The mind gets clogged with cobwebs with the steady march of years
“’Twas time,” I decided, “to spring clean between the ears”
The hinges were all rusted on the doorway to my mind
But I entered the dark abyss, not sure what I would find

I was faced with such a jumble of accumulated junk
That for a second I hesitated, and almost did a bunk
But I was driven by a request from a mind still young and fresh
And drew courage from her kindness and continued on my quest

It looked so dark and gloomy as I crept through memory’s vaults
The largest room, and darkest contained the list of all my faults
That room was just plain scary, so I softly closed that door
And went deeper into the labyrinth, determined to explore

Long forgotten smiles began glimmer in one room
And I gathered these around me to drive away the gloom
The more I gathered, the more appeared with a soft and friendly light
I freely spread them all around and made the whole place bright

I swept up unfounded doubts, threw out some groundless fears
And scrubbed the grime from my mind with a bucket full of tears
I catalogued my memories and looked at what I had
I moved the happy ones to the fore, but retained some that were sad

Though sad, they were genuine and had earned their rightful place
But I moved them towards the back so they wouldn’t cloud my face
Jealousy and envy just didn’t want to leave
But I managed to evict them with a super mental heave

I took a break and looked around to see what progress I had made
A top coat of happy memories had made the sorrows fade
I filled a bucket with my achievements, and things that made me proud
And tossed it in the room of faults. Boy! Was the conflict loud.

I gave thanks to the inspiration that first drove me to this task
The improvements that I felt were much more than I could ask
Before I attacked the cobwebs, I never realised
The different perspectives that you gain when your mind is youthenised

I was a long time loner with emotions I never shared
I didn’t plan it that way, was just that no one really cared
Then you came on the scene and gave my heart a shove
Next thing I realised I had fallen head over heels deep in love

I refused to believe at first that such love could really last
But gladly changed my mind as the sweet years drifted past
When I spoke of my love, I spoke from both heart and head
And began to eagerly hope and pray that we would soon be wed

I sent my love to you, you sent me yours too
Until that sad and lonely day when you returned my love unused
I didn’t know what I’d done wrong, didn’t know why I felt such pain
The only thing I knew for certain? I must hide my heart again

“’Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all”
I sought comfort in those words but the message began to pall
When Tennyson wrote that line, he may have thought it true
But whoever believes those words my dear has never loved and then lost you

‘Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all
‘Tis better to have loved and lost love than to never have loved at all
‘Tis better to have lost after love than to have loved never at all
But when the loser loses love my love, the loser loses all

While working on the formula for his next destination.
Dr Who made an error with straight forward multiplication
His assistant broke his train of thought with some ill timed ‘do-gooding’
Though she knew he couldn’t concentrate while eating Christmas pudding

When the tardis landed with a routine solid “thump”
He opened the door in a tee shirt, and took a backwards jump
“This doesn’t look like China.” he mused, looking out the door
And went to get some warmer clothes so he could go and explore

He finally re-emerged wrapped in layers of bedding
“Where is the basic farming? Why are those people sledding?”
“I wanted to study parrots and all I see is penguins.
I aimed for Riceland, not Iceland” He turned and went back in.

Oh ye majestic paragon of solitude.
Towering, glowering o’er un-named vales
Your heart of stone unmoved through ages
Your craggy features carved by gales

Soaring through clouds you ****** at the sky
Omnipotent master of all you survey
Your brooding visage sends a message
A warning at large to keep away

Yet there at your foothills, a challenge was forming
A small and puny little crew
How could such a small aggressor
Aspire to e’er stand over you

But on they pressed, and ever upward
Day after restless day they toiled
Till you shrugged them off with a mighty avalanche’
Your pristine flanks once more unspoiled

Though they be gone still more follow
Your ****** summit lures their souls
You scornfully dismiss their valiant efforts
Their bodies strewn and crushed like dolls

Alas, some day you will succumb
Mankind will trample your ****** peak
Your mystery a distant memory
As chairlifts carry the soft and the weak

But you will be harsh on the vain and unwary
Who will sometimes treat you with scorn and disdain
The grim reaper will visit on a regular basis
As you continue to give lessons in pain

Oh for the giants of steam, Oh for the gleaming black wonders
I see them in many a dream as along the tracks they thunder
I stand at a crossing and listen, hoping to hear their sad cry
To see their steel bodies glisten as they proudly rush on by

They convey a sense of great power as they effortlessly pull their great loads
While nearby, cars and trucks cower and hug the safety of their roads
The “J’s” and the mighty “K’s”, the “W’s” and sturdy “AB’s”
Who could forget the days when there were such engines as these

To stand on the footplate’s exciting as they begin to get under way
To feel the cold wind biting; to feel the cabin sway
The track ahead  is clear. Driver says “Take her up a notch”
Then comes the end of the line. She slows. She shudders. She stops

But the reign of these queens has passed, no more haunting banshee wails
These giants have breathed their last, soulless diesels now rule the rails
Yet memories live for so long, and on a quiet night it can seem
I hear, from afar, an old song, A ghostly echo,  the sad voice of steam

Nothing is eternal, only death is guaranteed
I shan’t love you always. Some day you will be freed
When the clouds take back their raindrops
When a baby bears its mother
Then in early morning’s sunset I will leave you for another

When the hyena starts to cry dear, when Mona Lisa’s smile is gone
When the earth no longer spins and the days no longer dawn
When the clouds take back their raindrops
When a baby bears its mother
Then in early morning’s sunset I will leave you for another

When the seas run out of fish dear, and the birds run out of song
Then I’ll run out of love dear, and slowly travel on
When the clouds take back their raindrops
When a baby bears its mother
Then in early morning’s sunset I will leave you for another

But for now I love you dearly so while there’s stars above
Let us be together so we can share my love
For when the clouds take back their raindrops
When a baby bears its mother
Then in early morning’s sunset I will leave you for another