I WOULD IF I COULD

By The Urban Poet

I would if I could but I can’t so I won’t

Do things I don’t do in the heat of the mo’ 

Pull ladies that are half my age

If you think it’s ok then

we’re on the same page

   Now there’s things that I would like to do

Such as paragliding when I’ve had a few

A bungee jump would go down well

But the truth is mate, I’m scared as hell

...

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Whale breaches still waters

spraying mist into the twilight. 

Oil seeps through grill’s crevices 

onto bright glowing briquettes, as 

Beef sizzles to unfolding drama, 

surrounded by awe and wonder;

Hooked by the vast expanse 

of the Outback and the Sea.

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 14 June 1946 — the day malice was given human form again. It reflects on the vile nature of that birth and demands that this parasite be torn from the earth before more harm is done.
 

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The meaning of life is the late afternoon light

passing through, between the curtains' crevice;

Its scattered glow suspends in the rusted shadow

of a room's despondent past and unsituated presence.

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I scarcely notice the rain pelting my coffee cup.

Or the small House Wrens near a pile of cut branches,

flitting about joyously, welcoming the light shower.

They remind me I need to get that cleaned up sometime,

but I’m hesitant to disturb their preferred habitat

so, I’ll leave them to enjoy their capering.

My reverie does notice the hush of absence

while I wait fo...

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Shall We? 

Shall we put the kettle on

Shall we make a cup of tea

Would you like to watch our favourite film ~

We could snuggle on our old settee

Shall we light the open fire

Should we scatter cushions on the floor

Should we cuddle up with our smelly dog

And live what our hearts most desire

Can we just have an early night

And read each other poetry

´T...

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In silence, I sit and ponder
Haunted by choices I've made
Wondering if life's path would have differed
If I'd chosen otherwise, would I have escaped the pain that clings?

Time passed, and I weighed each step
Pros and cons, but the cons wouldn't relent
Even so, their loudness could not make me resist you.
Yet, your gentle gaze silenced my mind
A doorway to a heartache that won't subside.

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Fawn, Lick and Grovel’s advice has come in:

Turn the other cheek, take it on the chin.

It’s should be simple to sit there and grin,

While he spills all his gibberish and bile

(In other circumstances, you might smile).

You have to be his stooge and feel his smack,

And grit your teeth as you’re stabbed in the back.

A handshake with the king, or fulsome praise,

May push humili...

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Rising over the nightimes ending

the early sun begins burning in its orange self

we take the important weightless luggage of happiness

with us into the intended full days ramblings

studiously pep talking with perseverance along the way

until the first shadows of evening descend upon

our returning group of natures scholars

soon to be cocoa satiated and yawning co...

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Bodies are burning their oil lamps brightly

from the windows overlooking the church  

their silhouettes shape-shift on the bedroom walls

as they move from room to room,

neither stand still long enough for you 

to grasp who or what they are,

televisions flicker in accord

as if planned in some way, it’s strangely romantic

as if part of a passion play – and I am the only one h...

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Some days I watch you walking down the street

and I must pause a moment as you pass

to still my heart and stay rebellious feet

from following, but I must not alas.

Your golden hair, I know it, every strand;

those laughing eyes of blue that shine with mirth.

The music of your voice has me unmanned,

believing you an angel come to earth.

And yet I know it’s right that you shou...

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My 6-year-0ld self, - overcome with awe,

listens to the rumble and the rattle

as looms, majestically swept in unison,

back and forth across the vast mill floor.

Turbaned women shouted above the din

unperturbed by the continual motion.

Then on to the old covered market,

clutching my wicker, child-sized basket

and getting lost among the myriad of legs,

unnerved by rou...

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https://youtu.be/qGyPuey-1Jw

He has a girlfriend, une copine. A showroom model to be seen. She speaks her accent fluent. Now his life's grammatically congruent.

They walk together. With pleasant weather. And talk about what doesn't matter. And one day they'll perform their porn. To confiscate all lives unborn.

She has a girlfriend, une copine. A no-room model to be seen. They speak thei...

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Our one and only trip to America

in the Fall, almost forty-five

years ago. Rhode Island, Cape Cod,

Vermont, New Hampshire, Boston

... Niagara.

We drove through Buffalo

towards the falls, passing gaudy

'honeymoon hotels' boasting

the size of their water-beds.

The view from the US side

was impressive, yes, 

the little tourist boat almost

under the cascad...

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Is it me? Is it real?
The feelings that I feel…
never seem to match 
the world around me.

What if I’m lost in time,
wrapped up in some sublime 
cosmic poet’s next attempt 
at melancholy?

I don’t ever feel at home,
most times would rather be alone. 
I’m broken, yeah I know
cuz I don’t change things. 

Maybe I’m just out of place,
running long in the wrong race,
or maybe I’m no go...

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Whilst my lot had pillaged and scarred,  

Her lot held fortunes, the gilded guard.  

Could love like ours ever find its place,  

When worlds collide in a tender embrace?  

The thief and the rose, a tale retold,  

Beauty and the beast, both brave and bold.  

Cinderella and her midnight thief,  

Bound by a love that defied belief.  

A pauper's hand in a princess's c...

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Just look at how far you have come…

Let’s celebrate with a large tot of rum…

The obstacles you have faced along the way…

Whether you are in the UK, USA or Bombay…

You have really pushed yourself for the best…

Which is why it is time for you to breathe and rest…

Hear my words reaching your beautiful soul…

This is what will help you to reach your end goal…

Never give up, no m...

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My friend remembers

holding babies in an orphanage

across the border

when she was there as a teen

with a charitable group

whose name she has long forgotten.

Her volunteer role was simply to hold and rock the babies,

the sweet little souls.

My friend, like me, is elderly now,

but she still drives all over town

on those fast freeways

that I dare not enter

(when I'...

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The moon was sad as only the moon can be
men in tears sought to flee the nightmare of their lives
dreaming that with fingers we can pluck
the calmness of flowers, the depths of moments,
the completeness of a live birth.

Now only white sobs slide into our eyes
the smile of a mother, a lover,
on the fortunate day of our first kiss.
the past is a ma...

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Nature or nurture?

where she was concerned

there was never any doubt

about either,

but ranks will close

as and when needs must.

Light by name, and light by nature,

A smile to light up every room,

she had always been that way,

instinctively loving and caring,

ever gratefully aware

of the precarity of

her own origins,

but the patriarchy looks

after its ...

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Tremors that he gives me confirm that 
the heart is a muscle
as mythical, as magical, as mysterious  
as a stitcher, tailor, clairvoyant, wordsmith
made manifest as a minotaur 
who cares for his brothers
A sage who is fuelled by compassion
Not seduced by illusions of fairweather friends

Even though we often 
stay up late swapping each others poems,
talking about a shared love of physic...

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‘Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.’ Wise words from Samuel Beckett, a hero of mine who also wrote ‘All poetry is prayer’ – a thought I have taken to heart, and a subject for another time.

We love in a culture which sets great store by success and yet the greatest learning comes from mistakes, from failure, even from pain. We can then improve, do better...

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The first thing we had to clear was the one

he prized the most: the cluttered pinewood bar

he’d salvaged from a neighbour moving on

at the end of the nineteen seventies.

Embalmed in a gloopy coat of varnish

that set to a brittle sheen, it lacked retro chic,

scuffed down to the wood along its edges,

its surface crazed with memories.

In the days when family came ...

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Tomorrow 

The first day of the rest of our lives

There's no time holier then now

Stillness of mind

In unison 

Our spoken word 

Image held in mind

Through the field of earth

Our kinetic energy travels

Your thoughts matter

What you give matters

Taking the time to find you, matters 

Love for one and other matters

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dropping down the hill

from Bozeat rise, the

temperature fell clear

two degrees as the hail

stones began lightly 

peppering the bonnet 

of the car,

we knew it was coming 

noticing it hanging

around behind a black 

cloud up ahead like a 

robber in a cheap film,

a tiresome diversion

took us past a green 

burial site and we spent

the rest of the journey

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The world is more stressed,worried and in pain,

Perilous times of stress and trouble seem to reign.

Positive things can boost your emotional wealth,

Immensly contributing towards your physical health.

As a city broken into without a wall,

Is the man who cannot control his anger at all.

Listen carefully to both sides of a matter,

Solve the issue through a two sided natter.

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Bed-blocking King Duncan’s lifeless form

Kisses his lips sweaty T-shirts

Like a dandy rabbit this man once more.

What chance have we under the Dunelm Duvet

Goyt and Tame together plan the hit

on Lady of the North with a poker and coal scuttle

To remove the thorn from the flesh

of the knuckled finger-splitting hand

In a white blank room the die hard

poets r...

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Before this dismal outcome came to be

the future seemed to beckon from afar:

a place bereft of scarcity and war;

a polished jewel of bright uncertainty.

In old-time bookshops (now but memories)

the science fiction covers let us dream

of silver cities, interstellar scenes

and giant spacecraft hung in distant skies.

But none of these is ours. What came to pass

stands far ...

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No one knows who wasn't there,

at Casement Park.

No one knows who wasn't there,

on Churchill Avenue.

No one knows who wasn't there,

at Milltown Cemetery.

We were young and malleable

We were hammers and sharpened tools,

we were disposable yet valuable

we the puppets of murderous fools.

We heard the pavement split

We heard the double tap,

we knew t...

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This city of rooftops
this tangle of streets
Houses perched 
upon hillsides
This fragmented view
a colour sample chart
of various greys
Choose any shade…

A ghoulish wind rattles 
shivering window panes
as remnants of noisy leaves 
shuffle down crooked lanes
Frozen snow 
blocking passageways
I wiggle my toes
to keep the blood flowing

Between five rivers
a hill I rise, or will s...

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Oh, supreme maestro of chaos well devised
Thou who dost turn falsehoods into legacy prized
Thy hair, the clouds of a kitsch tempest wild
Thy suit, a shield 'gainst truths that are reviled

"Make America great again!" thou dost proclaim
Whilst selling dreams wrought with horror and shame
Thy walls are verses in blind poetry penned
That part and divide, yet intrigue to no end

Thou, who sp...

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too many years

the man inside has struggled

to crack the mask

that fragile face

that forms the words

taken to task

when unburdened from

their unassuming place

now, times are hard

and many labors are

begging to be sold

now, the inward man is stolid

he will not bend

the crouching tigers remain hidden

and many fortunes stay untold

...

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Am I starting to not care anymore?

Children taken as spoils of war

Still breaks my heart...a little.

Enough to pray...a little.

Storms come and storms go

To make my soul weary,

So my life is no longer light and breezy.

Prayers go up...but they're not easy

To maintain.

So my heart begins to complain.

Then I'm reminded,

That when life's battles are no longer fought

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my many enemies 
all hide inside of me 
the externals got nothing 
on my doubts and self-loathing 

I could be a cliff diver 
under my low self-esteem 
battling windmills 
like pigeons in gale force winds 

I fight I exercise and I read 
sometimes all for nothing 
just when things look 
the most bleak 

you give me a call 
and suddenly 
I’m standing 
seven feet tall in heels

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I've never much believed in magic,

Yet my white rabbit came back.

He's here; I hold him close,

Look deep into his eyes.

 And what I see...

 A prisoner, a citizen,

 An old man, a father—my father.

A quiet understanding,

Where all my questions cease.

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Our town has a new addition 
maybe his name could be Sam
Standing sturdy, tall, proud and strong
he is the Kirkby Lonsdale Ram

A symbol of strength, hope, kindness 
and the power of unity
Gifted by a generous local man
to the community 

Taking centre stage on his stone plinth
he looks straight at you, unfazed
This steel sculpture is quite arresting
with his front hooves slightly rai...

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A poet, who wrote from the heart.

In my life, he’s played a huge part.

Oozing passion, from every pore.

Gave his all, then gave some more.

Songs he wrote, stirred the soul.

Hope and pride, his vision and goal.

He wrote of love, mourned at loss.

Helped us over many a sea to cross.

He weaved images of distant hills.

His fateful lyrics, gives me the chills.

He t...

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Ever still am I

Where freedom swells, breaks and lies

Lost in a room of my own making

My frantic mind unabaiting

The key holder to a door with no lock

This time it is I who is out of luck

Thoughts sway and dwell upon the question

Staring at the whitewash in my mission

Could hell really be so pale?

The body and mind eager-eyed in a chess match

Sweating as the need...

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The moments we once shared together,
Showed me you are someone I must cherish forever.

But when cold fills your night,
I may not always be able to give you a warm embrace.

And when you stumble in a fight,
I may not be able to offer you a hand to help you rise.

When fate demands us to walk different paths,
I may not be able to be by your side.

Yet still, I will always plead to God,
...

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If gods were as humans imagine,
Would God-hood be just another family profession?

A father teaching his child
about worlds with autumns and springs.
The mother sharing her wisdom—
about how to breathe life into everything.

The eldest steps up, eager to create,
A world complex and grand - to impress his father,
With life as simple and kind – just like his mother.

But the child knows ...

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Does it smell nice?
A letter from the king
Of scented ink, that kind of thing
Mellifluous craft and flowery word
Meticulously well-observed

Or does it smell of dusty palaces and old men
Tainted by the mouldering stench of then
Sparse script spiked with iron gall
As if the king should have to write at all

How tightly clenched, the royal jaw
How white-knuckled, the royal paw
Nib mashe...

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The asters will insist

On blooming, even

If the bridges

In the rear-view

Are flaming still;

On the road

Between despondency

And acquiescence,

Might there lurk

The needed epiphany?

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There is a game that I play
That is kind of underground
It goes by the name of pickleball 
Shush don't you make a sound

Whenever I mention the word
Folks they Google they haven't heard
Then they open wide their eyes
They want to play surprise suprise

I'm gonna dink untiI I die
Laugh until I cry
Play all day long
Don't put a foot wrong
Reach for the stars
Just watch me fly
I'm gon...

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Blessed I am to have shadows stalking my form,

For they confirm the presence of the sun. 

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The wind, blowing from a cruel westerly,

mild breeze to full-blown misery

We had the sun once: a light in the world 

we’ve lost sight of you, once the tempest blew.

Unable to catch our life given breath

This storm takes hope to its grave in death

We had the sun once: a light in the world 

that’s now estranged once the tide had changed, 

In a concerted effort of wi...

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Another Day

Failing to hold onto the night,

We spiral toward another day.

Ageless sun directs its might,

Throwing dawn into the fray.

Chaotic animation spurred

From peaceful restoration.

Abandoned nests of man and bird,

Turn cold from separation.

Voices raised at dawn’s command,

Alert the world to rise.

A gradual warming of the land,

Commands we s...

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The men of wrath 
Banter and rant 
Next to the famed bar,
While the man inside 
Recites his years long poetry.

Amidst the sectored chaos,
The beauty of his work 
Seeps through the ruckus 
To an open window
Seeking ailment and cure.

One by one, the broken pieces 
Of a ceramic glass 
Come back to life,
As the hours of the night
Dim the harsh voices of the strife.

A nearly wasted...

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Preying wolves combine

Two battle fronts

Human cost astronomical

Boxed into submission

Devastation asks why?

The misguided Madmen

Smokescreen of peace

Keep fighting Ukraine

Enough is enough

A cease fire

We pray for.

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They all told you to — “Grow up”.

Thank you for not listening.

Thank you for making up innocent fantasies
Rather than thinking of scary “what ifs”

Thank you for enjoying the present
Rather than drowning in the past
Or getting lost in the future

Thank you for laughing at silly things
instead of worrying about being “cool”

Thank you for eating as your body wished
instead of feari...

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(I might have missed this opportunity were it not for Leonidas's reminder.  I am still a little unsure of the ending.  Do I ground it properly?  Let me have your thoughts.)

Raise your voices; have your say!

International Women’s Day.

Banish weakness.  Let’s be strong.

Time to right what has been wrong.

Linking arms in sisterhood,

Pledged to Justice, pledged to Good.

Stand...

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