Poetry Blog by Ian Whiteley

Indebted

I took to watching slow dying sunsets

Marking the passing of the dawdling day

The trees casting their stoic silhouettes

Counting the golden currency each ray

bestows upon my mood and mental health

keeping the braying doubts and fears at bay

Accumulating natures gift of wealth

hoarding value like a miser stores gold

a solar bank that aids the commo...

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Overnight Stay

“Time for bed” they said,

In a front room warmed by coal fire licks

Where the red and orange and white flames

Danced patterns on the walls of falling dusk

They push, cajole, entice you to the stairs

And do not notice terror tears welling in your eyes

Fourteen steps up the narrow stairwell

Tracing fingers on a pale wallpaper wall

Festooned with or...

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Marbles

Here is a bowl of marbles

I take a marble from the bowl

The same marble I have selected

For the last seventy-two days

I roll it between fingers

Marvelling at its smoothness

The swirl of green and blue

That cuts through its mass

Reminding me of planet earth

It sooths my soul

To contemplate its beauty

Its simplicity and structure

She says

W...

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Antigen

He knocked at the door

Shouting ‘let me in!’

Tempting us to go out

With his whisky and gin

He hid around corners

Under tables and chairs

Trying his best

To catch us unawares

He was sitting on benches

Where others had sat

He was on garden fences

Where we’d stop for a chat

He was hanging around

Tesco trolly parks

He was all over door han...

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All We Left Were Birds

I heard the birdsong through the air

From far away and long ago

The sound of sparrow and of crow

And knew no human travelled there

They sat aloft without a care

No threat from humans down below

I heard the birdsong through the air

From far away and long ago

As time flew I became aware

Of how the seasons ebb and flow

When there ...

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Grave

I am the scythe that cuts through old and young

In cornfields where the idle crows watch on

As scarecrows flap their arms in summer sun

And wonder where the greedy birds have gone

The weeds grow now where once the sharp blade fell

Stealing from us all that we once held dear

There are no devils in this weeping hell

Only children transformed through pain and fear

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Is There, In Truth, No Beauty

I am the dry path

Sat between

The first rain drops

I am the dandelion

Dancing in a field

Missed by the scythe

I am the spark

That jumps

From flint to straw

I am the breaking wave

Crashing up against

Deserted beaches

I am the words

Caught in the throat

Of dirty liars

I am the light

Crawlin...

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Event Horizon

Yesterday

I looked out of my window

The man taking his dog for a walk

The mother and child hand in hand

School children hopping and skipping along

Neighbours chatting over a fence

The postman delivering parcels

A cat slinking under the hedge

The wind whipping leaves

The rain falling

Yesterday

Today

I looked out of my window

The dog ...

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Ends Of Days

The fact that I’m quite anti-social

Is a blessing in dark times like these

When you’re treated like a pariah

If you develop a cough or a sneeze

When they’re telling us to wash our hands

And not just after we pee

When I’ve been doing that for years

Because of my OCD

I’m also a bit of a hoarder

It’s always been one of my goals

To ensure I have ...

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Chinese Whispers

We thought we’d done everything right

Y’know

Taken precautions to self-isolate

Avoiding those risky types

Who would pass it on

Making sure we didn’t

Y’know

Pass anything on ourselves

Fourteen days later

We thought

Y’know

We’re probably safe now

Safe to come out

Safe to mix with friends and family

Once again

But no

We’d b...

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Son Of My Father

What did you do in the war dad?

I fought against Fascists, son.

And were you frightened there dad?

Did you want to turn around and run?

Yes, I was frightened there son

So, don’t believe the lies that are spun

About the death and the glory of war, boy.

There is death, but of glory there’s none.

Thanks for all that you did dad

A...

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Making A Point

Katarzyna didn’t have a skill,

they didn’t pay her much,

but Katarzyna was invaluable -

she had the human touch.

She hadn’t been to Uni,

had no meaningless degree

but she excelled in the school of life

and made my mum her tea.

It seems that care is valueless,

as is your place of birth,

when it comes to scoring points

and determining your...

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The Keeper

Unlike many in his position

He was never the last to be picked

Because he was one of the best

Not for him the fast quick feet

Or the well timed volley

Or the crunching tackle

Safe hands

That night

In the cold

With his team mates

Where bravery

was an afterthought

It was his greatest save

Not a shot from the edge of the area

Not ...

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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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Bedlam

The greying morning

Barked like a dog

Trapped in a well

A sound so hollow

It shattered glass

In the cabinet where

She kept her memories

Tied in knots

The braying moon

Shone silver needles

Into the face

Of the weeping child

Screwing its hooks

Into soft flesh

Making the lanterns

Quiver with rage

In the ragged garden

Tendrils...

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Dead Leaves

You once grew green

On lofty branches

Defiant against the clouds

Fluttering in the breeze

But now the tree has gone

Just a pale ghost of memory

And the sky is dominant

In my front windows

Your first death was brittle

Old man skeleton scratching

Whipping up your decline

In whorls of frustration

And when the rain came

Like falling tears

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Withdrawal Method (When Being Fucked)

There’s only twenty-seven

Where there used to be twenty-eight

Some of us don’t like it

And others think it’s great

Some are hyperventilating

Cos we’ve got our country back

And being obnoxious children

With their little Union Jack

Some are crying tears

As they erase a golden star

And want a second chance

Like it’s E...

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Dreadnought

We crossed the Chantry Bridge

As the Calder boiled beneath

And a drifting, chilling mist

Hung heavy on the heath

We came from far and wide

Marching all together

To gather at Belle Vue

Despite the dank, inclement weather

There were grandfathers and fathers

There were mothers, daughters, sons

Hand in hand in heavy coats

As the frost caressed ...

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I'm hosting a new poetry and comedy open mic night in Wakefield on the 2nd Wednesday of the month starting on Wednesday 12th February.
Entry is FREE and everyone is welcome.

email me to reserve a spot or sign up to perform on the night from 7pm - 7.30pm

Performances will start at 7.30(ish)

More details on the events page or the link (below)

https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/eventvie...

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Jingle Jangle

Jingle jangle go the coins in my pocket

As they fall through the hole

Worn by austerity

Jangle jingle go the gems on the necklace

As they hang from the necks

Worn by the royals

Jingo jungle go the voices of the right

As they spew out their racist

War mongering rhetoric

Jingle jangle goes the freshly minted coin

With a royal on the front

A...

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In Other News

In other news

The forests burned

Ice caps melted

No one learned

We all stopped listening

To each other

But continued shouting

At one another

Threw our plastics

In the sea

Gorged ourselves

On misery

Refused to let

Our neighbours in

Treated losses

As a win

Praised the rich

And damned the poor

Pissed against

Austerity’s do...

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resolution

I don't do new year
there is a lot of noise here
none of it is mine

when the chimes kick in
auld lang syne hands are unlinked
as phones point skywards

cascading fireworks
fall on lost souls in doorways
where poverty lies

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