'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'!

Let's take a tour of the Zodiac signs,
On each month, we'll scribe two lines

Aries Sun has zest and verve
A quarrel with him takes a nerve

Taurus Sun's down to earth
to change his mind's like giving birth

(Original:
Gemini Sun's social and fickle
Rely on him and you're in a pickle)

Gemini Sun's social and flexible
Friendly, affable, intelligence incredible

Cancer Sun's moody, insecure
Sensitive to a fault 'n slightly obscure

Leo Sun's loyal, a good worker,
Idealist, noble, rarely a shirker

Virgo Sun's responsible and practical,
exacting, self-critical, not always tactical

Libra Sun wants peace at any price,
refined, sociable, and really, very nice

Scorpio Sun, now there's a challenge,
Intense, willful, he'll always manage

Sagittarius Sun's cheerful and friendly,
though mind their anger, can be deadly

Capricorn Sun's hard-working, societal,
Mostly reliable though obstinately practical

Aquarius Sun goes off beaten track,
Idealistic, social, they'll usually have your back.

Pisces Sun's deep, if somewhat lymphatic,
dreamy idealist and slightly erratic

And herein ends our brief excursion
Hope you enjoyed are astral version

We crave recognition
Because it's our mission
To gain admission
To G-d's acquisition

The problem starts
When outside our hearts
We look to the charts
Others to outsmart

Peer within
You'll soon begin
To know wherein
Lies true linchpin

Of the worth of your deeds
Sort the flowers from the weeds
To grow the seeds
That goodness breeds

Then, will no longer
Ye seek yonder
Desire 'n hanker
Respect 'n honour

True satiation
Comes from good occupation
Self-examination
G-dly communication

With self-respect
You'll not be subject
To feeling neglect
From peers' reject.

With behaviour exemplary,
Love and empathy,
You'll experience redemptory -
Life's true nectary

i reached out and touched him
watched as he crumbled
as the grey and rusty sandstone
once steep palisade, humbled
by the winds of dark moon blown
by the crashing waves of centuries,
beleaguered, soul lay by my feet,
swamped by painful memories
as if praying for defeat
whimpering and helpless
waves of cruel deceit
had his light dimmed.

to save him i knew
i'd have to reach within
kindle anew
the flame, 'neath calloused skin
scarred and hardened
by whips and word,
by wounds unpardoned,
by cries unheard,
extinguished by the flippant
the abuse intermittent
festering and rankling
his essence strangling
but i could only loosen
the snake round his neck
he had to see the human
beneath the wreck on deck.

sagacious soul
spirit with goal
longs to ascend and unite

disorientated drunk
beat as salt junk
daylight as dark night

with left-handed shove
and right handed love
I'll mollify corporeal sprite

then as sweet-heart and darling
the dove with the starling
shall consummate heavenly rite

together as one
G-d's favourite son
shall shine the Infinite's light

the world once more
transparent door
to Love that is hidden and bright

more than the sun
at height of its run
transforming all pain and all blight

to peace everlasting
passionate soul's asking
the light of the day in the night

January. Cold, wintry and bleak.
Cat killed a pigeon, talon and beak.

February.  Tree waking from sleep.
Found a few slugs under wood-heap.

March. Silky catkins and a hint of leaf.
Blackbird warns of a magpie thief.

April. Blossoms-pink, yellow and white.
Radishes growing ready to bite.

May. Greens and purples, a haze of colour.
Spring a-beckoning to Mother Summer.

June. World is abuzz with sound of living,
Bees and butterflies, taking and giving.

July. My, it's hot! Cherries galore.
Fox chestnut-brown scraped at my door.

August. Clear skies, velvety blue,
Saw buzzards chasing red-kite as it flew.

September. The ending of sweet summer-harvest,
Judging whose potatoes turned out the largest.

October. Runner-beans bid adieu.
Stone squirrel 'lone on grey patio.

November. Tree losing last leaf of autumn,
Golden mulch carpets, browns and aurum.

December. Bare branch, bowed 'n buried.
Snow gave a shiver, 'n winked as he tarried.

i rattle the bars of my cage
prowl back 'n forth with inner rage

but the metal is mirage
mind construct, subconscious montage

imprisoned by my vision
hear echoes of derision

a ****** of indecision
failing in life's mission

a heart that's broken
a shattered mirror
reflects more feeling
than one that's clear
than one that's healing
flaws of terror
as each glass shard
cuts hard

each glass shard
reflects a world
forever scarred
forever knurled
a soul so marred
that great wings furled
once a bard
now up-curled

heart that's broken
has wings clipped
words unspoken
and sealed lips
bound with tape
that never holds
longs to escape
and wings unfold

heart that's broken
has jeremiad
of demons woken
as songs o' Iliad
that longs for balm
of inner wound
an inner calm
to soul marooned

What is death?

Death is the hurt i do to others,
death is argument between two brothers,
death is the calumny knowingly scattered,
words spoken as if nothing mattered

death lies not with the battered and shattered,
though broken with blood on wall splattered,
life is forever with the downtrodden,
the persecuted 'n tortured, man's forgotten.

scattered fireflies
wandering sheep
windows of a thousand cries
that make the angels weep

silent in the night
meandering in your flight
yet set course traverse G-d's haven
deepest velvet, black as raven

secrets of a million years
laughter of a thousand tears
stars that guide the world's affairs
from afar on unawares

let's do it, i said
i'm a bona fides reprobate
let's call up the dead
arouse Mother Fate

we dressed ourselves purple
like butterflies and birds
sat in a circle
said all the words

in mix of drama and derring-do
we painted a pentagon in electric blue
lit red candles and turned down the light
and waited and waited the whole --- night

then just before dawn
as i stifled a yawn
as if in a blur
i saw something stir

at first I thought
'twas imagination
but then i was sure
it was a visitation

the hairs stood up on the back of my neck
my heart beat faster as i thought 'what the ----'
my arms 'n legs froze as if inert,
though all o' my senses were really alert

inky, metallic, with glinting eyes
hooded, unworldly, as if taken by surprise
air of sinister, darker affairs,
unaware of all our fixated stares

it came on slowly, unsure at first,
then started forward, as if coerced
as if beckoned by unseen power,
by spirits o' nefarious witching hour

black and hardened were its wings
fixed on its back like two locked springs
a mouth vacant with open pincer
with an odd click like meat-mincer

bamboozled by the circle of candles
the black anthropoid walked around in angles
traced the floor as if driven berserk
the peremptory beetle with fastidious legwork

a factoid known by a pitiful few
beetles are attracted to colour light blue
and when aided by a scented taper
are apt to go on a pre-dawn caper

what does it feel like
to be victim of abuse?
pushed 'gainst ****
life-story to lose
not recognising self
one's own gravity
no floor 'neath one's feet
self-identity
sense of perception
up in the air
sense of connection
reduced to a scare
nothing positive
save other's narrative
forget meritorious,
you think no-one's worse,

trampled 'n suffocated,
stir-crazy, deflated,
lose desire to live
no goodness to give.
go tell your mother
your sister, your brother
no-one believes
what you go through
everyone's deceived
perhaps even you
all looks so nice
on the surface
jam-cake with ice
and lip-service
but there's little on earth
that's more bitter
than to be constant mirth
'n no strength to quit her
that's the story
of emotional abuse
i'd tell you more
but there's no real use.

my dove,
I still remember - the day I found you
your perfume wafting o'er distant waters,
i smelt you from afar,
frankincense, myrrh, myrtle o' young daughters.

beloved,
you came to me from afar.
Time had no meaning, as you held me in your love,
You gazed at me,
your pure eyes calling me dove.
But now you're gone.
And life has lost its meaning.

my dove,
i let you go,
i let you fly over many waters.
i deemed it wiser -- for us both
but my dove, i love you still.
and i'm still here, on the hill.

beloved,
till hoary days i'll remember your voice
though they look at me askance
in simulacrum of life,
they ask me to dance
to tune of flute 'n fife
but i hear not,
for i cannot, save in you, rejoice.

he watched the tea in rapture
as the milk in swirling spiral
as the curling column'd vapour
fought in vain for its survival

wraiths numinous dissipate
could not would not participate
in wretched game o' nature's abuse
placing world in hanging-noose

so he downed the tea
spirit long gone
as Zyklon-B
couldn't hang on

now nothing's left
of brown micturition
passed through gill-cleft
in natural tradition

the blackbird does as blackbird should
he sings the morn in view
and at dusk, as sun dons hood,
farewell's the day's deep blue

and though the sloth seems lazy,
a-snoozing in the tree,
a sleep that might seem crazy
to you and to me

a sloth does as sloth is,
he cannot other be,
much as the black moth is
nocturnal frequentee

during the day, he lies under
leaf or vegetation,
it's all a part of the wonder
of G-d's machination

it's just man that has a say
in how he spends his hour,
he may choose to be gay,
blithesome as a flower

or saturnine and severe,
without a hint of cheer,
though DNA may play a part
man is ruler of his heart

unploughed soil, with pebbles 'n stone,
none witness to its prowess,
it lies there empty, all alone,
but of potential boundless

nothing ventured, nothing gained,
sleep will not build Rome,
only through action summit's attained,
and then you may dine at home

We owe fealty to ourselves,
fealty to our soul,
for therein the divinity dwells,
till death doth take its toll

and so i fell
into an abyss
far away
from my soul's bliss
far from His
arduous Kiss
into a pit that i had dug
into a darkness that i had fashioned
into place of devil's laughter
of no floor, no wall or rafter,
place o' nothingness, save deepest black
to salve soft spirit's yearnings' lack
for 'neath the fall was emptiness,
wilderness of stealthiness,
the bivouac of the soul
flapped with wraps more black than coal,
void of form and void of courage,
void of charm of spirit's marriage,
yet like the dimpl'd glow of youth,
the glistening white of false front tooth,
the empty love of harlot's booth,
it blinds my eyes to wisdom's sooth.

almighty father, almighty king,
heavens and earth are your thing
but here's the thing
hear me King

your children have well and truly messed up

you can hazard a guess
the world's a mess

as to why
well, there's a tongue-tie
i mean where do i start
there aint no flowchart
well, not for this!

drought and fires are the norm
let's not forget cyclone and storm
the unrelenting hurricanes
monsoon floods and murderous rains

then you've got the violence
ok, there's always been that
aye, and the mass riots
but not the rat-a-tat-tat
weapons to wreak world destruction
smallest child needs no introduction
every day 'nother calamity
natural and man-induced
men and women have lost their sanity
world's evil's come in to roost

so do we need help or what?

in the halls of culture,
in the corridors of art,
(where concealed rites sepulture
are made on human heart)

in the schools of science,
the shrines of self-reliance,
(where they pay obeisance
to their paying clients)

in cathedral of academia,
the high churches of learning,
(where publication media
gains profession's earning)

in all these lobbies of power,
the chambers of government,
beneath the gilt and flower,
beneath false guise of betterment,

beneath the charm and splendour,
beneath the language tender,
there lies secret agenda,
for advance of pretender

there, steps are made of people,
and mountains from the crowds
and on the tops a steeple
pierces the greyest clouds

"how great am i
to look from high,
to rule the masses
from the sky"

but in heaven there's different plan
a different way to look at man
the steeple on the top is gone
all persons divine, one echelon

one step on man is a step on G-d,
and he who ruled, on Him he trod,
I little envy the position
of he who reached his ambition

to be the king of the castle
to tread 'pon spirits astral
to be a spiritual rascal
to attenuate the bashful

'the meek will inherit the earth'
of Psalms, thirty-seven,
is not a verse of mirth
but a law of heaven

for there'll come a time,
so saith this rhyme,
that deceit'll implode
before sacred code

the voice He whispers in words unsaid
in the breeze 'pon barley heads
in the air amongst the leaves
there the One, His spirit weaves

in the water, in the forest,
in the glistening fur of fawn,
the shades of green as window florist
in the stillness of the dawn

'speak to me', i hear him whisper
in the voice of unsaid words
in the spirit of the Drifter
'midst the song of singing birds

hidden from all, as riverbed
far beneath the murky water,
where the shy young otters tread,
there He hugs His only daughter

there He whispers words unsaid
as we drift away from shore
hearts abeat as newly wed
as He lets my spirit soar

soft upon the earth i crept
and listened with my ear
when all a sudden before me leapt
a man as musketeer

he was not more than a foot
in height from toe to head
and roundabout his body put
a gown of lily-red

the musket was, i do believe,
from grass or stick or ****,
and on his head was placed a leaf
that looked like Harris Tweed

he bade me listen well to him
for words of true import
he looked right earnest, chin so grim,
that i did myself comport

and when i heard of the plight
the things that he foresaw
i do confess of the fright
the horror and the awe

that gripped me as in a vice
made me cold as a cadaver
until he offered some advice
as he ended his palaver

he said we always have a choice
wherever we may be
and we can always use our voice
to change humanity

those words he whispered like the wind
as he told of things to be
and afterwards he bowed and grinned
and vanished as banshee.

The smoky shadows prance and sway,
Voices rise, as incense in the air,
Minds fence, ideas clashing, debate sparking,
Every word a dagger's whispered mark
As disputatious souls dance through rhetoric
Seeking truth in dialectic duel.

i go outside, it's sunny,
but half a mo, that's funny,
Microsoft PC says 'rain'!
i must be dreaming again

else i'm living in alternate reality
of imagination or sweet fantasy
for the computer never lies
so who am i to say otherwise?

our lives ruled by externalism,
idle chatter and palaver,
egotism, journalism,
pave the way to world disaster.

let's tune in to inner world
morality and true goodness
let us stop being swirled 'n twirled
ruled by puffed up lewdness

give me a leader of themselves a master
before he drives world to disaster
because if himself he cannot rule
we might as well be led by mule.

I'm knocking on Your door,
I don't know how to speak...

My breathing's a loud snore,
Deep 'n fast asleep.

I'm crying and You Hear,
I'm just too confused to know,

It's been another year
when wild daisies grow.

the competition starts as you're born
its championship's not foresworn,
the gun is fired on very first morn
the finish-line reached as others mourn

on the way you'll find much to nettle
there to prove your grit 'n mettle
if moral compass's in fine fettle
you'll emerge stronger, as quenched metal

if you fall on the way, help is at hand,
that too is innate, divinely planned,
it's human nature, you'll understand,
just keep on, maintain your stand

as best can be, that's all that's required,
try not to look if you're being admired,
do as your soul is heavenly inspired,
until you're tired, all strength retired

then soul ascends with all it's acquired,
the bruises of life, as medals, attired,
and as the spirit is gently expired,
G-d whispers, 'yes, it's this I desired'.

a flame, a light
longs to ignite
secret desire
one with its sire

pushed into darkness
happy and innocent
cried in the starkness
of soul imprisonment

forever a dance
whether to seek advance
to shine and speak
or remain shadow weak

to play hide-and-seek
with the loud and the crass
ignore public clique
to be tread like the grass

and through it attain
soul's secret desire
in earthly plane
be one with the Sire.

Dipped into the piping beverage
Smooth like melted ore
Giving extra oomph 'n leverage
To inner Manticore

Rousing sleeping warrior
Ad'lescent sophomore
Breaking down the barrier
Twixt pretext and inner core

Dripping ebony brown
Waxing allegoric
Soft on tongue as down
Whispers sound euphoric

Soothing edges abrasive
From land of talisman
Transforms secular to sacred
This food of gods and man

does cycle start with autumn
the shedding of the trees
the dark 'n naked columns
bereft of nature's leaves?

does she start the year
depressing and of drear
robbing air of cheer
staining cheek with tear?

or does it start with winter
with biting freezing cold
like a naked sprinter
plunged in icy fold

is he the start of cycle
as men and boys go idol
the sleep of all things vital
in wait for life's revival?

or does it start in spring
with pink and purple blossom
the yellow daffodil
from mama earth's *****

does spring commence the year
with laughter and loud cheer
its promise ringing clear
of goodness very near?

or does the year with summer start
with boiling sun and ripening fruit
the filling of the apple-cart
the carrot and the radish-root?

tell me now, is it summer
that starts the sprint as a runner
that with loud shot from the gunner
blurs legs as wings of hummer?

indeed, does day with night begin
with all things dark and quiet,
to clear the air, to usher in
a new day's life and riot?

or does the night end the day
as matters draw to close
the sleep of night to melt away
all stress through sweet repose?

i ask in all sincerity
don't mean to be captious
i seek wisdom and clarity
where is the point of axis?

can you point to time
in day or in year a date
that marks the start or prime?
or is beginning to rejuvenate?

is in truth the year and day
a cycle everlasting
there be no start, or end decay?
this is what i'm asking

methinks the year with spring doth start
the genesis of all things
and like the spring, doth daylight mark
life's birth on ancient wings

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.

What shall we do with the child so wild?
How do we tame his flame 'n fire?
What shall we do with the child so quiet?
How do we allay his disquiet?

What do we do with our child so proud,
Strutting around with a spirit unbowed?
How do we deal with our child so vile,
Our delinquent juvenile?

What shall we do with our child, the clown,
Makes his class roar but his teacher frown?
What shall we do with our child, the boaster,
Who proclaims his prowess like a theatrical poster?

Plant a kiss on the wildness,
Whilst encouraging the calm,
Praise 'n embrace the shyness,
Pointing out his bonhomme.

Esteem 'n treasure the lordliness,
Give it a place of safety,
Love 'n welcome the vileness,
Whilst training his sensitivity.

Hug and adore the childness,
Like a jewel, the swagger,
Direct them with wiseness,
With acceptance, not a dagger.

Kiss the frog and watch it change,
An angel prince devoid of rage,
The sleeping princess shall awaken,
Before you, your golden maiden.

Goose, force-fed,
eyed me in pain
as they poured down the grain
heavy as lead

horse snorted and heaved
panted to breathe
as rider pulled tight
reined in with might

child wide-eyed
with innocent wonder
suffocated, tied,
till they go under

(fed like a goose
head in a noose
squeezed nice 'n tight
it doesn't seem right.)

till as a zombie
they stumble and fall
automated combi
with no recall

of who they are
'neath the exterior
'neath false coiffeur
o' Mother Superior.

i tip-toed forwards through time
glancing over my shoulder
swirling round in tempo rhyme
as soul would not grow older
eternity was mine to keep
though shell might break and moulder
though frame would one day fall asleep
i'd be with my Beholder

if i saw myself through 'nother's eyes
what would i see?
a bumbling mess behind the lies
or some other entity?

some of us are so concerned
with how the other views us
but the reality of their impression
would utterly confuse us

my advice, at the end of the day,
forget the other person
be yourself as best you may
just be your own best version

bite ye humans, gnash your teeth
feed on blood ye hypocrites
but there in corner, 'neath the ash,
there's a nobody worth all your stash

he doesn't speak or power seek
he won't tread upon your toes,
he's still as water, in thought as deep,
that he exists no-one knows.

but around him the universe goes
in that silence that no-one knows,
and he'll be here when you're gone,
Western culture like Babylon.