The bird has flown far far from home
where none will ever find her;
she left behest a vacant nest,
and crumbs as a reminder
of all the things her mighty wings
have borne of her creation,
and now she's gone to fly anon
and left a ruination

Far far from home the bird has flown
and time is ever fleeting,
a vacant nest she left behest
in silence of her beating
her mighty wings; of all the things,
she knows the sheer elation
to fly anon, and now she's gone
to seek her own salvation

--

Intersection
Inspection
Infatuation

--

Intention
Initiation­

--

Inattention
Indignation
Infuriation
Insurrection

--

Incis­ion

--

Bedeck the band and play a merry tune
The debutante desires her maiden dance
A farewell serenade beneath the moon

She's drifting like a Sunday afternoon
Each lazy sway a restful rhythmic trance
Bedeck the band and play a merry tune

Encircling suitors pack around and soon
She gleans the grating of each nervous glance:
"A farewell serenade beneath the moon?"

She casts them all aside her heart immune
To each until one voice, one piercing lance:
"Bedeck the band and play a merry tune!"

She falters and her bold facade is hewn
And nodding shyly greets his cold advance:
"A farewell serenade beneath the moon!"

Embracing him her heart begins to swoon
A maiden sunken at her first romance;
Bedeck the band and play a merry tune
A farewell serenade beneath the moon

Give me a line and a Wisconsin dime
And I'll plea till I'm free as I'm doing my time
And I won't chase the man for a stogie or can
When I leave this box of mine

Give me the fudge of a Wisconsin judge
With a hole in his soul and his wink and his nudge
And his steadfast denial of a right to fair trial
And his will that will not budge

Give me the hope of a Wisconsin rope
And a beam and the dream of the chance to elope
To the land of the free in a plot 'neath a tree
On a fishing river *****

Sailor come hither and harken our song
and be calm and becalmed on our uncharted sea,
and unhindered by storms that would sully thy sails
and the thunderous waves that would pummel thy decks;
oh sailor come hither and harken our song
and our voices will sing joy to thee

Rejoice and remain in the waters we share
with the planks and the plankton, the rainbow of fishes,
the garments of sailors and whalers with whale tattoos
over their chests and their necks;
oh sailor remain in the waters we share
and our voices will bring joy to thee

Swim deep to the depths of our uncharted ocean
And see the fine wrecks of the ships of thy fathers,
the littered bones strewn from the deck hands in hand-me-downs,
anchor chains rusting and bells of submariners;
oh sailor swim deep to the depths of our ocean
and our voices will give joy to thee

Draw breath from the water to taste the fine fragrance
of wines and of gold and the many fine horses
that sailed from old cities to trade with the new towns
and ventured to hear of our song of their happiness;
oh sailor draw breath from the waters fine fragrance
and our voices will sing oft of thee

Her wide-brim hat was pointed, and worn with ne'er a tilt
Her midnight robe was flowing, and wove from satin silk
Her Besom broom was hazel-hilted, twigged with fresh cut birch
As she flew o'er the hill, until she spied a rocky perch

The hill was trapped in moons light, caught in its silken nets
And grizzled trees were swaying casting eerie silhouettes
A howling wind came moaning, as it wailed a haunting sound
When her swishing broom came whooshing, as she swept o'er the ground

She alighted on the hill top, landing dainty on her toes
And took a tattered grimoire which she held up to her nose
She raised a magic talisman and cast an ancient spell
Then she waited through the gloaming, till midnight chimed its bell

The hill stood gravely silent, as the wind restrained its breath
The grass and flowers wilted and released their scent of death
The shadows neath the trees became alive and took on shape
And ghostly figures rose, as Hallows Eve called them awake

The sounds of horse drawn carriages, came trundling up the hill
Whilst babbling jeering voices exorcised the silent still
A sudden gust of wind called out the names of those condemned
Each manacled and chained up, as they rode to meet their end

As time echoed its memories, she watched the scene unfold
The victims forced unwillingly, to climb upon the scaffold
Some offered up the Lord’s Prayer, and ne'er a word was stumbled
They took a final breath of life, and into hell they tumbled

Their bodies swung ungainly, as they swayed a ghastly dance
With lifeless spectral faces locked into a stone-like trance
Their deathly shrouds were pale, reflected in moons silken sheen
And she watched as they cavorted, ne'er attempt to intervene

They slunk back into shadows, at the fading of the night
The hill reprieved from darkness by the early morning light
The ritual was completed, as she whispered them goodbye
And she climbed onto her hazel broom and kicked into the sky

On Gallows Hill neath stars and moon they hung
And ne'er a one had done the world a wrong

I won the bloomin' lottery,
Cor blimey so I did!
No more scrubbin' socks for me,
I've won ten million quid!
I'm goin' on a ******,
Nuffin's gonna bring me down;
I'll be the biggest spender,
Gonna buy the whole **** town!

My new found wealth is awesome,
Have you seen my mansion pool?
I play tennis in a foursome,
And my coach is really cool;
On Wednesday's its Pilates,
And on Sunday's it's Judo!
Now I'm jetting to the Maldives,
Toodle-pip -- I have to go!

One finds oneself most indisposed,
To do this interview;
One's butler will be swift deposed,
For letting you get through;
One will accede to your request,
Tho' Sir, this is your lot;
Despite the wealth with which one's blessed,
One has not changed a jot!

Between each sunrise
And each sunset,
A day will demise
And the world will forget

The dreams of the dreamers
Who struck ne'er a sail,
Who stowed away genius
For fear they might fail --

Raise up a fine banner,
Set course on a whim,
Be aloof in your manner
And never give in,

Shout 'Ahoy!' to each sunrise
And 'Hoorah!' at sunset,
It's the dream 'never dies
That the world can't forget.

Pull down the kiss-me mistletoe, box up the decorations,
Raise not a glass of merry cheer to toast the congregation;
Look through the pane to fairy lights that flicker blue and red
To cast their light upon the white snow-laden garden bed

voices creep from wall to wall
down spiral stairs, down darkened hall,
down basement steps they coo and call
for innocence now shed

Pick up the bricks and colored pens, wash up pineapple plate,
Dust off the tapped untested phone as looming thoughts collate;
Gaze not toward the basement door, dispel it from your head,
Rest weary limbs to soothing hymns to right the world instead

shadows lengthen, shadows fall
to mirror blackened velvet pall
that drapes around you like a shawl
and covers you in dread

Put down the morning newspapers, switch off the TV set,
Unwanted stark reminders of a day you can't forget;
Avoid all conversations of a thing best left unsaid,
Withdraw inside where you can hide as evil rumors spread

*whispers linger, whispers maul
at senses locked in sharp recall
to try to make sense of it all
when innocence is dead

I cannot truly mourn or miss you
What do I know of you, or you of me?
We strangers never met and never will

I know you as I know the morning dew,
Sun-kissed to rise and fall into the sea
And deftly tossed till lost among the swill

Aye I know the sea and morning dew
But still I don't know you

I know you like the albatross that flew
Above the sea, soaring majestically
It flew away, some purpose to fulfil

Aye I know the albatross that flew
But still I don't know you

I know you like the mother's heart that knew
Her loving child was just a memory,
Too swiftly taken by a bitter pill

Aye I see a mother's grief show through
But still I don't know you

I know you like the news they tell of you,
The printed page and captions on TV
That cycle every factoid they can spill

Aye I know the news they tell of you
But still I don't know you

We strangers never met and yet its true,
You reached inside and touched the heart of me
And though you're gone, you live within me still

Yet how I wish alas that I could pass
You in the street without a care

If only you were there
If only you were there
If only you were there

Thy vision of beauty,
Butterfly,
Fluttering free
O'er flower and brook,

Is ever so more
Beautiful,
Than seeing thee twixt
The leaves of a book.