A New Vision

A new vision for a new time, a new episode, a new year

for the future is full of uncertainty mingled with hope

We face it with a sense of expectancy

hopeful yet daunting in an immense complexity

Energy, wisdom with a strong sense of purpose

are required to embrace the unknown

We approach a mist, a maze, an entanglement

it is from within, our inner sel...

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There is no Shangri-la

The grass is greener on the other side or so they say

I climbed the stile to see for myself

All I found was more of the same

hardly any difference at all in colour or shade

I travelled afar to a tropical paradise

an island drenched in sunshine, palm trees and full of colour

A balmy climate, golden sands and blue skies

but it offered nothing ...

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Friendship

Ir comes with no price tag and is freely given

Few are they who enter through this door

Acquaintances queue in their scores to seek entry

but many are flawed with deceit or other motives

Friends are bars of gold to be treasured

nothing will shock nor disappoint them

They listen attentively and advise wisely

what they say is for the benefit of the soul

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Out of Darkness into Enlightenment

The darkness of conformity stifles mind and soul

It drains even a flicker of life as uniformity holds sway

There is no fertile growth as seeds perish in the earth

No amount of water gives light to the void

Darkness is the cloak which enwraps itself around us

Ideas lay dormant or die unless the light shines

Fear thrives in the portal...

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The Cauldron

We inhabit a cauldron of confusion

in an inexplicable existence

where bewilderment reigns supreme

We are but empty vessels

tossed about on a turbulent ocean

the land in sight is barren and foreboding

The wounded cry out as sirens in their warning

but their suffering goes unheeded

yea ignored

The bells of Christendom and the call

of the minarets of...

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The Bus Station

Under a roof of opaque glass

there is the roar of engines

as buses arrive and depart

Pollution with diesel fumes 

pervades the air as people 

come and go.

Many with families destined

for holidays whilst others take

short or long haul journeys

An elderly lady sits on a

suitcase twice her size looking

disconsolately at those about her

A cou...

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Disquietude

I possess a troubled soul along with many others

which searches for rest and ease

for a spirit of tranquility

in a world which is saturated in torment

I do not yearn for fame or wealth

or any particular sense of achievement

only to find peace and creativity

where I can be alone and free

I search for a place of contentment

liberated from a ca...

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The Gay Manta Ray

The Gay Manta Ray felt out of place

especially amongst a shoal of plaice

He swam the oceans mostly alone

without the comfort of a mobile phone

He was shunned by many of the other Rays

because he lived according to different ways

Essentially he was in search of a mate

yet frequently found only a hake

Often mocked by crab and eel

this wa...

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A Fire Screen for Learning

A card table and fire screen combination

a wedding gift to my parents

made entirely by hand

A woven tapestry of an alpine scene

in a wooden frame covered in glass

Every evening I would remove it

from its place in the hearth

re arrange it into a low table

on which my school homework was placed

I sat cross legged within easy rea...

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The Najd

A landscape commanded by the sun

whose hands manipulate the will of

their master  to create a swirling wind

Craggy rocks wrinkled by fissures 

of heat and wind over many millennia

An undulating sea of shifting sand

a silence imcomparable

No evidence of life

Browns, ochre, yellow and burnt sienna

Lifless, bereft of birds, no echoes heard

A searing sun ...

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Disdain

Seldom are words ever spoken 

the eyes give their full expression

I refuse to cower but my soul is intimidated

Whispers, stares and unspoken words

from the platform of the self righteous

It would be better to be crippled or in

some way retarded as they receive

overt compassion and help

To be different is to the ignorant a

challenge whose response is preju...

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The Visitor

The house was silent and still

I was sat reading a book

as my dogs slumbered 

on a nearby couch

The story stimulated my imagination

as I became less aware of

my surroundings

A mighty roar awoke my attention

a rushing sound of fury unleashed

A powerful wind assailed the house

the curtains blew about in a frenzy of panic

as window panes and shutte...

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What Comes Next

The imponderables fixate us

as we reach out beyond our existence

For some it does not bear thought

Yet it remains a mystery unsolved

We see with clarity of evidence 

our earthly demise

and decay bringing us to nought

Do we possess an indestructable spirit

which continues, but to where

Is there a destination or other dimension

For what purpose w...

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People Watching

A venue of opportunity is required

to observe a microcosm of humanity

as it tarries to and fro

Examples of life styles abound

as couch potatoes mingle with

aspiring six packs

Where the elderly express impatience 

with the young

The finest coiffure crowns its 

elegant frame as the indolent

care nothing for their appearance

Where the unimagina...

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The night is polluted with light

until I clamber up to the tree line

where darkness is a shroud

covering the silhouettes of the pines

Stillness and silence are all pervasive

solitude becomes my cloak of warmth

Flora and fauna slumber in sacred sleep

An oasis of unadulterated nature

fearless I embrace its sanctity

A welcome drenches my soul

I am so close to my original...

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The rudder broke and disappeared

out at sea the ship drifted aimlessly

The captain faced uncertainty

as the engine faltered also

Disagreement on the bridge

fuel perilously low

Fever breaks out below decks

it is highly contagious

Sails are raised but torn

no whisper of wind apparent

Radio reports pirates are close

The ship carries gold bullion

Water trickles into...

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The Passage of Time

History is a great teacher

and needs to be heeded

Nothing is permanent

all is transitory

People come and go

as do civilisations

cultures and ideologies

What is built 

is brought to ruin

What comes to fruitiion

falls into decay

The delights of today

are the detestations

of tomorrow

What is hailed now

is soon trampled on

Con...

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The Cerebral Cavern

I wish to live in my mind

to observe from afar

to avoid direct contact

or verbal confrontation

I am comfortable within

at peace with who I am

unaffected in pure isolation

With age others become tedious

my patience is at a low ebb

My mind is fertile

full of imagination and creativity

Here in this inner sanctum

I can compose, paint and ...

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November

We reach a heavy purple velvet curtain

which appears to stand in our way

It beckons us forward into a darkened chamber

Inside it is cold and damp

The walls are festooned with the names of the dead

All Souls

We search for our kith and kin but in vein

The names are innumerable

In the distance the muffled sounds of gunfire

the dull thud of explosions

Sil...

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Appearances

Don´t judge a book by its cover

words which are true indeed

But what of people

and their outward appearances

With inexplicable instinct

I am able to determine like or not

Face, expression, eyes and demeanour

before a word is spoken I know

I am seldom wrong or misled

even at a distance with no introduction

my mind is made up

where does ...

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Ageing

I am old yet young

I feel as if I am thirty

but in reality close to seventy

My friend Maria is eighty one

yet insists she is twenty four

and is determined to remain so

Every year we celebrate her birthday

I wish her a happy twenty fourth

anniversary

Old with vigour and vitality

concealed within an ageing frame

Ambition and desire supressed

by...

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The Rat Race

I am spun like a spinning top

my vision blurred almost to blindness

I hear nothing but the whir of the top

I am overcome with a sense of nausea

I beg for it to stop and set me free

In time the revolutions lessen

some vision is restored

Then I am still, unsteady, off balance

as I focus on my surroundings

Anxiety and the need to lie down

overco...

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Juxtaposed

We have reached that portal of sadness

adorned with emblems of grief

Memorials, monuments and the Menin Gate

Few now remember or are connected

to human slaughters fading into the past

Bugles sound to replace gunfire and sirens

Bowed heads in silence to replace steel helmets

The future promises nothing better

as the repetitive cycle of war gathers momentum

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My High Street

A disabled seller 

of lottery tickets

Rowdiness from drunks

in a nearby bar

Groups of elderly men

with black coffees and 

endless cigarettes

Obese women strapped

into lycra pants

Graffiti depicting a

crude penis

An overworked

pharmacy with a queue 

of hypochondriacs

Washing drying

on balcony rails

An unceasing flow

of traffi...

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The Young

To treat a child as an adult

is eminently sensible

the height of being responsible

To speak down to a child 

engenders a demeaning

bereft of sense or meaning

To enable them to grow

the more they need to know

Don´t insult the intellect of the young

they are as yet unsung

Engage them and converse

otherwise they will go in reverse

Take them along ...

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Petriified

A day at Chester Zoo

happy and carefree

full of interest

A variety of animals

abounded for all

to see and wonder

A large cage

housed many

monkeys who made

a horrendous din

We peered in curiously

as they too were curious

They shrieked

then a little girl

crawled close to

the cage

She was gripped 

by a frenzied monkey

He shook h...

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A Life of Anxiety

The family fled into the

air raid shelter

leaving my mother behind

in a state of undress

fumbling in the dark

Sirens wailed

anti aircraft guns barked

search lights scanned the sky

the drone of approaching bombers

Eventually she left the house

by the kitchen door

as an incendiary bomb

fell and exploded in front of her

She screamed and...

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Unfinished

Enthusiasm the engine of my soul

often flags and fails on life´s road

A sudden burst of unbridled energy

soon extinguished as if by a canon of water

Occasionally revived as a wilting flower

but never regaining its former luscious texture 

Onward, forward and undeterred

a rekindled flame of renewed vigour

Each day brings recharged light and hope

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Desire

To see is not to touch

a frustration too much

The love to reach out and feel

would make the heart reel

A burning fervent desire

from which I never tire

These thoughts forever with me

how else could they be

It occupies much of my time

in my head singing like a rhyme

I am forever on the look out

for those who may be about

A brief enco...

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Personal Fashion

I used to wear

what I thought 

was right

Now I wear 

what I personally like

I was perpetually

concerned about 

my appearance

Now I have given way

to no allegiance

I have become quite 

outrageous in fashion

I suppose it is

some kind of passion

I often copy the attire

of others

but no longer

do I bother

I have given way

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The Enigma

The enigma within rests

imprisoned in my soul

As a bell rings it is

ignored, accepted or

disregarded

Identity is complex

as a rain forest rich

in diversity

beauty coupled with decay

I look about and within

to fathom who we are

in this kaleidoscope

bewildered, bemused yet strangely safe

Puzzled by others, often hurt

frequen...

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Existence

Surrounded

hemmed in

suffocated from life

perpetually a prisoner

from the world about

Encircled by convention

stunted by false love

a self made cell

from which escape

is only for the birds 

of paradise

Pressed down and locked

desires pitted with shame

a weighty past as a 

stone around the neck

Where is the passage

to freedom, the wa...

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Depression

Clouds settle upon us

we are incarcerated within

A heavy atmosphere prevails

no view is in sight

Little light filters in

time becomes endless

Interest is diminished

everything falls to a new low

No longer a desire to read

enthusiasm plummets

Routines are interrupted

life stalls, even fails

Meaning is in abeyance

introspection...

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The Shell

The shell opened gradually

as I peered out earnestly and deftly

Light filtered into my tiny cavern

as I pondered what lay without

The darkness was one of security

and obscure confidence

Yet I had an appetite to see

outside and see all that I had been told

No dismay only amazement

as I took leave of my

oceanic home and its kingdom

I stood...

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Love at first sight

Together we unite

but in the darkness of the night

Filled with hope

we are fooled

as dawn brightens

and day comes

What was before

is no longer now

Passion vanquished

and sated

Hope remains but

clarity has a new destiny 

a new landscape

Lust remains

but insecurity

arouses doubt

Love is desired

but fearful of

what is r...

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Recovery

Eyes that spiral with delight

a heart filled with hope

confidence renewed

self esteem restored

talents recognised

social skills firmed

enthusiasm gained

optimism forefront

Lile revitalised

happimess realised

life energised

Love accepted

appreciation achieved

A new world awaits

opportunities arrive

Friends welcome

family restored

f...

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Dark Times

Darkness pervades

our light is diminished

Pessimism now reigns

as hope does fade

Calamity in the ascendancy

no respect for humanity

Bullets ring out

as people fall and shout

The world is bleak

more so every week

Souls are vanquished

as evil is cherished

We glance with concern

but fail to learn

Confusion is King

new bells do ring

Ho...

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Dark

It was late and dark

I was restless, inexplicably so

I wanted to be out

and in the night

I sat in secluded silence

unable to decide or reach out

I needed to be unfettered

utterly alone and

unencumbered

I took off all my clothes

nothng remained to adorn me

I was naked from head to foot

Slowly, assuredly I walked

silently to the door

The air was...

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The Inner Sanctum

My inner sanctum 

a cavern secreted

from the glare of this

mortal coil

undisturbed, inviolate

where creativity and thought

hibernate happily to bring

peace to the enquiring and

troubled mind

A den exorcised of temporal

intrusions where orchestras

play concertos and symphonies

of constant delight to lure 

the soul and seduce the spiri...

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Reason

Years lost

time scattered as waste

fruitless the labour of conformity

Passion suffocated, stifled, past

Energy lost in a sea of serenity

Sacrificial, an offering

for nothing

A worthy soul damned

to eternal loss

by a heartless world

For what, for why?

I collapse in despair

as torment rages within 

my empty soul

With energy and faith

I gave...

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The Deep of Night

An inky sky studded with

an array of celestial lights

envelops the town below

where most slumber

in worlds of dreams

and fantasies

A high street empty

almost desolate

with a solitary line

of lamps which glimmer

as if moved by some

silent  pulsating rhythym

A cat scurries across

the street as a distant

door is slammed

The scene ...

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The Morass

As blinkered mules they chew the cud of life

neither hearing the wind or the cries of others about

Single minded, encased and enclosed

they stumble and roam with heavy muffled hooves

Their sphere is not to share or appreciate

they could be eternally cast off

and be unaware of their travesty or fall

we behold them but they see us not

Gratificatio...

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What have we done?

We inhabit an interface world

a separation of our own creation

causing structures to arise against

the pristine wildrenesses of

incomparable perfection

Concrete, glass, bricks 

and tarmacadam

sprawl in a constant motion

an invasive force at war

with our natural landscape

We deface with buildings

of no grace without a

trace of beau...

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The Twilight Years

Should I go home to die

or remain here to lie

Shangri-la does not exist

so why stay here and persist

Should I return to my home county

as if reclaiming some lost bounty

Could there be a corner waiting for me

in the shade of an old oak tree

Three score years and ten

and along comes this yen

To abandon a peripatetic existence

and ...

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The Surrogate Writer

My thoughts could never languish

as does my mortal frame

As my mind is a perpetual

cascade of ideas each which

indent themselves in my complexity

Words are in a flurry

as snowflakes dance about

Phrases interlock and call

to be heard and remembered

Intense activity inhabits

and pervades my thinking

capacity, relentless in 

a desire, a...

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What we do...

A day bright and sunlit

breezes curling about

the pliant foliage of

natural life

A tranquility whose

exterior conceals all

For to see clearly it

is inside our minds 

and homes a reality

to find

A child plays with glee

in the shade of an

outstretched tree

The labourer with bricks

builds a wall, a house

A mother cooks and bakes

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Two in One

I cherish solitude

the door through

which inspiration enters

Alone my mind

creates conversations

between us both

In mental confinement

I deliver lectures

and speeches

I comment on others

none of which is ever

heard or known

as it remains within

I am fascinating

hilarious and 

self opinionated

often arrogant

and surprisingly rude

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A Dormitory Town

It registers not a thought as one passes through

an assemblage of stale architecture and dark alleys

Culture and history find no abode here

It wakes before dawn, deserted by day and dormant at night

Its inhabitants eat, drink and sleep in dreary shadows

Seasoned drinkers and smokers manipulate dominoes

with wrinkled faces and bleary eyes

Doorsteps from...

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Black Lives Matter?

Nature´s mighty arm moves with unstoppable power

Winds erratic and forceful sweep all before it

This momentum of intense movement, a prelude to a cleansing rain

which thunders down as mighty bullets

to saturate an earth already quenched

A landscape soaked, no longer firm

gives way as a hillside dislodges itself

Moving mud slides inexorably forward a...

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The Nation State

I do not want to be part of a federation

I prefer to live in a sovereign nation

where my individualism and identity

are connected to my cultural entity

We must reserve the right to be who we are

and not imposed on or influenced from afar

We have our own language and way of life

and do not welcome invasion or strife

We live comfortably with...

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