gardens amazed
VanGogh’s Museum made me weep
I’m glad I’m here in Amsterdam

We walked for miles & took the train
Our flight home I made not a peep
It must have been that Space Cake
We ate it and went right to sleep
A fond farewell to Amsterdam

Searching low and high
Open wide of heart
Clear and bright of eye
Kicking around dusty memories
And unintelligible dreams
I've missed something
And something's missing
A precious thing has left my life
A purpose for living
A reason to carry on
A glint of meaning
And a hint of heaven
I've waited and I wait
All to no avail
My inner cynic was right all along
So set a place for me in hell
I'm ready to come home

                        
                       By Phil Roberts

Down town, small town
Sunday night hanging around
Kids on the skids
Got no dough and no place to go
All in the bus station
Putting themselves on show
Gathered in small groups
Eyeing each other up
Acting and looking just so

Then he and she locked eyes
Young lust on the cusp
Without a hint of disguise
It only took a minute or two
And these reckless kids
Knew what they were going to do
It was all upfront with nothing hid
These two had already done
More than kids shudda did

So they found a derelict house
And there the deed was done
It wasn't meant to be about love
It was just about having fun
But they decided to meet next day
Right after school was done
Back in the bus station again
Waiting for their buses home
So they sat and talked a while
And realised they got on

Soon they were "going steady"
Left their craziness behind
After all, they were old enough
They had both been around
Love bloomed for all of two weeks
Before it got him down
Having a girl friend was one thing
But he preferred nights on the town
So he told her cold as ice
Sorry babe, you gotta go

                                By Phil Roberts