in a van
with an ex-friend.
ex-win
lose again.
sitting in the front
you in the back.
we’re so far
but tension dense.
i sing the same sad songs
a symphony of sorrows.
mis-created mini meals of sensitivity
things won’t ever be the same again.
i lose again
ex win.
with an ex-friend
in a van.

Hard shall be your days
Gloom shall be your nights
To bring you to that point
The point of creation
A love hate situation
One can't exist without the other
No sorrow
No creativity
Depression more than a companion
Pain is your gain
Salty tears you shall cry
Carry your burden and blessing
To obtain your title
The title of ARTIST
While others admire or criticise
Often misunderstood
Always evolving
Always saying
This is my finest work
Until your next creation
Only free for moments short lived
For a fleeting moment in the spotlight
A brief moment on the stage

I am a guitar string
I sing, I dance and hum, I instill ecstatic joy in others
I move people and bring them to tears
but eventually all that becomes too much
and

i break

The days are filled with silence
I spend sunlight on finding answers
Waiting hours on end for night to fall
Hoping another day will carry chances

I used to sing my heart out
When I was left alone at home
Now I fear that someone might hear me
That someone is me, oh no

How did I go
From melody to nothing
Years of dreaming
To losing everything

How will I rise
From nothing to something
Years of learning
Have I forgotten to sing?

The nights are filled with demons
I spend moonlight on finding angels
Waiting hours on end for the morning
Hoping I'd wake up to a sequel

I've only lived half of what I can
I've only dreamed half of what I am
I've only sang half of what I understand
I only, only, only... just began...

How did I go
From melody to nothing
Years of dreaming
To losing everything

How will I rise
From nothing to something
Years of learning
Have I forgotten to sing?

Oh let’s sing
Church bells ring
Dingaling ling.

Sing out loud
Boldly and proud
Enormous crowd.

Hear those chants
You debutants
Some breathless pants.

Poetry starts here,
Perhaps with a beer
Ask Shakespeare.

Oral tradition
An ongoing mission
So start the audition.

A memorable rhyme
Lasts for all time
Let’s make it chime.

Free verse is still fine
Bring in the wine
And vary the line.

Who cares if it scans
You grammatical fans
We don’t need your plans.

So free up your souls
Whatever your goals
And loose those controls.

Yes let your heart sing
A bird on the wing
Tingaling ling.

If singing’s your thing
Think what you’ll bring
Tingaling ding.

Paul Butters

© PB 7\9\2018.

“Divide it among nobody!”
they say,
“Share it with the numbers!
Feed it to the armies that await!
Don’t let the dead starve in their graves-
For they hunger and thirst most of all.
Let the water grace their lips!
Let the it splash upon the despised desert
that once was a field full of flowers.
Let food fill the stomach with a stormful sea!
Let their harbor rest in peace!
For they hunger like a haggard man holding on for hope.
Let them take a breathe and exhale it.
Let their lungs fill with life so they can shout and sing!
Let their brains buzz and be, so ours no longer must!
-For only they have the notes and the lyrics to sing what once was dear!
For they only can sing the long forgotten years!
Let us not forget their voices in vain!”
they shout,
“why should we let their bare bones be satisfied in their somber slumber?
For they only are in alive in a memory,
Only awake in one’s sleep-
And even those shall cease to be!”
They say,
“Please listen to our candid pleas.
We speak for those who do not speak.
Their whispers only leave a faint trace of beguile on a painted cheek
that grow quieter and quieter still.
For they wish to be more than teachers
whose mistakes and triumphs are showcased for all to see.
They wish to be more than di’en.
They wish to be alive like you and me.”

They were wrong.

Verse 1:
I wish I could sing
like a song bird
Beautiful thing
Uses not a word
He's not afraid
to share his song
That God has made.
Delightful of a thing
Not afraid to be heard.


chorus:

Pretty song birds
Give me a tune
That can be heard
Even by the moon.
I'll sing me a tune
For the ages strewn
Return to mockingbirds.

Verse 2:
If I could sing
What a thing
using kind words
beautiful songbird
Confessing it's maker
Jesus the peacemaker
By God the orginator
Using just my words.