it’s hard to love
love
it’s hard to deconstruct the
nihilism and the
consumerism of it all -
so this is for you
the eternal believer with the kind soul

never supine in the face of
failure
diving head first into
calamity by the name of
She

and maybe you’re right;
we’re built for it
machines oiled by romance and
adoration.
perhaps there is only
one true meaning.

how many hands do I have to touch
to connect to the world?
how long till my heart
bursts?

because, it’s the small things
and so:

love is the blanket
love is the month old birthday balloon still valiantly afloat
love is the dog greeting you at the door
love is his first breath, the gasp of new lungs,
is the grasp reflex of a tiny hand around your calloused finger.

and would you believe?
love is waking up thinking it’s dawn when it’s
2am and you can fall back asleep
love is a meal when you’re starving and
water when you’re parched
love is watching your friend do well because
they deserve it.

and love is lust realised
love is her perfume
love is the kingdom of infinite wonder and
love is like coming home.

love is love is love;
find your corner of the sky and
fill it with precious things.
rest easy.

Human skin pigment ranges from pale yellow, cream, pink to dark brown.
There is no black or white.
Some African tribes are charcoal grey, but not black.
There is but one race, the human race.
Beware anything that Divides us.
We must Unite for the Common Good.
Welcome to Planet Paul.

The fictional “Prisoner” of the sixties said,
“I am not a number, I am a person.”
He also claimed he was a “free man”.
He shouted defiantly that he would not be pushed,
Filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed
Or numbered.

I couldn’t agree more.
Nor will I be labelled or classified.
“My life is my own”.
I’m an individual human being.
Not Working or Middle Class,
Nor white nor religious nor atheist,
Nor racist, sexist, feminist, chauvinist
No Tory, Liberal. Labourite, Corbynista,
Remainer, Brexiteer, Remainiac, Remoaner
Or whatever.
I don’t do labels.

We are each born as single living entities,
Without asking to be who we are.
All in the same “boat”:
A tiny planet on the far edge
Of a spiral galaxy.

My bowels work like everyone else’s.
I belch and ****.
From time to time I’m ill
Or injured.
A man of many moods.
I’ll live and die like everyone else.
For the bottom line is,
We need to Unite,
As We are All the Same.

Paul Butters

I can't help but think,
for those of us whose vote went the other way....
if we truly want what's best for our country,
then we will smile and be happy if things go well.
On the other hand, if things go unfortunately wrong,
at least we can still smile and say....
I told you so.
A horrible win win.

A new year is upon us, another time around the sun
A year full of faith and fellowship and fun
A year of family and friends and joy and dreams
Laughter and tears, hopes and fears.
Every year there is a cause for hope for things to come and things to change
Some things we do differently, but most just stay the same.
This year is  a year of Hope! A year to believe in miracles and dreams
A time to walk by faith and not by sight; to quest for the unseen.
It is a year of big things happening, changes great and small
The year may not reveal all the answers, but leads us all to hope.
Hope for families, hope for peace, hope for jobs, for freedom and release
If we come together in love and unity
We can make this world a little better and a little brighter than when it first arrived
Come to the water, let it wash over you and take the dive.
The spirit is moving swiftly and roaring like a lion
Stirring our hearts and starting fires in our souls
Breathing the spark of life back into these flickering coals.
Dry bones will come alive and the earth itself shall cry out
And God's people will have no doubt:
He is Risen, He is Alive, we have been set free
And that knowledge alone is Hope enough for me!

Amen!

I see before me a fire
that rages on with
no flames
running through valleys
and declaring everything
In its path
its own for the taking

we watch as people grab hands
and begin to pray the flames away
without realization that the third
fourth
fifth
or thirty second time
is not the charm

the fire takes families
dead or alive
without judgement to pass
on the whole communities it devours

we stand and watch it like a bad accident
where it’s impossible to look away
as we wait for the impact that is inevitable

it is fueled on hate, the fire
and it rises from the ground
and swells in the air like waves in a storm
hissing at those,who
despite it all
hold love in their hearts

because these people are the most threatening
the ones who are unaware of the true powers they possess
the power to love, and be loved
the ones who still have a voice
that can be heard over the sound of burning cities

we watch as people grab hands
and speak with love on their tongues
like if they’d stop the fire would eat them alive
and I stand with these people

these people
who never knew something as pure as water could destroy such a deadly flame

just as something pure as love could destroy hate, exposing the truth that
in the battle between love and hate-
LOVE ALWAYS WINS

First world issues got your bundle in a knot
brothers being labeled by police and getting shot
Many are confused with the delusion in the plot
which keeps us separated so the fed can reap his crop..
Its not
Ok
It stops
Today
The "strong" will pay
The weak
Will say
No more..
show your insecurities the door
We need to build each other like we never have before..
i tell my brother everything his ego needs to hear
So we can push up forward with the ******* in the rear..
say hi ; to victory as weakness leaves your side
Get used to different company and bolster forth your stride..