you can't stop it

love gathers dust

its downhill from the end of lust

so hot she squeaked

her touch a scorch

nothing doused my flaming torch

wet mouth a snare

long limbs a web

we knew this inferno could not ebb

ugly but chic

lithe and svelte

a body that would never melt

we sit here now

old and forlorn

wishing we had never been born

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through a window I rewind my life

the words I never seemed to utter

dreams that turned to piles of dust

it's better to pull down the shutter

that's the woman I didn't marry, a

love affair left to wither and stutter

her tears fall like rain in the street

it's better to pull down the shutter

sins of youth that seemed so bland

echo down the hot concrete gutter

...

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How Did It Get So Late So Soon?

The man who scared the ghosts away,

The woman who healed wounds with a kiss,

I think of them more nowadays

In sad and troubled times like this.

No longer there to hug the pain

From tired bones and broken hearts,

To shield you from the winter rain

That permeates where old age starts.

The back garden is over-grown,

The kitchen i...

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California or bust. 

Cruising the Mother Road, 
guided by Arizona skies. 

Soaring with the Eagles, 
ZZ Top, and Dr. Hook.

Laughing with hitchhikers,
like long-lost friends.

Waving out the window,
to Albuquerque wind.

Strawberry wine, french kisses,
love on the horizon.

Smell of freedom, 
between dust and rain.

Young, daring, 
invincible. 

Life never felt so Grand,
a...

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Will you raise your voice for the oppressed

Will you demand Governmental redress

Will you speak on things that truly matter

Will you allow this illusion to truly shatter

Will you plant the seeds in the ears of youth

So they can discover the yield of truth

Will you speak up Will you scream

Will you have faith Will you dream

Will you turn up your volume for the silenced

Wi...

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Down the endless garden 
to a hand-built shed of wonders
and little me, sitting with my grandad
listening to all the voices
pushing through the static

What magic in those wires!
The narrow band, the wide
The squelch and the gain
The whistle and the whine
sounds I’ll never forget

The spectrum of a planet 
chattering
Such wisdom in rough fingers
so deft upon the dial
gently they’d ...

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I wonder how this generation, 
fresh out of school, 
is going to make it in the work world. 

There are exceptions of course, 
but most are selfish sloths. 

They have been coddled,  
argue Google makes them brighter, 
than professionals with a lifetime of experience.

Their attention span is shorter than an egg timer. 
You have to repeat instructions to them. 

Chained to their poin...

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Her fingers tracing mine
Lily danced me out of the garden
those green eyes brimming lively 
with purest abandon
Then barefoot on the boardwalk
her summer dress riding high
she leapt onto the jetty 
and gestured to the sky

We let our tanned legs hang below
as we bottomed up the bottle
the air was hot and heavy
the sea around us peaceful
There was lust upon our minds
as a veil upon a ...

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Those shadows the epitome of time

let me bruise them so they cannot move,

make those pale moments clearer

in the light of the hurt-

a life no longer drenched

in shapes eclipsing the stopwatch,

now I can pause time when I want to

escaping the minutes for hours,

see the clouds in still shift,

alluding to an illusion

of some fading minute,

the hands of the clock skim ...

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Sat here again splaying the phrases

almost photographic, tapping minds

into my aged remarks letting frame

pictures grey those partitions wise,

but the room years pursuit for youth,

dragging that pen for a crayon,

drawing foetal scrawls on umbilical walls

confused written out in blind art,

too young to be theirs, too old to be mine.

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I want you to be unruly
write hard and clear
about tangled emotion
those who don’t
make me suspicious
I know there are other things
like genocide and selfish parking
and the bruises received
behind closed doors

I want to know people 
who are walking antennas 
sensitive and gifted
nerves nakedly exposed
flailing in the fallout

I was raised to keep all hidden
I was raised to deny ...

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Flame

We set the world alight

With incendiary thoughts

That burned like sulphur

Cut with lithium

A million candles

That lit every corner

Of our flammable minds

And shone like supernovas

That was an age ago

When new ideas

Were like matches

Striking on sandpaper

When the faintest

Flintlock spark

Could flash against powder

And deliver shot

...

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Hail to the beautiful people...

   who smile in the face of adversity,

   overcome their demons,

   make their dreams come true,

   lend a helping hand,

   make the world a better place,

   give us hope for a brighter future,

   make us feel young again...

We salute you, 
   look up to you, 
      want to be you, 
         love you.

# # #

https://youtu.be/oe1wtkkt9...

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There's testosterone in the air tonight
My teenage son is spoiling for a fight
He relentlessly practices with his fists
Goading me and poking me, he never quits
In socks or trainers he measures up
The endless tale of the old dog and the young pup
With youth and vigour, optimism and cheek
He probes my guard telling me I'm fat and weak
And when we struggle and grip
When my back aches and my...

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The complication of those earrings
the texture of the paint around your eyes
the sun's highlights in your hair

The redness of those parting lips
such belief in everything we said
the pristine shape of your nose

Lying on the roof
your head close to my heart
summer blushing the sky
weren't we beautiful
weren't we beautiful then

Nothing to fret about
just prolong the passing day
sw...

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How I long to sleep tonight
forget these thoughts
and rest
Ease my body free 
of anxiety and worry
but the more I try
the more I fail
I fidget fast, roll in frustration
cursing my debt
and conversations that won't end
Where are those waves of darkness
when will they wash my brain
Where is that tide of sleep
of empty-headedness 
of ignorance
and bliss...

Six hours now
I've studie...

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In his dad's pickup

There to pick you up

You watched from your bedroom window.

He parked right where last year

The maple tree fell during a storm

And Dad called you down.

In a striped blue skirt and a navy sweater

You flew down the stairs

There he was, and together

You climbed into the pickup.

He gave you his hand

You were small, and it was high up.

After the mo...

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September is for lovers, I find comfort in the covers cuddled up next to you, maybe too much so because sometimes I even drool, dancing on the couch and watching tv, I love the way you lay your eyes on me, holding hands and taking walks, you're always laughing at my mismatched socks, with you I know I will always feel good enough.

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With eyes closed
I'm morning mellow
and grateful

Survived another crash
the screech of a derailment
isn't mine this time
but it only gets later 
in the day of my life
my luck must be spilling out
soon to all be spilled

Morning mellow, with eyes closed
still invincible 
at thirty seven

Beyond the pane
summer wind rips
licks at the glass
makes me feel small
and safe, for now

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Has anybody seen my youth?
i left it here I could have sworn
I've looked in the loft
and I've looked in the shed
I've even looked underneath the bed
I've been round to the neighbours to see if its there
and I've looked in the cupboard under the stair
I've searched in every nook and cranny
I'm telling you this is really uncanny
because all at once I looked and it was gone
Just like those ...

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The Imperfect Gardener

Someone once said, long ago or last week,

that it's futile on a finite and populous planet

to seek a truth, or a finely polished apple,

in the still-life-on-canvas we daily behold,

and by such uncouth behaviour

we are mostly confounded, and fail to grapple.

So we're prisoners here, in uncounted millions,

unable to leap high or fast enough to...

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here’s to the afterlife —

what fate does the day after The Last Day hold?

doubt ,

doubt consumes man’s faith .

down into the depths of the pit

my mind descends ,

down to the caverns ,

the walls closing in .

the light dwindles ,

crushed under the weight of this apparent reality .

hopeless and helpless ,

lonely and tired .

beaten down by the endless sorrow .

di...

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Yes

Youth once again

beats in my heart

With the mystery of you

The man of my dreams

comes to me in words

on a page

So sweet and tender

Yes

I surrender 

to you my sweet one

I will walk the path

of innocence once again

With you...

First kiss

flirting eyes

My breath

taken away

I would love to take

your words away

with my beauty

My silhoue...

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You asked if this was okay

But I didn't have the heart to tell you the truth

didn't possess the words to say 

no

this is so much more 

It just didn't seem to roll off my tongue the way mine rolled over yours

There wasn't enough time to explain the feeling of innocent euphoria I experienced with you 

No way to begin to illustrate how you made me unravel at the seams like lillie...

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Janus

When we were young

we raged against the storm

biting at our hormones,

engulfing our senses

and our sensibilities.

The deep penetrating

oxblood on our

Doctor Martin boots

polished

to an indignant sheen.

Pre-conditioner hair,

split ends and acne,

Shredded Wheat moustache.

A groove worn on the chin

by pondering fingers.

Myopic ...

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As I look into the mirror

A little girl stares back at me

Her eyes twinkling eyes shining so bright

Wind is blowing her hair nice and free

Running free like a child she makes a pretty sight

Her lips twitched into a naughty smile

Radiant face brimming with life

Her eyes shine with unfulfilled dreams

No worries no fear no signs of strife

I am mesmerized by her innocence

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By concrete honey-combed Centre Point
Briskly paced towards Soho
Passing illuminated tooting taxis
Striding down the Charing Cross Road
To join a queue of  alternatives
Outside the stuccoed dome crowned bay
Under the fretted signage board
Spelling the name of the band who’ll play
Tonight, at the Astoria

Earnest in Camden High Street fashion
Invested Kensington Market attire
Sticky carpe...

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We were nearly there
you in the driving seat
him with the map
denim shorts
patchwork patches
grandad cardies
Swan Vesta matches
Me in the back
with Giggly Sis
hippy frocks and
bright red socks
headscarves, dreads
and celtic art
all off to a festival
heard about on the vine
from a bloke down the pub
with a roll up
a nose ring
a quintessential
dog on string

We drove between hil...

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Young and wrinkly

You are not getting old

But numerically you've advanced

No, you're not getting old

You're just chronologically enhanced.

You are not growing up

But of this much I am sure

To avoid growing up

We must become more immature.

We must dance until our joints creak

And sing until we can't speak,

Laugh until our lungs ache

And love until ...

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Asleep beneath a sodium tongue,
Damp synthetic fire-licked stone,
Fake stone,
Hand made stone,
Carpeting ugly and commodious city streets,

Voices of young men,
Smoke filled lungs and wide wild eyes,
Sanguine chatter-boxes,
Impatiently idea making,

Dreaming, cold-air-breathing, nights on end without closed eyes,
Hearts open,
Some happy numbness in the fingers and toes,
All may rest ha...

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Finding you wasn't hard

Although you all looked the same

Beneath ever changing skies

Stark bright and upright

Against Summer cornflower skies

Bathed in sleepy Autumn hues

Pure, under skirts of wintery slate

Did you think, at twenty two

Generations would stand here

Imagining the glory, the fear

Gripping anger and sorrow

Racing clouds allow the sun a turn

You...

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Just a bit of fun, these poems are used in my work as part of a project using monsters as a way of inspiring young people to share an enthusiasm for writing. Can you identify the six mystery monsters?

More than just the sum of his parts

this monster stole another's heart

and his hands and feet as well

not much is his as you can tell

his head is screwed on firmly

by the bolts...

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LIFE

Life is just a four letter word

Sometimes it can be so absurd

Like the broken window that just occurred

By the stone that’s thrown by the teenage nerd

Through bloodshot eyes with a vision blurred

Afraid to speak because his voice is slurred

And if he did it wouldn’t be heard

Through the itchy teeth and the tongue that’s furred

Through too much bread and lemon c...

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Weird Sisters

when did we four last meet
with doctor martins on our feet
hubble, bubble trick or treat
kiss and tell arms to greet
looks that kill in a heartbeat
concrete steps as a seat
stir the cauldron feel the heat
cool as fuck neat neat neat
no surrender no retreat
angel faces so petite
whiplash smiles sugar sweet
weird sisters of the street

Inspired By: photograph by Ri...

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Such were the joys,
When we were girls and boys,
That at night when we lay in our nest
Ready for rest,
We were no more seen
Beneath the fair moon beams.

When into play came those rosy lips,
Dews of passion arose in vapoured wisps.
As your fingers lay fitted in mine,
The faithless turned to think of the divine.
And all that was chained in depth and height,
Had broadened, freeing the so...

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As the nineteenth autumn has come upon me,
It’s a whole new world I see.
Treacherous creatures, so often, hush and hide,
And it seemeth to me, a change in tide.

The poetry of soothing sensation has gone,
The glimmering golden glow of the sun is now none.
Some say,’ The Head is battling with the Heart’.
Well ! All Logic has been torn apart.

As I gaze into the vast emptiness
The dawning...

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Hello,

You are back finally

It's been dull around here

Without you

When you said goodbye

It marred my soul

But, let's forget the past

You are here now.

She has broken my hearing

With her high velocity screams

I built a wall.

Now that you are here,

She can't bring it down.

You light my insides

On fire.

Let go, see me fly;

See me young.

I'm craving ...

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in the dry grass next to The Bull

once every year the ground would shake

and scream “faster”

while our fingers grew sticky from the company we kept

here to win fish as golden as we wished

the beer

what of the gypsies

what of their king

what of the grave thrice danced around

finished with a pin?

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Disco nights

Flashing lights

The Dee Jay sets the beat

Ah, those youthful days of discothèques

Of short skirts and dancing girls

At the club down Oxford Street

Wide collared shirts

And tapered flares

We’d check out the gorgeous girls

Every girl was a beauty

And every chat up line was good

Though they didn’t always work as well as they should

...

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each night I sleep

entwined in the comfortable branches

of a mossy oak

by day I play

among the lissom saplings

and wonder

how far I might still bend

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con·serv·a·tive

[kuhn-sur-vuh-tiv]  

adjective

1.

disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc., or to restore traditional ones, 

and to limit change.

Every morning on the TV – It’s just not like what it used to be

Kids these days they’ve got no clue, they RIOT, they’re not POLITE – they don’t appreciate SHITE!

In MY day - i...

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I felt nothing at first.
Just the loud crack of a distant whip, the echo
Bouncing through the crumbling streets and fetid alleyways,
Painted with the stench of unintentional sacrifices
And scorched by the Middle Eastern sun.
He can see me, this one, even now,
Staring down the lens like a wayward sailor scanning distant rocks for Sirens,
Tempting him to death.
He’s watching me cr...

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“eight Shippo’s a night youth

with a pack of No.6

loyal to the local economy

proud of where I lived,

never owned a Chopper though,

much to my chagrin,

every other Saturday

Trent End hooligan

serial movie matinees

at the ABC

a penny got the first one in

who let the others in for free

meet me at the Lions

don’t you know your left from right

...

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Implied persuasion,

By three knowing souls

Left a vision of what could have been.

A momentary relapse,

Like Lady Macbeth, blinded

Misguided, bitter raged

Baby beaten on her breast.

Innocent youth taken

Shaken by protector.

No milk of human kindness,

To be sweetened, swallowed

Just a poisoned evil that is given at first breath.

An undone deat...

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MY LITTLE COLD WAR 

My mate sent some song lyrics to me, by some band. I read them after reading my story on my nuclear armed stealth jet being used in anger. I’m trying to make sense of the cold war I grew up in now, so many years later. It’s so crazy. The younger kids have no idea but my mate does, he’s only 21 but he tries to understand what it was like growing up under the shadow of the...

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Once it was a time that glowed:

turned-up collar, hurrying through glistening, early 60s streets.

A kind of muddling, room at Odsal Top,

or summat like that;

steam train always whistling in the distance

Dashing for the bus; overcoats,

shopping bags, windows steamed up,

conductor breathless.

Running the last yards from the corner,

hammering at the ...

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