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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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An Ideal World

Well now let me ask you is it right to not highlight the plight of those hidden from sight,

Denied the bright light as they stumble through night and they get uptight cuz their fight might be right,

And let me ask you would you agree that it's not up to me or you or we what the world should see,

Or proud pomposity, or loud verbosity, to even possibly, censor what should be free,

And wo...

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The Cutter

A ripple of air gently cut by his slow moving hand,

The pin sharp slicing of the hubbub by the ringing of a chime,

The cut of a suit made specifically for the man,

As sharp eyes take note of the second hand slicing time,

All angular, all blades when there are no blades present,

Yet the deep cuts exacted by the keen edge of an incisive mind,

Leave others slashed hard in a way they...

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Lead Me Not

Oh pernicious fool, speak not unto me,

Blacken not my heart with thy vitriol,

Still thy bitter tongue, still eternally,

The whispered words of thy venomous soul.

 

Lay thy sorry wit, softly on the ground,

Let the daggers of thy feeble mouth rest,

For the worst I could offer in return,

Would still be better than thy very best.

 

Slip not behind me on this darkest night...

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I Bought A Kayak

I bought a Kayak, a little boat, to paddle away from responsibility,

Not forever, just for the day, there are too many that rely on me,

It was a good deal, nearly half price, this inflatable slice of liberty,

And even though I've not used it once, you know, the knowledge it's there comforts me,

"Cut price escape," is always at hand, though it's true, almost imperceptibly,

The idea's...

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A Stone For The Miller (Collaboration Feat Mae Foreman)

 (Originally posted March 15th 2019, And reposted as it has been so kindly voiced by the wonderful Mae Foreman. Thank you so much for doing this Mae, I can't thank you enough.)

J. x

 

 

Walking in the fields in the land of abandoned god's,

The clay clumps at my heels and clings in wet clods,

Staring at the skies with a view to the divine,

Trying to get a feel for what's mine a...

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The Key Fumbled

The world crumbles, while the disaffected shout at me,

The meek mumble, when they could scream a symphony,

Their low rumbles, underscoring the cacophony,

Their voice humbled, by the weight of their humility,

Their point jumbled, with the din of dim hyperbole,

The key fumbled, at the door to all humanity,

They blind stumble, on the pathway to divinity,

As we tumble, head first ...

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Black Jack

Pack the haversack Jack and hang it slack on the scatback,

Attack the track like a lightning crack all the way to the tamarack,

The Andoraks are in die back so don't backtrack to the black shack,

There's a carack on waters slack, with coin to hijack and bring back.

Ride bareback with your gripsack push hard through the hardhack,

Don't go offtrack with that knapsack or mess with its ...

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The Deity Screams

 

Stand upon the mount and raise your eyes to the skies,

Let the fingers of your left hand trail in the seas,

The right held high to orchestrate the breeze,

Let your tongue taste the bitterness of lies.

 

Lift within your ancient soul angers raging fires,

Call upon your wounded spirit to quell all sentiment,

Know that in this world all mercy is spent,

And purity murdered...

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Stranger At The Hearth

Hold hard friend and give thy attention to this oft rendered tale,

In truth I share it with thee for tis one ignored at thy peril,

As we sit here happily ensconced twixt warm hearth and cold ale,

Let I warn thee of the dangerous temptings cast by the the devil.

 

First look at the ale that be there in thy hand,

And recall the times it crept upon thee til recollection had died yet...

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Sitting On The Shores

Sometimes we need to sit on the shores of an ocean to remind ourselves how small we are,

To stand under vast open skies that stretch from the promise of tomorrow to the memories of the night before,

To insignificantly piss in the driving rain against the foundations of all we know and all we are,

And gaze fifty thousand light years into the past luminescence of a star that probably isn't ...

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A Childhood Nonsense Rhyme From Where I Was Born

(We used to say this rhyme when I was small. I didn't write it, I don't know if anyone did or whether it was just made up by bored children with nothing better to do sat on a corner in the midlands.  So please excuse any simplicities or political incorrectness, I just thought it would be nice to share. I also wondered if anyone else had some more childhood rhymes local to them?)

 

One sunny ...

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I Hope

I pray that my story is worthy of the telling,

I pray that my given path is clear from the start,

And when life whispers sadness, the words are soft compelling,

And when it sings of joy it lifts the very heart,

And in those times between these it offers some contentments,

And when contentment's gone, at least it gives me truth,

And when that truth is crushing it shields me from r...

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The Tempest

There is a place where the storm stops and you sift the silt and rake the wreckage,

You count the damage out in torn crops and the cracked panes in the shaken frames,

You hear the rain drip its last drops in loud, "Plops," as it taps its message,

The tempest touches all from doorstops to treetops irrespective of their names,

And in the stillness when the wind drops you take stock and c...

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Sing Me To Sleep

Lay me down in the meadow,

Give me the shade of an oak,

Let the grasses whisper the winds,

As if soft words had been spoke,

Let those soft words hold memories,

Memories for us to keep,

Lay me down in the meadow,

Where the breezes will sing me to sleep.

 

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Acceptance

Be at peace and tread softly on the delicate egg shells,

There is more than enough time to boldly blunder on,

Let the waters lap at your feet as the tide swells,

You have no power over the waves, you are not the moon or the sun.

 

Let the winds tussle your hair as they will,

Do not interfere with their soft caresses,

The maelstrom is not yours to command.

You have no say on...

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Riffing On Divinity

(Sometimes in life, those that should offer their best give you their worst, and sometimes disappointment hurts more than anything else they could have given you)

 

When I think about the depths and the pinnacles,

It's plainly a miracle I'm not more cynical,

Because at those shining peaks all is lyrical,

But the depths inspire me to be deeply quizzical,

And between those two lay ...

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Sentinel Of The ZZZZZ's

To sleep perchance to dream,

Of all that I could be,

But while I close my eyes, 

Will you watch over me?

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Walk The Paths Well Trodden By The Brave

Walk the paths well trodden by the brave,

Live boldly my son, embrace your fears and let them drive you on,

Be master of your hurts not slave,

Value the story in your scars, pity those that have none.

 

Treasure every tear that rolls on your cheek,

Let them fall on barren ground knowing their waters bring life,

Their salt does not cleanse the lips of the meek,

In the same w...

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Bye Dad

The clocks missed a beat today,

Moments marked by incisive ticks,

Fused into one stretched pause in time,

As you stepped away,

From the arms of those around you,

And into the arms of those gone before.

Only to feel their warmth once more.

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Atrophy

Ever felt like the clock's ticking and you haven't achieved what you set out to do?

Like you've wasted your time, "Can kicking," and denied the existence you were born to?

Like the relentless tidal wash of time laps at the castles you built in the sand?

And the sense that sensibility and banality benignly bind your restless hands?

 

Is there some truth in the naivety of youth that w...

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Life And Its Alternatives

Life can be shit but let's examine the alternative,

Never seeing light in the long sleep of death,

And every little bit of defiance that it takes to live,

Means you truly value every single stolen breath.

 

There will be no ever after at the end of the narrative,

Only here and now and then nothing, ever more,

And even when it's bad, it beats the stark alternative,

So squeez...

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Muffets And Spiders

(Sinister nursery rhyme challenge. Your turn...)

 

Crawling through the undergrowth,

On, "Tick tock," legs all spindle thin,

Eight in number, like it's eyes,

A spider came a'wandering.

 

Spying out a sleeping girl,

Resting on her tuffet, 

The spider had a dark desire,

To eat up a young Muffet.

 

Just like she'd munched on curds and whey,

He thought he'd munch...

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Peculiarly British X?

I've only just been told,

That in messages or texts,

It's peculiarly British,

To sign off with an X,

So don't misunderstand,

We mean no disrespect,

We don't mean to be forward,

We're not offering sex,

It's just a friendly gesture,

Attempting to inflect,

A gentle nod to friendship,

So thank you, XXX.

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Hell In a Handcart

Let's travel to Hell in a handcart,

Come on, we're already half way there,

If you want, wring your hands and pretend to care,

But let's not pretend that it's true despair,

So let's travel to Hell in a handcart.

 

Let's travel to Hell in a handcart,

You know that it's where we all want to go,

Wouldn't be this way if it wasn't so,

Saying yes to this mess and never say no,

...

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The Book Of Broken Promises

The book of broken promises knows your name too well,

Each entry lodged against you is a weight upon your back,

Empty words are spoken as you map your route to Hell,

Each falsehood that is uttered is a step along that track.

 

Each time you chose to profit from the losses of another,

Each time you chose to sell yourself as something that you're not,

Each time you sent a Son to...

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A Face In The Looking Glass

There is a face in the looking glass,

No need to disguise it, I don't recognise it,

There is a face in the looking glass, looking back at me.

 

There is a face in the looking glass,

It's lines and it's tension, are too grim to mention,

There is a face in the looking glass, as clear as it can be.

 

There is a face in the looking glass,

The street grime is streaked, from t...

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A Spiders Haiku

What use is a web,

If it catches a tiger,

Instead of a fly?

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Me And My Mortality

We entered life together,

Seperated at conception,

He born directly into the world,

Waiting for me to follow,

Hiding in the tall branches and low fields,

In the speeding traffic and deep rivers,

In the aeroplanes engines and the sharks jaws,

In the dark chasms and the freak streak of lightning,

In the storms head and hopefully, one day, in the comfortable bed.

I know of ...

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Crimson

(Long Form Haiku)

 

Her soft crimson lips,

Mesmerise my waking eyes,

And speak in my dreams.

 

Her warm syrup voice,

Oozes over me like oil,

And sooths my desire.

 

Her hot gentle breath,

Touches me from head to toe,

And breaks my sad heart.

 

It whispers to me,

And says, "Goodnight my sweetheart,"

And I am alone.

 

I lay here alone,

And she...

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Haiku X 10

(Right, never tried Haiku before so here's some I wrote today, hope they're ok)

 

(Soul)

A wandering soul,

Tortured by experience,

Finds peace in your arms.

 

(Compass)

A broken compass,

Knows not the way to true north,

But may yet find it.

 

(Tears)

Tears of happiness,

​​​​​​Taste exactly as salty,

​​​​​​As tears of sorrow.

 

​(Student)

​​​​​​...

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Hiding In The Silence

(meant to be read in an ever decreasing whisper)

 

Let me hide in the silence, away from the cacophony,

I only need a moment to ease my weary mind,

I need to switch the noise off, escape this temporal battery,

Find some inner peace and there become enshrined.

 

And so I'll read the paper, have a smoke upon the balcony,

Temporarily detach from the busy, endless din,

Don't...

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A Letter Of Resignation

Dear future generations, it is with the deepest regret that we write this letter,

Concerning all the tomorrows we borrowed, and should have served you so much better,

And while we'd debate whether it was too late to save all from being lost,

To contemplate a change so great, at the time, seemed too high a cost.

 

We realise now we cannot disavow our reticence or reservation,

And ...

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Cobwebs

(Can you tell I've been dusting today?)

 

Where do cobwebs come from anyway?

I genuinely don't have the slightest clue,

'Cos the word "Web" suggests there's a spider involved,

But I don't believe that, do you?

 

If that's true, when I look at the ragged,

Bedraggled, dangling thread,

I think, "If that came out of a spider,"

"It's either pissed or on its death bed!"

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Clean

We need all our shit, like desperate junkies,

The blinkered authors of our own sorrow,

The materialistic king of the monkeys,

We know we must stop, but not 'til tomorrow

 

It can't carry on, this rate of consumption,

We know it, but fuck it, it's just one more day,

And don't rush to judge, don't make the assumption,

That you're any better, despite what you say.

 

We a...

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Passive by choice, Aggressive by nature.

(We all have a dark side, hemmed in by the light,

But controlled, it is useful, your dark slice of night)

 

It would be a mistake, to pick a fight with me,

I've had enough practice to know where to hit,

Only grace and experience make me act honourably,

Still, crack on if you must, but prepare for some shit.

 

I don't have the patience to withstand hyperbole,

All the fals...

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A Thousand Miles

I have walked a thousand miles in the footsteps of another,

Then walked another thousand making footsteps of my own,

My intent, to circumvent the will of every other,

And find the peace of mind that you can only find alone.

 

And each step that was right, led me further forward,

And each step that was left, reminded me of home,

And between the left and right lay the distance I...

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National Limerick Day

An old woman feeling quite drastic,

Undid her knicker elastic,

To allow some airflow,

To her, "Down below,"

Which she told passers by felt fantastic

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Little Birds

Born with the freedom of all little birds,

You'll come to discover the irony of age,

That one by one with your own words,

You'll forge the bars of your own cage.

 

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The Silent Grey

A lone wolf haunts the darkness, sniffing out the killing bite,

Searching for a hole in the void, the black this cold, cold night,

For she is the very soul of the wild with her teeth and claws,

An unkindness of ravens circles with its grating, "Caws."

 

But she welcomes the sound, her paws at the ground muffled by the din,

As she, the silent grey, has caught a familiar scent on t...

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Fading

Why does it feel like I failed when I tried so hard?

How can it be when I never relented?

I burned myself out 'til my senses were charred,

I sold out my soul and moved into rented.

 

And those most precious don't really talk with me,

Even though I tried so hard to hear them,

Maybe it's my fault 'cos I'm not what I ought to be,

And try as I might I just can't get near them.

...

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The Power Of Ten

Tend to the tension in your tense and terse relationships,

Mend your tendention if you want to stand a chance,

Resist your sententious clucking, hands resting upon your hips,

Your censure is a weeping boil, so extend your Lance.

 

Pretend your intention is to tilt us all towards the light,

Contend every mention that your voice came from the dark,

Just Tweet little bird 'cos te...

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"Tanka You Very Much."

Poetic Elvis,

Always had the common touch,

Rotating pelvis,

And gyrating at the crotch,

"I tanka you very much,"

 

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Tempus Fugit (short poem)

"Tick Tock."

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Ownership

I'll tell you this for nothing and you can believe it or not,

I've been around a while and I've felt life crack the whip,

And the spirits of decisions make sure they're not forgot,

And I promise you they'll haunt you until you take ownership.

 

Own your fears and mistakes, the heartaches, every last one,

I know the things I got right and I'm proud to own them too,

But that's t...

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Inevitably Ours

There'll be no rest in this life,

No respite from the call,

Every breath a step to death before the final fall,

And there's no winning that game,

Ours is the endless night,

Inevitably ours, but we'll put up a good fight.

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The Three That Let Us Be

I have searched for the spiritual,

Wrapped in the lyrical,

With an open heart sought the truth that sings.

 

I have pondered the miniscule,

And the impossible,

And also all the improbable things.

 

I have sought revelation,

In depravation,

In the hope that insight might hold recompense.

 

And the insight this brings,

Is that life is three things,

Responsib...

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A Little Rain

(Well, once again I find myself awake at 3.30 a.m. you've gotta love insomnia. A good friend told me she wished I'd cheer up and to honour that wish I thought I'd try and write a response and a thank you.)

 

There are so many things to be grateful for,

For a start, just the chance to draw breath,

That alone is enough and we shouldn't ignore,

The fact that we daily cheat death.

 

...

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Where Twilight Sleeps

 

There are cold deep valleys between the sunlit pinnacles,

Where the rivers run and the twilight ever sleeps,

Where all fallen things rest in the chill unblessed,

And the waterfall gently weeps.

 

And the sheer, rough hewn walls seem impossible,

So slick that all footholds would slide from their face,

And though escape seems improbable,

It is not wise to spend too long ...

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Cruel Mistress

It's a cruel mistress that gives you life, love and youth all ever fading,

And the only compensation is the wit to see them fade,

Wisdom enough to see the frippery degrading,

And the ever certain knowledge that you must watch it degrade.

 

It's the bitterest of bitter pills to sense your wisdom growing,

Knowing as it grows you must watch your body fail,

'Til all that's left ar...

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Whispering Night

Tender is the night that whispers in my ear,

Gentle is the breath that is stolen from my lips,

My lungs fill with its still chill,

As the cool night strokes my fingertips,

Stars point out the sky so it's never truly black,

The crescent of a moon peaks out from the trees,

A lone fox in its wan light as it wanders down the track,

Tender is this gentle night that whispers on the ...

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