Poetry Blog by Jon Stainsby
Tags from last 12 months
Nude descending a staircase
The nude descends a staircase,
the spectator looks on,
a motion so common
that thought has forgotten
these simple movements,
a cinematic masterpiece
in a single frame,
a human shape whose
curves have disappeared
beneath the artist's brush,
multiplied into a living force,
a beautiful robotic cadence
reaching the foot of its brief descent.
Wednesday 2nd October 2019 7:01 am
Whispering wind
Soft swathes of September wind
stroke my welcoming skin,
its warm touch offers solace
to my stationary form.
A slow slight cadence
and a flighty rhythm,
this wind it soothes me.
Eyes closed shut so tightly
that sleep begins its
slow inward stroll
to silently steal my waking world,
and deliver me to the dream domain
where the calming wind
continues to hold me ...
Friday 20th September 2019 11:34 am
Morning sunrise
The jagged turreted skyline
emits its own kind
of dull fabricated ugliness,
hard smoked-filled tubes,
funneling the excesses
of materialistic output,
contrasting with the subtle
smooth outline of
the faraway forest
a rolling tide of greenery
an invisible outpouring
of breathable atoms
lovingly carressing
our stifled lungs.
Monday 16th September 2019 6:56 am
Thorn in her side
She drifted in and out of view
passing from gossamer to stone,
floating and then, sinking down low,
singing the words you wrote for her,
the sound now a sick cacophony
mocking your emotions,
stabbing at your heart.
Holding the now faded rose
that you had pinned in her hair,
but truly, a thorn in her side
had been your gift to her,
the beautiful bloom
was invisib...
Thursday 12th September 2019 4:08 pm
Turning my back
oh ye men of so much faith
scattering your deadly wares
like confetti at a wedding
without an ounce of thought
for the innocents on the ground
where moments before was fun and laughter
is now become blood and slaughter
how do you sleep in your beds?
have your dreams turned to nightmares
and your hearts to stone?
Monday 9th September 2019 6:52 am
Confess
A piece of my yearning
was lost to the churning
sound of a life laid bare
inside the confessional.
Seated beside a lost pirate
of the human race,
stealing unwitting souls
selling my skull and bones
to the undertaker for the
price of my wretched sins.
A reprieve for my soul?
Well, at least, that's what
he promised to me.
I had my doubts and
left him fingeri...
Thursday 5th September 2019 7:09 am
Labyrinthine thoughts
Trying to find solace in
the confinement of our
solitary minds.
No physical straight jacket
restrains our limbs,
only a mental labyrinth,
turning each corner,
to be further trapped
inside a prison
of our own design.
Held like the minotaur,
are we to be sacrificed
to this beast?
who is our Theseus?
who will be our saviour?
Friday 30th August 2019 7:41 am
Never be forgotten
The metamorphosis
was a planned operation,
and everything they did
went as smooth as silk,
but what they didn't expect
was the abominable reaction
of the normally patient, decent people,
the bile and the caustic outbursts,
all of the hate that spewed out
into the space around them.
Shocked, they fled and hid in the hills
until the tumult had died down.
They coul...
Friday 26th July 2019 7:31 am
Treedom
Listen to the illusory silence
of the growing arborial
presence parading itself
in the garden of our world.
A stillness that betrays
the ever renewing and
rejuvenating life-giving form.
Imperceptible impressions,
a virtuosity in itself,
claiming no prize
except its own existence.
Monday 22nd July 2019 8:28 pm
The Quiet People
The quiet, timid people
hid amongst the gathered flock,
cowered in the nooks and crannies
where no-one else wanted to go,
lowered their frightened eyes
when the others came around.
A voiceless legion tethered to anxiety,
tied to a heightened fear
of imagined temporal titans.
A tribe of mixed emotions
withstanding the advancing mass.
Thoughts of survival and
the ...
Thursday 18th July 2019 7:47 pm
Colour - Gold
Wealth and extravagance
have an association with you,
Many a fool falls for your shine
and many have died for you, too
For children we only wish
them to be as good as you,
while some chase just money,
those diggers we eschew.
Monday 15th July 2019 7:26 am
Incessant time
Oh unholy intimidating time
ticking your incessant tock,
crying out a second
swallowed scream,
gouging out the minutiae
to reach the crux of the matter
only to find it flattened
and sprawled out into
an infinite sense of everything,
a past, present and future tense
of the workings of the mind.
Friday 12th July 2019 9:24 pm
Always worth holding on
The treatment of doom
leaves me left in the gloom
of a day badly spent
and a life cruelly rent.
A storm cloud burst,
a lightening bolt cursed,
by night my demise,
by light I surmise.
So, so little I know
eyes turned down below.
Then, a glance to the skies
and I see my great prize,
the sun it does shines
and on beauty it dines,
the colour of summer
makes...
Tuesday 9th July 2019 8:28 am
My lost flower
The apple blossom that was
the scent of your hair,
the tint that lit up
every mournful evening sky
could only emanate from
your softly glistening skin.
I had hoped one day to wrap
you up and hold you tight
so, no harm should ever befall you.
My flower amongst the grasses.
My bloom amongst the stems.
I wanted to sigh and
watch your soft seed
fly...
Friday 5th July 2019 10:07 am
Hardy folk
Even the hardy folk
were brought to tears
on that black night
when all the years of hurt
became a single point
in space and time,
when all emotions
a volcano became
that was not to be held,
mighty in its wrath,
bursting violently forth,
burning through the steely skin
of the hardy folk.
Tuesday 2nd July 2019 7:17 pm
Humanity without the humane
The faint strangled cry
of a separated child,
parents detached
when the need is most.
An emotional bond
smashed to smithereens,
lack of food, lack of space
lack of sleep, lack of love.
We are bringing up
traumatised infants.
What example are
we setting for our future?
Does the human
no longer exist in humanity?
Have we become our
own worst nightmar...
Sunday 30th June 2019 8:16 pm
Afresh again
Starting the journey afresh
a zero point, a big bang,
an expanding universe,
the endless possibilities.
The long, soft puff of breath
spreading the bloomed spray
in a myriad of directions,
the unknown escaping
to sow itself into the lives
of the unsuspecting,
of the ones searching
for that, as yet, hidden pleasure
or thought lying at the bottom
of the deep we...
Thursday 27th June 2019 10:02 am
Love for you
If my love for you were a road
then it would stretch beyond the horizon.
If my love for you were an oak
then its branches would reach the highest heaven.
If my love for you were a lion
then its strength would overcome all.
If my love for you were water
then there would never be a thirsty mouth.
If my love for you were bread
then no-one would go hungry again.
My love for you is ...
Monday 24th June 2019 10:18 am
A natural concert
Surrounded by summer verdancy,
the sweet smell of the linden tree
and the deciduous arboreal presence
dining on the twilight sun.
The bright notes of the songstress
soothe my ears and calm my nerves,
that mambo rhythm cradles me
while I dream of glorious dances.
The floating melody is in full flight
and transcends the corporeal
to rise above the out reaching soul
t...
Thursday 20th June 2019 12:34 pm
Holding on
A wild flower doesn't waver
faced with the oncoming weather.
A stout tree doesn't falter
when the hurricane gathers.
A passive creature doesn't move
but has the strength to stand firm.
A crying man doesn't shy
from his emotional outburst.
A breastfeeding mother doesn't heed
the talk of closed minds in public.
A questioning child doesn't listen
...Tuesday 11th June 2019 8:05 am
Colour - Red
You are the blood of life
but your wasteful spilling
also signals its dying away.
The danger you show
is like a bull's enraging rag
In shame and unease,
facially giving away
from ear to ear.
In courage, passion and confidence
you fly the hoisted flag.
Cupid's waving his two fingers
to show he can still let loose that arrow
while the devil pla...
Friday 7th June 2019 7:48 am
Colour - Blue
I share your sadness
in my time of need,
but bask in your heat
in the azured heaven
of canicular days.
The cold is also tied to you
and I am frozen in your hue.
Mental calm and serenity flow
from your presence,
and we can feel reassured
in the body of your essence.
Wednesday 29th May 2019 7:01 am
Through Van Gogh's eyes
Through Vincent's eyes
the sunflowers radiant and mellow
shine through the murkiness
of the temporal world
his spirit rises above the earthly plane
beyond where the prosaic lies,
into a world of the sublime
where the heavenly riches
of bountiful dreams meet the
reality of the canvas.
A beautiful scene from
a mind so clear its visions
stretch beyond the limits
...Thursday 16th May 2019 9:29 am
Dancing shadows
The second serpent
devoured the right hand
and the devil tied a knot
around the left
to tease and to prise
all of humankind
into the caves where
the chains hold us tight
while we watch
the shadows
dancing until the
morning light,
never to behold the
true forms
always to see the pretence
and believe it.
Tuesday 7th May 2019 7:52 am
The drunk and the priest
The drunken dancer
and the temperance priest
whispering to each other
about a fiery affair of love
between the sun and moon,
and the emotional outburst
when the universe was born.
The priest he begs for
the drunk to desist,
but the drunk just mutters
obscenities under his breath
and calls for more.
Wednesday 1st May 2019 8:38 pm
Colour - Black
Although you are
in essence an absence
you are always deliberate,
mysterious and silent,
a shadow following,
a shade from the sun,
impression gives colour
but you remain intact
with none.
Tuesday 23rd April 2019 10:50 am
Monsters in our midst
The quiet twisting of already
screwed and spewed words,
uttered from the gaping wounds
of their sorry faces,
mouths as bleeding caverns,
pus filled lies uttered in a
disingenuous cacophony,
where no one is safe from
the tirade of empty locution,
a terrible warped view
crammed into the selfish egos
of monsters in out midst.
Monday 15th April 2019 7:52 pm
Unholy Communion
The holy man stands in his pulpit
and calls out to his congregation
that they cannot wait to turn to God
because it will then be too late,
and his forgiveness forgotten,
their souls tied to the hounds of hell
that unceasingly bite at naked heels,
and drag them down below with
wounds that will never heal.
The righteous shall inherit
what's left of the earth,
while t...
Thursday 11th April 2019 9:25 am
From a sedentary position
From a sedentary position
you vent your anger
order! order!
From a sedentary position
you bare your bile
order! order!
From a sedentary position
you defile democracy
order! order!
From a sedentary position
your hubris takes a fall
order! order!
From a sedentary position
you will achieve nothing
order! order!
Wednesday 3rd April 2019 6:28 am
Fleeting Emotions
Happiness is a fleeting emotion
and that’s how it should remain
for if we were eternally happy
how could we ever feel pain?
Sadness is a fleeting emotion
and that is how it should remain
for if we were eternally sad
joy would be hard to attain
Jealousy is a fleeting emotion
and that is how it should remain
for if we were eternally jealous
where would trus...
Sunday 31st March 2019 12:33 pm
Early Morning Tenderness
The soft rising sun mellowed
by the thin layer of
slowly dissipating clouds
beguiling me
leading me on my way
forward, onward
to my destination
Thursday 28th March 2019 7:17 am
Four thoughts
The quiet choir
who ultimately sing
the crushing melody
of a silent night
and a frightened dawn
The muted musings
of a dying priest
whose last wish
is to shout at God
for such betrayal
The weeping child
who screams aloud
of lost innocence
in the mourning
of its nascent life
The beguiling beast
sleeping in its lair
dreaming of its ki...
Monday 25th March 2019 12:11 pm
Word wanderer
I am a word wanderer
peripatetic poetry is my voyage,
each syllable a serendipitous moment,
vowel vitality fuels every page
while a loquacious line forks off into two distances
leaving a double and doubtful sense
to my meanderings
all the better for the turn of phrase,
adding to the journey
is a consonant chaos of juxtaposition and alliteration,
a choice to turn left ...
Saturday 16th March 2019 9:11 pm
Lexical longings
Are these my words
or those of someone else
plucked out of the ether
original or borrowed?
Are they a randomly
collected assortment
strung together to form
a coherent mass or
an incoherent mess?
One letter making
such a difference to
our feeling
our understanding
our meaning
our perception
our walking out the door
after studying the room
its conte...
Friday 15th March 2019 8:59 pm
Hangman
High hopes for the hangman
you will go far and
fulfill your many dreams
but the people will not
forget what you have done
and the pain you have caused.
Monday 4th March 2019 8:36 am
Cause and effect
That single drop in the ocean
that butterfly flutter
that ripple in the potion
that nervous stutter
The reason follows 'because'
a fall after a stumble
a gamble after a pause
lightening before a rumble
Blooms from the seed
seed from the flower
the cycle of life
revealing endless power
An effect follows a cause
some larger, some small
all fol...
Tuesday 26th February 2019 7:17 am
Infectious laughter
Don't leave your laughter
lying around here
it is contagious and
might infect others
we wouldn't want
people enjoying themselves
and having fun
it could spread like wildfire
rampant and unchecked
run amok and carefree
it may make the world
a better place
and we wouldn't want that
would we?
Haha haha.
Wednesday 20th February 2019 8:34 pm
Ghost writer
A shadow drawing across my notebook
a guiding hand for my uncertain pen
another mind thinking my thoughts
the ghost writer begins to take over.
Words from a different realm
sentences flowing from beyond
aiding me with my creative void
the ghost writer is taking over.
Holding my unsteady hand
boldly streams of words do flow
happy am I with my expressive frien...
Sunday 17th February 2019 2:14 pm
Gentle caress
The butterflies caressed
the frail old man
and soothed his sorrow
in the light flutter of
their dainty wings
his heavy heart
lost all its weight
and floated gently
to its resting place.
Thursday 14th February 2019 1:39 pm
Hiding amongst the molecules
I hid behind the veil
waiting to surprise you
but you never appeared
so I melted into the fabric
and became a part of the universe
that is never more to be seen
a molecule among millions
I found my place and am happy there
faceless, indivisible, a cosmos
inside a myriad of stars
a silhouette inverted
a ghostly whisper of a dream
floating around in a whirlpool
...Monday 11th February 2019 5:32 pm
Beyond this place
To find a peace beyond
sentience and experience
to find that inner tranquility
floating in a calm sea of stillness
resting on an ocean of order
where there is no space
or physical place
just a quiet solitude
full of soulful grace.
Tuesday 5th February 2019 7:41 am
My Realm
The soft singing wind
lulls me into a slumber
where my dreams
form their many colours
and the rainbow of mixed
temporal and spiritual boundaries
fade and merge into each other
creating an ephemeral cloud
on which I fly to the
corners of the realm
to seek out my true self
in order to believe again.
Friday 1st February 2019 9:08 pm
Cursèd life
You sucked the melancholy heart
from my cursèd body
drank the treacherous blood
from my hardened veins
retched the black bile
from my pensive spleen
ripped the calm phlegm
from my very breath
but I am still here
alive and happy to die.
Tuesday 29th January 2019 7:46 am
Arborial Winter Repose
Stretching their limbs
up high to the heavens
outwardly so thin and fragile
but still vitally full of the force of life
enduring the stark harshness
of nature's capricious temperament
strong in root and sure of stature
the cold azure of a winter's sky
interspersed with snow filled pillows
on which to rest their hibernal heads.
Friday 25th January 2019 9:32 pm
The dichotomy of love
You opened my eyes
then shut them again
the sun shone
then came the rain
the joyous rapture
and the ceaseless pain
unbridled laughter
that today sounds insane
once a transport of delight
now a trip down memory lane.
Saturday 12th January 2019 3:51 pm
The laden sky
The heavily laden sky
hanging like a shroud over your head
a dense blanket of deep shame
and guilty promises
a teeming downpour of tears
drowning out the screams
of tormented children
abandoned and destitute
cruelly denied a loving spirit
by the mean minded heavens
to scream, to dream, to summon
a better life than the one
randomly placed before you.
Wednesday 9th January 2019 12:32 am
Another's eyes
I hope that around the world
people, everywhere
are trying to look through
another's eyes
taking another perspective
opening up
and showing compassion
and understanding.
Sunday 6th January 2019 9:13 am
The Snowman
The snowman floats an eternity away
distant, but now closer in this vast array
Joined at birth, Ultima and Thule
Now become the universe’s jewel.
Thursday 3rd January 2019 11:16 am
Recent Comments
Jon Stainsby on Nude descending a staircase (12 days ago)
Jon Stainsby on Whispering wind (Sun, 22 Sep 2019 01:31 pm)
Don Matthews on Whispering wind (Sun, 22 Sep 2019 12:59 pm)
Jon Stainsby on Whispering wind (Sun, 22 Sep 2019 12:46 pm)
Jon Stainsby on Whispering wind (Sun, 22 Sep 2019 12:46 pm)
Jon Stainsby on Whispering wind (Sun, 22 Sep 2019 12:46 pm)
Jon Stainsby on Whispering wind (Sun, 22 Sep 2019 12:45 pm)
Jon Stainsby on Whispering wind (Sun, 22 Sep 2019 12:45 pm)
keith jeffries on Whispering wind (Fri, 20 Sep 2019 10:07 pm)
raypool on Whispering wind (Fri, 20 Sep 2019 09:30 pm)