I am an island.
I am a little spit of land,
Swept away by unsettled waters
and shifting sands;
Forced alone to
make my home
In an insubstantial sea.

Yet on my island
I am free; free to preserve
my eccentricities
in a nature reserve
made from nurturing love of
what I choose to be.

I am an island.
Borne away on wistful waves, I
travel onward,
Seeking a place where
there are others who are free;
And when I find them,
There I’ll stay, and
thereafter spend my days
Not as an island…
But as me.

It’s the snarl inside me –
The vicious gnashing and clashing of
smashed teeth,
Of swollen tongue and bleeding gums.

It’s the bite-mark-shaped-heart –
The gnawed thighs and gouged and greedy eyes,
The crushed howls and unheeded cries of
my bullet-spotted, leopard-dotted lungs.

I’m a savage, splattered mess;
Dripping indecency from the heart of me,
Letting letters pore recklessly from
every sore and red-raw pore.

I’m the ravenous maw of madness;
Drooling long strings of sentences
that pool relentlessly
down the endless feed of the cyberverse,
Then disappear into obscurity
to be lost forevermore.

I’m the untamed beast
that’s been released
from the leash of other people’s shame –
Now I’ll feast upon my foolishness
‘Til I get caught again.

Let your feet take your mind for a wander,
So your eyes can get a good gander,
At sights they may not have seen,
So when you return to your screen,
Your head will be filled with insight,
And your hands will be itching to write.

Delinquent lips
That delineate a
Loose and sinful smile.
Eyes disguised behind
Barred black lashes
That rise, and reach
Like fingertips,
To catch you, and trap you
Without a trial

Drinking to forget;
Mnemonic gin and tonic
hasn't helped me yet

I was prepared to share
my dreams with you -
but that alone
wouldn't do,
You had to own me through and through;
You had to have it all...

So instead you crept
into my head;
Day-by-day stole
my thoughts away,
Til there was nothing left of me
but a hollow, sorrowful shell.

Time races onward unseeing, unseen,
Leaving traces of the places its presence has been,
Capturing moments that once roamed free,
Hoarding them in cages called memories.

So we race behind it, to find where it leads,
Run through the current its movement leaves,
Pushing our lives forward, one breath at a time,
We wonder what waits at the finishing line.

I strip my soul bare, then
Stretch my essence into space.
Conscious of the cosmos,
I let my thoughts grow paper thin, until
Slowly, my ego evaporates,
Opening up a perfect place
For poetry to begin;

I let inspiration
Flood in.

Pay the ferryman his dues, before you
take a punt
on the river of death;
'Cause if you don't
he might take offense
and that'll leave you in a right old mess,
For the ferryman
is not a merry man but
a mean and spiteful...

So you’re looking to find a way in;
But a labyrinth lies beneath my skin.

Plus the whole of my heart is a maze;
A mish-mash of mishaps and misleading ways.

And my brain is one big ***** trap;
Full of illusions and calamitous cracks.

‘Cause you see even I’m lost in me;
So please – give up, get out and be free,
Whilst you’ve got this opportunity.

Imagine sighing
into a silent night –
and all the stars
suddenly take flight
upon your breath
to rest
upon the empty midnight sky.

Imagine how it would feel
to know
you hold the universe
in your breast
every time
you hold you breath.

Would it be too much
for you to bear?
Or would you dare
to open wide
your lips and eyes
and laugh
as you give birth
to your universe
with a simple, sensual sigh…?

Folds of mouldering
grey clouds enshroud a pale sky
like cold curdled whey.

Heaven holds its breath
then spits petulantly down
upon frowning Earth.

Swollen, sagging sky
that's filled with fat, congealed clouds
ready for the rain.

Once upon a time,
I lined my waist with numbers;
I would waste my time
calculating endless sums
for my basic needs.
There would be fines for
overstepping boundaries –
a scaling back of
my supposed sense of greed.

Once upon a time,
I timed my pain with numbers;
Making sure I met
my set target every day;
for a balance had
to be closely kept
between input and output –
red flags would be raised
If I went into the black.

Once upon a time,
I was defined by numbers;
My life resigned to
mathematical strategies.
Now I understand
though I am not a number,
and I do not add up; yet
I count just because
I am me

If you want to be free,
you’ve got to own yourself –
Take control of what you do,
Be responsible for you,
So then nobody else
can play you for a fool;
Gotta make the whole world see
that you will always be
yourself – and then to your own self be true.

My mind is like a griddle
on which inspiration sizzles;
I let it gently fry and
turn it over
so neither side
will get burnt.

I’ve gotta cook it slow and steady –
and better wait until it’s ready
cause there’s a lesson I’ve learnt
from times before;
from when it looked all cooked and tasty
but its insides were still raw
so the inspiration was wasted
leaving my imagination insatiated,
somewhat unsatisfied and sore.

So this time I let it fry,
on the griddle of my mind
Until it’s done right to the middle
So I know that when I whittle down
into its many drooling layers
the plentiful things waiting there
will be the rich juices of words, rhythm and rhyme.

Dreams drift like clouds
around our minds,
and wishes fly
like paper planes
across a summer sky,
leaving vapor trails
of hope
lying behind them –
their frail reminders
of that which we once wished
would come true;
but now only exists
in shades of blue.

I know who I am now.
I discovered my identity,
Grew strong enough to find my feet –
Now I’m no longer lost beneath
someone else’s shadow.

Standing on the edge
is such a privileged position
to be in.

There’s no knowing what comes next,
So just take a deep breath and
keep breathing
keep believing
and keep receiving
all the blessings that this universe possesses.

And when you’re ready, may I suggest
you do just
what everyone says
you’re not supposed to do…
And look down;

Look down and all around you
at the wonder that surrounds you
and truly see the profound beauty of your life –
the opportunities it’s waiting to supply.

Then you will realize the emptiness you see,
Is like a midnight sky spread out beneath your feet
lying pure and still
and surely filled
with billions of bright possibilities.

So the only thing left
for you to do,
Is just to take a breath
then take that step
into whatever future is waiting there for you.

The empty heavens.
A scattering of salt-crystal stars
On a twilight tablecloth;
All that is left
Now the horizon
Has finished feasting
On the day.

On the longest day
The sun barely blinks, then sets
Her sights on Winter

Cooking clay to make pottery
Smelting thoughts to get poetry
Melting words into punnery -
Kiln in the name of...

Your reckless hit-and-run lust
That left my love like carrion
Lying lifeless in the dust.

Just a broken, ****** mess
For scavengers to feed upon
Gnawing at what's left;
The ghostly-white
Splintered bones
Of my misguided trust.

Sweep away the dead leaves,
Tear down
The brittle vines of misery,
Bring forth light
Into forgotten corners,
And let the fountain of your thoughts
Play its merry melody once more.

Restore and repair
All the broken panes of your
Hothouse imagination;
Fill it full of lush concepts
And juicy, bright ideas.

Tend to your mind’s garden daily;
Feed it with curiosity,
Water it with inspiration,
Warm it with love,
Then you will feel it
Grow and flourish
Forevermore.

Sometimes it’s wise
to take time out from
our busy lives
and see the world
through a child’s eyes.

So let go, and whirl
yourself around –
til you’re so dizzy
you tumble down
into a heap upon the ground;
And if you don’t feel humble,
when you’re down there, then
you’d better get back on your feet
and do it all again

You gave me my bones.
Sealed me inside my skeleton skin,
Encased my heart in cartilage,
So no one could get in.

But now you can’t get in.
So you scratch and claw and needle and gnaw,
Wheedle and worry til your teeth are red raw,
You do your worst, as you did before –
Only this time, you won’t win.

Heaven’s removal men;
Packing up the sunshine
into dark, dreary clouds.
Grumbling and mumbling
as they move the air about.
Dust sheets spread out far and wide
As their heavy feet trample
on a ***** sky.
Sunshine’s moving on –
It’s home got repossessed
by a storm.

Delightfully disproportionate features
form the basis of your face;
For your ears are neither here nor there –
they’re lost in the forest of your lustrous hair;
Whilst your eyes are disguised
by brows of deep brown,
that creep together when you frown
across the bridge that exists on the ridge of your nose,
where they greet each other with a rigid kiss
that just grows and grows and grows…

And on your cheeks your crow’s
feet lie listlessly, yet move their toes insistently
to show the world explicitly
that of course they don’t agree with
all that applesauce you speak of
with that mumbling mouth of yours, that’s
flanked by fading lips which still gaily get to grips
with a jumble of uncouth words
all hung on a whipcord tongue that can suddenly become
as soft and smooth as spun silk.

Cause you’re the only one of your ilk;
A defective manifestation
of a masterpiece of creation;
A random representation
and a precise personification.
You’re a filter-free reflection
of every furtive fault in me, drawn
with delectable imperfection –
and that’s just how you should be.

If you play with fire,
You’re gonna get burnt –
That was the lesson I learnt
when I was very young…

So I must be very dumb
to let you start
playing with my heart –
When that tongue of yours
spits out sparks
with every breath you take.

And every word you make
Catches on your lips and rips
against them like matches,
Blowing the glowing embers
of your lies tenderly
into my eyes where they catch against
my blind desire.

If you play with fire,
You’re gonna get burnt –
That was the lesson I ignored
when I was very young…

So I guess it doesn’t hurt
when I get burnt.

Or maybe I just prefer
being dumb.

Sky sighs across Earth
Sunlight stretches across Sky
Afternoon unwinds

Letters placed upon a page
like kisses across your skin;
A succession of little notes quickly spoken
just to set your flesh a-flush and quivering.
The music comes as I move my tongue,
As it licks and rolls and strokes and strums
over every word
I’ve lovingly laid down,
So when each sensuous sound
is lifted from the page, and played,
A symphony of syllables make the words whirl around
you, and the melody of my love song
can be heard.

I let your bones lie
beside me…

And while your skin
spins its yarns, I
skim the **** of your charm,
from the broiling broth
of our bare bodies.

So come on –
And spin that wheel
with your winning spiel, as you
purr those perfect words
of perfidy.

So come on –
Embroider my eyes
with your lacework of lies, and
bury in me
those dewy seeds
of duplicity.

So come on –
The pair of us can be as wise
as three of the naivest monkeys.

So let’s lie together with our conceit
spread out around us
on pristine sheets,
And make love, as if love alone can be
the canvas of our deceit.

She moves in the midst of their maelstrom
With the calm serenity of space;
Unfathomable
Uncontrollable
And unrestrained,
Her mind dissolves their cloying chaos, then
Her soul transforms it into poetry.

Let your fingertips trip
lickety-split quick
across my skin;
Let your lips slip twixt my hips
to skim, then grip
in a bliss of slow-burning kisses
the red-budding rose hip
that grows in deliciousness
with each single, tingling tease
from your tongue;
Let your lips sip its sweetness
as their soft touch releases these
first fleeting treats of my love,
That leave merely a trace and
an enticing taste of
the salacious feast that’s to come.

Morning stirs the trees
Dew drops dance along sunbeams
Do-si-do they go

Venus in chains -
Stolen away from the sun, now she's numb
and lost in space;
Kept as Mars' pet,
In his shadow
and yet
she'll soon escape;
To return to her place
beside Earth,
who truly appreciates
her worth,
And knows
never to stand in her way.

I think, therefore I ummm
and what I ummm is as below:

That nothing good can ever come to anyone
who thinks their ego knows best –
and to those that do,
may I suggest
that they review the way they ummm,
As the rest of us can attest
that those who think their ego knows best
only show the rest of us
that they’re thinking out their ***.

A single teardrop
Is all it takes
To quench the thirst of
My tortured heart.

Too long I've kept my
Emotions caged
Lest their freedom makes
Me fall apart.

Let me sink into your skin –
I want to feel you deep within
my soul,
so make me lose control –
’cause you know that I won’t swim,
so let your lust overflow as
I sink into our sin.

Her hunger for knowledge
Was as insatiable,
As the bounds of the universe
Were immeasurable.

Remember when...
Our young skin shone diamond bright
In dark caverns of black light;
Out of space and riding time,
Fast break beats but faster minds,
Chasing, racing laser light...

Remember when...
Bass lines boomed like mushroom clouds
Radiating through the crowds,
Hands held out to neon suns,
You were me as we come one,
And beside us we stood proud...

Remember when...
We were such sublime sights,
Flesh and muscle, firm and tight
Fearless, feral hearts beating
And loose, limber limbs weaving
On and on into the night...

Moses supposes his toes were roses
When Moses takes doses of strong LSD
But Moses he knowses to lay of them doses
'Cause Moses psychosis is pretty scary.

We established our empire
in a land of subsiding lies;
Buried its foundations
in a slurry of false memories.

Our temples were carved
from crumbling bricks,
And our trains ran on tracks
made of broken sticks.

Our government was run
through a democracy –
That was elected by you
and decided for me.

So we should have seen
the end coming;
We should have know
our empire was falling, but…

Instead we pretended
our empire was fine,
And policed our streets
with blind watchmen.

We cannot cure
each others pain;
But with purest love
we can ensure
they have enough
help and support
to thwart the bane which tortures them,
And heal themselves
again.

Burrowing down deep,
that’s where he squeezed his feelings -
crushed them in his rib cage,
pulverized them into fears
that feasted on his festering flesh
til there was nothing of him left
but a squealing mush of grotesqueness
growing ravenous with rage

Scuttling their way
sideways through space –
Like they always know
where they’re going.

So if we do likewise
(but move sideways through time)
Do you think we might find
where time’s going?

Life through a lens.
Watching other people’s revelry
through the filter of a dead TV.
Perfect picture
perfect pitch
and an incredible intensity –
But it’s not life.
This vicarious festivity
neutered and numbed
by a precision of pixels,
This slum depiction of synthetics ideals
Is not life…

How can you expect your reflection
not to detect your imperfections?
It’s a bit much to have such
unrealistic ideals, so I feel
if you find scrutinizing your face
takes you to a place
where you feel worse –
then just turn around
and make yourself the background,
so you’ll see
all the beauty
of the rest of the universe.

Take a midnight swim
In an Ocean of Poems
Feel its currents flowing
From deep within.

Underneath my skin
There’s a tidal wave growing
And I follow it, knowing
I must sink or swim

The tide of time has lined your skin
with high laughter marks
indenting the parts
that were once washed smooth
by the Spring tide of youth
yet are now left unhindered
by the low tide of Winter;
So they lie 'round your eyes
sunbathing in the light
that years of experience bring.

Let’s lick the light from the sky,
Taste time together
You and I;
Gargle on green rolling free-flowing fields,
Then lap up a leaf left by Yggdrasil.

Let’s milk midnight from our eyes,
Weave the world a red
lullaby;
Turn somersaults in Summer’s vault of sunburnt malt
and mumbled salt that tumbled through
thunder’s thoughts of ***, raw whiskey and rye.

Let’s make the moon craters cry,
Give up our graces
You and I;
Sweep the stars into bell-bottom jars
as we tweak the meek **** of Mars and creep
through the spaces of cotton lace bars
faster than a racing eight-faced die.

Let’s lick the light from the sky,
Taste time together
You and I;
Share our souls with this suspicious old world
So it knows the reason why
we are
You and I.