When blood blends with grit

that's an end to it. 

Hope dies in the sand

while the fingers of dead hands

reach out to the blast of bombs

while another world looks on

weighing up expediency

decisions far greater yet no nobler

than mere life or death. 

These are easily measured by the mile

under the eyes and ears of drones - 

in the meantime

whi...

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Gone to the wasteland

the jobbing carpenter

with his bag of tools:

hammer chisels saw and rules,

gone too the roll-your-own

flat cap leather shoes

A to Z list of names

gone up in flames. 

Instead a man in an unmarked van

trousers with velcro panels

power tools the smell of pizza

mobile phone with battery on charge

prey to thieves always at large.

Th...

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A cloth cap on the ground inverted

becomes a begging bowl

guarded by a dog whose wants are sparsely served. 

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Imagine a tormentor - a sadist

invisibly at work, and though you have confessed

signed your life away you cannot be rid of him. 

There is no cure, no end to it, only moments of relief

when you can draw breath - and some comfort,

but that tormentor knows all the tricks

he has the permission of your immunity

condemning you like Judas Iscariot.

We call this rheumatoid art...

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It's easy to get annoyed

when age is never on your side

but watches your every move

with stern disapproval.

Easy to fall out of proportion

such as is left to you

never quite enough to muster forces

easy then to get annoyed. 

And when  that happens

bits of you flake off like old skin

when smiling is a foreign land

you hesitate to visit

taking ...

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I love to go delivering along the streets and back

with L plates on my box behind and many a tasty snack,

deliveree, deliveroo, delivera, deliveroo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo

deliveree, deliveroo, my life is now on track.

A freelance guy i'll do or die, my contract is my life,

with all good speed i'll duck and dive embracing urban strife.

Deliveree, deliveroo, delivera, deliver...

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Rigsby would get my vote

the king of a seedy bedsit land

ruler by prejudice

yet both feet insecure

despised but proud

a king wasp in his nest

tortured by desire falling just short.

I would vote for him

in place of a representative

as reliable as any I have yet known. 

We all feel sorry for Rigsby

and for ourselves when things go wrong

but he doesn't claim a...

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The clocks have gone back

I take to the floor

dancing an old time waltz

out of step head in a spin

unprepared for nature's course

like tea at the Ritz or a ballroom blitz

i'm taken over the top

the Dance of the Hours is dragging behind

i'm feeling a major flop. 

My body clock is all to cock

my timing is out i'm all upset

circadian rhythms are going in cir...

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Relish your dark woundings

prime your pellets

check your powders,

for soon comes the hunter's moon.

Polish your stock

let your barrel breather oil

make slick your cloths' preparations

practise footfalls of stealth,

for soon comes the hunter's moon.

While fen and forest sweat and furrow

while fur frets in the burrow

 hold fast your dreas for now,

for so...

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I watch the sweep of birds on the wing

a centrifuge of consent for the long road ahead.

They have no need of words, persuasion

but adopt the common movements that support them. 

In a similar way the political dreamers

plot their courses their restless brains

informing choices, rolling out promises

on clouds of expectation that close up

behind them on infinite jour...

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On the black night Thames deep as death

rode the Marchioness in all her finery

strung with bulbs festooned with joy

her tiny heart edging on the slip sliding boat

the prettiest naughtiest boat afloat. 

While darker even than destiny 

boomed a wide bottomed dredger with more

than equal pace Bowbelle by name

no lookout on either vessel,

and between two bridges the pre...

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The power of the penny is much diminished

its future in finance pretty well finished

one stares at me from a bunch of change

with its good eye looking up

as it to say I promise to pay

when the idea brings a smile of pity

like a refugee from a beggar's cup. 

It's name perhaps will guarantee

a place in fiscal eternity

as an epitaph for a toilet's access

serving the...

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When someone close cuts you to the quick

send them love and be on your way

they have no right to your misery

and though your heart will ache

your spirit they can never break. 

They may relent for old time's sake

but if not then pity them

for the love that's wasted on such as they. 

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The wet sand takes your weight

evidence of your presence

and you marvel at the perfection,

but nature is profligate and soon

the bigger waves erase your mark as if

you were never there,  a tick of time

is marked instead while you have need of rest

and rejuvenate yourself in a different bed. 

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This is the shed that holds the shelves

that hold the dreams that hold the man

here is the house that holds the garden

that holds the shed that holds the shelves

that hold the dreams that hold the man

to all the things he dreamed about when

things were what he dreamed about. 

But when he has to leave the house behind

that holds the garden that holds the shed

that ho...

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"That's not steam son it's just a cloud."

the boy had shouted "it's coming Dad!"

his eagerness held back like a signal. 

"It won't be long," his father said,

"don't stand near the edge now mind "

(for flesh and bone's no match for metal)

"I can see it now under a bridge!"

and sure enough the smoke uncoiled

a face like a bullseye wreathed and proud,

the boy said "I c...

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Eighty - the age at which the weight of evidence

supports an inevitable irrefutable verdict

yet we expect a free pardon

for the excesses in which we were engaged,

and when none is given we are enraged. 

So we set sail for the sunset

helped by various aids

old codgers supported by old maids

suspending disbelief as the clock ticks on

prey to seductive offers that show

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By the intense breath of the miner's lamp light

my mind is focussed, body as mind

supported by a thought so strong

it becomes my essence, my reasoning. 

Bring light and love to her I say

a pause for the light then:

bring light and love to her I say

intoned for a seamless eternity

while the unwavering eye watches me. 

I can see the master planner in the small an...

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There is that road again somewhere in Buckinghamshire

I visit it often in my mind

astride the motorbike a resolute companion,

we are plunging down

then surging up the hollow

caressing the curves of the road

by the grip of the throttle

to a now forgotten destination

that takes us through a mystery of trees

in a dark unsuspecting wood

and then the open vista,

al...

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It is not uncommon to be eighty

and never to have seen the aurora borealis

but now, primed by a news and weather alert

I stand to see if it might happen. 

A belt of translucent high cloud holds firm

above a street light under a gash of dark trees

but no aurora. 

A scent of sleeping blossom has me in thrall

and on the ridge of my kitchen roof

the silky silhouette of ...

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Mohammed had chosen Paradise as the way forward

justification for triggering death with the contraption he wore

his name would be called, of that he was sure.

his soul transplanted in some childlike new beginning.

In the aftermath he at least found beauty, 

 reds, mauves, yellows, splashes applied at random

a palette of pain on pavements, sand, especially on walls,

lookin...

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The wall of our hall is ever so small

but the colour has to be right

lit by natural means by day

or a shaded bulb by night.

The colour has to be bright yet subtle

enough that would simply show off a mirror

the centrepiece of the wall of the hall

which though small is what welcomes you into the house. 

The decision's been made, plans have been laid

we've simply chose...

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Those who live and die in poverty

have no less a story to tell

than those with means who are in the light.

for the poor cast the long shadow

demanding a closer look.

Theirs are the stories that like the wild wind

drift away and would be gone

while those with means most easily seen

make occasion for theirs to be told. 

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I want to stay at the Savoy Hotel

if not then the Ritz will do

I want to make an impression

cut a bit of a dash

I won't be satisfied with less -

but I havn't sufficient cash.

I want to own a Ferrari

if not a Bugatti will do

I need to feel the wind in my hair

emulate the Top Gear runs

I won't be satisfied with less - 

but I havn't sufficient funds.

I wa...

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Politicians make fools of us

but today we can celebrate

for the coming of Spring is beyond their reach

when jesters come out of hiding

ride the waves of success

revealed by roots and shoots

emerging into greenery. 

The fool knows who to worship

with his bells and silly grin,

for today he wears a crown

so don't mess with him, don't try

to take him down

for h...

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Trainer barista soul sister

with logo burgundy T shirt

plays the chromium steam

as a long queue forms. 

Old lady small dog wait patiently

soul sister with dreadlocks(I had thought a man) turns

ignores the deadlock of time 

not part of the plan this delay

busy time of day.

Turns again for cake under cover

some turn away and leave

time simmers while card re...

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We enjoyed our local walk to view the town

before committing ourselves, John and I. 

Nooky shops amid post covid street flower planters

plenty of cafes, dogs allowed

an ebike shop with stools to perch on with coffee and cake

a face painting parlour - even a proper gallery.

The area is holding its own in the current climate.  

On our walk though there was a wall

near a ...

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Whole crypts ransacked

preserved body parts found re-examined

attics and cellars raided for cans of film

inhabitants of nursing homes grilled to despair

whispers and wills plundered for half truths,

and all the while the ghosts of narcissists recalled

assembling in long galleries of haunted houses lit by arc lights. 

Private beaches combed for evidence of washed up

car...

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Police divers dragged a lake yesterday

found only aquatic weed

and a new microscopic foramanifera it was revealed

funds became available for further research

in collaboration with Heritage England 

leading to new enquiries

trails leading in a different direction.

There's a future in the Net, (sorry - Met)

ran an advert in the Police Gazette. 

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She only wants me for my money and fame

he thought

going into his studio

to write a love song.

He looked up at the row of golden discs

and quickly forgave her. 

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Chicken in a basket

jokes at the mike

bingo days, foggy days

queues at bus stops

frost at the fingertips

red and black in the clubs. 

The dying breath of thoughtful machines

the clearances of industrial scenes

roundabouts under predatory skies

cigarette smoke spiralling at the bars

on the dole in busy pubs. 

Detectives in flairs

travelling in pairs

...

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Goodbye old keyboard

you served me well

your presence is a ghost from the recent past,

a man in high viz went up some steps

to a council skip and placed you there. 

I'm here to give thanks on your final gig

an insult for a life well spent

in an intimate bond of give and take

a parting touch for old times' sake

before your final swift descent. 

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Music is a puppet

pull it out of the box

make it dance and sing

do everything you want it to

to never say no

because you should be in control

not let the puppet master you. 

But then during the dark of silence

let it come to you

lie with it feel its undulations

the pulse that never lies

knowing that the music puppet never dies. 

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Adrian's wall is nothing special,

no visitors flock to its breezy heights,

it flanks the corner of Evelyn Street

one of Rawtenstall's lesser known sights. 

Adrian lives in obscurity

has never been feted by the National Trust

no would be conquest

has ever been thwarted

no glorious victories credited there,

although repairs were carried out

when a car ran wide...

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Through the watery wasteland where Surrey

touches the fringes of Middlesex to create

reservoirs, distant impressions of gravel workings

a skeletal landscape pock marked by bungalows

nudged by water weary boats shunted and left

with curtains drawn, I drove past purbind vistas

where my memories mixed from the old palettes

a pale wash and weariness:

Laleham, Shepperton, Charlt...

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Homeless, hopeless

figures below the radar

invisible, divisible

scant on comfort

at the blunt edge of hope.

But we all know there should be a home

a hearth at which to sit, make the best of it.

Without such a place we lose our hearts

with nowhere to rely on

a perimeter without a centre

a view without focus. 

We all know there are not enough homes to go ro...

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If it's not a tsunami it's somebody's army

taking over the news

our eating disorder is bang out of order

with so many getting the blues.

No wonder that the men in cloaks

are praying for better times

politicians running in circles

with neither reason nor rhymes.

.

The queues for complaints are stretched to the limit

with no ready answers to hand

simmering tension to...

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Autumn, when the world falls at your feet

to worship you with decay

tumbling of dogs and children both

scenes of wind and stunted growth

when sunlight dapples the day. 

That's when as like as not you feel

the touch of nature's solemn pride

the retreat of roots beneath the soil

in trenchant ways their downward coil

then put their tricks aside.

And all God's n...

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While I think it someone is shouting about it

digging their heels in

shovelling something soft

with a distinctive stink about it. 

Is it any wonder I often keep thoughts to myself

try to safeguard the sweet air from verbal pollution

instead of dipping into the vicious brine

and treating that as a solution. 

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He intended taking her for a meal in a restaurant

that he new she would like but in the end she chose,

they spoke softly light heartedly

as in the early days with a fresh hesitancy.

She responded with a squeeze of his hand

loving looks, then they visited local shops in the rain

trying not to be critical seeking novelty

watching out for new faces,

Christmas was putting on an...

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Relish your dark woundings

prime your pellets

check your powders

for soon comes the hunter's moon

Polish your stock

let your barrel breathe oil

make slick your cloths

practise footfalls of stealth

for soon comes the hunter's moon

while fen and forest

sweat and furrow

while fur frets in the burrow

hold fast your dreams for now

for soon comes the hunt...

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It's my mummy's birthday today

a hundred and fifteen to be precise

but now she's passed away. 

Nineteen years have gone and time is moving on

but I can see her as sharp as a pin

I know she must be looking in. 

She never wanted to let me go

but had no option that much is clear,

that was the future I suppose

but today the clouds have parted and like the crescent moon

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Foot soldiers come in impatient white vans

to fix the glitches that plague us so

with buckets and bags of impatient tools

bending the pipeworks flippant with rules

of mysterious companies keeping pace

with hysterical offers to tempt the unwary

terms and conditions the all seeing eyes

encyclopaedic with whats and whys.

Playing their part we trust these men

who s...

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Pressed together on a rail allotted

with a row of trousers I became besotted

a clearance sale I couldn't refuse

with dark and pale subtle hues. 

The selection tempted me to try

a pair that hung and caught my eye

something right about the colour

camouflage green but slightly duller. 

Behind the door of the changing room

disrobing I began to fume

with heavy ch...

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Below the waterline was the dressing room

like a world war one dugout

where we found traces of previous occupation

the tired and cast off detritus of musicians:

a discarded shirt, dirty towel,

yesterday's Daily Mirror coiled and thrust  

into a waste paper basket,

drawers of hair grips. old smudged tissues, half - used makeup,

cigarette stubs in a tin ashtray

the faint s...

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My hands gripping the bars

legs doing all the work

on that open road

flanked by summer hedges

bristling witnesses to my effort

no other traffic

a sky defining a clear horizon 

raced uphill to meet me

as I went over the top

to see patchwork fields. 

That's how it was

and now my hands rest lightly

on a steering wheel

through glass I can still make out

t...

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In various hutches pods and cages

her poultry world

a commitment based on egg production

in the scuffling shuffling universe

of confined resentment and sensed rages. 

Opening her arms feathers fly out,

a confetti confession of love

oblivious to smell of ordure, urine

while her daughter follows in hot pursuit

naming not blaming the curious rats

racing and cha...

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Released from a capsule

a dark encapsulated death

a cessation an instant of last drawn breath

at the end of a dream that never came true

the skeleton rainbow ahead of arrival

with never a guarantee of  survival

locked into a past and present embrace

a fatal return to a state of grace. 

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Superfoods dictators of moods

building blocks pyramids of power

all available from your ivory tower

but in the full length mirror complaints

so it's back to the carbohydrates again

the cynical blending of sugar and fat

the fridge is miraculously never bare

while pretty packets stack up in there

but keep believing nevertheless

cross your heart and hope to die

it's time...

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On a long journey north by train

two young guys in T-shirts and jeans

pored over a plastic boxed set of miniature chess

bought on Ebay for pleasure not gain,

red and white pieces with fiddly pegs in holes,

a small tray incorporated in the base

with conquered plastic spoil lodged there. 

Two phones lay ignored

coffees in polystyrene cups growing cold

as the outside f...

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