Poetry Blog by keith jeffries

Down Under

A microcosm of a tropical rain forest

verdant and consumed of life

An undergrowth of roots

which straddle the earth

a veritable spiders web

Where ladybirds and worms 

are on nodding acquaintance

to share a patch of mother earth

All under a canopy of leaves

of foliage and coloured petals

To shield from the the suns rays

and gently absorb a shower

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The Valley of Chimneys

A landscape ingrained in black and grey

barges pulling mountains of coal

Furnaces which roar into the night

as colliery lifts plunge the depths

Rows of uniformed dwellings

deprived of light or green

Distant moors and farms

so close but dreams away

Children in clogs on cobbled streets

girls with plaited hair and coloured ribbons

Boys bois...

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A Moment in Time

Dimensions of time where the

venue is fractional 

Heavy bombers drone to distant targets

in a darker world of expectancy

Lives adjacent unconnected

caught in an act never repeated

Church bells hold their silence

pensive for the invasion of evil

Then peels of chimes to announce arrival

Days lived on the hoof of uncertainty

rumours of disquiet s...

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Reformation

Deep in the earth lie the roots of faith

ruined abbeys of crumbled arches remain

Sanctuaries vacant to the air we breathe

each benefice has its claim of thee

Cupolas, domes, towers and steeples

speak out of a faith held by her peoples

Smallest of valleys with bells to ring

the hymns and litanies we used to sing

A faith snatched by salacious needs

vanq...

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A Welcome Sun

But the sun does come out 

to challenge a dull November´s day

to cleanse and dispel those curds away

It stands emboldened in a sky of blue

to remind us that all can again be new

Windows glisten as stones sparkle

a breathless breeze which cannot encircle

Fallen leaves a collage underfoot

berries ripen amidst the occasional nut

Few windows open to pee...

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The Fireplace

A hearth with burning embers

steady ticks Napoleon´s clock

A dimned lamp besides me

a decanter of grapes best elixir

Carpet slippers upon a rug so heavy

a comapnion to tend the fire

A compilation of tranquility earned

from labour this surely is deserved

The dogs sleep in close communion

dear friends of home and land

This retreat bedecked of domes...

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A Fading Light

Woven furrows of tufted grass

enshrines a natures past

From battlements and lofty spires 

to a ravenous squirrel aloft

Memories layered one upon another

autumns to cover the summer

Capricious skies and radiant moons

the mists of dawn to sit and stay

Solitary figures each a history

in dwellings of ancient stone

A gaunt tree of autumnal fright

...

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The Red Poncho

Would the lady in the red poncho come in please

She is bent almost double and pushes her shopping trolley

from head to foot she is dressed in red

The same outfit everyday without waver

I cannot estimate her age but well into the eighties

A red shawl, a heavy knitted poncho covers her frame

recently in its centre has appeared a hand knitted poppy

She...

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Feelings

As a young man I was invincible

a multitude of feelings I could shrug off

without feeling or a sense of any involvement

as one could brush dust off a jacket

The years pass by and I am no longer invincible

I have become emotional and vulnerable

tears are never far away in times of grief and sadness

What I see and hear now affect me deeply

The dust accumulate...

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The Fallen

Everyday I walk past the town war memorial

at its base a few poppy wreaths lie from the previous year

The names remain the same, some we knew

they have pride of place in our community

On Armistice Day the traffic is halted

we gather in sorrowful silence, heads bowed

Different emotions and reasons compel our presence

we stand often looking beyond the sto...

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A Treasure Trove

We have become the sediment of society

a deposit of no value, a used product

We have less use than a compost heap

or so they would like us to believe

Our hair has turned white and often falls out

arthritis plagues our mobility and comfort

Medication assists us along the way

and bereft of adequate funds we are forced to stay at home

A sad l...

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Can the Vice be Broken

Am I crazy or is my perspective distorted

does civilisation advance into a new age of enlightenment

Are we more erudite or compassionate than before

or have we fooled ourselves or been fooled

Schools, academies and places of learning abound

people hanker after learning and to be taught

Science brings new cures and two worlds wars become history

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Not in our Name

The nation´s emotional temperature begins to rise

as memories, experiences and thoughts return

This is the season of a deep and enduring sadness

as our wounds are once more laid bare

We who are left cannot recall, only try to understand

those who were killed, wounded or survived have gone before us

We brace ourselves to pay tribute to the gallant fall...

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Dispossessed

Lives ruined and lived in quiet despair

talents and skills ignored or manipulated

All exist within a hot house

a climate under control where day and night are ordered

by the forces of power to determine their menace

as apathetic weary souls capitulate their minds

in a act of economic weary abandonment

Freedom is available but under control

the armi...

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