“Be encouraged, all ye friends of freedom …. Tremble all ye oppressors of the world! “

23.02.1723
19.04.1791

"And still we tremble under the oppressors of our world... our cries for freedom go unheard!"

28.06.2023...

And when I awoke
I felt your presence and smiled
I turned to you as your eyes opened
and will never forget that feeling
of love, longing, happiness
for as long as I live

As the bright sunlight closes my eyes
I smell the scent
of my favourite flower
As I touch
the velvet smooth petals
While relaxing on my
soft garden chair

I feel the warmth
of my best friend
as he lays his head on my lap
while waiting
for our daily walk

and the sound of silence
is only interrupted
by the coo of doves
as a deep breath of satisfaction
covers me
and life is good

I throw a stone
and watch the ripples flow

Like our love
on the ebbing tide

it slowly drifts away

But I remember
why I love you

And our love returns
On the flowing tide

And lasts another day

*You throw a stone
And watch the ripples flow?

As the ripples clear
I see my coin float and flip
I make my wish
In my reflection I see an aged man
Looking back at me
The stranger smiles
And reminds me of so many things
In my life
I smile back and nod goodbye
My penny crashes to the bottom
And my wish is cast

Peace and goodwill to us all

AS I lay you to
Rest
In
Peace

I realise how much I will miss you
How much I loved you
How much we were one

Why
Why now are these emotions released?
Why now do I feel alone?
Why now do I realise how happy you made me

Another chance
If I could see you now I would say
I love you
I have never been so happy
I will care for you

Grief
Time has made us immune to each other
Death has infected me with love once again
Please don’t leave me

I fight my way through the
cold cold wind
snow
and freezing rain
the cold on my face
burns
my faith
is leaving me
my expectation
is low
should I stop
and fall
by the wayside
or fight on

I force my eyes
open
to see a bright light
shining
beckoning me
on on with
hope in my
heart
I reach the light
and the
warmth within
as I thaw
I awaken
close the door
and leave
the past
and life's winter gloom
behind me
Peace is with me

I look through the window
As the garden lies sleeping

The rain has stopped
And the dark clouds break

A flash of blue sky raises my spirits
As the birds dance on their feeding table

A lazy cat sits on the wall but
Too tired to move

That’s how long it takes for a kettle to boil

We kissed

I melted

Global warming
She said

Climate change
I gargled

As I dissolved

Her bright white face shines out
in the frosted winter air
She smiles as I
observe her beauty

To brighten up my winters day
I wrap warm to greet her
and thank her for helping heal
my winter blues

Next morning my gratitude is rewarded,
new white bright faces shine out
in the now not so glum winters day,
reminding me spring will soon be on us.

The freezing cold artic air warmed, slightly
and the sun never set
A crack appeared and ran and ran
slowly the ice mountains fell into the sea
We watched from our balconies
letting the magnitude washed over us
They gently floated south disappearing from sight
Until we were no more

By a tree in a wood
Where a soldier just stood

Is the emblem of suffering and pain

They all died for the good
In Mametz wood

To bring peace thou their comrades were slain

We should cherish this land if we could
For the blood that was spilt for the good

We should cherish the land where they stood

And bless them one day at their shrine

I step on fallen leaves
The battle rages
As I climb out of the death
Barb grips me tight
For the marksman's bullet
I fall, a fallen leaf

I could hear the floor boards creak
and the footsteps closing
my mouth was agape
as I watched the door in anticipation
you paused
your hand readied
but your courage deserted you
I sighed as I heard your retreat
and now after all these years
I still wonder
What if.

The cold wind swirls and blows
a snow flake falls
On the twitching nose of the white winter hare
as he sits watching

A blanket of white winter snow now
fills his eyes
Where he would run and jump
in the hot summer sun

A tear falls from his sad sad eyes
as he retreats into his winter sleep

I fought against the bottle
And the bottles doing fine

It looks better when it’s empty
But I have to walk the line

My words become much freer
But sometimes causes pain

Remembering in the morning
Always drives me slowly insane

The rockpool
an upturned stone
a bucket for a cell

I bought you flowers to express my love
You smiled, I wondered was that enough
Then silver I bought you and I know not why
I noticed the sad glint in your eye
Gold and diamonds were my next choice
You gasped with delight yet still no voice
Then I bought you nothing but expressed my love
You said that's all I wanted off you, my love

I shall not ask why
Only pray that you’re happy

You took my life

The day you forfeited yours
Did you think through the pain
and sadness left

Or was your own
Too much of a burden

I would see
The stars sparkle
In your eyes
One last time
Before I let
the earth consume you

Peace is with you now

I will hold on to mine
To carry your burden
Of why

laying in a bed of wild flowers in a clearing in a wood
calms me
a gentle breeze brings the scent of the flowers
cleansing me
the silent sound of the wood
awakens me
and a flap of a bird, the cry of an animal
heightens me
sunlight breaks through the leaves  to
enlighten me
and peace washes
over me
THEN the music from my phone
disturbs me

Every brush stroke is gentle so carefully caressed
the colours so vibrant and so full of zest
Then concentration draw lines across your stern face
a tortoise not a rabbit will win this creative race
Your eyes light up as you survey your design
and stretch out your limbs to pour more wine
Yes, the  finish is exquisite as sweat drips off your nose
O' I'm so glad I don't have to, paint my toes

She snuggles into her warm
green winter blanket  
disturbing the last seeds of summer

That will be a welcome winter feast
for the small winter birds
As they forage around her bedding
collecting their winter store

Spiders casts their webs
around the sea of green sagging stalks
Hoping to fill their nets with
one last harvest

The light dims

A sleepy mouse shows its head
from under the garden shed door
Zig zaging across the decking
munching on a slug
who stayed out a little too late

The toad
who has been eyeing his supper
As the sun was setting
over the now sleepy garden
Was not amused
and puffed his body out in anger,

only to spy a worm
peeking her head out of the decking groove
Checking out all the commotion
Gone in an instant
to the now happy toad

A black and white cat
quietly surveys
from her vantage point
on top of the tired sagging
roofed garden shed

As the still night
washes over the garden
the animals blend
back into their garden home

Waiting

Steam ships cue at the docks sailors waiting for their pay
Coal tips from the trams as children watch and play
Wives and lovers watching from the dock as the coal ships sail away
Husbands and lovers wave goodbye never to return to Tiger Bay

I touched her heart, but her heart was too cold
so, I asked her to share the depth of her misery
she looked me in the eyes, and smiled, you wouldn't understand
You're a man in a mans life, as she took me by the hand

We wandered through the history of man
no stone was left unturned
no one was safe not even man  
yet still they became martyred, revered, loved

She touched my heart but my heart was too cold
now you share the depth of our misery
I looked her in the eyes, and understood
I am a man in a mans life, she let go of my hand

There has to be grief and heartbreak
For humanity to call

Hero’s of the wall

There has to be death and atrocities
For tyranny to fall

Hero’s of the wall

There has to be intervention from
The greatest powers of all

Hero’s of the wall

There has to be love and forgiveness
So that we can conquer all

We are in awe of the
Hero’s who beat the wall

As you journey ends and your spirit floats out to the sea
                                                                  Remember me

As the sun casts a beam of light to guide you as the sea calms
                                                                           Remember me

When your maker pulls in his net and cradles you to the shore
                                                                             Remember me

When your eyes opened and you see paradise for the first time
                                                                             Remember me

I will always think of your loving eyes and the warmth of your smile
                                                                                         I will always
                                                                                      Remember you

The clouds gathered
some were ready for the storm
some were not
some seen it all before
ignoring the signs

Influential people
passionate about their own
history would not evolve
lost in the pillage of the past
desperate for more

Desperate people
desperate to make a statement
with no platform of their own
violence seemed their only option
now no better that the influential

Poets wrote sagas, remembering the past
of all its terrors, destruction, heartache
history is repeating itself they wrote
famine, death, diseases, hatred, greed
poems left unread

So it begins, said the daily news

The moment
is caught
in the
poet’s mind’s eye                                  

Crafted
into words
with guile
humour and passion

Loved
by so few
so many
untouched

There are honest people
                                        I’d like to bet

Or are we just out
                       To get what we can get

O' please are you there? because
                             I’ve not met you yet

When the music takes you from the place you're in
And touches your soul so deep within

Words with meanings from the depth of space
And the smiles that follow in your old happy place

Transports you to a time you have longed to be
The place in your soul when you were young and free

Now as the needle skips on that old 45
You remember the feeling when you were young and alive

As the river mist lifted
and the sunlight blinded my eyes
all became clearer
the smells
the breeze
the beauty of the touch
the breath that I breathed
it was good to be alive

Mr Cadbury (Hershey's)
Left me wanting more  
But they did not have my size

Is there someone
you know,
Your loving them
so,
But taking them all
for granted?
You may lose them
one day
Someone takes them
away,
And they don't hear
the words
you long to say

As the raven cawed
time stood still
a scream in the distance

When we kissed for the first time
our embrace lasted our lifetime
and our love never wavered
even death could not part it

With a paycheck in his hand
he became generous
beyond his means

Twist the knot and tie me tight
My arms are limp I cannot fight
Teach me lord to see the light
Of peoples sorrow of peoples plight

But left alone my eyes are blind
To see the sorrow that greed leaves behind
So I pledge from now to keep them from harm
I’ll drop a penny in their palm

This world we live is full of shame
Once treasured life now driven insane
But I wonder still, who’s to blame

The rose bud clasps tight to its long lonely stem
sheltering from the cold wind and the winter mayhem  

The spring sun shines so brightly is it time to parade
as the cloud covers over to give it some shade

Then around about elevenses it opens its display
leaving the people smiling for the rest of the day

It bows so graciously in the light shallow breeze
and waves at the audience, boastfully if you please

As the sun sets slowly we still marvel at its delight
then watch it cwtch up tightly asleep for the night

Death held me for a moment
I tumbled
Further and further I fell

Watching you as the dark descended

Your loving eyes awoke me
And dragged my back

With a gasp lasting moments
My eyes alight once more

The scent of the flower matched her ice blue eyes
As the silk petals brushed my thighs

Beautiful colouring to attract the bee
I Taste the nectar brought home to me

Her lips brushed my face as I bowed for one last smell
Her secret is mine I will not tell

Your hands wrapped around my neck
You whispered in my ear
And kissed my cheek

Your smell hypnotised me
As you left my embrace
Fingers grasping air

You left no name
Just
Lipstick on my collar

Dust
dances with
butterfly's
in the beams
of the mid afternoon sun.

Iv'e walked your path
I envy you not
The journey you're on
the world has forgot

You will walk through meadows
and fields of gold
You will still not believe
the words you'll be told

But you'll gather your thought
down at the old wishing well
Will you survive
only time will tell

You see time has a reason
it's brought you to this place
It's to remind you your a member
of a delicate human race

So
Use your time wisely

Life came back to normal for that one great day
The smiles on the faces the children at play

We all woke up to snow covered ground
Roads no tracks, roads no sound

The fields of green were covered in white
Children screamed with laughter and with fright
As they toboggan down the hill twas a wonderful site

Then the night faded and the light gave way
Back to our homes, lock-down, and another day

Cats on the sofa

Barking up the
Wrong tree

There was a moment in my life I just smiled, just because
And the moment of my life I was happy at who I was

Then the moment in my life that we all get if we live that long
The saddest moment of my life, I lived and sang that old sad song

I remember the moment in my life the clouds broke and drifted away
Was the moment of my life I looked back and herded you say

Don’t look back upon your life with sadness and despaired
Walk the paths you have to walk if you need me, I will be there

Today was the day he decided to end it all
peace was with him, for awhile
Then he got to look back at the grief the heart ache
the despair he left behind
And the wave of love toward his family that followed
gladdened him, he changed his mind

To late said the hand on his shoulder, your bed is made
they will have to re-make it everyday for the rest of their lives
He pleaded it was in a moment of self pity
I know said the hand I am that thing
Come and meet my following
We are many
All trapped
In death
Alone

No grave could contain him.
He will always be young
in the classroom
waving an answer
like a greeting.

Buried alive -
alive he is
by the river
skimming stones down
the path of the sun.

When the tumor on the hillside
burst and the black blood
of coal drowned him,
he ran forever
with his sheepdog leaping
for sticks, tumbling together
in windblown abandon.

I gulp back tears
because of a notion of manliness.
After the October rain
the ****-heap sagged
its greedy coalowner's belly.

He drew a picture of a wren,
his favourite bird for frailty
and determination. His eyes gleamed
as gorse-flowers do now
above the village.

His scream was stopped mid-flight.
Black and blemished
with the hill's sickness
he must have been,
like a child collier
dragged out of one of Bute's mines-
a limp statistic.

There he is, climbing a tree,
mimicking an ape, calling out names
at classmates. Laughs springing
down the *****. My wife hears them
her ears attuned as a ewe's in lambing,
and I try to foster the inscription
away from it's stubborn stone.

Bird feeding frenzy

The field mouse
Take the spoils.