Once upon a winter’s night
I dreamed of the sea,
An endless ocean of glowing light
Like I’d never seen.
I took a walk upon the waves
Silent mountains moved
Gently swayed, waxed and waned,
Underneath the moon.
Suddenly the scene turned cold
Consumed by winter wind
The air blew strong, froze time itself,
I heard the voices of my kin.
Among frozen time and silent sea
I could hear the stars
They sang to me music of hope
Great songs from afar.
Loved ones I had lost
Friends that I once knew
Complete strangers sang to me
From a blanket of sapphire blue.
My spirit stood upon that ocean
Face and arms upturned
And underneath that silver orb
The soul within me burned.
Listening to every star
Each had its own song
All had once walked the Earth
Now from its plains they’re gone.
Pain and tears and misery
All been left behind,
Contentment and yet longing
Had now filled my mind.
And still my spirit stood there
Face and arms upturned,
Weightless yet could not fly
The soul within me yearned.
Yearned to join those voices
Add my song to theirs,
To bring love and comfort
To the lost and in despair.
As that very thought
Danced across my mind
Foggy cloud gathered round
And began to unwind.
It morphed into a staircase
Of pure solid smoke
I took a step towards the stars
That is when God spoke
“If you choose to come to Me,
Climb upon these stairs.
But you should know you’re not done,
You’re still needed somewhere.”
And upon that winter’s night
Foot on swirling stair,
I saw into God’s Kingdom
And longed to be there.
I did not go to Him that night
I can tell you that,
Something took my ghostly hand
Gently drew me back.
Wishing though to join those stars
Forever be with Him,
God said someone needed me
I’d wondered who it’d been.
So I drew back from the stars
And from the sky I turned,
Lastly I saw that silver orb
While the sea around me churned.
Falling in the ocean then
Swallowed by the black,
Opened my eyes and saw it was
You who’d called me back.
Grasping my hands in both your own
On that cold, dark night.
Felt the winter rain come down
On retuning from the light.
Lying upon wet pavement
Face and arms upturned,
Remember little of the blood
Remember what I learned.
One day I will go back to Him
Climb up to those stars,
But tonight you need me here with you
Safe within your arms.
Blessed with a second chance.
Blessed with a new day.
We need each other my dear friend
So, for now, I’ll stay.

Another pointless day
On the pavement, in the heat.
Only 3 people stopped
Hated aching feet.

Out here every day
With my clipboard and green shirt.
Ask strangers for donations to
Help rebuild our Earth.

Beg and plead and pester
Sometimes I even sing,
But for no response
Apathy is an extraordinary thing.

One week rendered only 50 bucks
So I started to branch out.
Because our dying planet needs the help
That only cash can bring about.

This day game wasn’t working
So I turned to night.
Swap the shirt for a skirt
And turn on my red light.

Earn more in a night hour
Than in a week of days
Call me any name you want
*** sells but also pays.

******, ***** and *******,
Harlot, Jezebel.
Heard them all, but don’t care
Tonight I will sleep well.

The blindness of the masses
Environment burns unseen.
So I sell myself and save the trees
It’s not easy being green.

We try to write
And dance and sing
And other silly
Creative things.
Getting nowhere
Slowly die
Erode our souls
Sell out and lie.
Magnum opus
Left half done
Can't afford to
Have much fun.
I'm over dramatic
But our lives are real
Working, *******.
To borrow or steal?
We wait for a chance
But in the meantime
We watch the rain
And drink wine.

I belong to the
Boys in my mind.
The heroes in books
Knights and that kind.
The honest, the brave,
The funny, the flawed.
Give me a villian
I'd never get bored.
We weave our own tales
Of love and hate.
Seeking our own kind
Of prince or pirate.

Music wafts from
The concert hall
Into my empty bar.
The fact that I'm not
The one taking the stage
Reopens a long closed scar.
The glasses stand ready
There's wine to be poured
The performer's hope
To be adored.
Just close your eyes and
Hear the violin play
Enjoy the music from afar.
I may not be
The one with the bow
But at interval - I'll be the star.

Another night
To do some harm
Another club stamp
On her arm.

*****, whiskey,
Rock n roll
Lets the music
Fill her soul.

Knows all the bands
Heard every song
Hits every club
But doesn't belong.

She'll drink to pass
Another day
And rock to keep
The pain at bay.

Ran from a mistake
Then made some more
Got lost, but failure
Still found her door.

But there's VIP rooms
Drugs and ***
She'll distract the singer
Between sets.

Doesn't dwell
Can't go back
Mix ecstacy
With old regret.

Keep your distance
To not get hurt
Try it all
Go beserk.

'Cause mistakes won't find you
In a bar
Where no one knows
Who you are.

One Friday night
It starts to rain
A syringe sticks out
From her vein.

The party's pumpin'
Soundcheck done
The crowd's all here
Well, all but one.

The alley's cold
And so is she
******'s latest
Legacy.

Will anyone ask
"Where's whats-er-name?"
Will someone notice
She died of shame?

The winds of time will howl
The seas will rise and fall
One thing I know for certain
I'll love you through it all

Autumn leaves
That fall from trees
They crunch beneath my feet.
The bitter winds
This season brings
Stir lovers' hearts awake.

This realm of rain
Grey sky and cloud
It's quite and peaceful
Safe, allowed.

I hear the stories
The secrets in ink
The pages that call
Are the missing link.

Beethoven, black coffee
Dark fire and ice
Sweet strings and composers
Old friends that entice.

Lovers and enemies
Pain and prose
The humanity, the passion
That history knows.

Quiet brilliance
Images, thoughts and ideas.
Artists and angels
Calm bohemian fears.

Why do we love what
Never was,
What never can be?
Amidst the thrill of creation
We're truly free.

From when I was a little child
I picked up on thought and sound
It isn't always visible but it is still around.
It's the talent and the beauty
The poetry of life
You find it in a sonnet
Or the colours of Monet
In Pavarotti's voice
The world just melts away.
Shakespeare's words? They drip like honey
And illuminate the stage
It sends shivers up the spine
What Wordsworth scribbled on a page.
Jules Verne could tell the future
Da Vinci saw what was to be
Their vision shaped the world we know
Now that is great to me.
Does it have a name?
What Rembrant found within his art?
That secret, silent something
That burns within the heart.
As a child Wolfgang Mozart
Drew everybody's gaze
He serenaded Europe
Wrote music to amaze.
Was Bogart such a legend?
Now, don't speak before you think
Not everyone can breathe life into
A person made of ink.
The passion is alive
It lives inside the soul.
When pen is put to paper
Or the bow goes to the string
When that magic is embodied
We hear the angels sing.