Forward

A great door opens on a darkened landscape

I stand at the precipice of the unkown

A journey forward or an eternal void

I cannot know what is to be revealed

I am ignorant and childlike in my perception

Despite a wealth of experience and knowledge

The future holds no assurances

Faith speaks of eternity but who am I to know

I step forward with resignation

Th...

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What we face

A tangled web of attraction and addiction

draws us to an epicentre of confusion and distraction

Repulsed by hatred, ignorance and prejudice

we walk on broken glass in the place where pigs lay

Lured by compulsive desire and rampant lust

we are thrown off course in a haze of dust

Cheated by lies and the voices of eternal deceit

clarity of thought becomes a d...

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A Solution

A trickle of faltering smoke wound its way upward

many were left standing bereft

As the families of who were left

became as a column of smoke toward the sky

Harsh voices broke their numbed silence

a ragged group soon assembled

Mentally and spiritually disabled

there had been no time to even say farewell

A small orchestra on a worn lawn

began ...

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Integrity, Where is your Sting?

Philanthropists beware wolves come in sheeps clothing

Poets speak out with your mighty voices against deceit

The Masters of self aggrandisement have arrived

Party and personal fortunes their  ´raison d´etre 

These ferrets curry our favour and give pretence a new meaning

Their placard has two sides, each with a face

For these unscrupulous so...

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They gave their all

A solitary autumnal leaf of reddish brown

As if a visitor from the past

Fluttered along the street lined with a silent throng

Propelled by the morning wind 

It gradually settled on the steps of the War Memorial

A heavy scent of used gunpowder

Still pervaded the village from a night of bonfires

We stood silently and somberly before many names

Reme...

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The Front

Faces ripped off

intestines disgorged

Lice and rats eat

the entrails of heroes

Helmets with bullet holes

filled with cerebral refuse

Frozen joints, numbed fingers

burnt out dog ends

Squelching mud

foot rot to boot

Incessant explosions

mountains of fresh corpses

Humanity debased

for flags and monarchs

What a fucking hell

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For the Better

On my study wall hangs a portrait

of a man, his son and a family of refugees

Walking with their meagre possessions

Syrains in a foreign land; a people in despair

They are displaced souls the victims of civil war

this family is one of millions throughout the world

crossing borders, leaving family and friends behind

Can any good come from such a trage...

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A Collage of Autumn

A silent thunder of darkened clouds approach

light is diminished into a perpetual shadow of gloom

Sinister cohorts of ghosts dart about in macabre dance

the drums of the damned fill the air with stark foreboding

The obscure memories of past years appear from the sepulchres of time

a barely noticed cenotaph assumes a different identity

War is never...

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A Reason

A ponderous existence is our enigma in life

to experience the fullness of all is perplexity

Highly subjective we are intensely observant

the world is seen as a cinema screen

A performance in which we all take part

a drama of strange participation

Do I serve a purpose through my being here

is my individuality purposefully made

Am I a cog in a wheel of p...

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One of Many

I detest that cold biting wind

which chills me through bark into each ring

Those gusts that denude me of any propriety

as autumnal scales are blown away

to fall upon a carpet of other discarded leaves

A time to acknowledge my stark reality

to be resilient in the face of snow and hail

Along with others we give of ourselves

in uniformed fidelity to the sea...

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You´re Living in the Past

(from a has been to a know it all)

In some cultures the elderly are regarded as the

custodians of wisdom based on life´s experience

In our advanced culture of high technology

the elderly are put aside as having served their purpose

Fashion is to be attractive and up to date

modernity is the way forward, the means of progress

Old Fashioned...

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Nan´s Kitchen

The kitchen was small and austere

an old sink with a single tap

for cold water alone

The window was draped in a net curtain

beside the sink an old gas stove

with four burners and an oven

Opposite stood a kitchenette

and little else that served any purpose

Linoleum covered the wooden floor

which was cracked and threadbare

In the corner behind a do...

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Loathing

Indoctrination and radicalisation

instruments in the hands of evil men

Distorted political ideologies and religious zealots

creators of inferiority and superiority

Where many are deprecated and made worthless

who are persecuted or even exterminated

In the name of Righteousness

by the self righteous

From those in power

the manipulators

Arbita...

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Bigger and Better Bombs

Should we build more new schools

with indoor and outside pools

More hospitals are urgently needed

let´s hope and pray our voices are heeded

Let´s plant more trees and clean up the beaches

including our land to its furthermost reaches

New universities for many to improve the mind

and money for research to restore sight for the blind

...

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In Love

A time comes to fall deeply in love

consumed by a sensuous longing desire

A burning passion of emptying oneself

to be enrapt in the gilded frame of love

When all else is of secondary importance

nothing left to chance or distractions of any kind

A union of body, mind and heart

beating yea pulsating to a climax of exhileration

A time when all is brou...

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No Frontiers

Birds carry no passports

the wind blows where it wills

Rain falls where it pleases

the fox and owl know no boundaries

Music is heard internationally

God is worshipped in universality

families are separated by national documents

Passports exercise border control

tickets with taxes permit travel across them

Pollution flows through the air

colds and ...

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History in Denial

General Franco is to be exhumed and his body removed

for years his statues have been argued over and often approved

Streets bearing his name now have new and different names

and so the politicians play their deceitful games

This handiwork is for the sake of distraction

to divert away attention in another direction

A failing economy with chaos can no...

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A Green Planet

War has been declared on all fossil fuels

The planet must be protected at all costs

Too little, too late

For centuries we have littered the world

It has been used and abused

Ocean beds are covered with sunken ships

Unexploded ordinance lies deep in the soils of many lands

Chemicals have scarred the home of humanity

Fish grow into grotesque mutations b...

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Let them be....

Let people be as they are

Let dogs bark as a warning

Let cats purr with satisfation

Let frogs croak by their pond

Let us be who we are

Let us be what we want to be

Let actors be on stage

Let the angry demonstrate

Let communists seek for equality

Let gays be happy and in love

Let gypsies roam where they will

Let the believers pray for us all

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Daylight Robbery

Conformity robbed me of my personal freedom

it took away my ambitions and desires

My talents were ignored as if they did not exist

and I allowed this to happen under my very nose

Time has passed by for there can be no recovery

I am not alone by any stretch of the imagination

Conformity, fear, conventions and tradition

with their societal prejudice...

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Latent Talent

There are budding scientists

and fledgling artists

who cannot be heard

because they live

in what is called 

the Third World

We are deprived

of their potential and talent

because they live

in poverty with

no hope or grace

This is a disgrace

We send money

to Third World dictators

who are oblivious

to progress and beauty

...

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Do me in....

I am a lesbian, a communist and a subversive

I am a gypsy, I masturbate, I think I´m gay too

This should be enough for you to do me in

rid yourself of your conceitedness and prejudice

go and don´t delay, be spontaneous and have your way

Make the world a better place and do with me away

Clean up your town, turn it white and straight

and in so doing why not ...

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Drawing in....

Gradually, imperceptibly the nights draw in

they encroach with the chill of winter to foretell

As a blanket they cover a dormant landscape

there is no retreat, no turning back, the die is cast

the rubicon is crossed

Until the Feast of Epiphany we sink into a darkened world

only beyond is the light of a resurrected dawn

A time to slumber, dream, to drink ...

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The Final Act

I do not want you to stand there as if dumb

required out of a conformist etiquette to be present

I have arranged my funeral as a theatre for all

for family, friends and bystanders alike

This time within these sacred portals will stain your eternal memory

as no other farewell has or ever will

My body will be borne on the shoulders of those who I love

this ...

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An Autumnal Rhapsody

Clusters of sacrificial colurs

in a bleated cry from a dormant world

In unison the days of autumn do ebb

from the gaiety of a summer´s warmth

It is the finale, the last movement

of a rhapsody which droops in sorrow

Threadbare leaves in a myriad of colours

give the landscape a farewell hue

A floor of sadness is littered between weary trees

as ...

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Down Memory Lane

Trams trundled along the centre of the road

as whistling kettles sounded a cup of tea

People queued outside cinemas as human snakes

with a policeman directing a swarm of black cars

Streets pockmarked with the shrapnel of war

vacant spaces between buildings where buildings once stood

Cobbled streets of Victorian days to rumble over

buses, trams and trol...

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An Ancient Language

It is not Latin or Ancient Greek

that we find a language so rich and deep

It is not borne of a vocabulary or tongue

but from the heart, soul and mind of man

Found in the mists of time it comes to us

rich and varied are its sounds and cadences

For it can speak across all boundaries

reaching beyond impassable frontiers

Its sounds are an orchestra r...

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A Moment in Time

A Railway Buffett Bar

on a rainy November evening

we sat amongst a throng of tables

as the air filled with smoke

Silently we sipped our drinks

wishing to be somewhere else

a place of tranquility and alone

but people pushed about us

The rush hour was in full swing

he looked searchingly into his beer

I at his profile deep in my own thoughts

W...

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The End

Bombers race in unison along

expectant runways

Laden with a deadly nuclear cargo

to dislodge our planet from its axis

As we are cast like confetti

into an inter galactic gloom

Leaving our earthly home abandoned

desolate and forever stricken

Leaders shout the futile slogans

of their defunct ideologies

Beauty is gone in a blinding flash

verdant meadow...

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My Other........

I live mostly inside my mind

where I am fully consumed

Solitude draws out my creative spirit

as I sit uninterrupted and alone

I am the kernel of my being

cut adrift in a sea of discovery

I cannot be an island fortress

as I lack the strength and will

My other is always close at hand

as a rampart and shoulder of solace

Without his pres...

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She Died Recently......

He weeps inwardly

behind sad eyes

His voice falters

as memories are recalled

He is broken

lost and unseeing

A veil of tears separates them

she has been taken away

Alone he stumbles

sleepless nights of dread

He is fearful

unused to loneliness

All sense of direction

has gone from sight

He mourns like 

others have mourned

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Our Destiny

The leaves of integrity fall

leaving the stoic tree of virtue

They fall or are blown about

to the earth of abundant corruption

The sun hides behind clouds of shame

as the winds warn of impending doom

Seas surge with the waves of war

as the earth trembles on its foundations

A moon of lurid light deceives

a gullible landscape below

Creatures turn aga...

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A Spiritual Home

The soul searches for a home without

confined and content it seeks another abode

A palm lined, sun drenched beach

the lofty peaks of a mountain range

or within a pine forest of a needled floor

Perhaps a river flows to soothe this soul

or a city square bedecked with cafes

A foreign land rich in culture and cuisine

or a tongue, a language to entice

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Needless Burdens

I used to carry them as mindful burdens

weights which pressed against my back

Shackles on wrists and ankles

to impede my progress even drawing blood

They became a part of my daily slog

my inner feelings numbed by their heaviness

A once erect stature crippled itself

to become a shadow of my true identity

How much longer was I to endure thos...

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The Final Blast

A gun salute reverberated through the trees

as unprecedented temperatures soared

With birds and wild life cowering for shade

The tsunami of summer had peaked

an audible sigh whispered amongst the branches

All remained as before except for an air of expectancy

Green leaves retained their lustre

hedgerows verdant with a harvest of fruit

A silent rubico...

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He Stepped Inside

The key was inside the lock

He went forward and opened the door

Alone and unobserved he entered

To find the gullible and the willing

He latched onto those who deprecated others

The resentful he nurtured

Unseen he cast his net far and wide

He appointed leaders to receive adulation

Their prupose and strength he fortified

He gave them full rein for thei...

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Moods

I join each day in the flow of its current

Compatible or not I try to adjust myself

The day often conflicts with my waking mood

I walk along a darkened corridor

Feeling my way with uncertainty

I welcome the unexpected yet cherish routine

Spontaneity can disturb or delight

Outside I embrace sun, shower or rain

Only the wind aggravates my soul

I react, respon...

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A Web of Deceit

A transparent woven membrane

partially concealed in a corner of the room

Barely noticeable and constructed with no warning

its architect lay concealed and out of sight

It was a trap of indiscriminate stealth

as the faintest movement alerted the predator

Nothing was spared, no prisoners were taken

the architect devoured all who came his way

...

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Life´s Quandary

Would we board a ship not knowing its destination

or catch a train without first determining its intention

Why then do we emabark on life´s journey

if we don´t know where our end will be

What provides the spirit of eternal hope

when we are least able to cope

From where comes our need for self preservation

if we lack any real sense of determination

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The Bottle

From out of a bottle

comes not a genie

but a cloud arises

as a fog to the mind

A hazy perspective is formed

as illusions are created

a temprament is tainted

The bottle is replenished

fog and mists do envelope

an abstract control is formed

which distorts and damages

even others about

Put the genie back inside

reseal the bottle

breathe a c...

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Das Reich ist gefallen

Red, white and black

splinters and shards of cristal

Blood stains the pillars

the white is tarnished with filth

Black shines in uniformity

pellets cascade a rain of death

Beleaguered ruins stand as silhouettes

as dragons roar their fusillade

Papers flutter in a calamity of despair

red skies sound their sirens

White sheets in capitulation...

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Heart Attack

A pinkish intricate organ of finite life

complex and forever pumping life

Valves and arteries a tangled web

without which all life would ebb

Then all of a sudden it stops

as the last blood of life drops

A blinding flash unpredictable

hastens the ultimate destructible

Life submits to death´s dark kingdom

no more activity, inertia or boredom

One min...

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Damaged for life

The house was drab and in need of paint

the curtains yellow with the stains of smoke

The garden lacked lustre, unkempt and ignored

as the gate swung to and fro in a whimsical wind

Inside it was stale, discoloured and unclean

full ash trays with old socks soaking in a tub

She sat alone smoking with a mug in her hand

propped up so as to see the comi...

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All around us

Bones and ashes will ever remain

as with our memories they are the same

Vanished from this temporal life

we still possess their name despite

Nought can escape this earthly coil

we cannot outside its boundaries toil

All who have gone before us remain with us

their atoms and molecules still a part of us

We are physically held captive in this place

in ...

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The Elite

These monsters wear their guilt on their sleeve

In their grandeur they are bedecked with duplicity

They live in impregnable ivory towers of deceit

With cohorts of the damned their integrity sold

Morality lies hidden in their disgusting latrines

Weilding power in our name with limitless guile

They forge alliances with tyrants like themselves

Squandering t...

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A Reverie

A butterfly flutters in orchestral flight

a symphony of delicate charm only to delight

Capricious of uncertain design it meanders

as we transfixed do similarly wander

Rich in colours, dragon red and charcoal black

with an elegance which we so often lack

It serves no master and obeys no creed

as it dips, climbs, hesitates with little speed

We become absorbe...

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The Emperor came to call

Doors slammed, windows banged shut and curtains were drawn

as the grand cavalcade drove by in earnest procession

Those outside turned their backs to show utter disdain

no welcome for the Emperor was forthcoming

The Queen sat by him with a pinched expression

the Empress followed with the Queen´s Consort

Cavalry at the trot to hasten these even...

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There is only one

Occasionally when a moment of silence arrives

I pause for a time of deep reflection and lost hope

Through the corridors of my mind

I seem always to arrive in the La Plaza

which is embedded in my mind as an ageless painting

The sun shines as people promenade

beneath the fronds of overhead palms

Children with cornets, some on their fathers´shoulders

...

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A Friend called to say.....

From the determined and resilient

a feeble voice came from someone I love

From a dear and faithful soul, a lament

who had reached a darkened moment

I no longer possess any reserves of energy

without any dramatic sense of urgency

My zest for life has begun to ebb away

I cannot muster thoughts along the way

I am not afraid to die you know t...

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Hidden Recesses

Concealed in the recesses of my mind

I search for precious artefacts to find

In darkened corners beneath old dust sheets

are cherished memories now well deceased

Past lovers, their memorabilia and letters

with a dust laden portrait of an English Setter

Fragments of jewellery, cufflinks and more

in an old discarded chest of drawers

A gas mask, dog tag...

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Beneath the Surface

Out of sight and beyond control

they lurk unseen but are ever present

What we see is what we believe

yet the unseen lives also

Often out of mind, impossible to invite

the subliminal forces are at play

These are the undercurrents of life

a dimension without interpretation

Signs and symbols punctuate their presence

intruding into our thoughts an...

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A Flame never extinguished

The flame of sensual passion

has been dimmed to a gentle glow

The ardour of love remains strong

but a little frayed at the edges

The longing lingers unabated

at times given renewed energy

The salad days driven by lust

had an unquenchable zeal

Have bowed gracefully with age

admitting that the pinnancle has been reached

In this undulat...

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Being

Life´s drama

unfolds

unexpectantly

As clouds reveal

the splendour of

mountain peaks

So each day

brings the sun 

or showers

Moods of expectancy

and ennui

We have no control

subject only to this world

Made for the

chessboard

moved at will

The past is over

the future awaits

only here and now

do we participate

But we are

able...

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Images

Sometimes I catch glimpses of him

seeing him in the silhouettes of the night

or lying drunk in a shop doorway

I breathe his air on a summer´s day

the waft of fragrance from a nearby bloom

invades my nostrils with a scent sublime

His power thunders in the waterfalls

or languishes in the meadows of home

He searches the desert for hermit souls

plunges the dep...

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The Sea will part

Leaders will all fade away into the annals of time

taking with them their power and their deeds

Wars they started will be forgotten

their wealth left behind for others to squabble over

Wisdom and knowledge will be sifted as sand

religions and philosophies as passing clouds

Mighty edificies will fall and crumble

objects of desire and greed, tokens...

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                                                         Ode to the Free World

                                                                         &

                                                                Its Leaders

They fight wars thousands of miles from their shores

and expect us to willingly applause

They have great wealth but need allies

with begging bowls ...

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The Natural world

We catch glimpses of it

as if paintings in a gallery

We walk or drive past it

seldom to experience or feel it

It becomes a side show

vaguely admired for its beauty

We criss cross it feetlingly

but never to touch or hold

We have distanced ourselves from it

as we inhabit bricks and mortar

Walk on pavements or drive on tarmac

We prefer our te...

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The Potter´s Hand

We are being formed

fashioned for a purpose

Not yet complete

malleable but stubborn

Free will to be subdued

as the psalmist says

The potter and teacher 

are one in their work

The end is assured

and within sight

Meanwhile we wait

until all is accomplished

Then we move forward

to an ultimate destiny

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Transient

The twists and turns of life bring confusion

                                                  to the soul

A perpetual quest for gratification is a

                                    ruinous odssey

Chasing after ideologies and false gods

                                a futile undertaking

National and political conflicts come

                               ...

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Time for Change

We have been duped for far too long

in the land of seeming inertia

The ball in the court has been knocked

over the net with monotonous regularity

The game is over, the spectators are bored

the words moribund and defunct are spoken

A new broom waits in the wings off stage

poised to sweep clean, to create anew

A breath of fresh air blows across the cou...

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A Summer´s Morn

I look down at my feet in dew soaked grass

which glistens a fresher green

awash with nascent life

Close by a tree with fledgling leaves

stands as a proud silhouette

before a rising sphere of incandescent flame

A canopy of azure, an awning

of the natural world holds sway

Sounds of birds joyously in flight

as pigeons nod to and fro for food

A dis...

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Hard to find...

People often feed off the opinions of others

by reading newspapers or chatting with friends

The truth is even more elusive than ever

reality lies concealed, if not camouflaged

The Truth is hard to find

We are daily bombarded with fake news

propoganda is skilfully manipulated

Film and photos are tampered with

facts and figures altred to suit requ...

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The Parade had formed

They rushed out into the brisk morning air

in brilliant sunlight brimming with life

A dark cloud in the west threatened rain

as they assembled in lines of precise regimentation

Dark blue uniforms with white attachments

cap badges and buttons glistened in the sun

Highly polished boots, red lanyards, a force

highly decorated with an array of medals

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I talk to myself

I often talk to myself out loud

or silently within the inner sanctum of my mind

These are moments of ripened eloquence

as I adress a fictitious audience

or some individual soul

I choose topics at random from what

is foremost in my thoughts 

or secreted in the darkened crevices of my being

I pluck words out of the air

catching the flow o...

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A Journey Forward

I do not fear being carried aloft

with all cares cast aside with me enwrapt

Sprinkled with holy water to cleanse

with clouds of incense to uplift

My departure will be as silent as time spent

to fly on the wings of angels to him who sent me

No regret shall accompany this onward journey

only the bells that ring the memories of times past

Farewell mor...

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Write out Loud

I sit in my corner and write by day or night

poetry and prose for people who are out of sight

For three years I have happily written

to eventually have become well and truly smitten

I write to receive the comments of others

many of whom have become sisters and brothers

Some live many leagues beyond the seas

but it is almost as if I can hear them sne...

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This Friday

We depart but have no destination

lost we harbour no hope for the future

We have abandoned all that was given

to pursue the worthless and uncertain

We deceive ourselves and others with us

no answers or alternatives come our way

We engage in animosity and hostility

with backs turned against love and acceptance

We believe we are masters of our own destiny

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A New Fabric

A thread weaves itself through a fabric of chaos

it loops and knits in intricate deceit

A pattern emerges of despair and hoplessness

no seamtress can unravel its folds

The quality of material is evidently flawed

the tapestry needs to be started afresh

New colours with a design to attract

will bring a new clientele to buy

A fabric more resilient and fire...

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Writing

In order to write one must read

as to read is food for the empty mind

Vocabulary and syntax come together

on the pages of a book to point the way

Writing requires persistence and regularity

a daily assidious application of discipline

There can be no faltering or excuses

pen and ink will beckon you there

Two thousand words every day

in diaries, letters or ...

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I met a Lady today.....

I met a lady today for the very first time

She appeared sedate and composed

A sadness had been drawn across her weathered face

At first she caught my eye as she sat close to me

We were part of a much larger group

I suppose she must be a little older than I

Occasionally there was the flicker of a smile

She was attentive to her surroundings and co...

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ora pro nobis

From the incessant drone of bombers above there was no respite

For we Berliners it was every day and every night

The whistling and screaming of falling bombs as they fell

Conjured up scenes of a burning, unforgiving hell

One alert brought the flying fortresses, glistening in the sun of the sky

Then as if by stealth Lancaster bombers came by night again to ...

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The Harp of Summer´s Joy

The wiley mists of Spring open their desire for the chalice of warmth

Summer is on the horizon as a ball of incandescent  welcome

The trumpets of Spring herald the strumming harp of summer´s gladness

New waves caress the shores of our native homeland

Coming forever closer with a gentle crest to settle on untroubled sand

The skies are a vault of gushi...

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Born a Criminal

The voice of anger and fury cries out

because before the age of eighteen years I could not come out

I entered this life as a new born criminal

because I was less than socially minimal

I was born in a distant and darker time

where to be Gay held a different rhyme

I crept about in obscure places for love

but it only came from He who is above

...

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Banksy

Thank you Banksy for your work of art

as an artist who hits the nail on the head.

Depicting reality with a clear portrayal of

clueless Members of Parliament seen as chimps.

You illustrate well the demise of democracy

Ten years ago you created ´A Parliament of Chimps 

today we see it as a day of betrayal

´Laugh now, but one day no-one will be in charge

as an u...

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Herbicide

A very large bush, untidy and overgrown

needed to be cut back or dug out

The first task was to prune its branches

thus leaving it looking oddly bare and nude

I did not have a saw to cut it down completely

so the job was left unfinished and ugly

Then with Spring it began to come to life

buds appeared along with yellow leaves

in an endeavour to live

It lo...

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Broken up

I was told they had broken up

that he had left her, going off alone

It came as a surprise to us all

as we imagined them to be on the road to matrimony

They seemed the ideal couple, very much in love

a chance meeting had brought them together

I have tried to contact her but to no avail

she is the sweetest soul, fun loving and sincere

Love was what she searc...

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Absent

Were there many assembled in the chapel

was my niece there with her children

why do families quarrel

Did my wreath arrive on time, did you see it

were there many floral tributes

Was the atmosphere sad

I suppose tears were shed and sobs stifled

I sat alone at home and cried a little

as I imagined you all gathered there

Was anything draped over the coffin

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No more of this.....

Tectonic plates yield to immense pressure

beneath the ocean´s surface out of sight

Those above are unaware of the force unleashed

a power of amassing destruction rolls forward

Beneath the veneer of our corrupt society

germinate the seeds of resentment and anger

A force is about to manifest itself

as it did in Paris and St. Petersburg

A...

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The Box Dwellers

Reserved or repressed, preserved or conserved

are those who inhabit their little lunch boxes

as mindless and thoughtless zombies

with no appetite, no initiative, the living dead

Dull witted as croaking frogs

sitting, farting with bleary eyes they sit agape

professional inert spectators paid with dust

as a minority take flight as adventurous doves

A ...

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Inclement Weather

On rainy mornings before going to school 

my mother fearful that I should catch a cold

Insisted that I was well wrapped up

in black wellington boots, a yellow waterproof and a sou´wester

I loathed this garb as it made me stand out

for which I became an object of ridicule

One nasty boy with curly hair called Dinger Bell

said that I resembled a ´Fi...

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Winnowing Fork and Millstone

The precipice has been reached

the abyss lies far below

Retribution comes on a chariot of fire

with clouds descending

vengance is mine says the Lord

Those who have abused and perverted the Faith

their day of reckoning has arrived

Whether it be in a pew or wearing a red biretta

the hand of judgement makes no distinction

He comes with h...

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The Lambeth Judgement

From within the walls of the Church´s hierarchy

comes more drivel and senseless malarky

Bishops from around the world are invited

to a conference with their wives to be seated

But if the bishop has announced he´s gay 

his married same sex partner is to be kept away

What would Jesus think of such exclusion

Our Blessed Lord who taught us inclusion

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Etiquette

Casual dress has given way to casual behaviour

etiquette and fashion are glimpses of the past

Manners maketh man was the command

to which all were bound to obey

It came naturally, almost second nature

as gentlemen doffed their hats

Gloves removed before shaking hands

gentlemen walking close to the kerb when escorting a lady

Gentlemen standing when a lady e...

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Forgotten forever

It needs to be said

that when we are dead

our impact on life will fade

as if our foundations had never been laid

We will become a distant memory 

that will disappear into eternity

where our presence will be a remote thought

to prove that our lives were really of nought

An album might retain a photograph

which for a while might raise a ...

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Disconnected

Some create their world divorced from reality

to rest in comfort and to fantasize

In mirrors they see the reflection of another

not the image which is so clearly visible

In this comfort zone fashions are designed

scenarios created which bring pleasure to the imagination

They are no longer themselves but someone else

A glass cupola descends over their life

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José Tomas

Slighted by the curse of autism

he was a delightful and cheerful lad

Tall, handsome with personal charm

nothing seemed to daunt or depress him

A manifestation of good manners

a willing helper, seldom dull or downcast

Thick lensed glasses accentuated his eyes

blue and clear, a glimpse of his inner self

Bright, observant with concealed talent

he lived in...

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La Libreria (The Bookshop)

With no fear of embarrassment or exposure

I glided towards the portal of my desire

There in a warm dusty labyrinth I was home

surrounded by more paper than could be imagined

Shelves from floor to ceiling crammed with books

volumes neatly arranged some with frayed edges

Tables piled high with more of the same

as step ladders leaned against oth...

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The Purge of Victory

On the wings of a fearful night, well before dawn

a bolt of celestial power sliced through the frosty air

to obliterate the accumulated scum of the earth

A purgative force unseen struck corruption hiddden beneath

the blankets to incinerate the dirt from within

its vile residue exorcised from all four corners of the globe

A whirlwind smashed to smither...

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He Sleeps in a Box

I know a man who suffers from PTSD

an ex serviceman damaged for life

He sleeps in a cardboard box

in the doorway of a shop in the High Street

Should there be a deal or no deal Brexit

politicians debate endlessly without result

I know a man who sleeps in a cardboard box

in the doorway of a shop in the High Street

Local elections are due l...

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A Large Wooden Door

Out of our finite view there is a large wooden door

which is permanently open, never to close

It remains ajar for a few to trickle through

but in times of calamity and war it opens wider

From outside nothing can be seen therein

inside the exterior is covered by a veil

It is a rubicon, a threshold from life to death

then from death to a new life...

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The Spring Offensive

The forces of Spring have begun their early offensive

against the entrenchments of winter

The colours have advanced into the darkness beyond

winter´s forces begin to retreat and take up new positions

Ground is being taken as daffodils come in support of snowdrops and crocus

frozen earth is broken by the onslaught of new advances

The whole of natu...

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The Beast

The Beast lives in unparalleled luxury

with an unlimited source of pleasure and wealth

The Beast is free of rules or restrictions

his position is secure and unassailable

The Beast has an ever expanding Empire

his control extends further day by day

The Beast has tentacles long and grasping

nothing can evade his reach

The Beast thrives on power as ...

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All will be well

A landscape clad in cement and tarmac

steel and glass fortresses dominate our vision

Contamination erodes natural order and beauty

we wear masks to breathe and goggles to see

A barren world, an open prison

to escape is, to where and a fruitless errand

Cemeteries are fulll of the forgotten poor

as soldiers of greed march on to glory

Morality and valu...

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Aerials

In years past they possessed two shapes

one an X and the other a H

Today we look aloft to some like a farmers gate

now they arrive in all shapes and sizes

as new sophisticated models keep arising

I am intrigued by the variety of this new array

as new ones seem to appear every day

Strapped to the chimney of a nearby house

is one which resembles the cage of a ...

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National Character.

Whether we like it or not we are a different lot
various shoots from the same vine,
all living in the same time.
Differing in so many respects
but forming a variety of sects.
Land , history and culture doth breed
Nations of people separated indeed.
Language, religion and cuisine
are the ingredients so evidently seen?.
A flag, an anthem, we stand to attention
all of...

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THE SUGAR BOWL

On a far away  British Colony

                  there was a gay bar tucked away

                       up a side street

It enjoyed  a modest but dubious reputation

                       as the owner was known as Sugar

I was intrigued to visit  and witness

                        events there

It was said that Sugar a middle aged man

                       ...

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My Feet

They have padded in various places

from shady joints to tropical beaches

Across countless pages they have trodden

in shoes, sandals, boots and in naked sedition

They have carried burdens and suffered corns

roamed the countryside and endured brittle thorns

I clip the nails and moisturise their soles

for God alone knows these extreme toes

My feet are a divine ...

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The Last Moments

Armageddon calls the ravens home

as masonary falls from a cracked dome

The staircase of greed leads nowhere now

bodies hurtle downwards from buildings aloft

Stall holders without cash fall silent and crash

Grace is kept at bay as all cry mercy

abuse has run its course as custodians cower in shame

The exploited don white robes of patience and honour

...

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Brexit

Chaos wears a veil of deceit

scrap metal with refuse spew forth

Embroiderers unpick the mangled barbed wire

as distant voices in discord pronounce nothing

Incompetence and Ignorance stand as sentinels

the inept and unqualified replace the hinges

Misfortune born of apathy and stupidity 

in a playground of clowns in full costume

Groups, free thinkers and empty ...

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Wisdom

The acquisition of wisdom is the life blood

for body, mind and soul

It rejects the insidious assaults of prejudice 

and ignorance

A new dimension is achieved where

intelligent thought prevails with

experience and education as precursers

Wisdom exists only when discovered

It requires a long and often arduous search

Profound common sense, compassion and

c...

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