By Pessall Brook
The remnants of a myth
torn like sodden paper
A worker in the world of words
now where are your opus lines
where does your gilded poetry reside
A hooded figure
cloaked by Pessall Brook
looking for lighthouses
searching for the sea
O, how did you go
this far wrong?
Show me your pages
blackened with rhymes
your songs of tides
and ships to far away islands
Thunder clapping above
r...
Wednesday 11th December 2024 1:45 pm
I Hear Nothing
A midnight bar, chatting with friends
Between the architecture
and white-noise thump
of the background music
Between my lack of sleep
and the alcohol in my bloodstream
there’s a conspiracy at play
Suddenly, the camera
crash-zooms into me
as all of their voices
are sucked out through a trapdoor
and I hear nothing…
I smile, a strange sparrow smile
furtive and darting
patently pained ...
Wednesday 4th December 2024 1:16 pm
Autumn
Autumn nips at my door
another year begins to come undone
Somehow, the change of light
sends my compass spinning
I question where I am
One anchor torn
while others persist
but where to next...
Autumn brings a tenderness
to the boundary of all I feel
Somehow, this drop in temperature
sends me reeling
I trace the path of how I got here
Quietly lost and searching
in a moment of shif...
Thursday 28th November 2024 11:32 am
Hotel Candles
I see us both, in time
Two candles burning
behind the thin pane window
of a seaside hotel
Outside, wind and rain
rage hard against the faded awnings
and the flaking paint
of this inclement town
Our flames shiver
then bloom again
Such is life
and slow slipping wax
I’m consumed with all our years
and all the storms
and all the fuel
we burned in our love
I see us both, in tim...
Monday 25th November 2024 1:21 pm
The Last Great Beauty
The smoothness of this train
as it slips the platform’s leash
The window scene begins to blur
viewed through tear-stained eyes
A myriad of questions swirl
they smudge my addled heart
Creeping high above all else
it’s that merciless, that jagged ‘what if’
What if this
is the last great beauty
I will ever know
Eyes hungrily study details in the cover image
letting the pages fold the...
Wednesday 21st August 2024 1:55 pm
Lovers
We are the lovers
of this kaleidoscope
this ride we’re on
As we twist, we write
of the myriad colours
the fireworks dazzling our eyes
of tears, tantrums, seering sunsets
the veins in leaves
the storms between people
beautiful and terrifying
all at once
We are the lovers
of words on lips
their taste on tongues
and turns of phrase, delicious
The flick of nib on paper
the trail of i...
Monday 15th July 2024 12:28 pm
Ice Cream Van
That jangling tune
told of sweet times ahead
Children playing with hosepipes
on hot summer streets
and gleaming bikes ridden
across freshly swept pavements
How the ice cream van
sparked joy and hope
O, the heady idyl
of childhood…
Now the ice cream van
toils a different purpose
macabre and tuneless
its contents chilling
The limbs of children
parts of mothers
Lifeless figures...
Wednesday 10th July 2024 4:27 pm
You Are Here
While great troubles rumble on the horizon
here is calm and peaceful
There’s love on tap
which I love to give back
And when I checked the map
that was the most beautiful part of all
and the big red arrow said
You are here
you are here and allowed
to enjoy this moment
As fragile as a bubble
floating on the summer breeze
The preciousness of this kindness
is not lost on me
And ...
Tuesday 2nd July 2024 9:49 pm
Tide Pools
A cigarette glows
reflected in the truck windshield
careening through the city night
These headlight beams
fruitlessly searching
for something gone
The Grand Rapids highways
never take me where I want to be
not even close
I drink awhile at Anchor bar
a quarter spinning on the table
thoughts go round, keep coming back
'til my skull's swimming too
Two more beers
heads they’re mine
t...
Monday 24th June 2024 4:41 pm
On The Train This Morning
On the train this morning
I sat alone, by the window
Where normally there’d be coffee, warm
and all the world’s news in my ear
Instead, I chose dry silence
I chose the undulating wildness
strobing past my view way
I chose high green hills
and glinting mirrored rivers
I chose lone trees, centuries old
strong against the elements
I chose lambs and sheep
moving in pairs or herds
I cho...
Monday 10th June 2024 11:09 am
A Quiet Sunday
The streets breathe
slow and deep
tree branches sway
in the humming heat
A quiet Sunday
a balm for all our souls
Some toil in the garden
some wander up the hill
on the edge of town
the view from here
is a kiss from God
A quiet Sunday
a balm for all our souls...
Monday 20th May 2024 10:19 am
First Light
Dawn in my existence
swaddled by unconditional love
I point towards the ceiling
a laughing baby
and my first word comes
‘light, light’
And the smile on my mother’s face
first light…
Sun broke across the rooftops
seagulls chattering overhead
As a waking town began to stir
me in my best suit, you dressed in white
Finally, we’re here
dappled in dawn light, sweet light
and the smile on...
Monday 1st January 2024 10:58 am
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