An unrequited love is like a blossom,
Gently, slowly, softly floating from a tree,
The tree yearns and longs to hold it on its branch,
But the child who smiles is happy that it’s free.

At first it hurt to feel the pang of love that will never be,
To feel the shards of broken heart shattering in me,
A sudden realisation of having you in my life,
Takes away the desolation, the anger and the strife.  

At first it hurt to know the strain of love that is forgotten,
To feel the core of my being was turning rotten,
A sudden realisation of having you as a friend,
Takes away the desperation with knowledge that I’ll mend.

An unrequited love is like a rainbow,
Flying, shining, gliding across the grey sky,
The rain comes and floods the land of all its sun,
But the child who cried is dancing in the dry.

Rainbow spider web,
Silken twinkle on the view,
Natures perfect sight.

When the dark clouds,
Come one by one,
And form an oppressive shroud,
Remember that the wind will send them far away,
And brighten the skies of a tortured day.

When it rains down,
Crying like tears,
And you feel that you might drown,
Remember that the sun will dry the water, gone,
And reflect the magic in your eyes, shone.

Look at the good,
Hiding away,
It’s there wherever you’re stood,
Remember that when times are hard as concrete, cold,
There’ll always be a heart and arms here, hold.

A Poem by Simon Clark to Celebrate National Poetry Day 2013**  

I didn’t sleep last night for fear of dreaming,
For if my eyes closed and my mind wandered,
It might picture a time when you walk away,
When the door you held open and invited me through,
Closed,
Shut,
Locked and final,
I didn’t sleep last night for fear of dreaming.

I didn’t sleep last night for fear of waking,
Waking up to a cold and empty bed,
Where my night visions turn into night terrors,
Where you say you never loved me and you never could,
Cold,
Shunned,
Lost and frozen,
I didn’t sleep last night for fear of waking.

I didn’t sleep last night for fear of writing,
For if my ink bled onto its canvas,
Revealing images I’d concealed from view,
Opening the door to see an unrequited love,
Chaste,
Stopped,
Loosed and falling,
I didn’t sleep last night for fear of writing.

I didn’t sleep last night for fear of crying,
The broken tears I hoped would never fall,
Yet looking up at the blanket of ceiling,
The lonely waters erupted and they cleansed my soul,
Cleared,
Soft,
Light and freeing,
I didn’t sleep last night for fear of crying.

I might just sleep tonight; no fear of being,
In my bed of dreams and reality,
Where my daily life is lived in fantasy,
The ecstasy of knowing I can close my eyes; sleep,
Calm,
Smooth,
Laced and fading,
I might just sleep tonight; no fear of being…

…asleep.

Each day a sun arises,
And with the closing of the day the moon appears,
A cycle that's unchangeable,
And happens from year to year,
But within each ordinary day a miracle occurs,
Like a shooting star or a raindrop falling on the icy lake,
Or a baby being born.

John James enters the world to explore the brand new sights,
From the comfort of his mothers womb to a world of calm,
Of love and peace,
His life, I hope, will be one filled with joy and cheer,
And the necessary feeling of knowing his family is near,
And as the wind changes and the seasons come and go,
I know that John James changeth, you'll see just how he grows.

You'll watch upon in wonder as he utters his first word,
Like the blind man who rejoiced at the sight of the mockingbird,
You'll watch upon in awe as, slowly, step by step he takes,
And the pleasure you will feel each morning that he wakes,
In a time where life can be so cruel and rushed,
Nothing silences the passion, this flame just can't be hushed.

Each day a sun arises,
And with the closing of the day the moon appears,
A cycle that's unchangeable,
And happens from year to year,
But within each ordinary day a baby can be born,
And like the river finds it way, John James has found your heart,
For, in that heart, like a locket on a pendant, he will forevermore stay.

Attack upon a child,
Aggression and fearless thoughtlessness,
Treating others as animals,
Dehumanising them,
Leaving them alone and filled with hopelessness.

Sifted like flour,
I’ve been removed from the good,
Discovered as bad,
Waited for hours,
‘Neath the cover of the hood,
Torn, lonely and sad.