Late Night, Harbour Lights
The air is warm tonight
the sea no longer ravenous
As the shawl slips from your shoulders
there’s a feeling that breeds in us
now, we are home
or close enough
A candle flickers at every table
the seafront cafes like crooked teeth
The harbour mouth is kissing us
with its swing bridge tongue and river beneath
We feel that we are home
or close enough
Tied by these rings
and the meani...
Friday 19th August 2022 11:10 am
Forever and always
Lost in your blue eyes like I'm floating in the sea
I still get shivers when you look at me
No matter how far we have come
From girlfriend to an incredible mum
You still own my heart, my soul and mind
When I'm with you I fully unwind
You make me the best person I can be
We can take on anything with you beside me
Hand in hand, check to check
I still look at you and for...
Wednesday 23rd March 2022 10:53 pm
Union
An organised mess,
No train of thought,
Just swirls and swoops,
Campaign abort
If ironed and pressed,
A chain no longer,
Confused and tangled,
But maid of honour
A taste of love,
So now you see,
Instilled in us,
A fantasy
Exchange our hearts,
Entrusting me,
Through pain feel power,
Uncomfortably.
Sunday 29th August 2021 10:49 pm
Pathetic Fallacy
26.07.20
Droplets fall
And puddles pool
And I am feeling the chill of lonliness
Thunder claps
And rainfall quickens to a roar
And my words fall on deaf ears
The birds are hiding away
And the sun won't come out to play
And we are emotional strangers in our own home
How many times can we talk about the same thing without it changing?
How many rainy days will there be
Bef...
Monday 17th May 2021 10:26 am
Vows
she would swear curses
at adversaries she hated,
enemies got bad scrams,
their prospects down-rated
I'd smile, it seemed a joke,
her mother's just the same,
superstitious nonsense,
some daft witches' game
yet was it really so silly,or
was there something to it?
some victims took poorly,
there was never a minute
free of tragic local news,
some o...
Thursday 29th April 2021 12:48 pm
From Merriment to Misery
It all starts in an oxytocin bath,
drowning in aphrodisiac dreams.
Best friends sweating through
amorous bouts of battering lust.
You begin purposeful procreation
and embrace coparenting with zest.
In a blink, you go from saying “they’re
so cute and tiny” to “they grow up so fast”!
Bliss you’ve had and content you’ve been,
but somehow merriment becomes misery.
You begin to hoard a st...
Tuesday 15th December 2020 12:47 pm
Marriage
The ocean calms me
envelopes me
supports me when I need to sail
Powerfully, it won’t hesitate
to remind me of my place
or comfort me when I fail
Its waves sing along in time
mirroring my mood
or challenging me to improve
We laugh in the shallows
or toil through the depths
almost always perfectly in step
Every day is beautiful
a work of heart
and trying...
The muse of my life;...
Saturday 12th September 2020 1:46 pm
"Getting" Bi
Rescue ‘forever’
The fight of my life
Saving a marriage
But hurting a wife
Twisted confessions
It feels like a dream
Entering territory
I should never have been
Keeping a secret
Locked up deep inside
Now nowhere to run and nowhere to hide
I should of kept quite, not swallowed my pride
But how could I live
With the secrets and lies
Emotionally scared
A heart that is bruised
Feelings...
Friday 24th July 2020 12:34 pm
Young Love By the Sea
Here we are, alone by the sea,
bursting with joy at finding each other.
There’s a wonderful, giddy feeling,
as if all nature were smiling.
The diamond on your finger gleams
like the shining path
of the sunrise on the water.
Our wedding bands were forged
from family rings and new gold.
They join us and our families
in the ancient, unbroken circle of life.
We are like the pla...
Wednesday 15th April 2020 2:13 pm
Cold Feet
For weeks I savored time with you,
wanted to be with you always.
I never asked: “Will you marry me?”
Instead, I asked
when can we wed?
You answered “As soon as we can.”
I left your apartment giddy with joy.
It was a cold New England winter.
I got cold feet as I drove to my lonely room.
What had I done!
Had I been impulsive?
Was this a doomed infatuation
with a new girl who had...
Thursday 2nd April 2020 9:32 pm
My Old Sweetheart
Many years ago I met a lovely girl.
She was fun to talk with about most anything
We walked through woods
and climbed some hills together,
She made lunch for picnics that we shared.
We walked on beaches, felt the crunch
of wet sand underfoot,
listened to seagulls and ocean waves,
and felt the caress of sea breezes.
We gathered shells with no place to keep them.
We were caught i...
Monday 30th March 2020 1:19 pm
How Can I Tell You
How can I tell you that I love you?
I've said the words so many times; it's old hat to you.
I could quote Browning's poem of how she loved.
I'd say it's mine and mean every metaphor,
but you'd know she wrote it and you'd quote it.
I can write love poems just for you,
and every word I write is true,
though I'm not adept with metaphors
and don't use fancy words.
I can bring valentine...
Tuesday 24th March 2020 1:17 pm
Chalk-White Moonlight
An Arctic air
pushes past the cracking door
as we step out
into the newly forming night
with many friendly cheers
chasing us from the hall
The searing wind
grabs you by the ears
seconds abroad
and your bones will know the chill
in the chalk-white light
of this moon
Snow falls slowly
first on the cliffs above the lane
then these cobbles are scribbled out
under a virgin whiteness
...
Sunday 1st March 2020 12:23 pm
To My Dear and Loving Husband/Anne Bradstreet - 1612-1672/Translation into Amharic By Alem Hailu G/Kristos/ ለውዱና ተናፋቂው ባለቤቴ/በአን በራንድ ስትሪት/ ትርጉም በዓለም ኃይሉ ገ/ክርሰቶሰ/
If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were loved by wife, then thee;
If ever wife was happy in a man,
Compare with me ye women if you can.
I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold,
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
My love is such that rivers cannot quench,
Nor ought but love from thee give recompense.
Thy love is such I can no way repay;
The heavens reward...
Monday 16th December 2019 2:34 pm
Heartbreak and Toothache
An unhappy marriage is like a bad tooth;
At first you ignore the obvious truth:
Something is wrong; it's causing you pain,
But you have no time to consult your brain.
So you take a pill -or have a drink or three,
Hoping to relieve your agony;
But the pain escalates until one day,
You realise it's not going away;
You're gripped with a feeling of horror and fear,
It can't ...
Saturday 17th August 2019 3:51 pm
Tranquility
Tranquility in your presents
doves pecking as our kiss is tending
lips lock our mind in a spell, as the doves sing their song, letters spelling in the air.
clouds draw me close for a better look
fractals in the nooks, lump to lump, baby rainbows extend their hand and shake with glee
telling my lover she is the best mother to be
She see's the beauty in my beastial nature, cal...
Thursday 15th August 2019 2:35 am
Devotion and Desire
Your fingers strummed the strings of your guitar in a lazy, sleepy pattern as my consciousness began to drift
I inched as close to you as possible, molding my bones to yours as I seamlessly carved for myself a place at your side
Space was a silly idea, a concept at that moment we would never need to consider, should never consider
You played on as we laid together, my chest rising and falling a...
Monday 12th August 2019 5:24 am
Love And Everything Else
Let's take our bond
seal it within
a singularity
Let's celebrate
and acknowledge it
There was desire
now there is
fulfilment
A new infinity
of love
compassion
empathy
I've been decorating
repainting everything
renewing the colour
drawing a line here
Like the world
I've been denying
but now I'm ready
and I'm sorry
for making you wait this long
It's time for love
and...
Saturday 6th July 2019 1:34 pm
A Tractor's Wife
Tractors gaining traction
In and of my life
Never did I ever think
That I would be a tractor's wife.
Implements and attachments
Belts and belts galore
Reapers, tillers, composters
Who could ask for more?
Aerators and harvesters
Plows; for winter and for spring
Lots and lots and lots of tires
Damn near everything...
That someone would ever want
If they should...
Thursday 18th April 2019 8:54 pm
Player Piano
Player piano in the empty funeral parlor foyer cranks
out old standards with a Dixieland flourish. The old
wooden cross. How great thou art. Take my hand precious
Lord. No one hears it. No one is here to discuss pre-planning.
No one peruses coffins for his aunt who has been sick so long
the family forgot she would die. No one is scooped out
by grief at the accidental death o...
Tuesday 19th February 2019 11:07 pm
Yin-Yang Love
He loves me?
He loves me not?
Questions I have
asked myself a lot
since the day
I said I do.
Yes, he has a
wandering eye,
avoids intimacy
like I am
the blessed
Mother Mary.
Yes, he has a
hair-trigger temper,
can top Pinocho
with his lies.
Our love is
unconventional,
but I no longer
question why.
After four decades
in the trenches,
I have learned
to focu...
Wednesday 30th January 2019 10:30 pm
I saw my future before my eyes for the first time in my life
It wasnt just ideas but plans with who I
pictured my wife
The mother of my children and my partner
through strife
But I lost it
It was almost here and gone in a moment
It felt so good but now there's pain and I
ow it
Started to slip away so I desperately tried
to hold it
But now it's gone
Was it my fault? I'...
Thursday 24th January 2019 8:06 pm
In the pale moonglow
In the pale moonglow when I awoke
somehow shadows seemed the darker
as mantling the land, that soft white cloak
of crystal shine leaves them starker
What cold mystic spell holds fast my hand
what eerie charm doth my fate seal
in darkling night whence daylight is banned
with what ice maid have I to kneel
As my eyes take in my ghost white bride
one last iced tear...
Wednesday 23rd January 2019 2:09 pm
My Wedding Day
Preamble: I wrote this shortly after my wedding 2 years ago, but never found the chance to perform it. I've revived it for today's Rhymers' theme of "weddings". It is a slam so it looks strange on paper, so I also made this video.
I have so many thanks to give for this special day!
First, the weather: my eternal gratitude to whichever Supreme Being or natural...
Saturday 13th October 2018 7:00 am
A Marriage of Ghosts
A Marriage Of Ghosts
Something old; crumbling bones.
Something new; innocent youth.
Something borrowed; parental beliefs.
A bride forever blue.
Flesh bound to ash and bone.
A knot ties the living and dead.
Union of child and corpse, rotting.
Protection from cursed health and poverty.
Escaping abandonment, in a death shed,
destined by ancestral expectati...
Wednesday 11th July 2018 1:46 pm
He Is
He Is, My King
I am, His Queen
We are, A Team
In him I grew, in me he knew we could build a family. Strong, bold, and brazen he came in like a wrecking ball. Tearing down the walls of hopeless justice. We were created in the heart of God to love each other and serve a world full of hate. We are guided by our story and sheltered by the love of God.
A man I have yet to meet, but he...
Tuesday 12th June 2018 5:16 pm
Marriage is llike a Cabbage
Marriage
Is like a cabbage
Your need to strip back the outer leaves
The vibrant green is just for show
The sweet and tender flavours
Are developed deep below
It’s not for everyone, but it’s versatile
It can stew, can be raw
Fundamentally they’re identical
The heart lies at the core
Tuesday 30th January 2018 11:11 am
Gower
The sand was always hot
beside the white dunes and the coarse grass
The sea was always blue
between the black rocks and the horizon haze
The beach was always ours
between the seagull shout and the distant crowd
We were always alone
between the far world and our near union
We swa...
Monday 29th January 2018 11:59 am
Choice's
{Choice's}
Well I'm stuck in a hard spot with a beautiful new blooming romantic relationship because this person has asked me for my hand in marriage and I'm somewhat scared to make a big commitment to him like that knowing I've had bad experiences with my past relationships before him
And mu mind is telling me to listen to my ? heart that is still beaten up because of ...
Sunday 3rd December 2017 6:07 pm
maybe, I.J.
i want to marry you.
maybe we'll both wear dresses
maybe Skyler will be our best man
maybe my family won't be invited
maybe Steve will walk me down the isle
maybe our color will be black
or blue
or dark red
or a deep purple
maybe you'll have half your head shaved
and I'll have an arm covered in tattoos
maybe our first dance will be to an Incubus song
maybe to an Ed Sheeran song
mayb...
Saturday 11th November 2017 3:33 am
The Company you Keep. The Girl You Don't.
I'm not the girl you marry.
I'm the girl
you have the affair with
after you are married.
when things get
stale.
I kiss you because I want to
not because it is routine
comfortable
expected
I kiss you because I want you
I suck you because
it needs
to be sucked
not because
it's Wednesday and it's date night
that is why you seek me ou...
Tuesday 24th October 2017 6:00 pm
An Englishman's Home
An Englishman’s Home
Our life together has fashioned some melancholic times,
White lies and absurd secrets threatening our connubial bond.
Misfortunes have conspired to smash down our familial castle
Yet the walls and foundation laid beneath them remain strong.
And through the haze of shadowed memory and retrospect
Some little lights grow bright like welcome stars at ni...
Monday 23rd October 2017 9:16 pm
RETROSPECTIVE
i
Innocent
he met a force
Untried
it held him
... and wonder drained the world of substance
re-arranged the pages of his book to give more radiant a reading.
The light of new possibilities
pressed down on time.
The girl sang to him "You can hear the boats go by". He
l...
Saturday 16th September 2017 6:06 pm
In the beginning
In the beginning he would wake at every peculiar sound that came from the babies crib
In the beginning he would bring me a beverage as I fed his son whilst the moon was dimly lit
In the beginning he would rush home from work eager to see the family he created
In the beginning we were the people whom he could be himself and escape with
In the beginning we were enough
He wou...
Tuesday 3rd January 2017 2:37 pm
He left
He left
He left behind his broken wife and his scared son
He left
He left us cold, all alone with no one
He left
The vows, they meant nothing
The promises, broken
I just wish we meant something
More than just empty words spoken
I cried for days at a time
My young son wiped every tear
Leaving us was a crime
And now, it's been 1 year
An...
Sunday 1st January 2017 11:32 pm
Marry Or Divorce
If your shirt has no button
and your trousers are roughen,
if your jacket is so crushed
and your carpet needs a brush,
if you can’t find a clotheshorse
and all the time curse
There is only one way out:
to marry or divorce.
Larisa Rzhepishevska (Odessa, Ukraine)
Thursday 27th October 2016 12:32 pm
That'll Cost You the Kettle
They married young and grew apart, as people often do.
Future life for both of them will be with someone new.
The problem though, was cash so short
they could not move their home.
Until some savings could be made,
and low cost rents be found.
Circumstance demanded that
the bed must still be shared.
Things were tough, no time for fun,
except for weekend booze.
...
Friday 20th May 2016 5:10 pm
"Marriage God's Gift"
With love for a woman man takes up his bride
Like God and His church for which He has died
He gives her his life to be by her side
To share his warm heart that's broken inside
He takes her hand and tell's her "I do"
And promises a love that's faithful and true
Just like the God that makes all things new
He holds them together like iron and glue
He gives her his life for bet...
Thursday 31st March 2016 1:31 am
They lay
They lay
as distant in their sleep
as cars upon the street
bums and bumpers
back to back
double parked
in a life
as empty
as the words
they spoke
at their wedding
service
Wednesday 23rd March 2016 9:03 pm
To win or to remedy?
Just to win an argument
Oft the couples
Resort to a heated debate.
For a change
They never tried
To remedy a challenge.
They have themselves to blame
For a solution begging problem.
Tuesday 11th August 2015 10:00 am
THE BALLAD OF BOB THE BUN
Our friend, Bob The Bun,
just loved to have fun
and exciting adventures galore,
he’d laugh all day
and jump and play
and roll around on the floor.
Its a very rare sight
to see a bun take flight
but one day he went flying so high,
he held onto a kite
by the tail, so he might
get to see the world from the sky.
Now, whilst he was high,
something low ca...
Tuesday 12th May 2015 9:07 pm
THE ROSE
The Rose opened its heart petal by petal
unfolding its virtues to the naked eye
You opened your heart page by page
unfolding your virtues to my soul
even sealing it with a loving kiss
on that fateful day
It was only to last seven weeks
until your gun was pointed at my head
the double barrel between my eyes
you hated the concept of equality
slavery was your ...
Saturday 14th June 2014 1:19 pm
Goodbye Girl
(I was trying to write something with that nursery ryhme rythym, something like Pippin Hill, and this is what came out, not quite what I was looking for but here goes . .)
Pretty girl, lovely girl,
won’t you marry me?
Together now, you and me
So happy we could be
Gorgeous girl, bonny girl
Only you can set me free
Sadly girl, madly girl
Don...
Wednesday 9th October 2013 5:14 pm
OUCH!
Ouch!
In my dream I listen to the best of Heart, Ann Wilson really rocking out. Who'll You Run To? and All I Wanna Do reminding me of my dear ex wife. Why do I dream of her? Is it to show me I have nothing now? No wife, no family, no house, no car, no job and no happiness? I can't describe how it affected me at 6am in the morning. A mental block provided by an angel protects me ...
Friday 20th April 2012 1:55 pm
An Unconventional Marriage
Who needs paper to declare what your heart can?
Who needs a ring in place of a loving hand?
Who needs the approval of government or God
when two consenting adults hold the key to true salvation?
Love is the salvation that unlocks our potential,
marriage merely confines it to one form.
But if I were to ever conform,
I would do it for you.
The th...
Tuesday 3rd April 2012 9:08 pm
Something Old, Something New
You send me back my wedding dress
20 years too late…
wrapped not in finest tissue
confetti tumbling from its folds
nor draped across a lover’s arms
regret pressed to every empty seam
not folded at all
but jammed like stinking gym shorts
into this case, too small
compressed, flattened
obligatory bow adrift
sad reminder of all that was.
An ivo...
Wednesday 2nd March 2011 9:00 pm
no connecting(for Janet and all loud writers whom I love...without connection)
i like you all in cyber-space
not sure i'd like you to your face
in fact i know i definitely not
would like you such a lot
IF
you came into my face without permission
invaded my space and pervaded my person
made me feel like a guest in my own
BECAUSE
mi casa no es su casa
my life is mine to lead
i do not sit in your place of authority
i do not he...
Monday 5th April 2010 8:51 pm
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