Every time I write about you

You become real

My heart makes it to the page

Imaginings don’t fade

My words seem to sketch your portrait

In ashen blues and greys

I search for brighter colours

I Consider cerulean blue

And  cadmium red

My hand loses control

The pallet lies before me

Depressing 

Bright hues have blended into mud

With all my might

I wi...

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Imagine receiving your first criminal conviction

At five years old

Imagine a world where you are taken

By strangers

Imagine

Imagine now that you are alone

Imagine

Strange figures dressed in black

And white

Imagine

Being convicted

Of poverty

Imagine

Being sentenced

At five years old

Now imagine

You are taken

Away from your brothers

And...

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Soft whispers

On the autumn breeze

Sharing secrets with the trees

Reds running into golden hues

As the robins

Tweet and sing the blues

Feet cossetted

Comforted by last spring’s

Brood

Kicking thru the fallen

Leaves

Percussion

To the robin’s

Tune

Startled deer

Run for cover

Enthralling for life’s

Smitten lovers

Seasons come

And ...

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Stay calm

Rest silent

Listen to your heart

Ignore the disturbance

This noise

Does not belong to you

Sweet child

The clatter resounds

Around you

Know it is not your place

To be held

In their over reaching

Palms

Hold your breath

And wait

Patience is your friend

The winds will soon arrive

To drive the poison

Out

Now exhale

Let...

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I waited

For you

But you never

Came

I watched the sunrise

I cried as it set

The moonlight

Engulfed me

The stars

Spelled out you name

I stood in the ocean

Frozen in time

The wind took me back

To when you said

You would always be mine

I rode the white horses

I sailed over clouds

My heart was aching

But my hope

Never gave out

...

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I sit here

Alone

With my thoughts 

I open the doors

To my ghosts

And in they come

At first they are shy

Like wisps of smoke

In the air

But I beckon them 

And before long

They rush in

All vying for me

To reply

They float unconsciously 

They are like visitors

Who outstayed their welcome 

But now I feel bad

Just a little sad

Who asked...

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This old house haunts me

Each room is filled with memories

Snapshots of a well lived life

Pulling me back through foggy hills

And evergreen lanes

Every cobweb woven around my heart

Elicits a new daydream

Every creaky floor board has morphed into my bones

A reminder of how life used to be

When it was only them and us

Life spawned from you and me

When we we...

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I know not what this thing love is

I have no words to explain

I know of nothing but this pain

It is exquisite pain

It owns me

In it’s presence I have no power

So how is it I feel more alive

More real

More of everything 

More powerful

Than I’ve ever been

It owns me

I own it

I am the channel

And it pains me but fulfils me

More than any other thing

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I saw myself

For the first time

I saw myself

In you

I caught a sense

Of my beauty

In you

I saw how I shimmered

For the first time

I caught my reflection

And

I saw it was true

It was in the glint of your eye

In your cheeky smile

Your stutter

And the way your eyes

Fluttered

You made me see myself

All shiny and new

You made me

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Here I am

Let the crows strip me

Of what is left of my humanity

I offer myself

Wholly

To your depravity

My weakness

Is your strength

See my flesh

And feast

Devour me

I succumb

I Submit!

Your commitment

Has convinced me

I am worthless

Do you like the taste

Of my blood?

Go ahead

Drink

As you see fit

What is that ...

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When did we forget

Why did we turn our backs

How did it come to this

Did something

And nothing change?

Was it bureaucracy

That changed us?

Or was that simply

An excuse?

Do you hide behind

Your paperwork

Does that make you

Deliberately obtuse?

Can you absolve

Yourself of guilt

If you don’t look me

In the eye?

Is it easier to lie?

...

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Had she been born under the sun

Perhaps she would have dazzled

Maybe her light would never

Have dimmed

The sky so blue

Beholden to Theia’s Light

A vast expanse filled only

With gratitude

That’s what she should have been

When the stars aligned

They had other plans

She would defy all gravity

Such majesty would be bestowed

Upon her

Her birthright wa...

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Walk away

Leave me alone

You no longer have a home

My heart belongs

Not to you

This heart belongs to me

It is my only reality

Be gone, now

I need to live

My only goal

Is to thrive

You are dead

I am alive

Thank you, for all you’ve done

Because of you

I do survive

But I cannot stand

I refuse to be

Beholden to your mistakes

I am ...

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I would be happy

If I wasn’t so sad

I am so sorry

That things are so bad

When I was little

I thought it a given

Respect your elders

If you want to enjoy

Livin'

Look up to the wise

The educated

For they are your betters

They will tell you no lies

When I was young

I imagined a world

Where the privileged

Looked out

For everyone

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Aging, simply put,

Is dynamic change

Key word here is dynamic

Without it we would simply

Be dead

Death, simply put

Is the end of dynamics

No more motion

Completion perhaps

So, if you are aging

You are a success!

A witness

To a natural process

Death comes

Only to the ego

Ask a physicist

They will tell you

Energy

Never ceases

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‘Grandma, why are you old?’

‘My dear boy, I’m not old!’

But it’s true

I was here before you

And I’ve seen so much

Unfold

I was here first

And I’ve been around

For some time

That’s how you

Are here

To hear my rhymes

I am the rehearsal

The years have taught me

My lines

Having played every role

I’ve been daughter and mother

Friend, foe and ...

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Well, thank you, dear lady

Your offer is fine

But I am sure

In all truth

I’d just be wasting your

Time

You see

I’m a bit of a loner

It’s how I like to be

It’s just me

And my boat

And the wide open

Sea

Don’t get me wrong

I do like a good song

I confess that I’m tempted

By your blue eyes

And your golden hair

That’s so long

...

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Come sit with me, sailor

Tell me your tales

You’ve travelled the oceans

You’ve danced with dolphins

And sung with whales

Your weathered voice

So husky and wizened

It give me the chills

I’m eager to hear

All that you hold dear

We have time to kill

I’ve nowhere to be

We’ll drink whiskey

And wine

Til we’ve had our fill

Tell me your...

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The irony of being lost at sea

Yet knowing one must sail

To discover where that one should be

Such irony is not lost on me

As I launch myself and my ship

In search of what will set me free

What is life … if not just to be?

To swing from the branch

Of the old oak tree

To dance in the rain

Embrace the change

So the sun can warm my face

Again

Life...

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As I walk

This brambled path

I pick the thorns from my limbs

Alas, there is always another sting

Some are roses

Some are thorns

Yet, once. weren’t we all

The same acorn?

Somewhere, along the line

Something happened

Was it nurture, or the Divine?

Why are we all so different -

If technically, we are all the same?

How is it we all f...

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Under the mackerel sky

This is where we say

Goodbye

Times change

For you and me

Under this maudlin sky

Lovers are becoming

Strangers

From broken promises

Souls are freed

Look for me in the dappled light

My shadow will lead you

Into the moonlight

Such beauty pierces through

The silver scales ...

Those which adorn

This magnificent macker...

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Give me poetry

I want beautiful words

Tell me about the birds

And the bees

Wrap me in adjectives

Curled around nouns

I don’t care if it elicits

A smile

Or a frown

Take me to places

I’ve never been

Illustrious spaces

Felt

But not seen

Paint me a picture

Invoke thoughts of a bard

Conjure up deities

Weave magic spells

I will even fo...

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Two women born into the unknown

One into riches pillaged from the overthrown

Her umbilical cord was made of gold

She was swaddled in cashmere

Christened and told

She was the chosen one

The other …

An accident

Born into squalor

Her cord made

Of cold, hard stone

Christened in rags

And told she was a sinner

The golden child

Lived off the tax payers ...

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Old friend, arriving like the summer rain

A soothing caress filled with tenderness

Light, smooth words to ease my pain

Old friend, it’s so nice to be with you again

You feel like the rain kissing the grass

Breathing new life into this wretched soul

Broken and breathless

Dear friend, your presence is priceless

With you I grow, I will not fold

You are the su...

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The way the sunlight washes over your skin

Brings thoughts that would make

Even Aphrodite blush

Your smile full of warmth

The crinkle of your eyes

That shadow of doubt

When you breathe

Out ...

The raise of the eyebrows

Reveal even yourself ...

You surprise

Aphrodite weaves spells

Thoughts I cannot dispel

Beholden to a beauty so bright

It out...

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A conversation with my father

He was old when we spoke

Ninety years and more

I asked him what it was like

When he served in the second

World war

You don’t need to know girl

What I know would make your toes curl

I don’t want to remember

Don’t ask difficult questions

My memory is blurred

But I’d really like to know, dad

Was it really, really bad?

It’s...

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The rose and the butterfly

Symbols of summer to my own eye

The rose in all it’s glory

Blooms to recount summer’s story

Blousey and innocent, the rose

Always seems so content

Still, she stands

Upright and tall

Head turned to the sun

She captures the attention

Demands respect from one

And all

The butterfly…

A passerby

She flutters

Hither, thithe...

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When I walk beside you, please, hold my hand

I don’t expect you to understand it all

But I hope … you might try to break my fall

You might reach out

You might even try to connect

Place your feet close, to where I stand

Your disconnect is wearing

A resistance to sharing leaves me wondering

Is this it?

Did I imagine you – was it real?

Digging deep, on repeat

Is ...

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Splish, splash!

Welly boots and rainbow coats

Puddle jumps and squelchy squeals

Muddy paws and tiny feet

Made this rainy day complete

Mud and ice cream stuck to our faces

Carefree laughter as we squished and dashed

Splish, splash, splish splash!

Puddle jumping in mid May

Helps to chase the gloom away!

C.K.22

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Mother ...

You were taken by the wind

Blown from one place to another

I imagine you were water

Everywhere, but impossible to hold

Between my hands

Somehow you would always seep through

And soak into the ground

I know you were fire

Because you always burned bright

In my heart

You were the earth from whence I was birthed

I wish that just once

I could have ...

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Somewhere, in my mind

There is a place where life is kind

It is my favourite place to be

For I think it’s where I feel most free

In my minds eye, birds fly

High

The sky is blue

And the people few

Flowers bloom

In the mountain dew

Lakes and waterfalls

Erase my thoughts of gloom

Daisies tickle at my toes

Scent of mimosa

Assaults my nose

And...

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This is freedom

Written by a four year old

He didn't care

He wouldn't be told!

He didn't think

About spelling or grammar

He just wanted

To be free, wild and bold

I envy his ability

To do what I wouldn't dare!

K m xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[...

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Freedom is not licence

Although some may pretend

Freedom of speech

For example

Gives them permission

To fulfill their own ends

Freedom is a privilege

The meaning of which is greatly debated

Among philosophers and academics alike

Freedom relies on selflessness and selfishness

If you feel free, you are blessed.

C.K.22

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First date

She wore leopard print

And red satin

He wore skinnies

He looked kinda Latin

They ate Caribbean

Jerk chicken

And spicy rice

They seemed comfortable

Together

Just like

Silk and leather

I thought they

Looked really nice

Seemed like they

Had lots to say

Took it in turns

And looked at each other

In an attentive way

...

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I was twenty one

It was my birthday

I was looking for fun

I saw you

You were the one

I thought that you

Looked like fun

Kylie was playing

I should be so lucky

You sidled up

Said, ‘Hello Ducky’

I was feeling

Rather plucky

So I replied

With a flutter

From my eyes

And a flash

Of my slender

Thighs

Did it take you

By surpri...

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Your face cutting through the thickness of the summer air

I could smell you, you smelt of patchouli and whisky

Your shirt thin enough to rile me

I remember, because I was enthralled

I had it all

We drank french doubles

A recipe for trouble

Our laughter must have wakened the dead

But we didn’t care

We were the only ones there

Images of you filled my head

G...

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When I was little

I fancied the moon was home to my mother

Peeking out from under my covers

I would search for her face

I imagined her sitting

Next to the man in the moon

-Perhaps he was my father

Night after night

As my heart took flight

My eyes would shine bright

To imagine them hugging each other

Sadness would smother me

When the cloudy nights

Wo...

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I see you ...

I wish you could see yourself

The way I see you

I see the shadow of doubt

That crosses your face

The slowness of your pace

I see the look of sadness

When you think no-one

Is watching

I feel the weight on your shoulders

The despair in the air

That you breathe

I hear the sighs

That you heave

Your broken heart

Is hard to hide

Fro...

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You pushed so hard

To get your own way

You never seemed to understand

Or perhaps it was me

Who never understood

How hard you found it

To be a man

Don’t get me wrong

You were big and strong

But inside you struggled

Somehow

You didn’t belong

I wish that you could have spoken to me

I wanted to take your shattered parts

Glue them together

With the...

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Grasping at shadows

Catching reflections

Holding onto waters

Breathing

Reliving

Trying to understand

The slip of the hand

Lives lived

Friends gone

Loves faded

Not forgotten

Just lessons

On how to forgive

Happy and sad

Disillusioned

And mad

Kisses and slaps

Life’s fusions

Confusions

Treading softly

Skipping gaily

Pearlesc...

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Being a girl can often be a precarious thing

I’ve often struggled with all the associated bling

A number of times I’ve found female accouterments

Really quite devastatingly mind numbing

Why does it take you so long?

A question many of my girlfriends

Have heard throughout their lives

Girlfriends, sisters, friends and wives

They’ve learned it’s best to keep quiet

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Tears, miniature universes

Prisms to human experience

Melodies, songs, and verses

Played out through the eyes

Osmosis of emotion

Tears in motion

Written on the face

With pure devotion

Feelings looking

For a sense of place

C.K. 22

Thanks for the invite, John Botterill.  I tried my best! 😂

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Sometimes I struggle to know how I feel

I think I’m OK but then the sadness

Begins to feel real

I don’t know why

But I just want to cry

Curl up and die

I think back on it all

The rise and the fall

The ups and the downs

And I straighten my crown

I release a deep sigh

I ache when I see

How history replays

In the lives of the girls

The girls I have ...

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Have you ever climbed a mountain?

Have you ever dreamed?

Did you imagine what you might see there

On that heady mountain peak?

I have climbed a mountain

And I will tell you what I saw

But you might not believe

What it is that I did see

Still, it’s true

So listen, I implore!

For I saw such beauty

Beyond anything that’s real

You may never have imagined

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It is not in your lies

Nor in your charms

It was never there

In your deceit

She wasn’t born

To make you replete

Her worth is not drawn

From your opinion of her

It’s time for you now

To take a back seat

The fruit of my womb

Is not yours to keep

Her beauty runs deep

Beyond skin and hair

When she drew her

First breath

You were not there

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Did you think I was a Bogoff

Or a rechargeable battery?

I can’t imagine for one moment

You believed there was more

Than one of me

Or did I get it wrong?

You thought you’d get a snide

A pretend version for free

It slowly filtered through

That you thought you could

Replace the one and only me

With a Black Friday deal

Or a Discount Tuesday

Meal

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Oh, springtime

Why, oh why

Have you abandoned me?

It is that you think

I am not worthy of thee?

The caress of your warmth

The joy of your life

It brings out the best in me

The pessimist

Becomes the optimist

I dream of only opportunity

Yet you dessert us

With impunity

Off you go with a spring

In your step

Leaving us cold and alone

Don’t you ...

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Sunshine and April

Snow showers

Early dandies

Have been crowned

In white

Daffodils are holding

Tight

The birds have

Had their fill

Once again

They have returned

In search of human

Kindness

And their wish

Has been fulfilled

Spring lambs

Have lost their spring

What is this white

Cold, fluffy thing!

After last weeks sunshine

W...

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The trees stand silent

But they are watching

The earth welcomes

Your feet

But she rumbles

Ready to make her

Retreat

The sun shines gladly

Don’t take her smile

For granted

She feeds all

That you have planted

The moonlight shines

Tugs at time

But she is ready

To pull the lifeline

The flowers bloom

The wheat doth grow

But, they know...

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There are no embers

Only ashes

Lying cold

And void of hope

No matter now

How hard we try

The spark has gone

Faded into the corners

Of our minds

Nostalgic memories

Cannot reincarnate

Or compensate

For the love

We’ve left behind

Yet still

I search

Trying to catch

The shadowy pictures

That ricochet

Through the vignettes

Of tim...

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