The Inner Sprawl

A morass wallowing in its own destiny

faces of anguish,vacant, lost in a 

conundrum of terrestial confusion

Eagerly in pursuit and pursued

driven by all that should be detested

yet now set upon a pedestal of glory

A beggar with dog of adoring eyes

blue smoke wafts his presence to passers by

Some ignore to rush with bated breath

others bewildered ...

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Undercurrents

Beneath a calm or stormy sea

raging currents ply their nefarious force

swirling torrents capture the unsuspecting

in watery talons to carry off their victims

into the profound depths of lugubrious darkness

Into an abyss no no recovery

violence is their hallmark 

deceit beneath their calling card

for a destiny of doom in a watery sepulchre

Such ...

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Banks

The Banks only have to shout

and the Government give them a bail out

Institutions of incessant greed

take money from those in need

They operate under their own licence

to ensure their own existence

Customers have become pound signs

as we live in such mercenary times

Once before the cashier I had a name

now an eight digit number is the same

Personal servi...

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Nocturnal Incarceration

Days of insipid light offer only abandoned hope

night fall is an avalanche of the deepest hue

Street lights offer not even a shadow

they stand as pylons bereft of any purpose

All is within a world of the broken spirit

daunted by pessimistic glee from a deeper void

Fleeting shadows drone about the hazy gloom

the horizon has surrended herself to t...

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The Non Event

Fire hackers and christmas crackers

green and red sprouting baubles of silver and gold

glistening, sparkling an alluring fallacy

A deception as icy as a frozen bucket

tinsle ties its heavenly knots and children sleep in their cots

Whiskers white with red delight

a shining nose to lead us astray

A sham of a reality brought low

as the gathering in of wea...

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A Rush

A bright spark to a dull mind

searchlights beam for inspiration

as the tunnel is abandoned

its dampness gone, the stench with it

Lights scan the heavens and horizons

body and mind exhilarated

transported, enervated to peaks aloft and wide

Ideas fuel enthusiasm to burst the samovar

milk boils over in fleshy wonder

It is worth it, it has arrived

the track...

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Perplexity

Are my tears those of repentance or sorrow

as they come from a well within

Their flow is incessant as I am drained

with thoughts and people now long past

I lack that spark of inner energy to begin anew

for I am overcome with a profound lethargy

I recline for hours to reminisce and ponder

the future seems imponderable and remote

Then a ray of lig...

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A Covered Mood

A heavy blanket is drawn over the

     town and surrounding countryside

The world is opaque, shapes emerge from nowhere

     sounds kept in a restraining abeyance

Time is no longer discernible, clarity has

     departed to other places

My heart and mind find no solace

     as I am a solitary figure grey and old

A finality pervades the gloom of my subd...

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The Womb

A life giving womb

the womb of warmth

the womb of darkness

the womb of nearness

the womb of protection

let me languish here

do not disturb me

I am safe in this dark

keep me till Spring comes

then launch me to the world

to colour, clouds and sun

then take me back

keep me inside

I want to sleep eternal 

in a womb, a place

of intermittent ...

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The Shopping Mall

A palace of glass and neon lights

Crystal Palace re born in every town

Frenetic figures in high motion

plastic bags clutched by anxious seeking faces

A play ground for the young

a cavern of comfort for a coffee

Signs, posters calling out for

the attention of filled wallets and purses

An Aladdins Cave of treasures for all

trainers, spectacles and...

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Winter´s Icy Blast

The bear roars his arrival

with bone chilled marrow

Winds clad of ice, a frozen shield

as snow lingers ready to pounce

in darkened shadows of obscurity

Night rules day, the invaders sway

hibernation beckons come

all is gathered in and safely stored

Jack Frost dances with glee

scattering white dust for all to see

Nests exposed in spidery bran...

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Quietly Exceptional

Only when I reflect do I see someone different

to who he was when alive and I knew him

His life beset by a profound childhood experience

a war which endorsed violence as a part of life

A family man, unemotional and industrious

a husband faithful in adversity

A father unused to children

having had his childhood robbed of him

Beneath a superfi...

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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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An Excursion

Some wish to spend a day on the London Eye

sufferers from vertigo a day at the seaside

Hot air ballooning has become increasingly popular

whilst pot-holing has fallen into decline

I suffer from a severe psychological addiction

and obsessive disorder from which there is no remedy

My excursions are quite exclusive in content

their destinations many but all t...

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Equal Opportunities

We are an equal opportunities employer

a declaration of firm and honest intent

An appalling fraud

passed by parliament as legislation for all

enforced by the law for a gullible public

We are a well constructed camouflage

which veils deceit, giving prejudice free rein

stimulates lies and plays games with people´s lives

We treat all applicants equa...

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A Glorious Power

Through the mists of dawn

there emerged a huge mass

of perpendicular rock

The defiant face of a blackened cliff 

waves lashed against its immense structure

a formidable onslaught of an effervescent ocean

surged beneath its dormant beauty

Each wave was repelled unceasingly

to return to a cauldron below

The rock pools and crevices

accepted ...

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The Damned - 1916

In the darkness of a freezing night

illuminated by flares and the thunder of guns

they fell into ankle deep mud to smoke a pipe

or hope for some food before the rodents ate it all

They had no comfort, little hope in a foreign field

holes, trenches dug by their fellow countrymen, now gone

to offer a shield from the torment of the enemy

from an unr...

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A Gallery of Memories

To reminisce into the folds of time

as drops of nostalgia drizzle down

from a blue awning drenched in time

Faces appear, once young

and full of a vigour and vitality

bouncing with youthful expectation

Places re appear as the landmarks

of journeys long since past

Accompanied by an appropriate music

as Marlene Dietrich sings  ¨

Leben ohne L...

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Too Late

This day is another day

in a sea of weeks

and an ocean of years

Time punctuated between

darkness and light

Man a solitary figure

a freckle on a swirling planet

Time past and present

have witnessed only a fragment

of what lies ahead

That is if a future be greater

than the sum of the past

We make only the merest contribution

to this cyclical ti...

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The Web of Sleep

Into the halls of darkness

into the Sarcophagus of night

strands of light filter into the gloom

to begin their daily entrance

Night gently recedes with grace

as the conciousness is aroused

A downward spiral, a whirlpool of dreams

hurries to avoid recognition

Only a sudden grasp 

may retrieve one such 

nocturnal perambulation

At this crucial...

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Heartfelt Sorrow

At the age of nine years he was laid to rest

he had lived a good life and done his very best

The grave yard was full with people 

standing in the shadow of the church steeple

His parents, brother and sisters with large family were there

as the small coffin was adorned with his teddy bear

There was not a dry eye anywhere to be seen

only stifled sob...

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The Mellow Years

I was told that age would make me mellow

that anxiety and impatience would fade away

Such predictions brought about a yearning

for the twilight years to pass serenely unto death

Not so, let those who forecast such a time

be told that I have grown intolerant and irritable

I excel at being rude particularly in public

and shout at television whenever...

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Welcome to my Parlour

If you walked into my house and I was not there

your would soon discover that it was not so bare

Everything that you would so easily see

would speak so very eloquently of the real me

It is a house of oddments where little does match

and at an intital glance not all can be snatched

Wall units vary in shape, size and colour to behold

from the h...

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Old and Gay

I lie in the undergrowth of a fretful life

when I appear I am forced to conjure an alien face

With behaviour and lies which are not mine

for I leave others in another place and time

I am the innocent victim of nature who I do not blame

I swim in a current and not with the tide

My life is one aimed to conform and please others

my real life lays conceale...

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Grandad

Everyone in the hamlet called him Grandad

I remember him well as I was only a lad

He lived alone in the very end house

with no water or electricity like a church mouse

He smoked a home made briar

and often romanced, so some called him a liar

In his darkened kitchen he would his baccy chew

and if I turned up he´d say, O it´s only you

A black kettle ...

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Never a Broken Spirit

This ageing frame enfolds a spirit undiminished

aching joints, the realisation of age do not vanquish my desire

My appetite, my zest for life has not lost its ardour

a creative spirit pervades my need to express

I am not resigned nor will conform to life´s limitations

my stature suffers no erosion from the elements

A glance in a mirror is a port...

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Winters Royal Trail

The Autumnal Palace opens its majestic gate

it does so now so as not to be too late

From within its lofty walls do fall

a royal carpet of leaves for all

The colours are of a resplendent hue

to cascade from a sky of azure blue

This seasonal event marks the end of summer

before the wintry winds bring their thunder

The nights are now drawi...

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If Only.....

His eyes held a furtive longing

to which I readily responded

I saw his form which said all

He beckoned and I followed 

to an intimacy unbearably intense

A passion driven by desire

no more needs to be said 

or laboured on

Since that encounter which was repeated

he sits in my memory and heart

like a distant island of longing

It can never be dimin...

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The Mundane Challenged

I used to ridicule and scorn

the sedentary life style of the old

Their prosaic sense of out dated values

anaesthetized from the reality of life

I despised their lack of courage or endeavour

a fixation of themselves and their orbit

A self induced malaise consumed them

from mowing the lawn to washing the car

Concern for how others perceived them

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The Bohemian Cafe

It lived true to its name like no other

with mismatched furniture and an odd cover

Not one cup, plate or knife were the same

its clientele seemed only a little tame

The floor was built of unusual planks

as no loan was forthcoming from the banks

Shady deals were often carried out

amidst many a cheer and shout

A strange scent permeated the air

as ...

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Poverty - A Chasm too Great

I walk a sandy road in my bare feet

with the occasional stranger do I meet

Yet you are far away, in the very same day

Do you think we will ever meet one day

You wander around a department store

going about from floor to floor

Shelves piled high with pricey attire

from this you never seem to tire

My wardrobe is shorts and T shirt

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In promise of the Seasons

I have returned to the cradle of my being

those places and times which formed me

Moulded me into the person I now am

the oak with acorns about to fall

surrounded by a sea of drooping nettles

morning mists which shroud the dells

as dogs race around in the twilight fields

The expectancy of autumn

its foreboding, the onsett of winter

yet su...

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It rained on Market Day

As we arrived the first drops fell

the stall owners were very keen to sell

Fresh veg from many local farms

across the road stood the Kings Arms

Umberellas soon began to mushroom

which made for far less room

Soon the rain became quite heavy

some folk went to the pub for a bevy

Tarpaulins and coverings were laid

to cover much of what was han...

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I saw a Lady today

I saw a lady today

as I walked along a sun lit road

She was walking towards me

neatly attired in a dark blue dress

She wore a straw hat with flowers

which nestled on the brim

She carried a closed parasol

which matched her floral 

patterned dress

Her black laced shoes

were trim and suited her 

overall demeanour

Her gait was most precise

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Shout it from the Hills

How easily we are subdued and seduced

to lie supine having rolled over in acquiescence

Have we joined the ranks of the moronic hordes

those who are the shiftless and hapless wanderers

We are fed a diet to subjugate original thought

advertisements impress the minds of the mindless

The masses shuffle about on an aimless trajectory

many have l...

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Love at Last

My sexual awakening took place encased in a tomb

a claustraphobic space which haunted my thoughts

I existed in this obscure place fearful of exposure

my desires and yearnings seen as obstacles

To articulate my orientation would create living hell

fear became all pervasive in this perpetual tomb

It was prudent to say nothing to no one

the merest hint o...

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Facing the Truth

She sits in a predicament of self imposed despair

withdrawn from the world about her

She attempts to create her own reality

which does not exist, but only in her mind

Days, weeks and months pass by as she lives in her cocoon

seldom does she venture outside

Preferring the isolation which protects her

but also damages her health and well being

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Caught in Between

Shadows cast by the sun are the silhouettes of life

their darkness conceals that which only the soul knows

Uncertainity as a veil obscures light and hope

clouds are dispelled to bear witness to horror

The light breathes a love, a passion, a zest for life

momentarily all seems well and bright

Then darkness creeps insidiously in to bring disquiet

to dam...

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Why do I Write?

Do I write to vent my feelings

Do I write to give a voice for the voiceless

Do I write to promote my views

Do I write as a cathartic experience

Do I write for some kind of attention

Do I write for notoriety

Do I write because I am lonely

Do I write for simple pleasure

Do I write for my love of words

Do I write to entertain

Do I write to provoke

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Take Heart

We have lived a worthy life without any recompense

abided by laws not of our making or doing

Insults and prejudice we have bravely borne

from family and the employees of a bigotted society

Not one foot could be taken without criticism

always held to account by the unaccountable

Victims of our own diminished humanity

we are those who are readily discarde...

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The Wall of Prejudice

Their smile is warm and reassuring

well rehearsed and convincingly given

But behind this veneer is a dark wall

which conceals a true and sinister identity

To be in a minority is seen as not to conform

to pose a threat and challenge the norm

Muslim, black, gay or zoroastrian

the beaming smile remains the same

The smile is false, rooted...

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Cast into outer Darkness

My family treated me as an adjunct

seldom was I included in their lives

I was lucky to receive a Christmas Card

a visit was rare indeed

Is this because I had done something wrong

or in some way offended them

The reason lingers beneath the surface

as they prefer to change the subject

I think of them often as we are related

I grew...

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Restoration

I woke up to realise that I was in a concrete shell

for some time I had been incacerated in this cell

I had grown accustomed to its routine

in a world that I had never really seen

I was frightened by this overpowering reality

as I began to doubt any sense of my sanity

Was I blinded by a nauseous gas

to find that I was quite friendless

I began t...

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Destitute

From inside the bus and through a glass bus shelter

I saw a man sitting on the flagged pavement

leaning and slouched against a grey wall

Before him lay a rucksack and a hand of bananas

most were green, freshly taken from a nearby plantation

He wore a hat which concealed his forehead

his clothes were worn with age and stained

He was barefoot, eating the crust ...

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Brought Low

Melancholia has carried me to 

a place where I am quiescent beneath

a vault of overbearing cloud

where above the bridge of light

continues to drive the outer world

I lie in obscurity with no glimmer

of enthusiasm or hope only a sense

of fruitless endeavours for the

mind to ponder on

Shipwrecked on rocks of despair

crushed by waves and changing tide...

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Withdrawl

Betwixt two worlds in which I live

one fraught with anxiety and cares

These daily assaults can be withstood

but only by a regular respite and withdrawl

From articial sounds, mobiles and computers

away from incessant mithering I need to flee

I retreat to the created order, to landscapes and seascapes

to the edge of open spaces, shades and glades

To stand an...

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The Waiting Room

For some reason it reminded me of a ticket office

with people queuing, holding papers in clenched fists

Each consulting room had a group waiting outside

There were no windows, a dreary place

The only natural light filtered through frosted glass windows

three large potted palms showed some semblance of natural life

A room of no character, no welcome, few c...

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Inside the Ambulance

As I opened the double doors of the ambulance

I saw five pairs of bare feet 

A waft of stale air brought with it the stench of death

bodies dead for several hours in a hot sun

My heart was racing as I climbed inside

into a cavern of death and mutilation

Bullet wounds which had seeped blood

were now congealed stains, signs of violent deaths

Their...

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The Streets of London

These well trodden thoroughfares cannot speak for themselves

but they are the libraries of memories stored over time

Pavements, pedestrian crossings and colonades of buildings

which once saw and heard the drone of German bombers

Ambulances, fire engines and police cars with bells ringing

raced to and fro as fires blazed and people screamed

Streets li...

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The Rainbow Arc

Late in life a rainbow appears

as if from nowhere it embraces all

A monument to a personal testimony

A chronometer to the spurious nature of time

of dubious veracity, of doutful origin

Where does it begin or end

is anyone´s guess

Nothing distorts its perfect harmony

it climbs at an angle to its zenith

then falls to its demise

before the bowels ...

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The Lone Driver

A road well worn with potholes

no pavements or lay-bys only hedges

which are unkempt and bristling with gorse

Oncoming traffic causes us to swerve and avoid

sometimes the gradient is steep

This is the road of life, a road driven alone

passengers may offer advice but the 

steering wheel is not in their hands

Concentration and vision matter most

when in ...

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The Videomatic Tutor

The clatter of typewriters in a nearby classroom

created a scene of women learning to type

Young ladies sitting before Imperials and Remingtons

with their handbags aside peering at the Videomatic Tutor

Few realised that burly young soldiers

inhabitied this sanctum of supposed feminine activity

Hands not made for the intricacies of a keyboard

strugg...

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Put down

My homework was still in my school satchel

as I sat glued to the television set

I forget what I was watching as it was not important

I had not been home for long

the tea was prepared on the dining room table

In he walked, the image of paternal authority

with a gift for words which could deprecate

¨Here sits the Perennial Box Watcher ¨, he announced

¨Nothing...

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The Wicked Witch

She appreared elderly and frail

assisted by a calliper on one arm

and a dainty dog in the other

A vulnerable old soul whose 

appearance aroused pity and compassion

People always made way for her offering the best seat

Occasionally she would don a neck brace

which lended itself to her overall infirmity

A born actress of incomparable skill

Her conv...

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A Summer Ramble

We walked for miles in those halcyon days

along country lanes, across fields full of long fresh grass

The occasional gate or stile to be overcome

we ambled in a free fall of thought

picking leaves and petals as we casually strolled by

Clouds scudded past or sat in a woollen state

streams with sticklebacks and frogs, new signs of life

Trees with magpies ...

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Obsessive Shopping

Years ago I was impulsive and easily led

A shopping spree when I bought up everything in sight

I was obsessed with the need to possess

to have and own more despite the cost

Sales drew me like a magnet of desire

I rummaged to find style and size together

My wardrobe and bookcase creaked under an excessive weight

When back indoors with my latest booty

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The Wind Still Blows

We don´t know from where it comes

or to where it is destined

Its strength can never be measured 

nor its path predicted

From a gentle breeze to sudden gusts

from the fury of a hurricane with its power to destroy

or as it tingles the senses on a summer´s day

Its origins are a mystery

but its power can be harnessed for the good

It comes freely ...

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A Roof Terrace

A garden wreathed in early morning sunlight

A summit amongst others in varied shape and appearance

A stairway leads the way through a shaft of light

Then one arrives to see the world about, a new day

In the strreets below as people come and go

Roof tops, awnings recede into the distance

This is my domain of solitude and space

Here I read, write and paint...

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The Choice is yours

You can struggle in the gutter with misshapen faces

allow yourself to be plagued with nightmares

Fight the inner fight of eternal conflict

or you can liberate the soul

to fly to a nest, a perch with a new horizon

The comparison is life changing

a troubled mind receives a glimmer of love

a perspective with optimism to the fore

as never experienced...

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Dad

Significant and somewhat enigmatic

he always sat in his favourite armchair

wing backed, quite upright as he loathed cushions

He cut a dignified figure, well groomed

clothes carefully chosen, made to measure

forever in shirt and tie

A wardrobe of his generation in neat array

suits, flannels, blazers, sports jackets

and a varied assortment of ties

monogrammed h...

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Heart and Mind

My heart and mind rotate in different spheres

sometimes in conflict as the pragmatic mind

offends the sensitivity of the all embracing heart

Both compose an integral part of my being

One imagines love the other tempers desire

a heart of optimism twinned with a mindful of cares

A fanciful traveller whose boundaries are brought to bear

each one respon...

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Keep Your Distance

I want peace

I want tranquility

I desire to be alone

I need security

Stay away from me

I have graduated

to another place

It is my sanctuary

you are forbidden to enter

Stay away

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The Finale

Does fear lie behind the thought of death

or is there a semblance of hope inter mingled

Are we to look forward and not back

or to some imaginings of a new life

We move closer to it everday

age manifests its imminence

To reflect over a life spent

to celebrate or lament

Past wrong doings are drenched with regret

a failure to love or be loved

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The Cull

There is news of a cull to reduce our numbers

the veracity of this is endorsed by human voices

We tremble in a collective fear of annihilation

Are we to be hunted, taunted then slaughtered

Will there be time to say farewells

We huddle together waiting for the sound of gun fire

of dogs and trucks

Our young cling to their mothers

wild eyes glance to and fro

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Likes and Dislikes

I love crumpets toasted by an open fire

covered lavishly with butter

which seeps through those dotted crevices

and are blissful to eat when warm

I like railway stations and trains

platforms full of different folk

trying to guess where they are going to

peering into the buffet and waiting rooms

I desire the deepest of sleeps

where no d...

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The Passage

They aspire to nothing but shuffle about

aimless is their existence

Walking along a white painted corridor

bland, with closed doors on either side

The building is their tomb

as the living dead languish in contentment

They peer through windows in search of life

but cannot see the wood for the trees

A silent world given no purpose

their indolence is alm...

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A Suburban Jungle

My grandmother lived alone in a semi detached house

some miles from the centre of city life

The local area was not fully urban

as aspects of rural life remained evident

Not far away stood an old farm house

some years ago converted into a pub

Foxes could be seen at night

scavagening for food amongst the dustbins

The houses were uniform and had been ...

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A Summerhouse

My mother had a posh lady friend

I cannot recall how they met

or what they had in common

as they were of a completely different cless

Mrs Roper lived in a large detached house

about a mile out of town

along a leafy lane lined with huge oak trees

We always walked to the house from the station

It was a special treat on a sunny day

Mrs Roper served tea...

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A Cameo of Years Past

A clotheshorse about the fireplace

A pipe rack with father´s meerschaums on the hearth

A napoleon clock ticked the hours away

flanked by two brass candlesticks

The odour of damp clothes drying in a fiery light

Wellington boots by the kitchen door

The pantry long before the refrigerators arrived

with large earthenware jars full of pickled onions

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Evacuees

From packed railway trains

they stumbled along country lanes

Clutching their gas masks and cases

often stooping to tie their laces

Strange faces peered from behind a net curtain

with glances that were quite uncertain

The billeting officer was highly officious

and the children somewhat mischievous

All were found a place to stay

because their hom...

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Justice and Peace

Rumbling sounds warn of earthquakes

gathering clouds speak of an imminent storm

A vat of wine mumbles as it ferments

a child whimpers before it cries out

The sun rises to reveal the glory of the day

beneath the surface of life a new force gathers momentum

This is where we are

A challenge is breaking loose

to denounce corruption, prejudice and war

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The End Times

A black whirlpool lies before me

as the world´s evil is sucked out of sight

The ground shakes and buildings collapse

asteroids and comets race by

with fiery tails ablaze in a cataclysmic sky

Lightning flashes with pronged forks

to the accompaniment of rumbling thunder

Screams, shouts, explosions in a cacaphony 

of hysterical sound

The room tilts as ...

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A Grey Blanket

A hidden form shrouded in a world of drizzle

head and face veiled by a yellow sou´wester

Wellingtons and raincoat obscure shape or form

A sky laden with threatening clouds

an unbearable heavy dullness

A composer struggling with depression

a painter stares blankly at a canvas

Puddles catch a reflection

which distorts what is above

Beneath the covere...

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War Games

As boys we played in and around

disused air raid shelters

where others had once found refuge 

from the terror of the skies

Together we re enacted the war

British and Germans in deadly conflict

for us it was fun, having listened to

and inspired by our parents wartime reminices

Adolesence propelled us into adulthood

into a time of peace and prosperity

...

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A Woman of Substance

She possessed a natural charm and elegance

with her beauty concealed only by age

Her clothes were simple, not extavagant

chosen with great care and taste

She spoke English faultlessly

with no hint of accent or affectation

A woman always composed 

unruffled by any calamity or chaos

She worked assidiously and with precision

self sufficient with...

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The Rock of Friendship

A good friend is a rock indeed

one who is there in times of need

The sea lashes against its strength

with a spray of effervescence

Never daunted or totally submerged

it stands the test of fidelity emerged

No movement or alteration is seen

it remains as it has always been

A rock firm forever to endure

no matter what, it is forever sure

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This and that

Some search as others are content only to see

There are those who thirst for knowledge

and beside them those who already know

Then we meet those who are right

whilst opposite to them are the wrong

The judges glower at the judged

The thinker lives with the thoughtless

Plotters lay in wait for their victim

as the unsuspecting approach oblivious to danger

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The Eagle and the Star

Where the Holy One of God once stood

amongst places with names well understood

Where He came to bring peace and love

to make here on earth as it is above

We see an incestuous land of hate

where it now seems all too late

Injustice flourishes like rampant nettles

fuelled by those from afar who have settled

A conspiracy borne out of pity and gree...

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Dia Mundial de la Poesía

The World Day of Poetry

They would do well to listen to us

as we speak we do so for most people

We articulate our hopes and frustrations

in a world obsessed with cruelty and greed

Poets are the conjurers of words

logophiles at heart, keen to express and impress

The heart of the poet is a deep wellspring

images and reflections are his da...

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There is more....

To retreat, to withdraw

to escape far from care and clamour

to enter through a different portal

into a vision of serenity

to be alone, unimpeded

unimpaired, unattached

free of distractions and illusions

from an irritating world of self

vexed with its own existence

from the buzz, drone and hum

of futile exertions

of wasted effort and time l...

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Misplaced Compassion

He has committed the most heinous crime

people are filled with repugnance and repelled

Condemnatory and hostile words are spat out

many say he is beyond redemption

I know him, but not well, once an acquaintance

years have passed since we first and last met

I neither liked nor disliked him

he seemed cheerful, confident and vivacious

Sen...

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More than the eye can see

Everything we desire is transitory

we grasp it and it slips away

Nothing is really permanent

not even ourselves

We chase our tails

like playful dogs

We follow the fashions of the day

which lead nowhere

We build only to witness decay

we love but only for a season

The rains often torrential

soon give way to aridity

...

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Three Score Years & Ten

A fusion of all emotiions 

and endless experiences

Often kept back from the brink

the precipice of danger or despair

Consumed by passions of

such intensity and power

Cyclical bouts of depression

then to be propelled to the heavens

Sleep with dreams of escape

the lure of an enticing lust

Ambitions which came to nought

surprises and re...

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An Orderly Woman

Every week was planned

with every day given an allotted task

She was indeed a creature of habit

always dressed according to the job in hand

Mondays were spent enwrapped

amongst sheets, dresses and underwear

Soap powder, dolly blue and the Burco boiler

and soon the garden lines became like bunting

Tuesdays she stood before the ironing board

surrou...

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A Royal Box

I found myself sitting at the entrance to a cave

it might once have been an aboriginal grave

I sat high above the surrounding landscape

far below in a verdant valley lay a distant lake

I could not see above where I sat alone

it was a natural not a man made home

The cave was deep and eerily dark

and in the mountains I could hear a dog bark

No on...

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A Living Creation

I swam out until I could swim no more

then I turned and saw the distant shore

I floated on gently rippling waves

above a deep, dark watery grave

I looked toward the beach of sand

and the towering immensity of land

Further out and beyond my reach

lay another far off beach

An island rising above the sea

perhaps my destination to be

I remai...

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The Numinous

From my earliest recollections

without knowledge or instruction

I was forever aware of the numinous

There was always the other there and close

more powerful, silent and strong

I could not feel truly alone

as this invisible companion created a presence

In those days the popular cry was

There is no God

I could not echo this refrain

I knew differentl...

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