sing a song of soft intent
whisper magic incantent
feel heavenly connection
strengthen strings o' soul libation

weave a net of thought and letter
take a part in being begetter
tread your steps with surety
whispering words in purity

hew the air with mind 'n heart
see the visions take apart
mystic mist of shadow dark
letting shine everlasting spark

Shadow and aura
They're always there
whether in Torah
whether in prayer

occasionally the light
shines strong and bright
but oft times despair
spreads its black air

most times they're both
fighting for troth
the sacred oath
stifled by growth

of shameful shadow
that blots out the sun
that blots out the marrow
of what's to be done

laziness thy name is known
thief of time, turns fire to stone,
you think you own me but this I own
that my true love is G-d alone.

sacred oak, strength in your veins,
aged grandeur of royal girth
moonlight flitting over your plains
through gnarled roots claiming the earth

many lives your eyes have seen
darkened circles proclaim you've been
spying secrets of youth on green
luscious vernality 'neath sylvan sheen

shadow and aura
they're always there
whether in Torah
whether in prayer

occasionally the light
shines strong and bright
but oft times despair
spreads its black air

but most times they're both
fighting for troth
the sacred oath
stifled by growth

of shameful shadow
that blots out the sun
that blots out the marrow
of what's to be done

laziness thy name is known
thief of time, turns fire to stone,
you think you own me but this I own
that my true love is G-d alone.

why does evil make noise 'n protest
whilst goodness tiptoes by unnoticed?
why is bad raucous and loud
but good hides itself in a crowd?

why is G-d's voice stiller than water,
a silent whisper, caress in the ether,
whilst devil's beguile persists till the slaughter
as constant chime, incessant bleeper?

It's the same reason that gold need not shout,
to tell you its worth, prestige and clout,
why a gem or diamond is entombed in coal,
and sought after 'n quarried from deepest She'ol.

Why speech is silver and silence is golden,
why pride seeks fanfare and sin is bolden,
whilst holiness shies away from publicity
as from pernicious poison 'n toxicity

it's the secret of fruit, the light in the shell,
the clapper and chain in the hand-bell,
the spirit and soul, alive and well,
that animates fibre, muscle and cell

it's the secret of light travelling faster than sounds
though laser power confounds and astounds
in short, if you're quiet you'll understand
the secret that upholds seas, heaven and land.

You are G-d's portal
His light uncurl'd
Through mere mortal
He encounters the world

Vegetable 'n mineral are His vibration
Insect and beast His animation
but it's conscious man, zenith o' creation,
that links time 'n place with Realisation

your interaction, base or gold,
lifts the cosmos to worlds untold
or drowns His Spark in mould and canker,
pulling worlds down, hook, line 'n sinker.

so when next a choice presents to you,
to cleave to light or cleave to gloom
whether to heed soul's faint quiet call
or succumb to daemon's ignominious maul

remember this, it's not just you,
it's G-d Himself in what you do,
and ship you sail has many a rider
who'll be affected by your decider

the light you light will kindle hordes
of souls and sparks to reap rewards
its effect is hidden and unseen
it can alter more than you dream

the hole you bore is not just for you
it can sink ship and passengers too.
so though each person is a universe
each connects with all, for good or for worse

what would breath be
if we did not inhale
if breath had no break
but as water of lake
was still and eternal
no rhythm or change,
vernal, sempiternal,
no beat nor range,
diurnal, nocturnal,
no give or exchange,

what would sound be
if it did not dulate,
if it did not have waves
that flow 'n oscillate,
if it was continuous
without vibration,
if its sphere of influence
had no fluctuation,

what would light be
without pulsation
with no shadow or shade
or variation

it would not be hell
nor heavenly bliss
but stagnation and smell
of eternal abyss

or the light of the Other
Unknown to another
Self unaware
no here and no there
forever the same
He of no name.

A drop 'n a splash
Ripples awake
Thoughts unhash
Poetry make

Pluck a heartstring
Reminisce
draw a ring
round sad and bliss

make a target
draw your bow
shoot your arrow
let rhyme grow

there's music in rhyme,
music in time,
music that plants
eternity twixt chime

poetry is mystery
older than history
its prose is timeless,
the voice of sweet silence.

plant a tree too close to others
its growth is stifled, development smothered,
it'll wax scrawny, tall and lank,
needing its neighbours to cling to the bank

its roots cannot spread,
its branches are muted,
without anchor or head
smallest gale can uproot it

plant a tree without support
it'll grow awkward, twisted and gaunt,
plant a tree without protection,
it'll be trampled or plagued by infection

but plant a tree with space all round
with support and guidance, staked to the ground,
it''ll grow proud with full formation,
a shelter for humans and bird habitation

tie a horse to cart or hearse
without bit or bridle, reins or headpiece
it''ll run amok, out of control,
subject to whim, race, gallop or stroll.

tie a horse too tight to carriage,
whip with crop without fear of carnage,
it'll suffocate, unable to breathe,
or bristle and flare, simmer and seethe.

but tie with care, treat with sensitivity
it'll reward you with years of activity
it'll enjoy its ride with you
a friend 'n ally till its adieu

smother a child with rules and restrictions
it'll develop maladies and evil addictions,
or else be forever unable to speak,
individuality suppressed, character weak.

treat it with abandon and over-laxity,
it'll never understand the meaning of chastity,
capricious and fickle, as ship without rudder,
there'll be crime 'n disgrace to make Bluebeard shudder

cram the child into class of peers,
without room to breathe, develop in years,
it''ll mature narrow, petty and limited,
easily broken or slanted 'n bigoted.

but guide it with love, with room to develop,
surround it with friends but not to envelop,
show it firmness while broadening horizons
a free spirit with integrity 'twill be till it wizens

two shadows of shoulder-height
deathly grey, in war's twilight,
each one older than the other,
Each one woven to his brother

Each one begging for morsel bite
to feed the other to last the night
each one's sorrow etched in tears
well runs dry from thousand years

of ******, cruelty, carnage unspeakable,
condensed in a year of black irredeemable,
hearts had fled, souls unreachable,
forever struck dumb, humanity irretrievable

i can't go in the room
you're wrapped in white
why everywhere a gloom
why a candle as your light

they're putting you in ground
you can't really be dead
you're not making a sound
is this what they dread

it must be my head
it cannot be real
you're still there in bed
you'll ask how i feel

i'll wake up soon
you'll be there for me
you'll sing me your tune
you'll tell your story

i'll comb your hair
I'll scratch your back
with your love in the air
there's nothing i lack

what was that you said
a minute dear, me hearin' aid ...
your father? he's long dead
****'d in the last air-raid

aye! the war, the blitz
scared us out of our wits
what's that you say?
do i remember D-day?

' Course I do, remember it good,
like the rations, the stamps for food,
come again, my sweet, me hearing's bad,
aye, they got him alright, your granddad

orange-carts for seats we had in them days,
yer uncle, a milkman, would bring home his wage,
two shillin' a week, was considered good,
well, it'd keep us in bread and yer fire-wood

were we happy, you ask?
don't make me laugh,
with a pint and a half
beer in the cask

there was nought to keep our spirits down,
think o' the joy when I found a half-crown,
spent on baccy my pipe for the puffin',
them were the days, we didn't lack nuffin'.

one day a bee came to a flower
tickled stamens in pollen-shower
unbeknown, within pistill,
began a fruit of tree distill

And after many years gone-by,
that fruit's seed had formed new tree
with leaves and flowers and branches high
and plentifold nectar for busy bee.

One day a man performs a deed
a deed has fruit, good goodness breeds,
and from that little point of light
will blossom stars to transform night

one little act may bear a sun
that may henceforth be the one
to turn humanity to change course
to fill the world with new force

smile to a stranger,
be kind at home,
you may be a changer
that change will roam

remember it's not just about you
it's how after many years are through
your act will have coloured in ways untold
the lives of many, a million-fold.

tick-tock, tick-tock,
life goes by, it doesn't stop,
tick-tock, tick-tock,
a second of eternity on universe clock

tick-tock, tick-tack,
grab each moment, it won't come back,
tick-tock, tock-tick,
time runs out, all too quick

in the beginning was a dot
and the dot begat a line,
dot and line, letter begot
and letter became a sign

from the sign, a word appeared
in that word, laid hidden sign,
Through sign, letter, line, dot disappeared
But dot's still there, clandestine.

in the beginning there was no time
No-time spoke, begetting time,
and from the time, there awoke,
a turning wheel, axle and spoke.

In that wheel was ascent, descent,
north and south and east and west
but in the centre of gyration
was place of nothingness, of no station.

And in that space there was No-time
Who was the prime but had no prime
Who was the beginning of the dot
The dot that is in all, and all begot.

E ndless wisdom of no bounds
H ewed space, no light, no sound
Y ielded self yet self surrounds
H eart pulsating life abound

Y ou see the end in the beginning
H iding death in the living
V oid shapen through Your giving
H ome to Heaven through forgiving

A ir and fire, water, earth,
D eath 'n life, endless rebirth,
N ature nurturing name of worth
Y earns in You to find safe berth

On the first day of maliciousness my true love gave to me
Nuclear waste in the Pacific Sea

On the second day of maliciousness my true love gave to me
Two ballistic missiles and nuclear waste in the Pacific Sea

On the third day of maliciousness my true love gave to me
Three million toddlers' deaths, two ballistic missiles and nuclear waste in the Pacific Sea

On the fourth day of maliciousness my true love gave to me
Four massive oil leaks, three million toddlers' deaths, two ballistic missiles and nuclear waste in the Pacific Sea

On the fifth day of maliciousness my true love gave to me
Five pandemic viruses, four massive oil leaks, three million toddlers' deaths, two ballistic missiles and nuclear waste in the Pacific Sea

On the sixth day of maliciousness my true love gave to me
Six countries' electronic waste, five pandemic viruses, four massive oil leaks, three million toddlers' deaths, two ballistic missiles and nuclear waste in the Pacific Sea

On the seventh day of maliciousness my true love gave to me
Seven world-powers downplaying, six countries' electronic waste, five pandemic viruses, four massive oil leaks, three million toddlers' deaths, two ballistic missiles and nuclear waste in the Pacific Sea

On the eighth day of maliciousness my true love gave to me
Eight pointless wars, seven world-powers downplaying, six countries' electronic waste, five pandemic viruses, four massive oil leaks, three million toddlers' deaths, two ballistic missiles and nuclear waste in the Pacific Sea

On the ninth day of maliciousness my true love gave to me
Nine last elephants Asian, eight pointless wars, seven world-powers downplaying, six countries' electronic waste, five pandemic viruses, four massive oil leaks, three million toddlers' deaths, two ballistic missiles and nuclear waste in the Pacific Sea

On the tenth day of maliciousness my true love gave to me
Ten million famishing, nine last elephants Asian, eight pointless wars, seven world-powers downplaying, six countries' electronic waste, five pandemic viruses, four massive oil leaks, three million toddlers' deaths, two ballistic missiles and nuclear waste in the Pacific Sea

On the eleventh day of maliciousness my true love gave to me
Eleven million hectares deforesting, ten million famishing, nine last elephants Asian, eight pointless wars, seven world-powers downplaying, six countries' electronic waste, five pandemic viruses, four massive oil leaks, three million toddlers' deaths, two ballistic missiles and nuclear waste in the Pacific Sea

On the twelfth day of maliciousness my true love gave to me
Twelve million tonnes plastic waste, eleven million hectares deforesting, ten million famishing, nine last elephants Asian, eight pointless wars, seven world-powers downplaying, six countries' electronic waste, five pandemic viruses, four massive oil leaks, three million toddlers' deaths, two ballistic missiles and nuclear waste in the Pacific Sea

everyone has devils
some hide them better
it's our job to channel evils
'n thereby make them lesser

think not to restrain that urge
to bind with shackle and fetter,
don't expect to purge
the malevolent abetter

show him a way forward
lift your sights higher
together swim shoreward
toward that spiritual fire

you want to die?
don't ask yourself why,
ask how to use the feeling
to give yourself a high

seek out that inner aspiration
find the glint in mud,
award yourself gratulation
for all your sweat and blood

as you work on what matters
focuse on the prize
and if your spirit shatters
from thence shall you rise

for from dark earth emerges seedling
from black coal the brightest diamond
decay 'n rot shall be your healing
in your swim to distant island

People aren't as you think
What's black ain't black, what's pink ain't pink,
Beneath the surface it's dark and murky,
What seems simple is odd and quirky

If you see mud, that might be a gem
Hiding beneath the sloth and phlegm,
Silver that shines is ofttimes plate
On nickel 'n zinc and other dead-weight

But dig beneath that dark interior
That hides beneath the glinting exterior
You might discover sommat superior
Unsurpass'd gold that shouts 'Exclesior'.

So don't be quick to adjudicate
Oft as not we don't see straight
You and me, we're not as we think
Our slime is gold, and our jewels stink

cold and raining
bad air
stuffed in crates
it just ain't fair

haven't been fed since day before last
never been given a good ol' repast
Dry layers mash every breakfast
no wonder we're so glum 'n downcast

naked patches 'n thinning feathers,
confined in cage, prisoner in fetters,
mold and dirt on my nethers
seems I've been indoors forever

now I'm here
on highest tier
outlook's dire
I'm in the mire

neighbour's dead
was underfed
died of dread
of what lies ahead

we've stopped squawking
nobody's talking
guys are gawking
pointing, stalking

I'm not a fool
i know what this means,
some guy's drool
over chicken and beans

'thud', 'thud', ground's a-quakin'
earth around, i see it shakin'
sure the two-leggeds are a-comin'
making ma heart in me a-drummin'

'Ere they com, hoity-toity,
think that they're so high-'n-mighty,
i'll squawk in-face 'n i'll get flighty
show the missus i'm alrighty.

thinks they own the world, they do
they don't own me, lemme tell you,
give a few squawks and they're a-runnin'
doubt they'll be back for a second-comin'!

I once knew a boy
Blue-eyed wonder
dressed in corduroy
and knit-weave jumper

he'd go amongst the laurel
in hidden, shady paths
surrounded by leaf 'n floral
sheltered from the blasts

of domestic quarrel
shouting and loud noises
he'd speak amongst wood-sorrel
and he'd hear the voices

of his own whispers
to his own G-d
he'd say his own Scriptures
upon the ****** sod

that boy is still around
buried beneath burnt ember
sometimes when i make no sound,
he makes my soul remember

There once was a rare flower
A bloom that flourished in shade
Few could see its power
And that's how it might have stayed

For its planter derived pleasure
From floweret's love for obscurity
And as a golden treasure
Delighted in the bud's soft purity

but within the perennial's gene
there was a cancerous spot
a desire to be known as queen
to be recognised and not forgot

so there came a well-meaning person
who beheld the bloom's beauty
and opened it up to light and sun
thinking he was doing his duty

he wished all to benefit from its sweetness
all be blest by its aroma
for he'd not appreciated its discreetness
true secret of its persona

for the secret of its pulchritude
of its grace and its allure
was its modesty in its attitude
which kept it chaste and good and pure

and so the flower that once was
a bloom of rarefied scent
withered because of one faux-pas
and its own malcontent.

many a winter and summer passed
since the flower had stopped blooming
as by-and-by it became overcast
other foliage, it subsuming

but slowly within the darkness again
it awakened and started thriving
this time it'd learnt to contain
detrimental want and driving

to let its nature bloom 'n flourish
while none knew its charm 'n grace
and its concealment would it nourish
in its small secluded place

for there are souls destined 'n made
to act as king or queen or ruler
whilst others must act within the shade
'n thus know their loving Jeweller

As car must have a steering wheel
an axle, brakes and engine
as a person has a heart and a heel
a brain, veins and tendon

so the world of souls contains
the hidden and the visible
and this world has many planes
of Unity indivisible

each soul is perfect and complete,
with radiance incomparable
and no soul need with other compete
for its uniqueness irreplaceable.

More than the ripple of a thousand tears
More than the cries of a thousand years
More than oceans of anguish and pain
Of cruciation and torture inhumane
Is the music of the spheres
When G-d draws near His bairn

softer than the ocean sand
caressed by moonlight tender
the skin of my beloved
radiant with cherub's splendor

deeper than woodland pools
bluer than the skies
the wellsprings of my jewel's
cerulean, emerald eyes.

untouched as yon ****** soil
innocent as newborn calf
Like buttered cream, wine and oil,
His comments and epitaphs

As a thousand rainbows bright
'Midst gloom cloud 'n dark 'n sorrow
Like electric flash of whiter light
that heralds the new morrow

Is the laughter of my boy
that washes away my tears
the fountain of my love and joy
my son of nine years.

i see a world through my eyes
i hear it through my ears
is that the world you see too
or d'you have different fears?

why do i never stop to think
how others truly feel
why does our ego us hoodwink
to believe just our world is real

i like it when i hear my name
i can give others that pleasure too
that little buzz akin to fame
'coz you're important to you

if i open a door to others' feelings
how much richer my world might be
why am i frightened from revealing
my world's not a sole reality

Each person's a complete universe
with light 'n shade, blessing 'n curse,
his world might be entirely diverse
to the ambience in which i immerse

if seven colours make a rainbow
what iridescence, what beautiful glow
must myriad realities together show,
G-d's divine Glory, above 'n below.