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Reggie's Ghost on Wild Dogs
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rob1967able on tearing us apart.
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Manish Singh Rajput on Sitting To Write
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Auracle on In memoriam...
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Enough

The humm of distant traffic gently fills my ears,

It will pass us by, our proximity soon forgot,

It will rapidly move beyond our confusion and tears,

In short, it will do what we cannot.

So many memories to cherish down the years,

So many moments to never be forgot,

But I'm tired of being tested to comfort your fears,

In the end, I'm either good enough as me, or I am not.

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Darkling Shadow

Unlock the door I sealed many years ago,

It only takes a moment to open up that void,

Let me stare into the eyes of a beast I have always known,

One I thought that I had beaten, thought I had destroyed,

But this time let its empty face gaze upon the man I am,

Rather than it terrorise the boy that I once was,

Let me stare into its souless eyes until it turns its face away,

For ...

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Truth & Lies

Tell the truth my child, or at least try not to lie,

This above all other things will set you free,

It really isn't easy but it's worth it if you try,

Because true meaning is only found in honesty,

And though it's true to say that we don't always know what's true,

It's also true that we know when we're lying,

And even if the truth you hide is only known to you,

It's the greate...

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Haemo-spherical

Let the sky rain red ribbons of rhesus on my retrospection,

It's only in this torrent of blood I'm positive,

Let the jubilant defend their joy in Jesus's resurrection,

It pleases me to see the pleasure that it gives,

Wash away the negatives oh plasma of the skies,

With the A and B of your sweet H2O,

Let your platelets mingle with the salt in my eyes,

Let your pressure rise wit...

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House Of Glass

Everybody's talking, slinging mud and accusations like confetti,

I wonder what moral highground it is that they stand upon?

The mingled, mangled, insults tangled like alphabeti spaghetti,

Tweeted and repeated, every expletive, "Expleted," and offers of redemption, none,

All accusing and refusing to acknowledge the, "glass house," they inhabit,

Or that they have no moral highground b...

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Love Doesn't Always Mean Like

Child of mine you wonder why we taught you honesty?

And caring and compassion and to never act in spite?

I could give you many reasons but the main one, honestly,

Is that to fit into society, you need to get these right,

True enough, as your parents we'd forgive you any sin,

But society will not and you need to learn this truth,

You need to know the rules if you're going to fit i...

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Cracked Pot and Scuffed Pan

Shall I compare thee to someone that I'd like to be?

Should I, compare thee on this summer's day?

I think not, comparisons are dangerous you see,

Unless I compare myself with who I was yesterday,

The cracked pot and scuffed pan that make my soul,

Are mine to mend and polish alone,

And every fissure I've fixed, and scuff I've scrubbed until it's shone,

Have left me a little bet...

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Responsible

Of all the people you know, you are most responsible for you,

And even one day, when you have kids, this much will still be true,

You're responsible for every thought, every word, every bit of, "Truth," you bring to their door,

So you'd best start looking after yourself, as if you're someone you're responsible for,

I know life seems unfair right now, but let's be honest it made no prom...

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Stand Up

Sometimes the bravest thing you do is just stand up.

When life's loaded you up with all the despair you can carry,

And you knees buckle under the weight,

To the point where you can't stand up straight,

Or even stand up at all, stand up.

When it's the equivallent of some huge monster standing over you,

Telling you, "If you dare get up off the floor,

You're just gonna get some m...

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Stoic

You can't control the innevitable,

And the truth is, you know it,

But what you can control is,

The face you choose to show it.

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I'm Tired

I'm tired,

Not weary or, "All tuckered out,"

Exhausted,

On every level,

Past the point of return, burned out,

As one thing after another, smothers

The breath from my chest,

As test after never ending test,

"Trust falls," backwards into my waiting hands,

Screaming, "Catch me if you can!"

Tired,

And all the, "Peppy," shit that I've told myself across the years,

Ca...

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Angular

I used to cringe at the, "Politically correct," label,

Referring to me and my kind as, "Differently able,"

I used to think, "For fucks sake, just say disabled, it's fine,"

Although in my case, not so obvious, as the issue is my mind,

And then I heard a young man explain his autism,

How he thanked God for it, I loved his optimism,

But it was true that the focus of his unique mind,

...

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Highway Code

No-one ever mapped out my route,

Or offered a hand to carry my load,

So I learned to discard what I didn't need,

And I found my way by just walking the road,

And there have been plenty of times that I fell,

And trinkets I dropped and treasures I stowed,

And plenty of times I watched my feet bleed,

And felt that my weary heart might explode,

Until at last I came to know my r...

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Damned

Damned by the stars that shone down from the night sky,

Damned in their light on the night of his birth,

The devil's in the detail and the detailed question is, Why

Would such heavenly bodies cast aspersions on his worth?

Damned from the moment that he first opened his eyes,

Damned all to hell as he drew his first breath,

Damned quietly, implicitly, with deep duplicitous lies,

...

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The Bones Of Winter

The bare bones of Winter stand upon my doorstep and rattle at the windows of my home,

It's cold breath exhales a scent of Fir trees and damp logs that linger on the loam,

To truly see it's beauty you have look past the stark absence of flesh upon the bone,

And accept that the time has come for it put to bed the summer we have known,

And in its muffled depths it hold its breath and make...

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Proportions

Give me the peace of the lonely woods,

Give the hush of a gentle breeze,

Give me relief, relief would good,

Relieve me of the assault on my ears,

Let me use my mouth only for breath,

Let me still the noise in my head,

Let the land around be quiet as death,

Without the need to be dead,

In short let each person from north to south,

Rebalance their verbal distortion,

Let...

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Refugee (A Dictionary Definition)

Refugee, a dictionary definition, that we may understand more,

"Someone forced to leave their country to escape, persecution, natural disaster or war,"

But that's, "Them," right? I mean, it could never happen to us,

Our system, civiisation, politicians, they would never, "Throw us under the bus?"

Surely we're just too organised for that to ever come to pass?

But as John Buchan said,...

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Stand And Be Counted

Wear your heart on your sleeve and and wear it proudly,

The fact that others may hurt you does not make you weak,

Tell the world of your hopes and your fears loudly,

Don't let anyone tell you of what you should speak,

It's your life and you have to own completely,

The good, the bad and the things you got wrong,

And don't think that telling hard truths will be easy,

But tell th...

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Unbreakable

Take a soul, give it just enough love for it to grow,

Enough distance from the others, so it's always on its own,

Make it whole but only just enough to know,

The difference between being lonely and alone,

Stretch it thin as paper over skin and bone,

Leave hard as marble at the heart, at the core,

Make sure it remembers all the hurt that it has known,

Provide it with some love ...

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Open

If I wrote my life in biography, filled with all the thrills and tears,

I would issue several apologies, to those I've hurt down the years,

And to those that never abandoned me, that always stood by my side,

I'd acknowledge the trust they gave to me, eased the pain in heart and mind,

The space at my side was a vacancy, I never dreamed I would fill,

Then she came along and insisted w...

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Tick Tock

Sitting at the kitchen table in still, wee hours of the morning,

I'm minded to ponder the brevity of this living,

The way it slips through your fingers without prior warning,

And we forgive it its speed, though to us it's unforgiving,

The clock ticks and each second passes irrespective,

Of whether we care if it does or not,

And it doesn't pay to wonder why, because from my perspe...

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Block

The greatest enemy of all writers

Is distr..........

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The Lost Shores

If ever I'm lost on distant shores, this is my message in a bottle to you,

I miss you deeply and though I can't see your face, I hold it deep in my heart,

It was never my intention to leave you behind, please believe that's true,

And it leaves me bereft that the innevitable time and tide forced us apart,

But know that this lost, ragged, beach bound souls bond with you is unbreakable,

...

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Be

You told me once that life isn't fair and for that you'd always resent it,

You told me how much you hated it for hurting you, and I could see that you meant it,

And it's true to say that much like the rest of us life has dealt you some hard blows,

But the truth is even harder than the hatred, 'cos the truth is sometimes that's just how it goes,

There's no changing most of it 'cos it's ...

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Every Tear the Skies Have Cried

Life chose to bless me with a little rain amongst the sunshine,

Chose to water my soul and allow it to grow,

I'll confess at the time I resented the pain that was made mine,

But I wouldn't change a thing now I know what I know,

Because it watered the garden at the very heart of me,

Irrigated and enriched that virgin newborn soil,

And the wild flora that spawned from its flow beca...

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Hindsight

If I could reach back in time and speak to you as a child,

I'd take you by the hand and tell you it will all be ok,

I'd explain that you'll be strong enough to make it that way,

So don't worry too much, enjoy what you can, 'cos It'll be fine.

If I could reach back in time and address you in your youth,

I'd ask you if you really wanted self destruction,

Remind you if you want to l...

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A Trail of Breadcrumbs

Lost within the twisting turns of of the corridors of your mind,

Plain to see the agony endured upon your face,

Unwind the thread, leave a trail of breadcrumbs I can find,

That I may lead you out of this cold dark place,

Put your hand in my hand and your trust upon my back,

I'll never let it go and I can bear the weight,

I'll help you to stand, walk with you down this track,

D...

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The Last Toast

Here's to all the loves I lost and the lovers I have gained,

here's to all the paths I've crossed and some on which I have remained,

Here's to all the hope I've tossed carelessly into the wishing well,

And here's to all the bawdy, roudy, tawdry tales I've lived to tell,

Here's to all the pretty maids that shared my well worn bed in youth,

Here's to all the wise old owls who taught m...

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The Oaken Pole

Hand me the yoke brother, sister, I see how much it weighs upon your soul,

It's my turn to take the strain, to bear the pain and your time to rest,

Let me stand in place of forefathers and mothers, let me shoulder the oaken pole,

Catch your breath and still the beating heart within your chest,

Fear not, I will not fail you, not pain nor grief will force me from it's bitter load,

My ...

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Aftermath

I cried for you,

I she'd tears for lost years, 'til my eyes dried,

I tried for you,

Until the lost hopes were only fit to stay inside,

I lied for you,

I told the world that though it seemed unlikely, you did care,

I died for you,

But only the little child that continued wishing you'd been there,

And though it's true,

That in our later years we balanced our ledger, man to...

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"Never Never."

No pretence excuses the intense expense of our abuses,

And when people ask what the use is,

It seems they've lost all sense of what truth is,

The endless barrage of empty excuses,

As we pour fuel onto the fire that, "Cooks our gooses,"

Is the equivalent of taking the rope and tying our own nooses,

It's morally bankrupt to pretend that there's no end 'cos the truth is,

That we'...

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Innocent Eyes

Lay down in the dewy wet grass of a fresh spring dawn,
And look to the gently waking heavens stretched out from where you lie,
This is a good day for the child that still lives within those tired old eyes,
To cast its innocent gaze upon the subtle beauty of the morn’,

Ease your weary back of its herculean burdens,
Ease your weary mind of all duplicity and lies,
That this manic world of our...

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Falling

I am sitting, you are sitting, we are sitting staring at each other,

Never blinking once, waiting for response, we're eye to eye,

And crying,

Patent leather watchstrap, holds a clock to tell the time,

Though you'd never know it 'cos we'd never show it, neither of us even knows if the sun's gone down,

I look contented, 

You're well presented,

But we are falling,

Falling just...

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Strong Enough?

Strong enough to shed a tear of pain for another,

Strong enough to find no shred of shame in your tears,

Strong enough to honour your father and mother,

Strong enough to know the name of your fears,

Strong enough to stand alone in the maelstrom,

Strong enough to ask for help when it's needed,

Strong enough to recognise whence the storm hails from,

Strong enough to recognise wh...

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A Revelation

Can I tell you in these quiet moments before the storm what the future holds?

I wish I could my loves, I wish beyond all things that I knew,

The distant shores of things yet to come are to me as hushed mist that enfolds

The eye and mind so deeply that all seems untrue,

And I would say, Do not fear consequence but rather the creeping paralysis,

That grips all hearts and minds hypnoti...

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Anything Less Wouldn't Do

Family.....I built it all up for you,

Tore down the walls for you,

Opened my heart up for you,

Because when it came to you,

Anything less than the truth just wouldn't do.

 

Family..... I'll live my life for you,

Take on any strife for you,

Be a light in the night for you,

Because even in darkness it's true,

Anything less than my brightest hope just wouldn't do.

 

...

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Bound (long form Haiku)

Bind me with your chains,

You control the beast tonight,

You are all there is,

 

All that now remains,

And I'll let you feast tonight,

I am here to please,

 

Tight against my skin,

Pull your bindings oh so tight,

Don't let me get free,

 

Guide our pleasure in,

You are in control tonight,

That's how it should be,

 

Slap my guilty skin,

Bound by col...

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The Lionsheart

Oh England, land of the Lionheart, lone man of the sea, barnacle encrusted,

Will of iron, a step apart, guardian of the gate, your armour is rusted,

Memories of long ago, memories of power, but the strength of your mumbled word fades,

The straps of your shield rot on the arm, and your sword is dull at the edge of its blade,

Can you not recall the painful centuries, scribing each line o...

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Start With An Apology

I'll start with an apology, solemnly, to make up for the one you never gave to me

Properly, probably, you didn't even know that it was necessary,

Honestly, this disunity,  that has come to be between you and me,

Bothers me,  so deeply, because it questions our compatibility,

The quality, of amity, is strained to limits of insanity,

Our policy, of clarity, was crushed under the heels...

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Mondays Demon

Sell your sorry soul for a handful of sheckels,

Sell your hands to do the devil's labour,

Sell yourself whole, from fingertips to freckles,

Sell your flesh for others to savour,

Sit with me girl, at this Sabbath table,

Sit and divine what the morrow may hold

Sit and converse, convince me, if you're able,

Sit and explore the torture that's foretold,

Another week of toil at t...

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A Dark Seed

(something dark for Halloween)

I plant a black seed in the loam of your soul and water it with your tears,

I'll feed it with poison and vitriol and nourish it with your fears,

And it's roots will worm to your very foundations and suck at the love in your heart,

And it's fruits will burn on its withered boughs with the bitterness they will impart,

And the bark at its trunk will be ma...

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Hallows Harbinger

Borne on the breath of winter, flies Hallows Harbinger,

Black wings sealing summer's fate,

This ebony messenger, stormcrow of October,

"Caws," that winter won't wait,

And wings that push the chill winds upon us,

Are matched by the ice in his breast,

He is the messenger racing to tell us,

The news of summers death,

And his song is harsh, no more than a croaking,

As he mou...

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Broken

Take my hand, I broke it forging chains that bind me,

Take my head, I broke it on the Jagged rocks,

Take my eyes, I broke them on the lights that blind me,

Take my ears, broken by the ticking clocks,

Take my back, broken by this heavy burden,

Take my legs, broken by the road,

Take my ribs, broken by the lungs beneath them,

Take my shoulders, broken by the load,

Take my hear...

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Climb

Climb the hills that you can manage, stand upon the pinnacles,

Find the will to fight the damage levied by the cynical,

Their perturbances don't matter, the lyrical don't shout,

Their disturbances, the chatter of stereotypical doubt,

Concentrate on the peak but be sure to enjoy the climb,

Contemplate the oblique as you endure the passage of time,

There is no use pushing on so har...

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A Long Hard Look

Someone suggested a long hard look in the mirror might be in order,

And so mirror was stared at and glared at with all respect that was due,

And it's true, the man that used to stare back had become a little fuzzy at the border,

But to my mind, and my eye, he's still there even if he's not so visible to you,

I don't know what it is you expected him to tell me,

I don't know if some e...

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Dance Upon The Edge

Come, join me at the edge but be sure bring your sharpest blade,

Whittle your wit upon this ledge, some hasty decisions must be made,

Whether to stop just short of the fall knowing how easy it is to slip,

But in this land of slippery madness the edge at least provides some grip,

And don't stand still and don't look down it's a long drop to the dark abyss,

Only by dancing the frantic...

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Kissing Frogs

You've spent a long time kissing frogs and looking for princes,

And never really asking if a prince is what you need,

Cuz maybe, just maybe it doesn't matter what the world says,

This, "Princess," needs a frog to succeed,

And all the gleaming armour and the white steeds,

And silver crowns and ermine cloaks,

Are there to cover up some deficiencies,

That are plain as day in the ...

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The Eyes Of A Wolf

(Inspired by the findings that dogs have evolved some human facial expressions:

BBC NEWS

Researchers have found that dogs have evolved muscles around their eyes, which allow them to make expressions that particularly appeal to humans. A small facial muscle allows dog eyes to mimic an "infant-like" expression which prompts a "nurturing response".)

 

Strange, that we should have such an ...

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A Hairs Breadth

Hang the sword above my cot by the single hair of a horses tale,

That even in my sleep I must beware the shadow of its blade,

Lest I forget price to pay should my endeavours fail,

As it strains at its slim tether, all that keeps its fall delayed,

And let its weight fill my mind as the second hand slices time,

Let its ever present threat weigh heavy on my soul,

Certain in the know...

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Storm Crows

 

The silence of the muffled night is shattered by the scraping call of storm crows,

The "Plinking" heavy heat of sunlight plays a tune upon the fences of the park,

The violence of the storm in flight that clatters over gaping fields of corn rows,

Leaves the thinking man to ponder what is levied by the dragon in the dark, 

For from its jaws it spews forth fire to split and crack the...

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