It happened again
I tried to count to ten
But this time it just didn’t work

And now I’m in bed
With these thoughts in my head
About how you must think I’m a ****

How do I explain
How I’m in so much pain
When you’re hurting too

I should just go to sleep
But all I can think
Is what do I say to you?

I try to pretend
But I’m crying to my friends
On the phone to them every night

And through the tears I yell
While I’m asking ‘What the hell
Must I do to set this right?

How do I explain
How I’m in so much pain
When you’re hurting too

I should just go to sleep
But all I can think
Is what do I say to you?’

They say give it time
But I can’t control it
And now I’m just repeating
I’m sorry, I love you
I’m sorry, I love you
I’m sorry, I love you
I love you

Maybe now I realise
I need to respect your disguise
Or else I will lose you

And so I’ll go to sleep
Instead of trying to think
About what I should say to you

Alone she goes in the woods
- dark robes covering her womanhood -
No other thoughts shaping her angular face
But the will to burn Autumn leaves.

A fire set on the auburn ground
- a muddy dough of death -
Begs her coming as flame rise high
And smoke signals the way.

No tears no loud cries
No regrets nor fears
The wish to burn away her past
Stronger than the waving of spears.

Poetry is a
    garden of wild
    flowers
I've yet come to
    admire

In bitter winds the little Pipistrelle bats
Flitter hither and thither
Into the hills,
Around tree-timber limbs
With brittle twigs.
They wing their way
In thrills
Of twists
And turns.

Meanwhile, deep down below
The cows moan,
Roaming through the range.
They moo while they chew the cud,
Ruminating their food
Grazed earlier from prairie meadows.

Through the long day
They are accompanied
By flocks of birds
Twittering and tweeting,
Much noisier than the bats.
A feather flung chorus
Singing operas and arias
Amongst the misty trees.

Word composers love these things:
Mother Nature wrapping us
In her arms
And filling the air
With sights and sounds
That sooth the soul,
Sending us soundly to sleep
While those bats
Come out to play.

Paul Butters

© PB 26\11\2020.

I can't seem
to find the thing
to satiate a need
in me that is yet
to be met,

it's the type of hunger
food can't reduce,

it's the type of pain
that holds unrequited love
for you,

it's like a memory you
want to store in your mind
of a moment that didn't occur,

it's like a fractured ground
waiting for the rain to come
down so flowers can grow
from within the cracks,

it's like love that you give
but never receive back fully,

it's like cold weather and short day time
that beg for some white,
yet it never snows,

it's like not being able
to find the name of the song
whose melody is stuck in your head,

it's like a battle that you lose
before you even get to play.

Bing, ba Bing Bing
If you, could only
Ting, ta ting ting
Just listen closely
Bing, ba Bing Bing
And hear, the beauty
Ting, ta ting ting
You would, abso-lutely
Bada Bing, bada Bing Bing
Know, that I love you

My hearts sweet song
Ching, cha ching ching
Will for-ever ring
Dada ting, dada ting ting
I'll prove, you wrong
Ding dada ding ding
When, my heart sings
Bing bada Bing Bing
Its beautiful song
Bada bing, bada Bing Bing
Now, sound the gong
BRRRRRRRRRRRNNN
Cause, I ******' love you!!!

For real, keep it on loop
I dig it a lot, like mama’s corn soup
You feelin’ me, hearing that tune
Or maybe I’m in the wrong room
Get up on it, know what I mean
Jammin’ on hot scones with cream
This song needs to tell our life stories
We all have battles forever in our lives
When you hear the sound of pop pop, oh no
Kids gettin’ shot for a pair of shoes in Chicago

Tough neighbourhood street
Corrupt badges on the beat
Planting dope, selling candy at the corner shop
Writing songs, tagging everywhere, if you dare
Doin’ time, enter from behind, I never, I swear
Come out on parole, new king on throne, lost all control
If I had my time again, I’d save a lot more, forget ‘bout toys
Look over my shoulders, stick to the plan, escape from the boys

They aren’t speakin’ our language
Let’s get the hell outta there, somewhere tranquil
Day by day, lets see if we can crack the code
Try placing ones thoughts in a brand new abode
For better or worse, it’s up to you, not your corner crew
We grow up thinking we had to listen, who knew
Step outside the hood, look around, don’t be shy
Then buy a one-way Greyhound ticket, say bye bye
At the start it might feel hard, but give it a chance
You’ll be surprised what you find, just take that first glance

Tough neighbourhood street
Corrupt badges on the beat
Planting dope, selling candy at the corner shop
Writing songs, tagging everywhere, if you dare
Doin’ time, enter from behind, I never, I swear
Come out on parole, new king on throne, lost all control
If I had my time again, I’d save a lot more, forget ‘bout toys
Look over my shoulders, stick to the plan, escape from the boys

Kelsey O’nara
a girl with eyes so green
you find yourself lost in that what could seem
like the green pastures of forever to hold

just say, say her name to call her again
say, say: O’nara, my dearest friend

Kelsey O’nara
a girl of thousand faces
you need to caress her to know how the changes
go through to get, get you through

just say, say her name to learn a few new ways
say, say: O’nara, I loved and I’ll love those days

Kelsey O’nara
a girl of the purest smiles
you’ll want to smile back for her to know that you tried
finding yourself grown over by a warm hug

just say, say her name to feel the calm, calm happy
say, say: O’nara, yourself I just might need

Kelsey O’nara
a girl of the last goodbyes
you don’t know how to say or how to make last
you try anyway since the future is to pass

so say, say her name with a one last bow
say, say: O’nara, take my hand, and let’s go

take my hand, and let’s go