He sits in the driving seat

a wired up coil of rage

ready to spring,

a vacuum of anger

to feed from what was once her joy

spitting forth his accusations

like sparks from a torch,

blowing away the laughter,

blowing away the happy,

blowing away the merry

and so this is Christmas.

‘She was late to answer her mobile,

he’s texted several ti...

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The sky at night’s

a little darker now,

a hole in fabric

no-one else can fill;

for it was never the answers

but the questions,

never the stars

but the brightness of those eyes,

extinguished now.

And I’d like to think you’re out there somewhere

finding all the answers

the truth and nothing but the truth

the questions we never asked;

free ...

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He punches at a name in stone

as if the warmth of knuckle and fist

could penetrate the cold,

a brother’s arm plunge deep

beyond the gilt

to find its home

curled up in sleep

upon an ocean bed

connect with flesh and bone.

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You ask how I am

and I say ‘fine’

I ask how you’re doing

and you say ‘well’

then we cling to the threads

of other people’s lives

on opposite sides

of a room

much smaller

for the clouds now moving in

and though we never broached the weather

I think it’s going to rain

tonight.

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And I wonder how a woman

prepares a child for war

packs pants, rolls socks

fills a kit bag full enough…

waves from a platform

to one face within a sea

feeds every fading feature

to memory

for you would be the first to fall

lumbering to no-man’s land

too hard on heel

to feel the shift in sand

the whispering shell

that final wake-up ...

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In the footsteps of our fathers

we took the restoration trail

through wooded hill and wetland

from Aspull through to Haigh

sucked up the coldness

of a late winter sun

reflected on

the stillness of it all

each sunken dead tree scrum

on mirrored flash

no whispering grass

all secrets to the grave

and in the distance stark reminder

...

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The fastest

the highest

the furthest

the best

fail in the end

to leave their mark

on the memory

history’s greatest wall of fame

left in their tracks

by the cheated,

the cheating

the last of their kind

or the ones quite clearly

out of their mind…

Eddie the eagle

propelling Britain to shame

plummeting to fame

quirky English...

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Love turns the other cheek

absorbs the sting

lingers on the memories

of better times

treads water

holds back tides

hides fear

to steer its course

through arid land

sows understanding

to a hostile soil

waits faithfully

waits patiently

for seed to grow

from deep abyss

to planted kiss

then

like a dolphin

basking in the early m...

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Telescopes don’t make good gifts
not like tellies, or drums.
Tellies you can switch off
drums you can bang
say 
“Look at me
I’m here
Hear me!”

But telescopes,
telescopes feed the enquiring mind
with no answers
just starry, starry nights
and black holes
insignificance to the power of 20 12
magnified
through one cold lens

And Science is an empty room
with car...

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Bought  in a giddy moment

when happiness outweighed intellect

the card now haunts me

for what do you do

with an unsent valentine?

Cherry red and black

my favourite colours

except I can’t wear it

the corset ‘s too brief

and the feathers might itch ;)

Can’t throw it away

it cost the price of a G&T…

but I can’t drink it either

it migh...

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Against all odds

it came to pass,

that the seed falling

on rocky ground,

grew

never knew

the role it played

the weight it bore

on camel’s back

this one last blade

breaking in its wake

future, present, past

imperfect words

in a hostile world

too full of tense

He looked for answers

for someone to blame

she  

played the ...

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And lo there came in to this world a light,

guiding all those who sought, unto this place,

shining through the bleakness of eternity,

enfolding all who followed with its grace.

And many who had travelled here were weary,

from the scourges of the journeys they had made,

bodies badly bruised upon the pathways,

the faith they had in kindred soul betrayed.

...

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