Poetry Blogs

Poem 6 of 230: THE PICKER

While picking onions at Echuca,
Betimes I came across a
Man who was, he said, by trade a picker.

A compact and stocky physique had he;
Kind he was to first-time me -
Advising, “You should pick ‘em on your knee.”

Then he told me of his long-kept plan
Of travel, by caravan,
To pick ripened crops, over a wide span.

But workers’ rates, I knew, were non too fair -
T...

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Ritual

It is a grey morning

I am awake early

The backdoor is open

And cool air enters the kitchen

My father is on his knees

Scrubbing a wire brush

On the fire grate

Newspapers on the floor

He takes a rag

And pours black lead

Onto the stiffened fibres

Then he smears it

Onto the scrubbed surfaces

He balls up the newspaper

And throws it on the hearth

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RISE (from QUILT)

burning
hell
tolling
bell
taste of
bile
left over 
vile
climbing
bevel
disguised
devil
shifting
shape
desperate
escape
crazed
clown
merry go
round
carnival
mirrors
terror
fear
haunted
house
pyre
douse
on the
run
beating
drum
released
hounds
leaps
bounds
low
growl
full moon
howl
warrior
cries
evil
dies
shadow
boxed
demon
outfoxed
...

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I’m working lonesome shifts. 

I count time. One hour inside,

then three hours within the heat.

I’m watching from a hastily home 

assembled table. I’ve French coffee, 

English anxiety, cadged cigarettes.

There are other people who have 

other passions. I’m aware nosy 

neighbours talk in their kitchens of me. 

But I need this. I know beyond my rosy

garden...

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In the depths

of grass and ground

Insects thrive

without a sound

In parting blades

new worlds are found

Looking deep down

such worlds astound.

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It isn’t what they do at work

that remains in the upper space

of their anatomy, their meeting

with grizzly challenges head-on

day in, day out, without a break

from the mental consequences

which wrap themselves back and

forth, remorselessly beneath the

outer covering of skin. It goes far

deeper than that – they - dressed

in their blue surgical garb with

fa...

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They say I'm a bit too much,
too much of everything.
Sometimes too caring and sometimes too irritating.
So here I am, under the constant worry,
'What if this is too much?'
So busy going around in my own head,
That I forget relations have to be maintained with the heart.

I'm afraid I don't know what I desire or deserve.
Is it wrong to anticipate a love of the same intensity,
or is it jus...

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I went outside

and entered that

timeless natural world

full of surprises

from afar I caught

a glimpse of

I no not

what

there it was

motionless on

a branch overhanging

the river

I crept closer

without making a sound

until I reached the tree

still it didn't stir

then suddenly

startled by approaching noisy ramblers

A tarquoise ...

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To God I prayed, in him I trust

I walk along a road, not knowing where it goes

No destination in mind, no plans on the go

I'm a destiny's child, on earth I roam

No home of my own, no friend to hold on

I'm just moving on, trusting God to lead me on

Enemies standing strong, doors almost closed

I'm walking by faith on roads less traveled

In covid times life isn't easy, I'm loo...

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In churches Gothic or

Norman the pious had them blessed by

Light from stained-glass as the perfume of

Incense attended their angular

Descent, while brave Lancelot's were

Housed in chain-mail and in

Modern times Marilyn took two to her

Grave, as, just the other day, did

George Floyd, his neck the latest

Pew for genuflection by a serving

Police officer who though no dou...

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come visit soon

we will drink green tea

from translucent china

no need to talk much

we’ll show photos

of our children’s children

you’ll take mine across

to your wedding day

demob suit husband

for his approval

I’ll smile at yours

‘two cubes or one?’

‘one, I’m sweet enough’

‘yes, you are’

‘let’s sit in the garden

get the last of the su...

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As over and over the same chords churn

your notes pour forth in spate –

sheets of sound erupting till harmony

is wrenched awry; and when you sweated

smack to cleanse your system,

you were hell-bent on an afterlife,

a body refreshed, believing.

You could call it Love, but sombre,

that force that drives you on.

Hearing you now, I feel reproved

for all the...

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Into the forest I go to loose my mind and find my soul 

Because it's for the best to put this wandering to a rest

So for this spirit I'm not sure is my own let us travel into the unknown

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Let's all have a sing-a-long

You all know the tune

If not hit the video link and open your windows wide

and sing your hearts out at the top of your lungs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-eclUz-RYI

I never lied in the rose garden

I beg your pardon!

I never lied to you in the rose garden

Sat in the sunshine

I rambled on for quite a long time

Wh...

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Stop blaming yourself 

It's her fault the feelings felt 

She doesn't know how to love you it seems 

I can't help but want to be in your dreams 

I hate her cause she hurt you so 

Now you just can't let this go 

I fucked it up its true 

Now I just don't know what else to do 

I need to find that special place inside 

The one that wishes you had died

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He looks he stares
He's kind and loving
His heart is pure
Strong and mighty
Can he love forever or
Will he lose his passion for loving
He wanted to reach for the stars, but his mind and soul wouldn't let him flow.
He was changing before his own eyes
Falling apart at once
Couldn't find who he once was or even who he is now
This man is lost
Trying to pick up pieces that has always been br...

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Just three weeks ago I had you in my arms
I still ask for commission to take off your clothes
You said yes and my mind was peaceful
We were both naked in my bed
You wanted sex but I didn't
Now I'm lonely 

Wasting away inside my mind
How could you kiss me 
And think that it wouldn't Fuck with me
You Firefly as why I want to die

I don't have peaceful days I just have nightmares
Do you...

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The evolving and metamorphosing of life

The birthing of ideas and innovations

The inspirations and visons that enlighten the simple

The voices that wakeup nations

Many run from this, hoping to stay in their old ways

Thinking if they run fast enough, change won’t come to stay

In vain they hold on to that which is obsolete

Hoping, yes wishing, they would just remain the sam...

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I can hardly speak but I will try.
My brain falls silent, still;
It is the dying of the light
When a ferment of tenses
Lead up many cul de sacs.
Lingering, a moonlight-figure,
Mirrors, the sparkling frost,
She’s gone but never lost.
Suspicious of the silence offered
Outside, all is wild, sky, the colour of blood,
Soaks up all I left, once, years ago,
On a barge meandering down the river
...

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Draw your steel and wield it,
Let me see if I can feel it,
Let me taste it’s bitter bite against my flesh,
A chance to sample something fresh,
Rest your mirrored blade against my pulsing throat,
You’d best move quickly though, I wouldn’t stop to gloat,
Place your razors edge against my beating heart and swear,
That can see within my eyes as you hold it there,
A single sign of fear ref...

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Repitition was key

But never the key to success

The key to her chest

Was hidden in the black depth of her soul

Repitition was inevitable

Outsiders were impatient

And also knowledgable 

About what was likely to happen next

Repitition was boring

A different mask for her to wear

To hide the recurring sadness

That she endured from his actions again

Re...

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Say what you must

And do what you can -

That's my idea

Of an admirable man

......................................

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Hot and Sad

flavors combined

in one mind 

hot and sad

that’s fine

don’t take my tea 

with sugar 

don’t eat more 

than two donuts 

"that’s enough" 

the stomach growls 

sensitivities of life 

cut like a knife 

that’s what I like 

the rest is too dull  

going through our heads 

the time to respect

all that development 

tha...

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When I set out my bedding plants

I garden in my underpants;

Cos now we’re all in isolation

I’m free from risk of visitation;

The only time my theory fails

Is when the postie fetches mail

Or Tesco’s Gill brings us our food;

She asked me “Why not garden nude?”

I told her she’s a silly twit -

There’s always chance I’d kneel on it.

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A 20:20 Vision

On the one hand, it’s thumbs up for this lock down,

For hand on heart, I prefer a gentler town.

We’ve lost our human contacts, now back in touch,

A world for reaching out, with more time and much 

Space for taking and for making stock.

We knead our dough, and minds unlock,

And saws are sharpened in this time of rest,

When breath and nature seem to teach ...

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If only you saw they loved the smoke.

Know it were the shapes frolicking space

forming air they cheerfully choke on,

take a glass. Scoop it up drink it for them

swallow the haze, spittle on the mirror

mist this muse with thick saliva

so together they can press lips.

in the dusk where ignorance is shade,

the same as she and he did.

[2020]

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"It is over at last",
"What is? What is over? What is finally done?"
"The war" one broken .45 revolver answers
" The war is done",
"Forgive me for asking", I timidly muttered, "but who won?"
"Dunno" he says," it's still a bit hazy but it was a good day for the vultures"

"War always seems to be a grand buffet for the vultures", I replied
"But look now the generals are celebrating, saying t...

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It has been two years today
Since I have had a fight with my then girlfriend
And, crying bitterly, I entered the living room
Replied to my father’s concerns
And let him know his daughter was dating a girl.
No wonder he hasn’t spoken to me since.

But, this poem isn’t about me
And nor is it about a cousin sister of mine
Whose phone was found in the living room
Full with smuts and gay storie...

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<he ends of an affair

a long maybe ten years relation with poem site

it has got a new editor who is critical of my work

finds it too brutal, left wing and not sweet.

My work is being blocked out and I~m is sad as there

is no point sending in poems that are no published?

Everything must come to an end ends in death or

divorce, pity really I have many friends there

and a...

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   The sorrow of tomorrow began early, and again today.

Time tells, no time and yet the essence of the moment is gone.

The heart yearns for just one more day, yet it still slips away..

   The sorrow of tomorrow began early, and again today.

Desire became a fire, in the inner most part of the mind.

The way a body clings to the soul, of another spirit in twined..

   The sorrow of t...

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What this pandemic has done to the world 

By shaking people's confidence and dulling senses 

Has inadvertently led us into that awful rule 

The law of unintentional consequences 

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i really 

so enjoy my own company. 

 like

when i don’t go from laptop to phone to smoke

the minutes between

the fact that no one

no one can know

that it is only me sitting in the wind

only me listening to this all 

only me thinking this

and i’ll let them in when it’s dangerous

but aside from that 

i have a best friend

who never leaves

and it’s me

i...

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I got too comfortable,
Don't forget you're just a guest,
Take all that you care to!

Ghostly by night,
In the now crack of dawn,
The light glistens on the side of my pantry.

But didn't you see!?
This place known to little,
A weird and strange place.

It's hollow (I'm sure),
But the meaningless did wander,
And I feel nauseous at times.

But when the mountain sides goes rockin,
Whe...

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The end of the world as we know it?

Early hours, I check the clock
A vivid dream has woke me up

Bizarre times, now par for the course
Yes, I‘m not dressed up, and I’ve nowhere to go

In a couple of hours it’s time for work
It’s like groundhog day, but in reverse

A bit of breakfast, watch the news
No daily commute, no traffic queues

So here we go, it’s back up the stairs
No need ...

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We are walking
barefoot on the grass
holding our lights
in front of our faces

A silent march of stars
searching for a home
on a dark night´s path

We do not know
where we go
we do not know
why we walk

We just look around
and only see movement
so we decide
to run ourselves

Take a break
little star
get some breath
gain some strength

Let your light shine
right here
right...

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The deejay from the UK had a really great time
Staying up all night, regularly
For days and decades
Not just some weekends and the odd holiday

Vitamin D levels were not optimal
Midday sunless UK
No talk of Circadian rhythms
He slept in the daytime

Still about, and now in his fifties
In the flesh and not Photochopped
He looks like something chasing Frodo in those films
A cousin of de...

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From being alive to reduced to a few characters, 

A whole life condensed into a hashtag.

What is happening isn’t brutality but massacres,

By those who proudly serve the American flag. 

Colin Kaepernick took the knee for us, 

But George Floyd bear the weight of it.

He suffocated under 400 years of prejudices, 

But they’ll never understand. 
 

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Sitting in a box 

Surrounded by bouquets

Silenced by time

Nailed down 

Motionless

Slipping lower,

It’s too late

For someone to enliven these bones

Engage the masses

It’s time to say ‘goodbye'

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A sudden vivid flash electric blue

so swiftly straight more sensed than seen,

streaking burrow-wise from his grey branch lookout

over the dark olive green lake water.

So fragile no halcyon days are his,

unable to command the creek or river water,

and inexpert divers are the fledglings

often waterlogged and trapped in weed or twigs.

Suffering from our pollution-pro...

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Festivity around the scene serene full of cheer

Hullaballoo! Everyone wanted to be there

She heard the noise outside from her balcony

White shirt and black trousers she arranged her hair

The lady looked pretty as she tied her hair

Oh, how beautiful was the nape of her neck!

She went amidst the crowd

Danced and danced feeling very proud.

The fiesta continued there for s...

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Chipper almost blasé, only

297 today

announced like a fisherman’s bag,

almost disappointedly,

the insides of my eyelids blaze

pink in the early evening sunset,

the day is weakening, soon

the smell of supper

and the pithy grip of dry white wine,

that’s good to hear

it might be all over by Christmas.

© Graham Sherwood 05/2020

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telling the bug to do one...

sod off mr corona bug

your not coming in

cause i'm staying in!👍

looking out the window i see you lurking about 👀

i put two fingers to you✌ and say "sod off"

if i come out ive got a vacinne to knock you out! 😤😀

you been warned mr corona bug

dont treat me like a mug! 😤

there's thousands of people you've harmed already! 😥

now its time for you...

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Alcohol sales are up by 22 percent due to lockdown,

As many in isolation their corona sorrows do drown.

Some have drunk more and put on a corona stone,

Their anxiety levels shot through the roof,maybe home alone.

Many due to enforced isolation have emerged fitter than before,

Taking advantage of the extra time ,exercising much more.

Regular exercise encourages the body to ma...

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Boundless spectrum

jumps over

sky blue haze

Yellow sunflowers

slumber inside

beds of green

Saying to

Mr Rainbow

please stay longer

Before  you

guide love

back into heaven.

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Ten weeks on,

clapping for key workers is coming to an end

Clap your hands,

in appreciation, for their dedication we commend

Every person,

old and young, women, men, girls and boys

Clap your hands,

whistle, shout, cheer, together make some noise

At the window,

by the front door, on the step or in the street

Clap your hands,

bang a drum, beep a horn and st...

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~Black bodies stained red

By hands of those whom color has not dared touch

Black bodies left for dead

Destroyed, discarded, desecrated, and given to death's clutch

Black bodies have always bled

For the sins of those who are yet to be judged

Black bodies are hanging by a thread

Waiting for justice, but receiving none such.~

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When the night grows dark

And all return home after long day task

And the moon rises high in the dark black sky

Studded with stars creating a magical high

All the yester years memories creeps

Into the room where we are lying asleep

From the eyes, into the deepest mind

A dream grows into a reality keeping spell bind

The sleeper carefully speaks and play t...

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The Ingrates

Put yourself in my shoes

Try to imagine being me

Always right

Knowing that every decision I ever made

Was for the good of my family

But they were too stupid

Or ignorant to see it

Ok

So I’d been in the pub all day

But not drinking

Well… drinking, but not for pleasure

I was looking for work

If I didn’t go to the places where the...

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It was pitiful enough that I'd be running in anyone arms in desperation
I don't even know what I'm supposed to do or whom I'm supposed to be
It was a lonely road indeed.
In midst 20s when you thought you have it all figure out
And life smack back at you
Then suddenly you're lost again
People say you will figure it out
But when,
When its already too late?
Will I ever figure it out?

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Even after some unremovable

scar marks,

I still crave for your love.

The painful wound is no past

but love can heal.

So why hatred?

Dear Love,

come again in any form.

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