Where Evil Lives

Trolls don’t hide beneath bridges nor

Monsters under beds.

Swamp creatures get elected, while

Ogres mess with our heads.

Bogeymen control the day, as

Vampires rule at night.

Cyclops only has one view and

Hobgoblin is always right.

Demons dwell upon the earth,

Fiends where friends once stood.

Devils in man’s image,

Child eaters swa...

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Unrequited

She side-stepped my affections,

Unconvinced by the web,

Constructed from disassembled thought

And confusion’s thread.

I had sought to create a nest,

Cushioned with promises,

Fortified by unwavering service.

What materialised was unpalatable, leaving

Unsated need for escape and adventures

Beyond my sphere of comprehension.

To her mind,...

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Turns out this piece of work is interchangeable, without disrupting the context too much. Anyone have a preference for any version and if so, why?

With Her Forever (Original Version)

She smeared on a sanguine smile,

Sunken pride engulfed by bile,

Reflection guilty, without the trial,

Glistening eyes hold tears awhile.

Her sheltered secrets hid in mind,

She refus...

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With Her Forever

She smeared on a sanguine smile,

Sunken pride engulfed by bile,

Reflection guilty, without the trial,

Glistening eyes hold tears awhile.

Her sheltered secrets hid in mind,

She refused, by them, to be defined.

To live, not love, nor look behind,

Determination and denial combined.

Through gritted teeth she’d take his hand,

Vowing, before ...

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Echoes of Childhood

Where are they now, these people who loved me?

Both of them dead, and that’s how it should be.

He went early, as his heart was cursed.

Her end was painful, a fate well deserved.

Six foot five, full of Guiness and fight,

Five foot four, full of vinegar and spite.

Belligerent bully, with fists of iron,

Constant critic with no shoulder to cry on.

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Writer’s Block

My mind almost blank.

Not many words in the tank.

A reservoir drained,

But it can be explained.

The will is exemplary:

Concentration is temporary.

There are things to be said,

That are stuck in my head.

Views of the world,

Constantly swirled,

Force procrastination:

A deliberate reservation.

Motivation is slight.

Exhaustion, my plight.

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Haiku: Pond Life

Satisfying plop

Frog received by an old friend

Harmony restored

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World’s End

She allowed me to melt into her arms,

A blessing gratefully accepted.

I kissed her burnished caramel skin,

Caressed before me by an attentive sun,

Discovering petals in full bloom,

Where a light dew glistened.

My lips consumed the salty-sweet mix,

In glorious intoxication.

My shyness now displaced,

A new boldness burgeoned.

Encouraged by her w...

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No Time To Sleep

Daylight begins a retreat,

Gradually surrendering its warmth.

Chills, promoted by dusk’s bravado,

Settle on flesh and land alike.

Horizon’s parting kiss now fades,

Barely illuminated by the sinking sun.

Another familiar night nestles in,

Beckoned on by a seductive moon.

Stellar gems sparkle on a black velvet dress,

Joining the celebration of cele...

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Duvet Day

My inner voice is loud today,

And not in a productive way.

He’s testing me with cruel thought,

About my logic falling short.

Sowing self-doubt like wind-blown seeds,

Growing distrust like clinging weeds.

This unwelcome squatter inhabits my mind,

Immovable object ahead and behind.

Boxing me in with well-placed webs,

Lowering esteem, before tearing to shr...

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All At Once

I refuse to use punctuation

So you cannot take a breath

It might cause consternation

Resulting in your death

It could remove all context

And lead you to confusion

But it makes my life less complex

So pardon its non-inclusion

If it fails to transmit my intention

Or the subject matter at hand

It might not hold your attention

Which is not what I ha...

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Uninvited Guests

The men who were our neighbours were here.

They casually called on the off chance we were home,

Looking for us to introduce them to our families.

They found our hiding places and made themselves known.

The men who spend bullets were here.

They scattered ammunition like loose change,

Falling from bottomless pockets onto bloodied earth.

They nourish...

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Silent Treatment

I’ve fallen out with my love, apparently.

More accurately, she’s fallen out with me.

Nothing that I’ve done, so it must be what I said.

As far as I recall, I told her I’m off to bed.

I didn’t ask if she wanted to do likewise,

Causing her to question why, much to my surprise.

I answered you’re an adult, capable of decision,

But my response was met ...

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Wet Dream

Far from the joys of co-dependency,

I long for the chaos of youth.

Oh, to be an inexperienced adolescent,

Learning the rules of love.

Breaking hearts, including my own,

And scattering seed in fresh furrows.

Neglecting consequences and writhing,

Serpent-like in euphoric ignorance.

Vaulting from drinking den to

Sweat-soaked sheets.

Sorry Love,

...

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Leaving My Love

I love you so much we must talk of death,

Dwelling on more than spilt emotion.

Exhaust lengthy dark, while I still have breath,

Preparing for grief with unrivalled devotion.

Through sun-kissed youth, life’s eternal play

Made foolish provision for later years.

Thoughts of immortality led us both astray,

Now reality demands we face our fears.

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Unwitnessed

A callous thief,

Time stealthily creeps,

Determined not to be observed.

He silently intrudes,

Leaving his indelible mark,

Infecting everything with age.

He never retreats,

Takes no backward step,

Advancing brazenly and uninvited.

Then, at the last breath,

He ceases to exist.

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Another Day

Failing to hold onto the night,

We spiral toward another day.

Ageless sun directs its might,

Throwing dawn into the fray.

Chaotic animation spurred

From peaceful restoration.

Abandoned nests of man and bird,

Turn cold from separation.

Voices raised at dawn’s command,

Alert the world to rise.

A gradual warming of the land,

Commands we s...

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Stop the World

Sitting on the edge accelerates spin.

Rotations whip, growing nausea,

To an un-halting acid tsunami.

Throat burns in failed containment,

Nostrils the primary escape route.

Emerging fire constricts breathing,

Forcing involuntary gagging.

Escape route two is established.

Waves crash through open portal,

Propelled with violent intent,

Until su...

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School Reunion

You were the snot-nosed kid,

Out of uniform, in charity cast-offs.

Featureless pale face with retreating eyes,

Underscored with teary streaks.

You were the deep-thinking kid,

Masked by make-do and shut up.

Skin tattooed in black to yellow,

Inked by knuckles, spelling love and hate.

You were the corner-dwelling kid,

Wary of movement in sha...

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Little Hope

…and, of course, there’s Hope.

Running around in circles,

With her flag waving,

Like a child at a funeral.

She would never comprehend,

Not in her lifetime.

Classics, such as despair or tragedy,

Macabre in thought and tongue,

Hang in the air.

Recent character assassination,

Vocalised for popular consumption,

Served to push Hope into a corne...

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A Life Inevitable

I think I want to die,

But thinking is overrated.

Age lends itself to darker thought,

Though time leaves us little choice.

History and time are not the same,

Memories are but photographs in the mind.

Dreams bring clarity in moving form,

In my dreams I fall and start again.

Wishing is for fools,

As fate is a script with no rewrites.

...

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Today's composition 'Leaving Platform One' reminded me of a piece written a few years ago. I have re-edited it to accommodate my changes in writing style:

In a Box

In a box with rusty padlocks,

In a corner of my head,

Are broken toys of childhood,

Laid to rest in premature separation.

Drowned emotions and strangled feelings,

Together dressed in black,

Are shadows ...

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Leaving Platform One

My mind - dishevelled, disorderly.

As unreliable as the damp cardboard,

Spilling a childhood treasure.

I unearthed it in my web-strewn attic –

The box, not my mind.

An old railway set, fondly remembered, thought lost.

Its strength gone; contents scattered.

Track and train departed - uncoupled

And bound for darker destinations.

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Owed to the Subtitles Righter

The BBC runs through the knight,

I’ve scene it for myself.

That doesn’t make it write,

As ewe and eye can tell.

There stile is baist on Principal,

Witch eye think mite bee a waist.

They cud edge bets oar gambol,

And set President in his plaice.

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New Tricks

God love a pretentious poet,

Who’s a stickler for written rules.

He will, no doubt, deny it,

But he takes us all for fools.

Sat within his ivory tower,

He gloats at his creations,

And will spend hour upon hour,

Bemoaning our aberrations.

He’ll inform us of which convention

We’ve clearly laid to waste.

No free-form prose escapes attention,

As...

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Insomnia Rules

The tether is overstretched,

I have reached the end of myself.

Nothing but a tortured wretch,

Chronically sick of lack of health.

Tired beyond despair,

No rest to speak of.

Mind and body beyond repair,

No cure, not even your love.

Oh, how I wish for soothing sleep,

That I might wake reborn.

My bones, in fatigue are steeped,

Mind overwork...

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Insomnia Rules

The tether is overstretched,

I have reached the end of myself.

Nothing but a tortured wretch,

Chronically sick, deprived of health.

Tired beyond despair,

No rest to speak of.

Mind and body beyond repair,

No cure, not even your love.

Shadows, all that remain,

Of a hollowed shell.

No release from insanity,

I’m fast going to Hell.

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Poet’s Prayer

Guide my hand to write it right,

That I need not regret.

Guide mind’s eye to see the light,

That evil ne’er beget.

Guide my feet to find the path,

That I might find my soul.

Guide my mind to suffer wrath,

‘til joy might make me whole.

Guide my conscience to fight the cause,

That I might justify.

Guide my love to see through flaws,

Th...

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Worse Things Happen at Sea

I knew my love would grow and grow,

When I saw her on that pedalo.

Calves of steel and thighs so mighty,

She soon became my Aphrodite.

A bow wave heralded that craft,

Powered by an enormous aft.

Swimmers scrambled in disbelief,

As from her tsunami they sought relief.

The fast-approaching beach prepared for landing,

And then I started un...

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I apologise in advance for this one. Please don't be offended, as I mean no harm.

Signals Crossed

He asked me for direction,

As he wasn’t getting anywhere.

I could tell from his mid-section,

That he was comfortable being bare.

When I asked him what he wanted,

As all appeared just swell.

He looked at what he flaunted,

And said he couldn’t quell,

The feelings ...

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King Grumpy

Blisters of youth, replaced by cynicism.

Graft and sweat neglected.

Potential replaced by criticism.

Passing time. Dejected.

Years spent in an easy chair,

Softened mind and sharpened tongue.

No regard, not self-aware,

Feelings hurt and insults flung.

Grumpy King sits on his throne,

Subjects flee to other lands.

Tomorrow finds him on his own,

He ...

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Memorabilia

Cricket pitches and bowling greens,

Tennis courts and golfing dreams.

Close-cut grass and whitewashed lines,

Effort and energy in younger times.

Reclining in my riser chair,

Drifting back, I’m almost there.

Batting and bowling, serving and driving,

All so easy when health was thriving.

Halcyon days when heroes were made,

Adoring fans wherever we ...

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Phoenix

We were made before time was measured,

When worlds were forged by furious fire.

On bellowing breath of raging titans,

We rode unicorns, elemental and mystic,

Then tamed dragons, to rule forests and skies.

Serpents recoiled in reverence

And gryphons circled beneath us,

Never daring ascent to our heights.

Spiteful gods, having created us,

Grew jealous...

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Percival

Percival took pride in his appearance,

So he tolerated human interference.

He looked forward to his daily hosing,

After which, he enjoyed vainly posing.

Snout in the air to hide his chins,

Pride was always the proudest of his sins.

He would prance and strut around the sty,

With a devilish twinkle in his eye.

But he was in no hurry,

And mating made him wo...

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Hostage to Love

Please return my heart,

Without it I can’t leave.

I looked for it today,

But it wasn’t on my sleeve.

When I last took notice,

You were playing with it.

Now there’s a gap,

Only a broken heart can fit.

I’m sure it was damaged

By a previous user.

Scars may have healed,

But I’m still the loser.

It was vacant and empty,

As heard by the...

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Clang

A sombre bell tolled.

Unaccompanied, it sounded desolate.

The clang gave it away.

It was being controlled.

Alone, it would have said nothing.

Air would not have moved.

Not enough to resonate.

Sound meant another thing.

It implied interference.

A controlling hand, arm, shoulder.

Someone made an effort.

Pulled a rope with reverence.

Di...

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Who Are You?

Who are you, and why are you here?

I am your security, your protector and your safety blanket.

We will start this age of discovery and wonderment together,

Pausing only to sleep and refuel our curiosity.

Who are you, and why are you with me?

I am your companion, here to hold your hand.

We will travel through gates and down paths into green meadow and dar...

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Bad Dream

On an endless night a clock ticked,

Its hands unmoved, fighting time.

Darkness swelled to fill empty space,

As if to test light’s boundaries.

Aware of the battles materializing,

But incapable of taking sides,

I surrendered to a looming fate,

Knowing only my limited expectation.

Evil exhaled and darkness shuddered,

As if cowering to the greater powe...

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Harriet

A hippo called Harriet

Arrived in her chariot,

Pulled by a jumbo-sized team.

She’d come to sing

At this charity thing,

Her voice, the latest hit on the scene.

She requested a rider,

A barrel of cider,

Made of cabbage and her own river water.

She informed all her crew

They could share her home brew,

But none of them thought that they oughtta.

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Sharp Edges

I need protection from life’s sharp edges.

A genuine bodyguard, not empty pledges,

They’ve left me an empty, pitiful soul.

Jagged edges pierced a hole,

Left a void where my heart should be.

Fill that hole and look after me.

Take me places I’ve never been.

Show me everything I’ve never seen.

Fight off their barbs and piercing spears.

Take me aside and ...

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Second Chances

Her smile set my mind adrift,

Fueling feelings, long ago held captive.

Released chains that held fate anchored.

Freedom, once a scary thought, now active.

Our eyes locked and passion kindled.

Flushing blood; yearnings to the fore.

Pupils, in full dilation, seldom lie.

Breathing quickened, pulses more.

Her voice, in melodic harmony,

Summon...

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Tick Tock

She floated through a room.

Clocks stopped; their faces turned.

If hands could only reach,

Touching her would be glorious.

A worthy sacrifice of their existence.

She floated through a room.

Heart stopped; face turned.

My hands paralysed.

Touching her in my thoughts.

A glorious sacrifice of my existence.

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Pure Folly

Elon Musk bought a planet,

With every Xtra that goes with it.

Today’s billionaires have bigger follies,

Than old mill bosses, or owners of a pit.

Their desires become immaterial,

As whims are dished on golden plate.

They dance around the rule of law,

With the Metaverse told their reign is great.

They wring our world of its resources,

Act ignorant ...

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Inspired by Graham Sherwood's 'First Thursday' and the recent work of Red Brick Keshner. Thanks fellas.

Home Town

Where bookies are only outnumbered by charity shops,

The bag for life zigzags sarcastically down High Street.

Multi-lingual food stores offer a taste of home,

Wherever the sparse crowd originated.

Banks repurposed, pubs left high and dry,

Shuttered premis...

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Recall

Pinned to my mind’s toolbar,

Waiting to be put to good use.

Reliable in times of need,

Ever faithful, loyal friends.

Kept apart from those I dread,

Who will remain compartmentalized.

Padlocked away in rusty boxes,

Keys long since disappeared.

Helping me sleep at night,

Guiding the brain toward peace.

Fending off daylight’s doldrums,

An esca...

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Broken Heart

She wore her heart on the outside.

Never easy to protect.

Such a fragile, exposed target.

Tears, always ready to reflect.

Bad boys were her youthful downfall.

Lessons she never learned.

Led astray by furtive lies,

Her fingers often burned.

She pulled deadweights behind her,

Broken promises too hard to bear.

Expectation turned to sunken h...

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Sharing Life

She asked if we could share a dream,

But there were few left on my shelf.

She said she would grant me one of hers,

As she had enough of them herself.

I accepted her offer on certain condition

That it be returned if ever required.

When I inspected the gift she had given,

I realised the man that she desired.

He would be brave enough to receive h...

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Secrets (of a Happy Marriage)

I saw a man confronting a tree,

So I asked that fellow to confide in me.

Tell me sir, would you be having a drink?

To which he replied, no its not what you think.

I’ve been talking to trees for half of me life.

I can say things to them I can’t say to me wife!

She was fair and reasonable when we first met.

Now her tongue is so sharp I know ...

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Metaverse

Provocateurs demanding a response,

Through their very existence.

Misdirection and disinformation, their tools of choice,

And their work is disruption.

To comply or deny their wishes,

That is the question.

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What Next

Going forward a nothingness loomed.

Blank space, an empty, dark void.

Trepidation haunted the scene and

Cowardly spirit abandoned his body.

Crippled by an uncaring assailant.

Captivated by eternal anguish,

He paced his new cage.

Hopes of an escape plan extinguished.

Life limiting, an ill-fitting shroud.

Hostage to purgatory’s whims.

Suspend...

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