My toughest tests are over,
and now that things have slowed,
I find myself quickly sliding,
into Christmas vacation mode.

It’s a shame you’re not with us,
everywhere we go,
because we could pretend,
that there was mistletoe.

A chorus, in the food court
asked, “Mary did you know?”
And the mozzarella, on my pizza,
seemed a symbolic snow.

The traffic to the mall was CrA-crazy,
the Uber moving glacially slow,
what we could have done, with that wasted time,
would have been sublime - under some mistletoe.

With my agenda slack, I’m almost packed,
I’ve got a thistle of something stowed.
And one of the things it will be swell to delve,
are the licentious uses of mistletoe.

Life is a state of mind,
A merry go round of your choosing,
That either brings tears of joy,
Or screams of terror,
Peace,
Or Drama.
One you can never depart,
Until that one concluding breath.
Will you look back on the well trodden path
With recollections of joy,
Or regret?

the river overflows down to the sea,      
a wintry song to tame the reveled night,
and born of love the stars blaze ever bright,
with soft-ringed beams that sigh like poetry.
dark woven hour, how you inspire me,
the midnight gleams with pools of paean light,
the drowsy moon is shining filmy-white,
the woodlands shrink and dream of sanctuary.
arise on arching wings, oh, song once sung,  
oh, water sprite, oh, lily of the vale,
you pine for love, the forest weaves a spell,
unearthly voice of honey throat and tongue
  i hear you whisper, sing your wild, wild tale,      
  then bid the world goodbye and sweet farewell.

the hidden staircase fascinated me,
the wooden steps, oak panels on the wall,
behind an unexpected door you couldn’t see,
a narrow entrance in the spacious hall.
who ever would have thought to find it here,
a masterpiece of silent secrecy,
whose trepidation full of pounding fear
climbed up those stairs in frightened urgency?
while candles drip hot wax from chandeliers
they gallop in the night, the carriage wheel
leaves furrows in the mud, whose trembling ears
await the sweeping toll-bells heavy peel?
and as the night drifts ever closer in,
who bolts the windows, deafens out the din?

THE STIGMATA OF YOUR TOUCH

clutching at straws
I clutch at your blouse
hold my pillow closer

pretend its you
mould the duvet
into something

reassembling you
but it’s not
you

I suffer
your absence
aching

at the intersections
of our bodies
as we sleep

my thigh across your thigh
my hand
upon your breast

my flesh
screaming for your flesh
as if your absence burns

enduring like a saint
the stigmata
of your touch

A touch of grace upon the face of the earth is what she is, this  
Bacchus of sweet ecstasy that resides within us strong and true    
Cheek of the Gods, amulet of power she pulses through us with    
Dulcet lights ingratiating the mind and heart like a warrior of old
Echoes of past lives transgress silently as the pure essence of her  
Flashes before our eyes, suggesting that we strive to live a stoic life  
Garlands of gold precious as honey, ribbon through like the sun      
Heartbeats pulse with motion and it feels like a thousand butterflies
Immaterial part of our living experience she is often mistreated
Jam packed with survival moments rough as diamonds un-tumbled  
Karmic turns of the sacred wheel  she turns us around each time  
Love and love alone exists here, a litigating lioness, she owns a
Mothering instinct and a fathers protective incline, because
No other part of our bodies can do what she does,  she brings  
Oneness to that inner world, she thrives on meditative states
Pleasing the senses more thoroughly than any earthly pleasure can  
Queen of the night, she contains more light within than a Sirius star
Review her as you would review the latest good film you saw,  
Soulistic Beauty Of The Soul, ...that is what I'm talking about
Trust in the nature of all things that are good, no never quit for
Universal truths she will bring to you, if you search and find
Veer towards her light and bathe in her perfume dear one
Whilst God and the Angels rule the heavens, she rules you
Xebec sails flapping in the wind, remember to glide don't run  
You only get once chance to get it right my friend, so live life  
Zealously, in the face of adversity, ... use your soul power.  

Abecedarian Form :

DEPARTED THIS STAGE OF EXISTENCE

moss & lichen
eat each
chiselled name

gnaw
away at
stone memories

even
the stone
is withered

some faces
having nothing
to say

or a half-eaten date
that's lost
its name

Time
chewed &
spat  out

there is the cut
of salt
in the air

tombstones
lie all
higgedly-piggedly

as if
the graveyard is
a drunken dance

ghosts frozen in the air
held
in the grasp of frost

trees blown into
fierce gestures
a dance of demons

etched against a sky
that crumbles
into nothingness

the sun
afraid
to show its face

the sea
flattens
itself into silver

only the silence
can be
heard

the tide
lays back
from the shore

cockle pickers
stop &
move again

like human
punctuation
marks