"stand up straight!" she said,
"do not slump!" she cried,
i couldn't less have cared
for all she tried and tried

but now i understand
those well-meant words of wisdom
for if you stand up grand
you'll feel a king - not victim

this world will throw you curveballs,
and people are not angels,
so stand as if you've strong walls
within those gentle facials

your meekness keep within
before your own Creator
and smile at friend and kin
be not fazed by your hater

this world's no ballet arena
for a prima ballerina
it's a place of spiritual warfare
so stand strong and don't despair

to win the inner battle
you have got to be strong
a smile and seeming chuckle
will ease the way along

so while you're working on inner calibre,
don't forget that outer pose,
it'll help unsheathe your inner excalibur
if you garnish your self-repose

its girth was wide five hundred years
its arms stretched up to the skies
beneath its branches a world appears
with beasts and fish and flies

it brought succour for millions,
the strangers and civilians,
beneath its shade green grass blades
'twixt bluebells in the glade

its succulence gave cornucopia
luxurious utopia
full fruits of every variety
all bursting with vitality

fresh water flowed beneath its boughs
pure and sweet and clear
it quenched the thirst of young and old,
the far-flung and the near

and in its trunk lay secret gold,
a sawdust to be prized,
it housed the life of worlds untold,
within its bark disguised

one day with saw black hooded man
made one nick, a small 'un,
and from the midst of golden wood
flowed nectar bright and good

and man begot a friend
till nick became a chasm,
as they carried on the trend
with cold enthusiasm

from round about came small voice
telling them to quit
while they still had the choice
but they couldn't care a whit

it's only a small mark
we're making in the bark,
this tree will stand forever
no need to stop endeavour

and each year they sawed deeper
into the depths of tree
until one day they saw the reaper
rubbing hands with glee

with horror they did jump away
away from living tree
but now the trunk did wave and sway
it teetered dangerously

we'll do no more, we'll stop the cut,
they cried out in effusion,
but the case was closed, closed and shut
with no other conclusion

the tree came crashing down,
its leaves and boughs and branches,
no more did it wear its crown
no more its fruits advances

and darkness spread over the land
desolation for five hundred years,
abject misery fanned by hand
of those who cry no tears

in penetralia of my heart
lies forbidden lust
that as i grow becomes a part
a victim, naked, trussed,

from time to time i hear it cry
its needs to be heard
but i must flee and let it die
lest my mind be blurred

lest i be ****** into its whirlpool
lest i drown within its nectar,
for at its centre sits laughing ghoul,
soul-collecting spectre

his right hand me beckons near
in left a single spear
with nimrodian face sneers 'n leers
with sly wink, snuffs out fear

yet at its root is strongest yearning
a thirst for immaterial
no doubt the ghoul'll keep returning
'til i embrace ethereal

Build your castles in the air
Lock in the magic keep it there
In your fortress of tales untold
City streets are paved with gold
Girls with green hair, mermaid struck
Are bound to bless your day with luck
The man with briefcase on the bus
Hides wings of golden angel dust
Enjoy the conversations heard
The variations of the word
The power of the spoken truth
The reckless in the throes of youth
Living in your imagination
Life becomes your own creation
Let not the doom and gloom abound
Sorrow be lost, joy be found
Listen to the sweetest songs
Let your truth right all the wrongs
It’s not real others may say
Life’s yours to own; live it your way
When the darkest shadows come
Turn them into bright sun beams
Safe in the castles of your dreams

the sky was azure
blue and pure,
the air was light,
untouched.

at break of day
when angels sing
when pixie, fay,
still fearless swing

amongst the harebells and the snowdrops
beneath the moss-lined wall
in liminal state, when world has stopped
when silence is its shawl

i ventured out onto the moor,
towards the river bank,
there I saw great beasts in tour
heads hidden as they drank

a host of ancient dinosaurs
sauropods fifty grouped
gigantic reptiles, herbivores,
their long necks steeply stooped

betwixt the sand and pebbles,
framed by trees of yore,
i saw that gathered 'ssemble
on edge of hallowed shore

but when i neared the mise en scène
behold a change took place
for in their place by field green
Canadian Geese took chase

And, as one mind, with charm and grace,
they fled those banks of water,
as they set sail from place with haste
away from scare of slaughter

and now, each time i spy a goose
i think of that occasion
when in their place i saw let loose
an antediluvian invasion

a child in the cupboard wails,
locked inside his wardrobe,
cries the tears of unknown gales,
hides from human probe.

that same child is still crying,
tears of empty yearning,
that same child's slowly dying
as the world keeps on turning.