I saw an old blue jay today
unashamed of his baldness.
His beautiful crown reduced
to wispy sprouts of gray,
every which way
like a patient after chemo.

Beauty cannot exist
without suffering

I saw our rabbit’s kits yesterday,
they looked like little piglets
nestled in her nest of fur and hay,
plump and tender bodies,
tempting feasts for
creatures of the night.

Peace cannot exist
without fear

I saw a hummingbird this morning
and heard her vibrating chirp.
Cautious yet eager she
bobbed and dipped for sustenance
a thousand miles from home
like a prisoner of war.

Home cannot exist
without longing

I see an orangey moon tonight
pierced across the breast by clouds,
in halves instead of whole.
A symbol of the way things are,
a broken world that
few take time to notice.

Consciousness cannot exist
without ignorance

I looked in your eyes just now
and saw love.

Sickness, disease, danger and fear,
loneliness, loss and uncertainty
is, was, and forever will be
washed away in their blue,
at least for me.

Certainty cannot exist
without love

Of this I am certain

OK, so I guess that I'm a poet
I'm told that it gives me responsibilities
I don't even want to know it
The only person I write with in mind is me
People should just look out for themselves
No! That makes me sound like a Tory
I'm a Socialist, that's important to me

But, art is different, it's not life
I could never write for someone else
I've only got time for my own struggles and strife
If you want to, pick someone​ else off the shelf

What was I supposed to say ?
What was I supposed to do ?
I just went out for a walk today
And then I bumped into you

At first I didn't recognise
Behind the clothes, and that hair-do
But when I saw those deep brown eyes
I suddenly realised it​ was you

We awkwardly talked of this and that
The dogs that we both were walking
Not even " How are you ", no normal chat
We really didn't want to be talking

There's too much that's happened, much too much
For us to try to just pass the time
I found it hard to look at, never mind touch
What I used to be  proud to call mine

Don't talk to me about democracy
How we can control our lives
It's nothing but hypocrisy
There's no control in sight

No matter who we hate, or who we back​
We will never have any real say
A million people marched against invading Iraq
Yet for years they were bombed night and day

Remember the W.M.D. s
Their reason for more death ?
Who knows what it will be
What reason will be next ?

Now it's Syria, where the innocent die
Well, I for one, never voted for that
Who knows where, knows why
Their lies will next be presented as fact