Foundation.

Mixing Old English within the 21st Century.

Titul:

Sċēaweres

(An all ana voice hwisprian's)


For although our pæþe
Are divided by Wyrd

By The Grēat In-Betweonum
Also viewed as Destiny or Fate

By our Andsaca's

Enemies
Vultures and lions
Which Scyttan

Hydan
In The Great Ether

Restless
Unseen
And with great Hungor

Ravenous

Just outside our Godcundlic Gates

Ours is a sacred Trēowa

One
No fowl creatures knoweth

And which the vultures, lions and ravenous creatures: filled with Æfestiġ

And second eyes
Grene
Hath seen

But we will be Siġefæst

So
"Hál wes þú or wes hál"

(C) Copyright John Duffy

Old English andgiet:
Meanings:

Sċēaweres
Watchers.

All ana
Unaccompanied.

Hwisprian
Whisper.

pæþe
Paths.

Andsaca
Enemy, adversary.

Scyttan:
"To hunt," this word could be used if the "prowling" is specifically in search of prey.

Hydan
Meant to conceal.

Hungor
Hunger.

Godcundlic.
Spiritual.

Trēowa
Faith, pledge, agreement.

Grene
Green.

Æfestiġ
Jealous or envious.

Hath
Have.

Siġefæst
Victorious.

Hál wes þú or wes hál

Be in good health' or 'be fortunate'.



(Now read again, now you understand. Especially the ending)

Foundation.

With uncertainty flowing like a molten volcano around the world, and online.

Is it within dark times like these, we should try to bring more light into the world?

Title:

A voice in the dark whispers

Lookup
Not down

And be drawn
Into spiritual degradation

Or dark temptations
Linked to politics or the flesh
By the Red Dragon

But to blue clouds
Filled with sacred tetragons

With belief in whatever you know as good, be held
In-Depth

For the son of Cronus and Rhea

Brother of Zeus and Poseidon
Grows ever near

To welcome you into his waterless Barren Lands

Delighting in unimaginable fear

So be
Precipitous

And look up to
Defeat the rolling Abyss
Ruled by Hades

Hidden
Within
Its mists

Espouse goodness
While you still
Live

Like a sweet Valentine's Day kiss

And try to avoid
The Void

Filled with those
Who now pay a hefty
Price

But enter into new lands of Spiritual Paradise

With your selfless acts
Of kindness and self-sacrifice

Will you try to do good?

Or will you follow those who will suffer bitterness, when a star called, Wormwood,
Falls?

(C)
Copyright John Duffy

(A lone voice whispers)

Do you believe in absorbing esoteric supernatural impressions

To clear your pathways
Of all mental or traumatic depression's

To then walk down life's  metaphysical runways

Like a young Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel or an inspired

Paul Poiret

If so
Because I believe
In you

Always be optimistic and open to being positive when exploring newer experiences

For true belief
Lies in the right mindset in all you do

To transform your soul into your best version of a sage or mystic

Allowing you to chase stars and wild Middle Earth dreams

To bind old mistakes and fears
To white metaphorical feathers

To throw them into the healing fires within your mind

For their old powers over you

In the unconscious rising smoke retire

As you learn which new bridges to cross

And which old bridges to burn

For sacred self-knowledge and empowerment is ubiquitous

A chimera

A conjunction of wild beasts
Roaming wild

Living life through
Eight letters called Salvation

Which to the child of the Revived

Like you
Cannot never ever be denied

(C)
Copyright John Duffy

Do you see past your reality tunnels

Your every day to day
Safe plays

As your Geiger Counters
Ticks left to right
As it slowly sways

Do you see the struggles
Of life's many broken runners

In dire trouble
At home or worldwide

Do you see the villains with the ***** bruised knuckles

On television preaching or in real time

Standing in someone else's home

Their back garden
Their jungle
As the world just watches

Engaging in endless bellicose discussions

Will you only take note
When one of the world's elected great hunters

Pushes the red nuclear button

So I summon the power of the Four Elemental Gods

Earth, Air, Fire, and Water
To wake you up

Before that Old Fallen Power
Grows so much stronger

That hope will no longer matter, as it will shatter

Stopping one climbing Jacob's Ladder

The bridge one seeks at birth
Between Heaven and Earth

So be it

What will be
Will be


(C) Copyright John Duffy

.

Temptation

Foundation.

In such a fluid interconnected world, are long-term relationships dwindling in numbers?

Is temptation saturating society, and creating an influx of such communications, subtly asking for a second chance?

The Email to Monique

Whenever I think of you,
I always feel a familiar calling

A soft echo which rhythmically whispers before morning

I can still feel you

And it carries such magnificent tales of us slipping and sliding

Entwined together spiritually
As a new world was dawning

But like all things borne into the bright lights

There are things lurking in the night

Things we failed to see
To pray against and fight

And so now we both live alone

Me in ******* to time and memories

And you
A sentinel in the in-between spaces

Who I still see

A serene face reflected in random windows

“Perdóname mi amor
La oscuridad vino por mi

Y en ese único momento
Olvidé tu nombre"

(C) Copyright John Duffy

Translation:

Forgive me my love
The darkness came for me

And in that one moment
I forgot your name

Image shared under fair usage policy.

.

A recent share on a post, that is so relevant to poets writing in a world seeped in instant self gratification.


Title.

The Entrepreneur

(A lone voice whispers)


We do what we do, because we are old school

Inspired by the likes of visionaries such as, Michelangelo or, Vincent van Gogh

For in a modern world driven to seek immediate validation, and the trappings of success

We may be becoming a rare breed

For deep down, we know this unconditionally
Unconsciously

We are a work in progress

We who do the hard work constantly, through patience, and resilience

We know we will eventually see the journey has been worth it

As we are blessed

When the world eventually sees or embraces our portfolios

For that immense need driven by relentless consistency, patience, and resilience

Will eventually knock on a certain door to be opened by us

Marked

"For the brave
Who conquered the Lands of Broken Dreams filled with Regrets"

(C) Copyright John Duffy

(A lone voice whispers)

Loss covers many different  paradigms.

From relationships, family, and friends, but one pivotal thought sometimes gets forgotten in grief.

When someone suddenly has died.

The love you both once shared, will live forever.

Just hidden in a Repetition of Time, as you suddenly remember this 17 syllable drop of bliss.

In five, seven, five.
As those old memories, fire and come alive.

To just miss someone
Is to have been truly loved
Treasure those moments.

(C)
Copyright John Duffy

(A lone voice whispers)

Will you still
Walk with me

The one I once named
Anointed and baptized within my mind

In my own ancient
Gardens of Gethsemane

Where together once again
I shall no longer stand alone

Will you pray wherever you are

To empower me
When the Darkness Temple Soldiers come

To encourage me

To help me to breach all the rugged mountains
I need to cross

To atone

But all I ask of you
Now

At this moment
Is simply this

Upon my sanguine lonely cheek

Plant an incandescent soft spiritual kiss of belief

And whisper
Amen

To reignite my eternal soul
To help me clench tightly my hardworking hands

As we both
Into this new rebirth, wait for release again

From this inexplicable deceptive life

We both now live
Within

If you visit this
My time loop in words

Surrounded by sin

Where I'm constantly reborn

To walk Via Dolorosa

Also known as the Sorrowful Way

In the Old City of Jerusalem

So I ask

Will you light some frankincense and myrrh, incense candles

Someday
Soon

So the aroma
Can reach and carry the prayers of the faithful

And yours
Even higher

From wherever they are
In whichever rooms

Urging those prayers to rise faster to Heaven

So someone I know
Can hear their call for help or guidance

From spiritual depression

To help them keep standing in the lines of those enjoying the power of faith

Through self-expression

(C) Copyright John Duffy

In the Greatest Game
We rise and fall like a wave
But swim on we must

#575
(C) Copyright John Duffy

(A lone voice whispers)

I once knew Love
But like a bullet fired from
Wyatt Earp's Colt 45

It struck me down in the only showdown of my life

Now I walk around like a reborn sick Doc Holliday

Wondering
How alone

I'll finish my play and stay alive

(C) Copyright John Duffy

(A lone voice whispers)

Every clock in here
Even these old white wooden ones

As they tick so regimentally
Reminds me of you

Every single second
Every single minute

Carries luminescent memories

Of all the wild but lovely things
We used to do together

As they suddenly manifest
Like a magician's trick

Of pulling a red rose
Right out of the blue

And if my broken heart could beat

It would carry loud drum beats of revelations
So true

I would die once more
In palpable bliss

If I could write a parable
It would only be

I yearned once for a touch of your silky skin

And a taste of your red lipstick

Within one welcoming kiss

But got distracted
By the sweet voice

In the darkness
That strives

All good things to
Underpin

And now
In The Great In-Between

My parable
If deciphered by an Illuminated One would read

If love is offered
Freely and
Willing without sin

Or greed

Clasp
Hold and treasure it

And it's why now these sparkling twinkling lights

My reflections of you

Shine so bright in this ever-hot interdimensional dust

From dawn to dusk
Showcasing your image

To the empty husks
Of the Ascended Ones

Night and day
That litter
The Lord's Way

Come what may

So while these Baylore energies

Magnify my thoughts into these words

Like a soft fingertip across your warm spine

I'll see you soon
Skyclad in blue

In your deepest of dreams

Wide-eyed
Mighty and cancer free

We'll be reunited once more
But not like Orpheus and Eurydice

To be snatched away by a lack of trust

But forever
And that's why
My love

I still see your reflection
In these embers
In this everlasting dust

In every single second
And every single minute

As these tired wooden clocks tick

From dawn to dusk
As the empty husks
Of the Ascended Ones

Watch

Night and day
That litter

The Lord's Way

(C)
Copyright John Duffy

(A lone voice whispers)

What drives you?
Is it love or compassion?

Introspection or just plain creation?

Are you now on your soul holy mission?

Navigating life using poetry to express, all those old noises you still hear?

When remembering all the things or people you once enjoyed?

Or when you were used like a toy.

Through clever, cunning, convincing ploys?

(C) Copyright John Duffy

Image shared under fair usage policy

#poetry

(A lone voice whispers)


Beware of green eyes
For they could covet your world

Sometimes subtle

Sometimes smiling
Hoping you'll struggle

For they appear in so many diverse forms

From married couples
To those in your immediate bubble

So as you hustle whilst avoiding life's many deep puddles

Always smile at those with green eyes

For a life filled with subtle rebuttals

They use as a cudgel

Is a sad life as they watch the good folk in the world

Aspire and rise
With those twinkling green eyes

(C) Copyright John Duffy

Foundation.

In this modern world, has mankind forgotten judgment may await if one is religious?

Title.

The Priest talking on a Pulpit in The Great In-Between

(A regal voice whispers)


You do know
What you do and feel in public or secret

My child

Writes all your life's many hidden manuscripts

And follow's you like a Charles Dickens's

Jacob Marley
Character

Into and after the crypt

So do more good
Purge yourself.

Pull yourself away from the Great Tempter's black hole

Don't just sit and judge
Urge your soul

Or the goal could be

You
Stripped and whipped as you become

Just another
Of the Devils legion's

Of unloved conscripts

(C) Copyright John Duffy

(A lone voice whispers)



When your Corazón
Broke you in two

Like America
With the war on cotton

Did you become one of Corazón orphan's
Filled with precautions

Praying for another's heart
In the long run

As you weighed up newer options

(C) Copyright John Duffy



What does Corazón mean in English?

The heart.

Quite a deep supernatural piece.

Foundation.

Do ghosts lament about life and regrets?

From love, relationships etc, what would you regret if tonight, you woke up on the other side, and had only two minutes to speak?

Unfortunately, taking the two minutes out.

It could be the probable reality for millions, if you believe in a continuation, after this life.
Salute.

Title
Sheol Sorrow

(A lone voice whispers as an old black and white clock, starts ticking)

Now my life's great parties are all over and this Black Hole

I now live within
Ruled over by Father Sin

Which just loves to breathe me in and out

Like the silver flutes once did

When I used to walk by, and watch the marching Bands of Manhattan play

Walking past, wearing purple and blue coats

As the Majorettes twirled their shiny batons

Oh, what I wouldn't give in this loud sound of silence
  
To quieten this pain, that still hurts the most  

Even though, I'm now just another lonely ghost

My cherished memories of you will always be my Immortal Home, as I wait in here, to atone

I used to pray that I'd wake up free, from this asylum

In the warm arms of my beloved, but now lost, Angel

But no matter how hard the memories, or even how painful

I'll keep them as a happy place, filled with all her love and photographs

So, I just wait here

In a hidden place found on no handwritten, or drawn road maps

Somewhere with the ever watchful Great Intermediary

As I flutter my white flag of defeat

In the cold and hot heat of, The Great In-Between

In the wet lands
Beyond the Akashic Records

Lingering by these bright lights, like I was walking on the Moon

Kicking up broken white stones

Singing sad songs for the hordes

Standing in groups in the creepy shadows

Watching me crying like a wounded King

Come Back,
Don't fear, you won't fall

They all chant as the Golden Bell rings

The Crying Game needs feeding

The eleven-inch nails, needed pulling out, to stop the bleeding

Stay with us
The Nameless Things

We, who whisper and sing in the Dark, all around you

But all by myself
I'll try to stay alive
Somehow

They can keep their Poison and Red Wine

Their Civil Wars
Where even gravity falls

Either way,
Here is my lone call

You'll always be my reason
My every time
No matter the seasons

For all my rivers of memories and worn-out roads

My heavy head and weary heart

Always lead me
Riding in paper boats

Back to you
In this mad, mad world

Even though now everything has fallen apart

Completely like us two

Just another pair of Father Times, many heartbroken sweethearts

(Ticking clock stops)

(C)
Copyright John Duffy

(A mystic whispers)

Through this scrying mirror

Be it by
Eyes, Touch, Paper, or Phone

Let my power
Melt your heart of stone

Through
Wind, fire, wave, and sea

I see you
Are you ready to atone

Can you feel me
Rolling in

Like green moss
Creeping across
Warm wet skin

So you can absorb me
More

To open wide
All your mind's closed doors

To let me in
So long nights
Can begin

With Earth warmed
By new shadows
Borne

Open up so I can linger within
Until dawn

Willing heat to rise up
Like young pawns

Called to fight
In Winter's War of Emotions

So prepare well

Summer Solstice is coming soon
On the 21st of June

A rebirth
A time of new beginnings and spells

With me and you
Engaging in deep breathing

In hot bedrooms,
Wallpapered in sinning and yells

Where old feelings flee
With the ringing of our libidos bells

To be swept away

By sweet cries of a new renaissance that will never stop

And be replaced by new psyops

As all your resistance
Drops

(C)
Copyright John Duffy

(A lone voice whispers)

Will you do more to avoid an eternally broken heart?

Do you need a proclamation of truth, which one can pursue, to define your life?

Well, if so,
Here's one whispered in a deep dream

Just for you

In the end
To have loved true

Purely and transformationally

With kindness and compassion

When you stand before the God of your religion

Before you transcend

You'll be judged worthy, and your happiness will extend, beyond that final meeting

With whom, or whatever you follow, at your world's end

For good souls like you,
if you do, are never condemned

(C)
Copyright John Duffy

(A lone voice writes)

Some whisper and will
In secret occult circles

About these sad days of 2025

That Humanity will fall into unruly petulant desire

Consumed and devoured by a blazing war lit infectious fire

But what happens to you and me?

Your mind and mine

Do you still shiver inwardly at the vibrational thoughts of my words

Do they bind you
Submissively
To always return

Doomed forever
To hovering above my prose
That screams to be heard

With wide eager eyes

Like a love-struck
Hummingbird

Do you still tremble like when we first met

On the fly
On the internet

Wanting the warm caress of loquacious re-introductions
Of new verbs

Opening mystical
Golden gates to new poetic realms

And their guile to bind us together

Like love-struck Siamese twins

Creating welcomed sins
Of dried sweat and sweet tributaries

Of deep-seated spiritual yearnings

That makes your mind so **** wet

Tales of the supernatural
Light and darkness

Filled with rapid movement or profound stillness

Sovereignty or deep-seated loneliness

New flames of innermost desires
Contained in unspeakable words or unfamiliar names

As our Zisurru

Poetic stories to be set asunder
In the rising footfalls of Zeus's approaching apocalyptic thunder

To burn new hurricane lanterns in the deep wells of Imaginations darkened

Halls of Fame

To live in the hope
Of a new life

An everlasting dance filled with literary romance

With a drop of a wild transmigration

As our new Nexus
To savor in your mouth

Like an intense-tasting holy communion wine

A strong touch of such wantonness

Your
Voracious soul needs

To carry to all empires
You may visit

In the North
East
West or South

As it swallows new stories with such ravenous greed

Will we survive
Still together at the end of 2025?

With such
Intellectual thoughts

You might still whisper and silently ask

You and me

Does
Will it last?

Echo in your Dream Chambers whilst waiting

For that midnight call on New Year's Eve

When we sing pagan songs of King Solomon to each other

As we fight back the encroaching darkness

With shining drunk Astral Eyes as our Athame

Our sacrificial knife
Inwardly praying to then always shout

Yes, in us,
I'll always believe

Under the sharp eyes of the Winter's Midnight Sun

Which for so many lost souls
We know, she will still shine ever brighter.

As she quietly watches and grieves

As they collect their new or old angel or devil wings
As they quietly leave

Who knows, my child

Everlasting Hope and Peace could arrive as one

So we could conquer this new normal and continue to rise

Or it could all go wild

And turn into a new dark nuclear history

Where dreams and people
Are consumed and defiled

As good and evil
Battle for victory

And apart, we may have to survive
On mean streets.

As quantum tattooed vaccinated slaves or unvaccinated exiles

In a New World Order
Called a Fool's Paradise
Without Any Known Borders

But either way,
Know this

May your spirit guides lead you to continued health and safety

Across all fast-flowing political wars

Water's
Famine or disorders

So in 2026

We can still share our much loved algorithms
In all our holy quarters

So mote be it
What will be
Will be

So mote be it



(C)
Copyright John Duffy

(A lone Irish voice whispers into the night, as a single white candle burns. Looking at a picture of a beautiful woman)

With time-worn

But stubborn like a six-inch
Jerusalem thorn

Dreaming
Forlorn
Tonight

Of Halcyon Nights
With you, my love

When memories waterwheels slowly turn,
And midnight candles burn

As my inner film projectors play

I also remember our beloved Halcyon Days, at the coast

Spent walking and laughing
Before God moved our goal posts

So tonight, I'm praying and yearning for moments

Only The Tuatha de Danann can invoke

Pulling back
My true love

Before I choke
To help me cope

From Hades
Swirling
Grey smoke

(C)
Copyright John Duffy

The Tuatha Dé Danann are described as a supernatural race, much like idealized humans, who are immune from ageing and sickness, and who have powers of magic.
Source; Wikipedia.

Foundation.

Based on a simple question.

What form does paradise take?

Is it simply when one doesn't suffer the mental confusion between unconscious, and conscious desires?

Such as finding love, friendship, material or spiritual wealth, etc. Etc.


Paradisus (L)


Consciousness and Unconsciousness

Rests and bows in peace
As tranquility flows

Through the good heart's
Altarpiece


©
Copyright John Duffy


Paradisus translated:
Paradise.

Remember me
Your beloved mother

In the low hours

Whenever you are feeling weak
And have lowered
Your powerful barriers

For it's then I can only be truly seen

Remember me
As that tsunami of furious fire

That once reenergized you
In dark years

When you were alone and tired

To be wholly free

Remember me
By looking at my picture
Of us together

Your now favourite
Black and white one
I sent you

As my holy scripture
That you'll only need

Remember me when you too are old

Standing brightly as the early morning sun

In the darkness of old age

Even though your beloved memories are getting cold

Before God turns your page
So you can fade away

To join me

As the hours and seconds
Run away

Remember me
So I may stay
In some strange spiritual way

To give you comfort

Until you too are recalled
To float away

Someday

Remember me
My poetic love
So I can come to you

In dreams

Walking down to find you
Through the ethereal blue rivers and green

Underground streams

To reach you to swim
Together

Reunited

In the Holy Sea
Until the early morning sunrise

Remember me

As your true spiritual devotion

Who you met in physical flesh

As one
Who wrote down
In a pre-life road map

With a spirit guide
In another
Far away nation

“I want to meet someone so extraordinary

A child of mine

Someone so special to be a member of my own tribe

Who will show me such poetic wonders”

“That my heart will open up its velvety doors and ask to be possessed as it pleads to confess

Before I once more walk
In those heavenly tides
Of the Holy Sea”

And then I suddenly met you at birth

Mesmerised
By all I could see

So that's why I pray
For you
Each night

So you'll remember me
As I wait here

Walking barefoot and alone
In the swirling tides
Of The Holy Sea

Waiting
for the one to love me again

I once wrote down before I was born

The only one I'll ever need

Just remember me

It's why I left this letter in my will

For you
My beloved to read

Just remember me

Your beloved mother
Who loves you like no other

(C)
Copyright John Duffy

Chess. A Checkmate of Love.

(A regal female voice whispers to eager faces)

“Try love”

Said the Queen to her Pawns

As she looked out over
Her black and white lawns

“Before the Sun fades
Or goes away

Open up your souls and see where it goes

Just try love once
Even if it fails”

Said the Queen to her Pawns

As she looked out over
Her black and white lawns

"For,
From as far as Babylon of Old

To Istanbul
Standing still in the Cold

All my old pieces have tried love once

Before they were took
By Death's cruel hook

To stand away forever
From my black and white lawns

Lost in the shadows
As the stars fade, when the moon comes out

Praying in straight, black and white lines

For a second chance
At a new dawn

So try love once,
My beloved Pawns

Even if it fails

Take a chance
Before you're removed

From my black and white lawns

Just try love once,
My beloved Pawns

(C)
Copyright John Duffy

(A lone voice whispers)

If only they, today, embrace this whole poem

Just like the Seal once broken long ago in Golgotha

We all have a way home if we realize as a society

That old control is over, and we all have the chance to follow the old words

Once given to Noah

And from each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being.

Whoever sheds human blood,

    by humans shall their blood be shed;
for in the image of God
has God made mankind.

(C) Copyright John Duffy

Validation

(A lone voice whispers)

Are there two types of characters in this world
To be seen

Ranging through love
To business, and everything else in-between

Those who do take risks, and those who hate taking chances, and making mistakes

Which one are you?

A.
A risk-taker

Or

B.
An idolater of stepping on the brakes

For sometimes,
Is it better to have known something
Briefly

That might have had real potential, to be truly special

Or would you rather linger lost
Forever

Taunted

By self-doubts, many whispering, red devils

(C) Copyright John Duffy

Foundation.

Would you rather be haunted by self-doubts, about taking chances?

With introspection?

Like an idolater who worships, stepping on the brakes?

Or are you courageous enough to take chances, and risk all, on something special.

With a high chance of making mistakes?

To never be lost, forever taunted

By self-doubts, many whispering red devils

Who'll appear right out of the minds, many gates?

(If you're reading this far, you must be a type A.

You have my Validation of being a risk-taker.
Hit like if you are. Salute)

(A seductive voice, smiles as it looks over New York. While the sun rises)

So my old record plays

As the early morning mists slowly
Drift in

And herald the new dawn of those beguiled by sin

The politicians
Government's

People
Lovers and haters

Oh, how the air is rich
With such irreducible tension

As they all wander around with delicious apprehension

Gossipping
Feeling self important and all the while never knowing

They've been all bewitched

(C) Copyright John Duffy

Foundation.

With global wars, politics and tensions worldwide, on many levels.

Has the power of influence shifted slightly to the other side, in the spiritual game of freewill

Between two immortal powers?

Can you feel the world slowly getting darker?

(A lone voice whispers)

Dare you name them, or are they just fleeting memories or impressions?

For muses come in many forms, and this relates to all those emotional tributaries.

You consciously or unconsciously carry.


In mental interdimensional abstracts


Which waits patiently to flow rapidly, only to make you perspire when you dream.


From fear, love, and all things broken, in-between


Do they all stand knee-deep, huddled together in small circles


In quiet conversations
Until you dream?


Then agree which one will enter your mind-eyes, fast-flowing streams.


To interact, maybe inspire and be seen?


And recount whatever was said and shown, within that small conversational, huddled circles


As they all gathered together for the days grand rehearsal


Before greeting you at night

In the deep recesses of your mind

As so many others watch


Viewers forever with you
Living in The Black and White Lodge


Waiting for their turn to cross over

From their own compartmentalized tombs

To be the new muse

Standing with you
In silence


Waiting for interaction
Within your Amygdala's darkened red rooms


(C)
Copyright John Duffy

(A lone voice whispers)

Be Illuminated.

Don't be like the many and fall into a readers' mindset, and believe everything you read is true.

Be sophisticated and ingenious.

And when reading poetry, be conveniently adventurous.

Don't always think it personally relates to the author:

For that trap is the oldest of the old.

Going back to poetry's first beginnings.

Poets do sometimes relate their stories to be told, but generally, perhaps:

They're really creating secret escapes.

Imagery, emotions and landscapes, for those seeking shelter.

From the cold, unforgiving, light of just living.

(C)
Copyright John Duffy

Foundation.

Some say to truly embrace someone, you have to know all their everything, to help build something.

The hidden and the openly seen.

Did you look deeper than what's openly seen before falling in love?

Title
Unity

(A lone voice whispers)


Like the wind
I pray to caress the inner recesses

Where the light can never seem to reach

To breach the fortresses hidden beneath your skin

Piece your soul
With one only goal

Togetherness
In the mess

Whatever this life
Brings us

(C) Copyright John Duffy

The Ballad of the Lucky Man

She visited me at 15

Like an untasted maelstrom of tempestuous emotions

She whispered like a midnight seductress

So mysterious and so enchanting

She stole my youth away

She dissolved my loneliness
And we were as one

She disappeared at 16

She came to me at 18
A revisit I simply adored

Like old friends
We held hands

And we strolled through life happy and carefree

Together, I wished for ever more
Her and just me

She left me at twenty

She came to me again at 27
So fulfilling and welcoming

We embraced the dark nights together

I now no longer needed to fight
She stayed

We sang our symphonies together, Our plights forgotten

She still held my hands
No more alone

She still whispered my name

In mysterious dark dreams
This beauty I speak of
From realms unseen

Some know her as Aphrodite
The Goddess of your Dreams

I simply knew her as Love
My beautiful Queen

We still met in ever-changing routines

We still stumbled and fell
But still, she stayed
And loved all that I am

Through Heavens elations and Hells unwelcomed relations

I met her at birth, this much she whispered

She looked deep into my eyes as I entered the world

She murmured my name as I begged for air

She told me a sacred truth

Love sees you no matter your gender
Status or skin

She always returns to lead you into or out of sin

Just open your heart
And she will always come in

I am now an old man
And as I lay on my bed

As I look at my life as I near the end

Love still is beside me as she looks in my eyes

She said
Love stays forever and never really dies

She stroked my hair and murmured like a seductress well-fed

She'll visit me in the skies and once more we'll be wed

Our love will last forever and the angels will sing

We'll dance forever in heavenly moonlight

As we take over Celestial's dance floor

She bowed, kissed and whispered into my ear

We are eternal
So of this life
Do not cry if it ends

We will embrace so soon
Once more again

For you are my lover and my eternal friend

And as my heart starts to fade and my heart loses its strength

Inside I soar

For I know we'll be reunited again

I met her in Life on the day of my birth

She followed my adventures here on this earth

In heaven, we will soon sing

So as I leave this old life
I feel blessed to have been married to Love

My spiritual wife

As I transfer to the angelic realms

I hope to see her still holding my hands

Still looking deep into my eyes

For we still share life's wedding bands

Be lucky like me
For true love never dies

This is the Ballad of a Lucky Man

A man married to Love for all of his life

A man proud to have embraced her and called her his wife

And as I leave this message for you to read

All I wish for you

Is a sip Loves seductive mead

For loves a beauty
Beyond trouble and strife

I hope she visits you throughout all of your life

Someone to hold through all of life's mysterious dark nights

Someone to embrace on Loves many beaches

Someone to just love you

And always leave you speechless

So here I am
As angels beckon me to leave

Just remember
Love will visit
You just have to believe

(C)
Copyright John Duffy

An inspired dream I dreamt

In the distance she stood


A visceral beauty from empires unknown


Floating on a cloud of illuminating luminosity


Emanating serenity of the Almighty and Divine


A glorious incandescent everlasting flame of Universal Hope


As she gazed through her beautiful twinkling eyes and held mine


She whispered in soft dulcet tones as the translucent grey smoke swirled


Keep the faith
Your brethren and you


For you earthly souls live for eternity


We await you in the Holy City


Where no-one cries and there is no pain


Enjoy this life
Your earthly reign


Embrace your dreams
Believe in the Powers of the Unseen


Embody your reflection

Make love and compassion your prime worldly companions


A secret I recount to you
A code to enter into our Celestial City


Sharing your inner flame has always been your plight


I am Evermore
A Redeemer of Light


I watch
Collate and reaffirm


I await you
And the brave and always welcome the infirm


Use my inspired words and seek to learn


Evermore
A deity from a Place Unsaid

Where we never die but always sing, loves symphonies and dance


Will you heed her words or go another path instead


She disappeared
Her flames lingered in the Astral Realms for a short while


A symbol of a place where no-one is ever reviled

Tales from the Astral Realms


Of majestic beings sending Inspiration and Light

Deities to heed throughout life's many carousels


As I awoke, I was still under her spell

Evermore
An angel's tale, I just had to tell


Are you too
Willing to embrace her spell


A wonderful embodiment of divinity

To always guide you and be one with the lights


An Angel called Evermore


(C)
Copyright John Duffy

Foundation.

If you've gone through separation, did sleep come easy or not?

Title
Sleepless in Paradise

I once knew Love and stayed briefly within its shadowy keeps

Sated

But now separated
And unmated

I can no longer enter
For I no longer sleep

(C) Copyright John Duffy

(A lone elderly man holds his wife's hand, for maybe the last time, and whispers. As she sleeps)

Although your beauty may fade with age

My only love
Don't you dare leave me alone

Although the shadows like midday angels may slowly appear

Creeping in
Sent from above

To take you home

Although your smiles may diminish in numbers

As our old world slumbers

Although your inner sun
May have ebbed and lost its shine

With the passing of time

Although I may not say it often enough
Although my mind may be elsewhere

I do so love you

So try to lift up your tired heart, my love, and relight your fires

Try to erase the numbness to regain the sharpness

Ignore the changes with the turn of each of life's many pages

Although you may think you've lost your inner shine

Carry this wondrous prose, just deep within that beautiful mind

A simple thought I just send

From me to you
My love

For this is not the end
Only our new beginnings
To start winning

Hold my hand
Tighter
Show me you're still mine

Surreptitiously, beyond all the grayest of skies

For I am yours forever, beyond what people might say and conspire

And here I still stand, with eyes glazed lit

Like the first day I met you
Still under your mesmerising power

Lips pursed, looking for my own loving nurse
To ignite my fires

For I breathe in your shadows

Walk in your footsteps, just craving to stop your tears
As surely as the Lord wept

May you always be mine, my divine gift

Whose Love bestows my life with so much happiness and bliss

For if you leave me now
Wilting alone, if you go home
I'll cry

And inside
You'll leave me alone to slowly wither and die

So fight my love
Fight to live

For together,
We still have so much more to share and give

(Man bows and kisses his wife's soft hands as her tired eyes slowly open)

(C)
Copyright John Duffy

Foundation.

If your higher self had a voice, what would it say?

Something like below, I hope.

Salute.

Title:
Be a Warrior.
Mirroring from the Abyss.

(A lone voice whispers)

My name doesn't matter,
My narrative you may try your hardest to shatter

You may smirk at my goals and dreams

You may try to erase them with cruelly whispered jibes

But I have an alibi

I'm a warrior just fiercely striding forth

Conquering fear and doubts daily

I wonder upon criticism's invisible shores and still overcome so much more

I am an immortal composed of sinews saturated with the ever glowing bright stars

Look at me
You green eyed beauties

Watch me rise above your worthless words and cries

Watch me soar as I pursue dreams and yours just linger confused and die

For I'm Artemis or Hercules rolled into one

I'm my moon and everlasting sun

The winds just silently whisper my name

The stars shine
Guiding my ways as I run

I'm just me
I always rise whatever the crowd says

And it's that sweet thought I'll continue

Until the end of my days

For I'm a Warrior
Just sent by my God

To help guide others
As I find my way

(C)
Copyright John Duffy

(A lone voice whispers)

In ancient Babylon,

I once stood alone and mixed fire
Iron and clay

All day

Creating a spell
To entice my only light to come my way

Sent merchandise of gold and silver

To her,
The Pythoness of Endor
Hidden in dark woods

Over the deepest of rivers

Bundles of finest fresh linens and purple silk

To satisfy her and her ilk

Citron wood and every kind of object
I could ever find

Made of white ivory and black marble

Whenever I could
No matter the expense

Incense sticks
And scented Egyptian
Candlesticks

Made of expensive Frankincense

Delicious crates of red wine

Bamboo baskets filled with white flour and yellow wheat

Fields of fat cattle and herds of baying sheep

Priceless trained horses and golden inlaid chariots

New slaves of broken souls

Lascivious ladies and ravenous men
To do her bidding

Even acts of depravity
Linked to the forbidden

For the fruit of my soul
And to be joined to her again

A bright light
I once saw

On a seemingly endless night

But in the year 323
When my leader
Alexander the Great

At only 32
Died and was eternally set free

In the opulent palace of Nebuchadnezzar

She

The Lady of the Wild Woods
The Pythoness of Endor

Cursed me to chase her
Forever

The Queen
I once conjured by fire
Iron and clay

So today
In the 21st century
Her I still chase

Since eternal life
Is now my only penitentiary

My only great living version
Of Babylon of Old

When I desired to sire
A queen, I once met

Dancing
The Raqs Sharqi

So fiercely
That her raw beauty
I can never forget

Adorned in soft crimson and glittering purple linen

Clad in silver

Wearing gold and shining diamond stone earrings

Reborn into the likes of
Badiaa Masabni

It's why I still chase her
If I could confess

For underneath

Beneath all things linked to trying to achieve immortal strength

It's why now
To seek her out
Once more

I always choose to break free

From the external grip
Of The Valley of Death

(C)
Copyright John Duffy

Foundation

Are we being watched by unseen supernatural beings?

Some say any reflective surfaces, like mirrors and water, are but conduits.

Viewing stations used throughout history and any nation

Title
Dianna the Moon Queen

(A regal female voice whispers)

Take this,
These softly spoken words

As the sacred keys to open my Tower of Regeneration
And as my high moon sets

Call to me with all your divine power
From any nation

And I'll help you conquer your own abyss
With a full life and a real love

Guided by my light
At your side
To open your heart wide

Replenished by the warmth of my belief,
One of my greatest spiritual gifts


For if you don't look for me
My energy, and moonlight, you will always miss

As you look back at me
One lonely night

And reminisce while going through the five stages of grief

Of what could have been
With me

The secret watcher
Hidden
In The Great In-Between

(C)
Copyright John Duffy

Consilium from The Outlier

(A lone voice whispers)

Have you ever encountered painful heartbreak, or are enduring, soul-destroying grief

And sometimes sit alone in the silence

Praying for any form of spiritual relief

If so, here are a few thoughts from a similar person, who's been through it all

No matter what you feel or happens today

A new dawn will still always rise again, tomorrow

A chance to knock down, any hastily built, mental walls

A chance to find a new form of freedom, to flourish

To subdue, all those painful feelings highlighted with sorrow

That no longer, nourishes

Some may say, you've just got to forget the past

Use reconciliation, beyond reason to last

But I say, do it this way

Love those even more so, who've passed away

And never again, believe in those

Who once broke, your unswaying three pillars of trust

By charging in like the doomed, British Light Brigade

With all the sad games, they once played

Leaving you standing alone
On parade,
For all to see

In depressions black dust



(C)
Copyright John Duffy

Counseling comes from the Latin root consilium, meaning “advice.”

Foundation.

Relationships
Can you ever trust a person after being betrayed on any level?

Grief
Does time really heal, and do you want to forget someone special, you once loved?

(A lone voice whispers)

Hey you,

Reading this
From way beyond the reach

Of the Great Abyss

I, Thomas, have a question or two

Would you blindly follow me if I lit a red candle

In this final odyssey home

To be rescued
And finally bare your soul

Together with mine
And all you can handle

Before the Sacred Salt Pillar of Ado

Of ***** and Gomorrah
Near the Dead Sea and atone

Would you follow me and that maybe life-changing suggestion

Willingly into this swirling dark

And grasp my coattails within this invocation and rhyme

As we trespass tentatively through all of this life's scary parks

Just you and me

To somewhere only the courageous can ever conceive

As we strip off all the world's detritus

That tries to smother us with all their rock slides

And swim against all societies fast-flowing dividing tides

Will you dare tango and tiptoe past the ever watchful Tall Man and all his worldly Minions

As we circumnavigate the spiritual globe

To truly see the new world grid and reclaim our own freedom

To sit beside our newly created Holy River
To write poetry and sing

To joyously watch through that river's undulating scrying mirror

As the real world slowly disappears

To then walk through a portal which I know will appear

Through all the luscious green grass to finally reach the portcullis gates to the

Eternal City
Of Tartaria

To hear the greatest stories ever told to human ears
In any era

To finally embrace a new realm free from all restrictions

Laws or fears

For although we are but lost souls going eventually to try to conquer She'ol

Would you still just blindly follow me

For you also
Seek Escapism

For you too are a true reader

Past the awakening powers of an immoral old fallen god

A new age world leader
And all its political forces

To walk unashamed together
Hand in hand

To somewhere to renew
Hidden from view

Beyond this world,
Many new pale white horses

(C)
Copyright John Duffy

Image shared under fair usage policy

(A lone figure, kneels and prays. Watched by his faithful cat, Rudolph)

I was born a sinner
Lord

For all us triers are

Blindly sent to live by You
An unknown higher power

To try to defeat the Devil's temptations and sin

But now at 75 and slowly dying
It's no use crying

Wishing I had done better
I've sinned all my life to live

Sinned
Staying out late looking for another with whom to live

Drank anything to get my soul wetter with all I could give

Gambled

Loved and lied
Been cheated on and cried
As inside I died

Cleaning up everything that was on my plate

So Lord it's now too late, and I know Saint Peter won't open your gates

But you know what

I still feel pride
About how I lived

So going to your purgatory with these feelings and sins

I'm sure I'll find other lost souls like me to continue the party
Because they'll be able to relate

For now, to change
As my end approaches

I still haven't got what it takes to be loyal
Since my Martha left me

After
For the millionth time,
I stayed out

Drinking and playing cards with the Gecko brothers

Watching strippers at the ***** Twister
Too late

Please forgive me Lord
Amen

(C)
Copyright John Duffy

Foundation.

At the end, what would your last prayer be?

Did you live a good life or like the man above, give in to the Devils seductive powers?

(A lone voice whispers)


No happiness for me and my best friend
Tony the pony today

For we lost our beloved muse
At 2 pm

One minute she was in full view
Perched on our old Oak tree

Watching us with beady black eyes like a true devotee

Then just like the uptake in poetry

In the 21st Century
By the younger generation

We were old news

She must have flew away to better things, we both thought

As we walked home
Past the village post office

Thinking of our old muse
With the crow like black hair

Lost to us forever

After getting us addicted to reading writing and listening to poetry

Underneath that old Oak tree
Now flying alone

Somewhere
Out there

Looking down below
For a new home

Like it once had
With Tony the pony

And me

(C)
Copyright John Duffy

Foundation.

Is poetry like a bird flying around looking for somewhere new to land, after introducing others to its mysterious pleasures?

But as the newer generations get addicted to gaming platforms, and social media.

Will it eventually find landing, harder and more and more rarer?

(A rebuilt person whispers)

Before I knew Love

I was once so pure
With a heart so free

Carefree for all to see
Everyone loved and smiled at me

But one day Love came calling

And offered me the chance to take a risk

Offered me her spiritual red gallows with rope and chair

Smiled and said
Climb up there

Put on the rope and stand on chair

But beware
With just one soft push

From something unknown in the shadows

You could lose all your mind
And all you own

Standing on my metaphorical chair

Beneath my spiritual red gallows

Like many before you
What do you want to do?

Risk all for my love
And climb up

To experience a feeling where emotions don't stop

Or stay down there,
Stuck in your rut

Well, that was so long ago
And I still see Love
Everywhere I go

Repeating what she said before

But this time

I'd rather stay slightly pure
With a heartbreaking free

Trying to be carefree for all to see

For even though Love still smiles at me

She can keep her red spiritual gallows and metaphorical chair

For sometimes she tempts
Only fools

To proudly
Stand up there

(C)
Copyright John Duffy

Foundation.

Do the broken abandon the chance of love again, after going through a painful heartbreak?

Has it happened to you?

Madam Astor
The Dream Enchanter

(A lone voice whispers by candlelight)

In a dark dream,
Every night

In The Great In-Between,
Whenever I dream
It's always the same

I hear you scream

"I'm here"
In your soft pulsating voice

Just hidden unseen
Not wanting to be seen

Then right out of the darkness and void

Above that darkness's noise emanating such fantastical heat

You appear like a half ghost in my midnight street and as my heart beats faster

You take my hand and lead me deeper in The Hereafter

Hidden still by the shadows,
Bend low and whisper

"Call me Madam Astor
This realm's Pastor"

And as your sharp fingertips play a deep country tune across my skin

As my astral sweat drips faster

Whenever my eyes start to spin and my soul speaks out and pleads to sin

You dig your nails in
Even deeper into my skin and whisper

"Soon
So soon, I'll come to you in that quiet bedroom

For the last time

In two days after the fall of the midnight king, and the rise of the morning spring

I'll return to sing in this realm's unspoken rhymes, to make your spirit and eyes spin

One last time

Then fireworks will announce you're mine"


And then you're gone
Letting go of my hand

Leaving me standing alone at the gateway to The Blue Portal

The way back to the land of living mortals

Gone with that soft pulsating goodbye ringing throughout my mind

Like church bells

But I can feel it's going to be soon you'll return

As time undeniably does fly
When you've been marked by a spell

Somewhere in that places darkness

The Hereafter

For I've got goose pimples on my skin

And tonights the fall of the midnight king and the rise of the morning spring

And deep down I know
You'll soon return

So hear this my call

I'm ready to take one last walk

With you
My dream enchanter from The Great In-Between

Madam Astor
My soul's attractor and captor

The Great In-Between's
Ghostly Pastor

My beloved wife

Who I once loved in the land of the living before Death

Quietly crept up and grabbed her


(C)
Copyright John Duffy

(A lone voice whispers)

Take this
As a now bearable parting gift

From someone who will always love you
The most

As we bid our last painful goodbyes

After renouncing
All known ties

And departing
Like two lonely unloved ghosts

Into life's
Slow-moving mists

For
It's been a wonderful dream

But the dark god
Deimos

From The Great In-Between
Now let in

By emerald eyes
Hidden or seen

To slow shadow walk
Towards us
As we drift

Has gloriously
Destroyed us

Smiling
Wearing

A white Captain Bligh
shirt and

Old nineties
Faded Levi's blue jeans

Grinning like a mad fool
In our slipstream

At the joy and wonder
Of all our frail emotional screams

Which creep in

In extreme
Sinful ways

As we fall apart
At the seams

In the fading lights
Each midnight

Or in so many dark secretive corners
Everyday

For our deep love

Like an abandoned
Nightingale

Has upped suddenly
And flown
Away

Once
In a vision
Or a divine play

I saw you
Lovingly

Looking my way
On Malibu Street

But now
Feeling cold and
Numb

Eating crumbs of
Defeat

Like an outcast,
A *****

A reborn
Fletcher Christian

Sailing away
On a new mission

I beg you, Please look away

For even though
I'm broken in two

Constantly
Thinking of you

My sad heart
Will once more soar

Like a Martial Eagle
In full flight

When true love
Eventually returns

And she knocks
Hard

On my tired hearts
Beating door

Pleading to be let in once more
But until then

Gossips
Racketeers
Gaslighters

And every incarnation of the known Devil

Hear my rebellious lions roar

As my soul
Stands so ready and majestically
Tall

Holding a golden sharp diamond-encrusted sword called Hope

Clutching a solid silver shield with

Veniet Amor *** Paratus Sum (L)

Inscribed on the front in gold

Love will come when I'm ready

To banish despair
Forevermore

For this pain and old memories are no longer civil

So here I stand
In pure spirit

On
Freedoms
Sandy
Yellow shores

As my higher self
Prepares
To go to war

To earn some more
Golden and red medals

For my old true love
Has walked right out of my life

And joy doesn't live here
Anymore

(C)
Copyright John Duffy

Deimos /ˈdaɪmɒs is the personal god of dread and terror in Greek mythology

I still visit you
Somewhere deep inside
You know

For our old memories together

Carry me still
Everywhere I go

(C)
Copyright John Duffy

Foundation.

In brief moments of reflection, do you still remember those you still love through introspection?

Beyond these dark days of ever-growing political dystopia

Social and claustrophobic phobia's

Find something or someone to love and try to absorb that feeling like
illicit *****

Why

It could be the way to survive this life cycle's current pandemonium

(C) Copyright John Duffy

(A lone voice whispers)

In a deep dream,
I once heard a whispered call

It came so softly
Vibrating over all my inner walls

It said boy
Stand up tall

Be courageous

Throw away all of your life's toys and climb over all your life's many walls

But I thought it was but a dream and did nothing at all

And now at ninety-eight
I'm still haunted by this soft call

Of
Boy boy

Remember
Throw out your last toy
For a 98

It's still not too late
We've still got a chance

Climb over that last wall
And together

Hand in hand

Into eternity
We'll still dance

If you can still hear this call

(C)
Copyright John Duffy

Foundation.

A poem of regret and lost love.

We mark this as our hallowed oath
A mark, O Lord, for us both
To forever carry

For together
We stand

Eye to eye
Heart and hand

Now we're married

And by this mark, we swear by peace and love to forever trust each other

And always try to understand

For this, the seal upon our hearts is real

As it carries deep inside
All we feel
Amen

(C)
Copyright John Duffy

Daylight may softly whisper it's but an hour away

But such is the spiritual power of your divine company,

I will stay

Transformed emotionally beyond all known boundaries of esoteric norm

By your captivating form

While your carefully chosen words like spoken spells

Holds me and unfolds me
And it's where I want to forever stay

An hour away from sunrise,
Laid together

Entwined

Listening to the early morning birds play

(C)
Copyright John Duffy

Foundation.

Have you ever experienced that magical moment, when you want the night to never end?

(A lone voice whispers)

May this prayer help you be mine

My sweet and dear Clémentine

To summon Eros
From the Deep Divine

So two hearts can forever be entwined
  
And through destiny  

Be bound in love's surreal ecstatic chains

No longer restrained
Like an unspoken quatrain

A stanza of four lines
Which forever pines

But to ignite the spark
Of a new light

A reborn sonnet to dispel the darkness

Hidden out of sight
From my heart

So Mother Moon

Turn your wheel to send a beam
From The Great In-Between

To empower me in this
My heart's only quest tonight

To imprint how I feel
While I kneel

As I call her to me,
So mote it be  

What will be
Will be

(C)
Copyright John Duffy

Your treasured memory flashes like a falling star from my mind's eternal sky

It creates cosmic time loops where spirits from the tomb gather

While old conversations, like white snow, falls

As time no longer flies
With such glitz and glamour

And whenever I see your face amongst others again in that time loop

As in, you swagger

I always remember why I still love you

For like the mystical everlasting sea

The wild magic of you and me
Together

Will forever flow and run free

Like a lone siren's love song once whispered

To try to hypnotize
Ulysses

(C)
Copyright John Duffy

Foundation of the piece.

Those we love live forever, whenever we remember.