I have some news
the young man said
before he left the room.
Since yesterday I have
a girlfriend.
His smile was warm
and I could see
how happy and content he was.
Imagining him walking
with his girlfriend
made me forget my worries
and I began to smile again.

red, blue, yellow
mixing colours
painting dreams
everything is possible
in my wonderland

Why do I care
when you do not

Why do I cry
when you just laugh

Why do I leave
when you want to stay

Why am I concerned
when you are not

Why am I confused
when I am with you

She is sitting on the wooden bench
in the shadow of the mighty
Eucalyptus tree.

She appears calm and relaxed
with her eyes closed and
a smile on her lips.

Only when I look at her hands
I know that she is struggling to hide
her excitement and desires.

You have lost your creativity
he says
looking sad and disappointed.

I have only switched my focus
she responds
looking happy and content.

snow and fog and storm
days are getting shorter now
what will winter bring

brown eyes
kind eyes
smiling eyes
his eyes

blue eyes
bright eyes
longing eyes
my eyes

the pink sky
reminds me of the day
we met

the blue sky
reminds me of the days
we spent together

the grey sky
reminds me if the day
you left

the sky is grey again today

What is the difference
between a good person and a bad person
the little girl asks.

You will know when you have grown up
her mother answers.

And when will I know
that I have grown up
the little girl asks.

When I look at the moon at midnight I am reassured.
I sense your presence even if you are not here.
The light of the moon unites us
and I anticipate the pleasure of listening to your voice again.

he asks:
where do you feel at home

I answer:
in my favourite London bookshop which has seven shelves
labelled “poetry”

tick - tack - tock
I listen to the clock

tick - tack - tock
I listen to the clock

I want to listen to your voice
and not listen to the clock

tick - tack - tock
I listen to the clock

tick - tack - tock
I listen to the clock

when she looks into the mirror
she sees his longing brown eyes
and his black hair she would like to touch
his smile is magical and captures her imagination

she closes her eyes to sense his presence

when she looks into the mirror again
she sees her longing green eyes
and her brown hair she would like him to touch
her smile is magical but he cannot see it

I am leaving you
he says

She looks at him
and smiles

How you read my poems
tells me more about you
than reading my poems
can tell you about me.

I see the poet
sitting on a stone
crying

I sit down
next to her
and begin to listen
to her sadness

you will never catch me
the butterfly says
opens her wings
and flies away
leaving him behind
disappointed and sad

Yellow is my favourite colour
she says
pointing to the yellow sofa.
It reminds me of the sun
and happy holidays in Italy.

I hate yellow
he responds
walking to the black sofa.
It reminds me of a cake
and unhappy times.

Sitting on the yellow sofa
she looks at him
sitting on the black sofa.
She knows she has to make a choice:
yellow or black.

work has paralysed
and silenced me
again
a never ending
cycle of defeat

"There are too many stones
on the road", he said
and began to pick them up.

She watched him silently,
not showing any emotions.
He looked at her,
disappointed and sad.

Should I have told him
that with every stone he picked up
her love for him grew?

I like walking
in the rain

cooling
comforting
nurturing
rain
cleanse
my body
and mind

refreshing
rejuvenating
invigorating
rain
strengthen
my body
and mind

I just love walking
in the rain

what about you?

a snake of red lights
leaves are scattered on the street
when will I get home

I was told
that if a person is kind
others will appreciate
their kindness

I therefore cannot understand
why the response to my kindness
is not appreciation
but unkind bullying

I wonder what I am doing wrong

morning sun so bright
blue sky, no clouds and cold wind
high expectations

I can see
how angry you are
because you believe
I always let you down.

How can I convince you
that this depends on one’s perspective?

I think I shall ask you
to trust me and
to change your perspective
so that you can see my true intentions.

MORNING:
Run to the station
Buy ticket
Buy coffee
Jump on the train
Find a seat
Fall asleep

EVENING:
Run to the station
Find ticket
Buy coffee
Jump on the train
Find a seat
Fall asleep

I sing
I dance
I smile

I dream
I hope
I try

I can hear the awe in your voice
when you say to me:
"You are a career woman."
I can see the pride on your face
that I have made it,
that I have achieved something
you have always dreamt of.
And I can see envy slowly creeping up
and mixing with disbelieve
when you ask me:
"Why are you not happy?"

going home tonight
overcrowded train
outside windy, dark and cold
inside just the same

They say she treated you badly
Taking advantage of your kindness and love
I understand your pain and anger
But I do not understand
Why you make me suffer for it

I am longing to be loved
But you seem to hate me

I am dreaming of tenderness
But all you can give is pain

I want you to smile at me
But you just turn away

I think I am not the right woman for you

I have a room with a view:
busy London street,
white and red lights
of cars rushing past,
magnificent church
hidden behind trees,
a couple passing by
holding hands
deeply immersed
in conversation.

I wonder if the moon in your place
is as big and bright as here in London.

tomorrow is the day
you left me

on that day you told me
that you had to go
because you did not want
to disappoint her

on that day I listened to your words
and could not comprehend them
and when I saw you leave the house
and thought it was a dream

today I understand
you had stopped loving me

red and yellow leaves
geese and swallows flying home
time for me to go

she is beautiful.
long black hair
dark skin
and a captivating smile.
her black dress
highlights her slender figure.
with her brown eyes
demanding his attention
she tells him
about her work.

he sits opposite her
relaxed and attentively listening.
he asks one or two questions
but most of the time
she is talking.
he seems disengaged.
only when I look at his eyes
can I see his burning desire.

On Sunday I showed
my son the land
he said.
I took him to the woods
that our ancestors
had planted
so that he would learn
what he was part of.

I listened quietly
and wondered
why I had never learned
what I was part of.

as I do not understand
what you want me to do
I decided to do
what I want to do

I can see
how hard you try
to hurt me

I can also see
that trying to hurt me
hurts you more
than it hurts me

Why don’t you just stop...

shapes, lines and textures
yellow, blue and red brush strokes
happiness for me

white, pink and grey clouds
chestnuts falling from the tree
restless is my soul

you say:
I want to fly high
and reach for the stars

I wonder:
do you know what you are looking for
or are you just running away

She did not laugh at me
when I asked her
how to use her paints.

Try with a little water
she quietly said
and carried on painting.

looking at the moon
gentle darkness and some light
a sense of calmness

I try to remember what you look like.

I have only seen you once
accidentally passing by
when my thoughts were occupied
with grief and sorrow.

Soon I shall meet you again.

But will I find you
amongst all these people?

deep and green water
seagulls floating quietly
who will make me smile

I have never looked at you
through the eyes
of a woman before

Having done it now
I regret it
as I have realised
that you can never
be mine

they say
there is somebody
out there
who really deserves me
but they do not tell me
how to find him

dark night
sound of a train in the distance
sad call of a lonely owl
hungry bark of a fox passing by
wind playing with the leaves of a tree
church bell striking twice
reminding me to fall asleep

walking down the streets
many people here today
searching for their dreams