WALL Jul ‘14
You the wall
Several feet thick:
The wall Superman
Became One with- for a while.
You recall the episode?
The bad guys were in a room:
Impenetrable- or so they thought-
To Superman… Who with all his great strength
Was unable to break down.
Then it was suggested
(By a team of experts no doubt)
That he should gradually ‘walk’ through
Rather than ‘crash’ through-
In order to get to the other side.
So that is what happened.
Superman walked through the ‘impenetrable’ barrier.
And how shocked were the baddies in that room-
It was like they’d seen a ghost.
Still, there was a risk attached:
Superman had to keep moving.
There was a chance of getting ‘stuck’… forever!
Becoming a permanent integral part of the wall.
He was prepared to take the risk.
And so am I.
For you are that wall.
You think you have built an impossible to infiltrate fortress.
And though I am no Superman
And you are- at heart- lightyears away from being in any way ‘bad’:
I will walk through your defences-
Because I cannot crash through… And it will be like in that episode…
Like you have seen a ghost.
Mad Men Bad Men Jun ‘14
Mad men, bad men:
Politicians and bent businessmen.
Bomb makers, life takers:
Tea Party right wing God forsakers!
Future trashers, spirit smashers:
Taliban decree a thousand lashes.
Species killers, pocket fillers-
Dark profits buy a row of villas.
Yes children you will grow
To despise your fathers, I fear.
Still there is no way I can see-
No answers here.
I am looking out the window on a dying day-
The sun:
Is setting over mountains we will never climb…
Our race is run!
Now you are crying
But tears are wasted, and time is up:
For you have been passed not some fine chalice…
But a poisoned cup!
You in despair crying there
Are you only after your own share?
Crowded streets, everyday defeats:
The hopeless grow as ‘love’ retreats.
Habitats destroyed, bullying employed:
No-one really feeling that much overjoyed.
The young too meek, the old too weak:
That which is hidden is that which we seek.
My child I am sorry
For your inheritance:
This generation failed you-
We sat on the fence.
Any chance was lost
When our so-called ‘leaders’ closed their eyes:
And would not listen to their hearts-
Or to the peoples’ cries.
Each passing day proved them foolish-
Mistakes were made and set in stone.
Every prayer in every church failed…
Mankind at last stood alone!
THOSE FOOLISH DAYS Sept 05
Those foolish days I must explain:
I do not want to live them again and again.
The truth is out there looking hard talking plain-
you were hot with the Sun I was wet with the Rain.
Well if you must know such times belong in the past-
the nights were much slower the days were too fast.
We stood alone apart from the crowd free at last-
or so we thought- stop smiling- I was wrongly miscast.
The Hero that was became The Man in the Street:
different song different tune different drummer different beat.
Life is fine now… I am living- far from light out of heat.
(Some called me coward I know- ’twas a tactical retreat.)
Stop your laughing lucky girl! Would you self-destruct for a cause?
Come closer lovely girl- they never were mine their laws.
All I have now I own and my peace is now yours:
keep smiling… In your laughter- The Lion still roars.
Good Advice Apr ‘14
Leave here, the fear dear
Is palpable, is real.
With such high stakes and heartbreaks-
I can no longer deal.
The dreamers and the schemers
Want me before them to kneel…
But at their altar I falter
As every vision they steal.
The darkness no friend, to it I must bend-
This sickness will no doubt claim the day.
My fragmented song I have been singing too long-
If you have any sense stay out of my way!
For I have shut out the sun- what is done is done:
The drama unfolds before your very eyes.
I live by the moon- the dark one… Step back!
The edge I stumble towards allows no reprise.
Perfect Lover of Mine Jan 09
Perfect love. Perfect love-
Perfect lover of mine:
The smile on your lips
Bright as sunshine.
Perfect love. Perfect love.
Perfect lover of mine…
The touch of your hand
Gentle and fine.
Perfect love. Perfect love.
Perfect lover of mine:
You whisper my name-
Give me a sign.
Perfect love. Perfect love.
Perfect lover of mine:
Undressing yourself-
Goddess divine.
Perfect love. Perfect love.
Perfect lover of mine…
All I have is yours-
Take it for thine.
Perfect love. Perfect love.
Perfect lover of mine…
Kisses this naked!
Be my lifeline!
O kisses this naked you my lifeline:
Yes kisses so naked- you my lifeline…
Simply Lovely Oct 2004
Enigmatic smile:
glass half raised- perfect pose-
brown hair like Autumn leaves falling.
Watching and waiting
for what is real in this life-
a lover to answer your calling.
Blue/grey eyes knowing-
breathing desire like air.
There’s a laugh… such a laugh… and its sound
opens you to the day… takes you there.
THE END Late 2006
You the destination.
You the source.
You the Mother:
You the lover…
So of course!
You left.
You left in quest for spirit;
left for the world and your place in it.
Left to know pleasure and desire you missed;
left… and was touched… became a woman kissed.
Still the past has a price-
and mismanaged so well:
life hangs- desperate- in the balance…
Could you not tell?
No… And why should it be so?
Your own life- a work in progress- a search:
for meaning in existence no less… The soul’s rebirth.
April Thoughts 07
The invite went out into the night:
it was answered with silence- it could have been fright.
Should I try again to challenge the dark?
And welcome the void- o but such depths are stark!
Still I must know the Devil if some God I befriend:
I will walk every valley- till all valleys end!
There is a way through the mist- the fog that conceals:
the thought that contemplates its source- its destiny reveals.
Youth and Age Feb 07
Between rebellion and compliance
Between acceptance and defiance
Between real-politik and truth…
Somewhere ‘twixt God and Science
there is- for us all- self reliance:
and the wisdom of age versus the knowledge of youth-
And both are suspect.
You are young
I am old
You are a memory
I am your future!
You dismiss where I embrace;
you take away where I replace;
you feel the pain I would erase…
I look to touch your turning face
Between this world and the next
there is loss, there is love
Between the hater and the hated
the hammer or the velvet glove
Between the victor and the victim
there is pretense… and worse!
Between the sorrow and the joy-
the vacant promise or subtle curse
And between you and I- and what will be-
there is the Devil and the deep blue sea…
Renewal Feb 2011
It is not about the game I play
Or the poetry I write:
More it is the anger and frustration
Reflected in the mishits and bad rhymes.
Needed is some kind of appreciation
Of inadequacy-
An acknowledgement that it is the medication
That help keeps me sane.
Required is an awareness of the nature
Of the disorientation in the night.
Last night, for example… When the fear crept in.
I awoke before the terror really took hold-
And turned on the light:
Before the fall and the bruises and the blood;
Before the entire process claimed completion
And I discovered myself somewhere strange.
Not knowing how I got there… or
For how long I lay there… or
How to end it- stop it happening. For good!
My consolation? No one else has the answer either.
Still, the game I play has lessons to teach,
And the poems I write have places to reach.
And I am beginning again to seek for a way-
And I will find it… one day.
So I continue with the pills;
With their rescue plans… meantime:
I look to the calm dawn-
Put up with mishits and bad rhymes.
Look Me In the Eye Mch ‘12
Look me in the eye, brother:
The way you act is limiting.
There is no point, and I cannot find
A solution to this dilemma here.
Speak of what you need, brother-
Time is running out for you now.
Feelings you possess I do not know:
In my world everyone is sacred.
The life you lead, my brother-
So toxic to the very core.
No-one can relate to you, you see
You cast no shadow for darkness surrounds.
Inside your mind, brother,
All the wellsprings of hope are fouled.
You perform by rote your poetry-
And each day each word takes you further down.
My time is yours, my brother-
If you can reach me take my hand.
Sunlight is blinding, I realize-
But you have no choice ‘tis sunlight or death.
So drag yourself up, brother
From depths filled with terror and awe.
See other horizons where new souls
Pay homage to brand new constellations.
old moon
Young girl
in the prime of her life
On the cutting edge of what’s new;
knows she knows what to do;
had enough of thinking it through-
take me to wife
Take me to wife
Young man
sourced the secret of life
Once alone now come to the throng;
knows what’s right and what’s wrong;
hungry to sing her his song-
you are my life
You are my life
Old moon
flooding the valley below
Hearing promises no-one will keep;
too tired to care or to weep;
knows how jagged and deep-
the cut of the knife
The cut of the knife
This world
making righteous conceit
Exchanging compassion for greed;
listening still paying no heed;
scorning love and damning need-
stay with the fight
Stay with the fight
My God
are you out there at all
If there’s a way please let me see
how you want it to be:
give me something to take with me-
into the night
Into the night
Butterfly Kisses Mch ‘12
A butterfly kiss from a six year old miss
Takes my breath away- her innocent play.
We dance to her room, she in her new dress:
I smile and she laughs, and I must confess…
She captures me in a world of delight.
Shows me the design on her dragon kite.
She has the power to make a dark day bright:
And now we are friends she holds my hand so tight.
A goodnight kiss for the world I would not miss-
A perfect way to end a perfect day.
I watch her, she sleeps: as I leave she stirs.
All is as it should be- the future is hers.
Thoughts That Die Nov ‘13
Thoughts that die, ideas that cry
For putting pen to paper:
Catch them while they whisper-
Fleeting in their holy mystery.
Words that try with rhymes to tie
The mind and soul together:
Write them from your cloister-
They will soon enough be history.
Chorus
Now you tell me you have found a lover-
Brave and naked poet that you are:
Well I do not mind… It was your body from the start.
I knew what I would find… I did not want to touch your heart.
A world away, another play-
I will not change now or ever
With this change in the weather…
Your plumage complete in its finery.
All things are grey the stars would say-
This affair you must overcome…
(Just one more bad, sad rerun)
I cannot leave you in such misery!
Half-baked verses, songs filled with curses-
We can both find a way through them all.
He is no-one! A man of straw!
In his garb… unworthy of your nectary.
What can be said? Return to his bed-
Though regret may accompany you there.
… On a stack of bibles I swear…
I am stronger than your fears… His tyranny.
Not At Your Best at 3am Aug ‘13
Not at your best
At 3am, are you?
In all truth
These hours desert you.
Whatever may pass
For your spirit has flown-
Do not let melancholy
Pervert you.
The music, a challenge;
The lyrics too raw:
Your passions run hard
From their source.
Yet this is your one song
Though its melody haunts you-
But we both know
It must run its course.
The universe spins,
Coalesces around you:
I will speak to your fears
As you wonder.
Your eyes reflect courage:
Your heart?… Great desire!
You dance long
With the lightening and thunder.
On Death Trees Hung. Mch ‘14
Give them beads.
Take their land.
Spike their flower…
For the vision grand!
Rape their women.
Kill their young.
Enslave them all-
Men on death trees hung.
Walk the earth-
Your God given right:
Send all else that lives…
Into the night.
Wage your wars.
Annihilate your kin…
Then confess to whom-so-ever
The enormity of your sin.
Destroy the forests…
Slash and burn.
Walk us to the edge-
The point of no return!
And all your posturing;
And all your pious church going;
And all your conceited justifications…
Well, toxic the hate that is growing!
Poisonous the seeds you are sowing.
2AM Muse Apr ‘14
I see myself reflected
In you, it is a mirror:
Still, these days I am old
And the image is really quite blurred.
Yet separated in time
This thread of existence we share-
Tenuous as it is…
Is none-the-less linked by the word.
And the word is a poem
To bring the stars on down;
A song to romance
Your fond heart through this town.
There is no other answer…
And not near enough days
To find you… to bind you-
To remove- forever- that frown.
I have watched you and believe me
The way you live this life is hard.
And you know a smile is never enough-
Insufficient, too, all your natural grace.
For we are children of a common pathology:
Somehow blessed… and cursed… and blessed again-
Our legacy for wanting too much to embrace.
Janus
First of ancient kings
To over Italy reign.
Endowed (made god?) by Jupiter
With the gift of the knowledge of Time.
Such is the gratitude of gods
When shown a kindness:
A place to rest… hospitality
For a world-weary deity.
Great king, great warrior…
Soon to be St. Januarious:
Guardian of the Gates of Heaven
Whose dried blood reverently preserved
Turned liquid beside the skull of a true martyr.
Who better to judge?
To hold the keys, staff?
To be the gatekeeper?
Who better than the god with 2 faces:
Looking into the future, back into the past?
‘Janitor’ is too humble a word.
You Jan ‘13
You
See a flower in the field
A cloud in the sky
A bird in flight…
And know peace
You
Hear the sounds of the night
The music of the day
The whisper of a child…
And know wonder
You
Touch a body to caress
A body that needs healing
A body lost in want…
And know giving
Meanwhile I
See but the shadow of creation
Hear only nature’s muffled voice
Touch her body without feeling…
And know sorrow
I Do Not Envy Oct ‘13
I do not envy
Whoever goes through
My stuff
When I finally depart.
They will probably
Just junk everything-
They would simply
Not know where to start.
I have always thought
Every word in every book sacred-
But not everyone on this subject
Doth agree.
And I acknowledge their argument…
I guess I have collected a lot of crap.
It is just that my books- even the crap ones-
Have some value to me.
And the paintings that adorn my world
I know are pretty bad:
Though, even they, in a good light…
Can look quite fine.
So the pictures will disappear
To the dump in due course no doubt…
Still, I am curious…
Where will ‘whomsoever’ draw the line?
I know… I know…
I am responsible for my own obsession:
And I should do something about it-
And eventually I will.
But you get into a habit- and habits are very hard…
To break.
Then again, there must be worse things in this life to be?
(It is all grist to the mill)
Sleep Too Much Jun ‘12
Sleep too much, don’t eat enough-
All exercise is lacking.
My dreams are such they drive me mad:
The girlfriend sent me packing.
The sky is blue my mood is grey-
They come around just to inspect me.
Like some specimen in a science lab…
Friends try to dissect me.
Women I have known from the past won’t ring
Though I write to them everyday.
I wonder what they think I’m thinking?
What causes such delay?
The poetry I compose refuses to rhyme-
Though this one’s an exception.
The doctor tells me to keep writing
So I’ll find my own way to redemption.
Well it’s been a month now in Ward 10
And everyone’s been very kind.
They tell me I’m ok… will be leaving soon:
But I can read their mind.
My bags are packed, the taxi waits:
They are taking me to my new home.
The pension they give me should cover rent and food-
I wear a bracelet in case I roam.
I read once where someone a lot like me
Did something very, very wrong.
But I can’t recall- I’m a simple soul…
Still the memories of others are long.
Anyway, the days pass, and time it repeats
And I’m sleeping a whole lot better.
And though they keep asking, I’m not telling…
About the last time I met her.
in memory of…
I do not wish to deceive my love-
(There’s a wildcard in the deck
that I am chasing),
I seek only to surrender
(it’s being played
by the enemy within):
The gentle torture you inflict-
(my poster hangs on every wall
you are defacing)-
makes me the great pretender
(I am looking out the door…
where to begin?)
Well you know me well-
so very well I am embarrassed
(To deny me sustenance
would be a crime)
There’s a song on the horizon
and I am singing:
more perfect as I stumble
closer to the line
Your insensate desire has me groping
for any rescue plan your sisters plot
Give me liquor, give me succor-
keep me hoping…
But she is playing in the depths
where you are not
Now she is stripped down to the flesh
and your spirit leaving-
like a leper out the backdoor
has waved goodbye every claim upon desire
And hearts that once here beat…
here beat no more
I will not fall for you again
(In the heat of the night
the world is ended)-
now the summer is returning
(there’s a chalk mark on the blackboard
where I study)
Move slowly- by all tenderness…
(Now you want me to pay
for wrongs defended):
I am all with all that’s burning
(but don’t look down
your shoes are just as muddy)
angel’s kiss
Angel’s kiss intoxicating
made your day:
shy to the world
for me she danced you say
Any smile surely
would see you fairly fall:
I know the lady chances are
she would embrace us all
We who as well love her
call you friend
see in you the part of her
that she must give again
So as certain as the night is fragrant
stay entranced –
’tis a bitter road if along the way
love is never glanced
But there is a darker side-
you may not understand:
her eyes are still with pain
as if hurt sorrow may demand
And every flower you have sent
has withered in her hand:
as every passion failing dies
though it be passion grand
Still you are young
as all are young who love too much,
and passion is a virtue
and dreams a kiss as such
Yet I dare not speak here now
of things unsaid when lovers touch
When a woman lives outside her art
every passion is a crutch
Truth to tell tonight
will you be touched by Angel’s kiss:
yet would she see in you
relief from her despair
So be it my friend be warned
for want of your great love
she will be as one with falling stars –
my friend take care
In the light of morning you
who have been loved will love no other;
every future fool endeavor
brief encounter will there fail:
as memory filters to the surface
seeking substance
sweet Angel’s kiss one perfumed …
lingers stale
losing the plot
I have entered the world of
St George Stoves; Expensive Leather Lounges-
and such like
I have discovered the Counter Culture…
That’s where you go to The Counter
and say: I’ll have This and That
and ‘Charge It’
Meanwhile I continue to write
Letters-to-the-Editor
condemning the Exploiters and Destroyers
of our Pristine Environment
I drive around in my Volvo
inspecting their damage
Around Election Time
I get ‘serious’
Endless tirades against Government Policy;
Public Planning; People’s Apathy
and such like
I extol everyone to vote for Me-
the Green Candidate
So we all will have a better life:
Expensive Leather Lounges; St. George Stoves; and Volvos… for everyone…!
Yes the great day will come-
just you wait and see
Death Haunts The Stranger Mch ‘12
Death haunts the stranger,
Follows him to the door:
Make a stand in self-defence,
Remember we are the law.
Do not engage in conversation-
Use maximum force:
Feel not a shred of guilt-
It is the only recourse.
You vigilantes
Cloaked in military attire,
Who gave you permission
To flame hate’s vicious fire?
And you police who get it wrong
When the blameless are killed,
Do you not feel the shame of Cain
For the blood you have spilled?
And you who must destroy
The lives of others of your race,
Can you not see the emptiness
In the survivor’s face?
And the families of your victims
Damned forever to this hell:
How can you sleep knowing
You have rung the death bell?
I Have Lost Track of Arguments Mch ‘12
I have lost track of arguments
Into which I have strayed:
Between God and the devil
I have been waylaid.
Telling lies to bedroom eyes-
It’s down to me the game I’ve played:
Guess in the end my fate deserved…
To be finally betrayed.
O the signposts they all showed me
The righteous way to go;
Gave me ways and means assuredly-
But I just could not follow.
In the morning all I saw
Was the day before… My sorrow
Chilled the monotony of evening-
A mirror for tomorrow.
Eating of the primal feast-
A certain way to destruction.
Buried too long a rival beast
Howling a song of seduction.
Shattered among the wreckage
This new production:
Stripped bare- made naked-
Refusing further reduction.
Bad Dreams Nov 11
I struggle for words
To reflect the internal chaos.
The car that rushes out of control due to brake failure;
The never-ending train ride and all the missed stations;
The journey by boat that simply keeps going on some endless ocean.
Transport nightmares.
Or the house, the room, that is sanctuary.
I find it for a while, then it is gone… disappearing, too, any peace.
And the recurring dreams in vivid colour:
Where I am in some kind of weird space.
Perhaps flying- if I am lucky… Mostly wrapped in terror.
And the travelling through space… Sometimes exhilarating…
More often a precursor to a decent into acute fear- my personal hell.
Indescribable. I cannot even properly begin. Though this much I have attempted.
You Wish to Play May ‘12
You wish to play truth or dare
With me in the shadows tonight.
Are you not afraid of what you may find there?
Perhaps you should stay inside the light?
My partner in crime I must dance with alone-
I have lived with his passions too long.
Still you believe there are more ways than there are stars, to atone…
But in this you are most definitely, certainly, wrong.
The one who needs to forgive me is waiting
For what I- in my despair- cannot tell.
Now you demand I confess but even your berating
Will not open the gates of this hell.
Yes, thank you for trying, I realize your need
Requires a response from me- turn the lamp down low…
You have walked a dangerous path for your want, I concede-
But this soul longs for the child… and you should go.
With all these warnings I’ve said as much as I dare-
Should we warm each other by the now raging fire?
You are laughing at me smiling, I am watching you stare:
So be it- other saviours shall find us! Let us undress desire.
July 11
Should you find the day too cold?
The night too dark?
Should every friend desert you
That once held true?
I will stay, be of comfort
Through the tumult and the pain;
Be with you when your dreams die-
Be your hero in the rain.
So be braver than before:
Ocean and stars caress you.
Show more faith in surrender…
All that is holy will posses you.
Should you find days of pleasure?
Nights of wonder?
Should wiser friends support you
Come the thunder?
And should you no longer need this hand to hold?
Allow me one last kiss before my love is old.
The Reality Mch 10
You say you get paid
To take this all so seriously;
Well I for one do not find
Much here of any relevancy.
Will come the time you must decide
Which side of the barricades you are on:
And those intricacies that tie you down…
What will you do when I am gone?
And the truth tellers replace
What the spin-doctors deface.
There’s a line but it’s fading
With each dark lie.
We scream around Earth’s garden-
Cannot meet the other’s stare:
Shadows in search of their substance…
Saying nothing, doing less- going nowhere.
The ways of laws not fit for man-
Let me see you breathing fire:
In the space of a heartbeat everything changes.
Rage, my friend, to ignite their ire.
And the peacemakers stagger,
As the warmongers swagger.
There’s a star and it’s falling
In the night sky.
How many words? Must I explain?
There is madness in the machine:
And True Believers meet their fate-
It is much too much obscene.
Her Poem Feb 10
I do not want to leave you
But the guilt scares me.
Right now- at this moment-
He is good to me. It will not last.
I know! Too many years of being:
Dismissed; embarrassed; demeaned-
And fifty other adjectives I could use…
But you do not abuse me.
You are hot: the only way to describe
My desire- like I am some forty year old
Adolescent to your touch… I know
How much you enjoy me as well-
That helps. Must I be a pornographer
For the sake of this poem? Perhaps
Yes… I could be; should be. I do not
Think so… You breathe me in and oh
My God! Cupped in your hand;
Enclosed by your mouth; tasted
By your lips, your tongue… My passion
Was never so well complimented
Or all consuming…
Animals All June ‘13
Puppy farming- a sign of the times:
You call it a business- I call it a crime.
The child in the pet shop simply cannot know
The nature of the cruelty your actions bestow!
Battery hens caged and killed-
No ethical dilemmas there!
Two eggs for breakfast; Kentucky Fried for dinner-
Tortured chook- in this kitchen- always a winner!
And whilst we are at the table, bacon certainly delights!
When the taste buds are excited who thinks of Animal Rights?
Never mind their intelligence: ‘food’ deserves no respect…
Till it gets served on a plate… Take time to reflect!
And Man- the supreme animal- top of the food chain:
Blessed and cursed with such a fantastic brain.
… With a blind spot, it seems, for the rest of creation:
Daily species extinction- there goes another relation.
Sacrificed in the name of Religion!
Dissected in the name of Science!
Exploited! Abused! Betrayed! Abandoned!
Degraded in the name of Sport… Castrated for convenience!
From the Dolphins in World War Two, to the first dog in space…
‘Shame’ and ‘guilt’ our bedfellows- there is no saving grace.
Yes in every age, and on every page lies condemned the human race.
Perhaps, like the parasites we are, we should disappear without a trace!
And those who rail against Live Export- just to bring it up to date:
Are seen as wide-eyed innocents- dangerous fools who harass and berate.
Well, I say this to those who claim their case does not hold water:
Have you seen the video footage of the slaughter?
And there are saviours who rescue – who care for those in need:
Animals discarded once they have satisfied our greed.
I salute you in your life’s work- you raise awareness with your love…
Let us hope our leaders listen, too, should push ever come to shove.
And We Will Dance July 10
The night of the masquerade ball:
You wore a painted veil and parasol-
A goddess on her pedestal.
Your gifted smile was my delight:
I moved with you inside the night…
Felt their wrath- as well one might.
The artist weeps and he is old;
The critic sleeps and he is cold.
Move slowly to the mirror girl:
Take off your bows and ribbons girl.
And we will fall and we will rise-
No foil to love no false disguise…
No pretense; no deceit; no lies-
I have seen behind your eyes.
So come to me with silent sighs-
Yes come to me in silent sighs.
I want you in the morning child,
Playful in these arms of mine;
Caught between this dance and fear
Of losing you and being here…
Knowing neither wrong nor right;
Seeing only black and white:
Come lovers all tonight-
Come lovers all tonight.
And we will dance and praise the moon;
And we shall hum a sacred tune.
And lovers shall tonight be told
The place to be where love is bold.
And every touch an offering:
Given freely to the other’s weal;
Eternally to pray, to kneel:
Beneath God’s holy monument-
This consecrated sacrament.
Yet some will cry it is so ordained
That love causes only hurt and pain.
Love has no holy monument;
No consecrated sacrament…
Love is for fools too blind to see;
Knows only chains, is never free.
Love ignores its prisoner’s pleas-
Returns in time to taunt then flees.
And each kills in the other that which they love-
Too much below to rise above.
Dream
Dream a dream
of distance and depth;
of an eye and a hand
and the cloud that hides.
Dream a day
of fact and fancy;
of a mind and a heart
and the Earth that abides.
Dream a night
of love and lust;
of a face and a breast
and the hero that rides:
into the night… into the day… into the dream.
Dream a dream
of time and torment;
of a wound and a hurt
and the girl that cries.
Dream a day
of sorrow and sameness;
of a gift and a longing
and the flower that dies.
Dream a night of heaven and hell;
of a coldness and a feeling
and the body that tries:
to touch the night… to touch the day… to touch the dream.
Dream a dream
of love and loss;
of a man and a woman
and the life that takes.
Dream a day
of wonder and warmth;
of a child and a vision
and the heart that aches.
Dream a night
of comfort and calm;
of a memory and a fall-
and the dream that wakes.
The Man With the Boyish Smile dec 11
The man with the boyish smile
Is on the dance floor tonight.
There are lights flashing and music wild:
And though too old for the current style
He will get the girl… her dress so short and tight.
Meanwhile the evening flies
The women look to perform.
The alcohol heightens desire-
All the men become bumbling liars.
And our lovers they dance and dance up a storm.
And right words have been spoken-
She is lead from the public gaze
And the drama continues elsewhere.
What the deals she will make as she bares
Her body in this space, what happens here stays.
And the choices she has made.
And the chances that he takes.
He has much more to lose in this game.
She knows this all that does is inflames
The passion for danger in life’s higher stakes.
Poem For A Lover Mch ‘14
Your breasts lovely
As you stand naked under moonlight.
Your hair falls dark and soft
Moving lightly in the breeze.
Soft too your glance your smile
As I watch your eyes gaze into mine.
It feels like Heaven yet it hurts like hell:
A hell I welcome again and again.
Suspended Animation Oct ‘10
Books you will never read
Collect dust upon your shelf;
Music you will never hear-
You live too much inside yourself.
All those works of art that grace your wall-
I see you are a man of taste;
Acquaintances who visit shake their head
And cry at such a waste.
The woman once loved so long ago
Has children of her own.
She writes sometimes her sad enquiry:
If you still live alone?
And where are those who called you friend?
Where is their helping hand?
Betrayal demands forgiveness you see-
Perhaps you do not understand?
I have been with the one who loved you-
She looks so fine inside that dress;
Her smile arouses certain passions… but no-
This to you I should not confess.
Now you say there are offers of marriage, to wed:
Impossible! Love has been shattered in pieces.
But I see no future in solitude and despair-
The more you justify the risk greater increases.
You Who Are Able oct ‘13
You say you are able
To deal with the demons,
You do not need the medicine now.
Well, I will believe you…
(time will tell my brother)
… When you make your peace with the real world.
I have seen this before-
All those times in the past…
Please forgive me my scepticism.
Trust me I will be here:
You must feel free to call
Should your mind find a home in some hell.
Do not disregard signs-
You should act right away…
No one knows that better than I do.
Similarities shared-
Too many to mention…
I am, as well, careful in this life.
Over To You
Should I hear
A perfect voice?
Should I see
A perfect face?
Should I feel
A perfect body
Beside me?
If I am less
Than what I seem
For never living
The perfect dream,
I crave indulgence-
I am what I am…
If I can not help you-
Who can?
Before the mirror you reflect:
Ten years have gone by-
Nothing is what you expect.
Desperation
In your voice;
Tears scar your face-
It is your choice.
Realization:
Is this all to life?
Perfect Mother.
Perfect Wife.
Still you must try-
Take me at my word.
I have seen this before-
Call it absurd…
But there’s more.
There is more.
Saturday Night Girl Sept ‘10
Ev’ryone turns their head
As they go driving by:
You are showing much more
Than a party-face smile.
Saturday night lies-
You fall for them each time;
Sunday morning your tears
Mix with red wine.
Chorus:
The dress that adorns you
For men to adore you
Has an X-rated classification;
And the perfume so striking
Is to everyone’s liking-
I think you call it Sweet Fornication.
Should life be a game
You are playing it well:
Some days spent in heaven-
Some few others dwelt in hell.
Well then…
Might I know the pleasure
Fleetingly given?
Must I feel- or pretend-
To be this hard driven?
Chorus:
The dress that adorns you… etc
But when it is over
And your make-up has run:
That hysterical ploy-
Means now no lover comes.
Still hopes for the future
Fill all your secret dreams:
The Saturday Night Girl-
So much more than she seems.
You Who Are Leaving
You who are leaving
so sure of yourself,
taking sorrow as luggage
to go.
Just as sure as I know
I offered you less,
I am certain you offered
no more.
Chorus: Yes and does your lover
satisfy you?
Do you think he can please you
like I do?
Can you believe in surrender
for you both to win?
Do you know when to stop…
when to begin?
So depart for the world:
take your myth and dream.
I’ve dressed you in crimson.
I’ve dressed you in green.
I know your desire,
greater than love.
Over the rainbow
pot of gold at the end.
Yes and does your lover
mystify you?
Does he see you as naked
as I do?
Will he believe in surrender
for you both to win?
Will he know when to stop…
when to begin?
In a train on some journey
I had you you spat
tears of blood screaming out:
‘The end of love is here!’
And I was there when you came
arms outstretched-
in that beautiful way-
and kissed me!
Saying in answer: ‘Yes I am:
in love… In love… In love’.
And will your lover
glorify you?
Will he take the wheel
like I do?
And will you each surrender
for you both to win?
Will you finally stop…
just to begin?
Does your lover satisfy you?
Does your lover mystify you?
Does your lover glorify you?
Yes does he love you- terrify you-
like I do?
Regal Realms Sept 13
Chorus:
I have seen the face of God
In regal realms.
And I have heard the voice of God
In regal realms.
Yes, I have been blessed by Him
In so many ways…
In regal realms.
In regal realms.
We are meanwhile played for fools too long-
The time has come:
Vote with your feet, your hearts, your minds…
Be no more dumb.
Take all your 50s accessories,
Throw them away.
Step into this brand new century
And shades of grey.
Now too well I see the suffering
That plagues mankind.
This way of life has failed us so-
I am not blind.
The madness here, and far and wide
Is killing dreams…
The pain and hurt in this fine land
Is all it seems.
O, but there is hope surviving large
Through grief and rage:
There will come a time- I foresee
A better Age.
The spirit will not be destroyed-
I am that sure:
The Whirlwind shall not force its way
Inside the door.
You tell me there is no way to change…
The die is cast.
No one can save the soul of man-
Life cannot last.
Like parasites we will be erased
Forever more!
And leave this world for years to come
An open sore.
Hear me! Do not allow knaves, through fear
Call every shot.
Become an army, relentless, strong-
Burn white hot!
This new style of thought, feel in your heart
Its potent spell:
Rise up as though a tidal wave-
A mighty swell.
Let me tell you how it is once more-
We will win out!
Pride before a fall, take care, know this
Without a doubt:
To find a lasting peace, brothers/sisters… you…
Must make a stand.
And risk all for the greater good…
Across the land!
Across the land!
Across the land!
Beautiful You Oct ‘11
Lake and trees…
Beautiful you:
Tormented by sorrow-
Grief enough for two.
All the kisses in the world
Will not stem the tide.
You have lost it all:
Nothing left inside.
The medication leaves you strange:
You want to sleep… not wake up.
Some devil in the woodwork
Has passed you the poisoned cup.
And still the lake and trees
Witness your every cry.
And all that I can do
Is watch you slowly die.
Who’s Out Flying the Flag Jan 12
Who’s out flying the flag today?
Who’s out flying the flag?
The racist down the road, I see
Who cannot make eye contact with me.
Who’s out flying the flag today?
Who’s out flying the flag?
The bigot across the street who knows;
In his garden nothing else grows…
Who’s out flying the flag today?
Who’s out flying the flag?
Politicians enjoying their self-serving reign
Neither seeing nor caring for the people’s pain.
Who’s out flying the flag today?
Who’s out flying the flag?
The businessman busy making a fortune unearned
Whilst those in the fire he started are burned.
Who’s out flying the flag today?
Who’s out flying the flag?
False prophets who preach of Heaven’s reward
Who know not much of human nature and even less of their Lord.
Who’s out flying the flag today?
Who’s out flying the flag?
The teachers of morality who should be sent back to school…
Time will tell, will separate, the wise man from the fool.
Every year the flag goes up.
Every year we celebrate.
Yes every year the flag it rises-
Every year the national mass debate.
Valentine’s Day
So he touched me and I cried some.
Then he kissed me and I died some.
The last place he touched me was on the face now.
The last place he kissed me was on the lips… How
He made me feel the rhythm
Of my body with his body…
How he made me with his fire
Ignite the spark of my desire.
I have reflected on this sacred feeling.
I am open to his kneeling.
His mouth, my flesh, his tongue, my lord!
I am so much in love adored.
In truth he found no place was hidden:
From his gaze nothing forbidden.
And I have not yet stopped from smiling
From the pleasure of this great defiling.
So he touched me more and I came well.
Then he kissed me more played the game well.
The last place he touched me he kissed my tears now.
The last place he kissed me he touched my fears… How
He made me feel the poetry
Of my soul with his own soul…
How he made me with his desire
Ignite the spark, which turned to fire.
A Friend’s Son is On Facebook Dec ‘11
A friend’s son is on Facebook
With a page, page, page.
Anthony is only 12
And under age, age, age.
He’s being stalked by paedophiles
Who scent, scent, scent:
He’s lied about his date of birth-
They’re bent, bent, bent.
The police have devised
A plot, plot, plot…
To trap the sleazy bastards-
Put ‘em in the slot, slot, slot.
His parents think Anthony’s
A little saint, saint, saint:
But he’s done some things before-
A saint he aint, aint, aint.
The little girls at Tony’s school
Know all to well, well, well:
A little bit that way themselves-
Don’t kiss and tell, tell, tell.
Still now it’s getting serious,
The cops are sure, sure, sure:
Little Anthony’s learned his lesson-
Won’t do it any more, more, more.
DEVIL TRIP Sept 08
I cried on the side of the mountain-
The smoky place you call home.
I told you I must be getting along
And that I could not live here all alone.
The robes you appear so naked in
Every Tuesday ‘round midnight I suffer:
Witches chants witches hats guest demons and suchlike-
Well… just what more have you to offer?
A friend of mine called by guitar on his back
Saw the cauldron in the corner and the fire.
We smoked his grass you opened the door-
One look and his laugh just got higher.
Now your friends came around one Sunday it’s true
Took their clothes off and circled around me.
I thought I was in for some wild time till you
Cleared the wood took their matches unbound me.
Chorus:
O Satan has your heart firm in his grip:
He drinks the cup of blood from which you sip.
You are forever joined with him now at the hip-
And I just cannot share in this Devil Trip.
Clouds hang over the hills rainbow brightens the sky-
Takes my breath away as I’m packing to leave…
Everything’s gone to Hell you are collecting pins-
That doll you are holding looks like me I perceive.
I remember. I recall. I’ve meditated on this…
What went wrong in the history of us?
Perhaps this house? Was it cursed from the start?
And did everything follow naturally thus?
Yes that strange night you said folks were calling
You prepared a meal a royal feast you laid on…
That’s when you told me ‘bout the Prince of Darkness and well
You showed me the new altar that you now prayed on.
So I am taking my hash traveling light out of here
With some books that you have not yet burned:
And I will be somewhere… California I guess…
Try me in my absence… Get the hence! Court adjourned!
Healer of wounds
The healer of wounds lances another
Breathes in Sandalwood air.
The woman, crying, faces her brother…
Sleeping as one beyond care.
The Therapist dressed in suicide robes
Invites demons into our bed:
With stupefying esoteric probes
His devils cut swathes through your head
And tomorrow at noon Analysis comes:
‘The vamp is a virgin’, he’ll say in a trance
Whilst waiting at windows- intoning hums-
The other… wise surgeon
Makes his scalpel blade dance.
Now rain continues to fall in the park
Where oaks to acorns return;
Where souls on their bad trips retch in the dark-
And brass-knuckled lovers throw kisses to burn.
And our sex is obscured
By affectations and charms-
The helpers help everyone out:
But it’s muscle that moves
Your legs and your arms-
So open your mouth… and just shout!
The fear engages the head the body shuts down:
Dreams portend panic in unholy alliance.
And I am as good as I think I am well go down:
The die is cast… the glove flung in defiance.
Who am I the morning after the night’s terror?
The mind is cleared/all sense of self submerged.
Where am I? Such times! What day is it?
From what hell has this incubus emerged?
Every muscle aches the tongue is scarred…
The symptoms echo ‘seizure’… doctor this I know!
Still the psyche perhaps in deeper wisdom creates a profile:
A riot for the brain etiology disguised what a show!
Now the day breaks sane all appears safe as it should:
My reality secure I am sure of me once more.
Yet I will not resile from future grief or anguish:
And I will live… to close this- and every other- open door.
There and Back Aug ‘11
Left my home for Sydney Town-
Glory be! What’s goin’ down?!
Watched as the girls took off my trousers;
Knew great delight, removed their blouses.
What they did with their mouths was no man’s business-
Way beyond any priest’s forgiveness,
O to be young and in one’s prime,
With a whole lotta money and plenty of time.
Yes, the places-to-be put on such a show-
You get an eyeful in the front row!
And it gets pretty hard when she dances that way-
For a few extra quid it’s your lucky day.
Then it’s off with your clothes again that night:
You know it’s all wrong, but it’s all right.
Next thing there’s something that she calls ‘smack’…
She gives you a choice, something else called ‘crack’.
Later on some fellow brings around some ‘ice’-
Says I will find it very nice.
Well I had enough… after ‘bout a week,
Then it was back on the train to Scribly Creek:
Where the folks just get high on clean air and weed;
A few magic mushies and a little speed.
Your Expert Leaving Aug ‘13
Your expert leaving,
In case you do something
You may not regret in the morning.
Your laughter in starlight,
Lips soft to a kiss:
You breathe a desire for giving.
Your eyes, daring, explicit-
You create every passion…
Is there something you are not telling?
Your body so teasing…
An attempt at abandon?
I follow you into the evening.
Your words such a challenge:
You are vulnerable I know!
Erstwhile lover… For why are you grieving?
Your hand releases its hold.
You walk back down the stairs.
And the band plays on…
But I am not dancing.
Michael Gerard Collins shared The Poet‘s status.
She Will Not Come Oct ‘13
She will not come to me now or ever again:
The wellsprings have been poisoned so.
She is no more the innocent, perfecting desire-
Still there is history you both need to know.
Chorus:
Do not take it to heart
You knew at the start:
I would connect every dot… deny you.
You could not see or know
How a young girl would grow
Into a woman… How she would defy you.
How well I recall every tentative touch:
Wise beyond her years in her laughter.
And I am not sorry for those days my friend-
But regret is real for the pain that came after.
Such was the loss of love into the future:
The myth making I am certain soon did follow.
Endings a hard lesson… To her alone would I confess…
And the voice of suspect morality rings hollow.
The judgment so final is far too outrageous-
If such were true I would seek ways of redemption.
Yet I cannot convince you… any actions of mine…
Simply conjures- for you- diabolical intention.
We two have the story- and only she and I know:
Her memories I will not betray now.
So do not come to me with these tales of deceit-
No debt to God or man need I repay now.
Yes she opened herself and showed me her body-
I can see you do not wish to hear this.
There was a certain hesitation, then joy… O my friend…
Verily! We each triumphed in that first joy filled kiss!
Michael Gerard Collins shared The Poet‘s status.
Lover Jan ‘13
What am I to do
My lover
Beneath the stars in the sky
Tonight?
How am I to feel
Sweet lover
When all I can do is cry
This night?
Is there room for me
Dear Lover
In your heart? Am I dreaming
Tonight?
You touch me, I melt
Hard lover…
But tell me? Are you scheming
This night?
I would give to you
Fond lover,
All of my body and soul
Tonight.
If you would need me
Cold lover…
If so that would make me whole
This night.
You do not love me
Grand lover-
Or so you say, then we kiss
Tonight.
I so fear for you
Lost lover-
In your arms I feel such bliss
This night.
Please do not leave me
Strange lover!
I wish I could be more brave…
Tonight.
Still, I should be strong
Damn lover!
I am a woman- no slave
This night.
Yes, I am woman
Dream lover:
A precious gift… Understand
Tonight.
You must wake to this
Wrong lover
When I take you by the hand
This night.
Yes, when I take you by the hand…
My lover…
My only lover.
Hook Line Nov 11
I need a hook line,
Someone’s tragedy for a tune.
I need a hook line:
A lost soul howling at the moon.
Give me a hook line,
A disaster impending.
A clever hook line-
A rhyme for an ending.
I’ll be a thief for a hook line-
But don’t quote me.
I’d give blood for a hook line…
What’s that say about me?
Already got a melody,
Some good words and ideas.
Just need that killer hook line…
Something ‘bout love, loss, and tears.
O for a hook line,
A hook line for my song.
If only I had a hook line-
Then everyone could sing along.
Syria Oct ‘13
Grievances manifest
Justifying righteous indignation.
No one is holy
And nothing is sacred-
In this war… There is evil
On both sides of the drama:
It is ugly-
Even virtue is suspect.
And every nation
Plays its own game:
Their pathetic polemics
Serve only to further destabilize.
Moribund institutions
Run by fools playing God…
Self-serving
In their machinations.
So what of the victims?
The poor, desperate, and weak?
The sick in body and soul?
The old?
The dispossessed?
What of the children?
Where do they go
In this madness?
Sing me your song,
You who gas your countrymen-
Tell me your story…
Make it a good one!
Make a case for me to believe
In your so-called justice!
Give me the knowledge
To better judge.
And you who have infiltrated
The ranks of the heroes:
Men and women
Who fight for their freedom…
You have poisoned minds!
Jeopardized the true revolution…
And for this
There is no forgiveness!
Michael Gerard Collins shared The Poet‘s status.
The Tower. Nov ‘13
Poverty of thought, the answer incomplete:
Well welcome to the human race and every possible defeat.
The clock, a time bomb, ticks a challenge you will not meet:
We are either brave or foolhardy- how long can you stand the heat?
There are souls dying in ways too horrific to relate:
Without a home… Devoid of hope… No protecting border… For them too late.
And you shout in self-righteous anger of the responsibility of the state!
Well, what is done… is done… is over: well may you cry ‘death to hate!’
So be it! You who rule by stealth, your despotic power
Will know the sting of History’s truth and will come the hour:
When those you have enslaved will rise up- no more cower…
In the shadow, your shadow… The dark shadow of The Tower!
You Who Are Able oct ‘13
You say you are able
To deal with the demons,
You do not need the medicine now.
Well, I will believe you…
(time will tell my brother)
… When you make your peace with the real world.
I have seen this before-
All those times in the past…
Please forgive me my scepticism.
Trust me I will be here:
You must feel free to call
Should your mind find a home in some hell.
Do not disregard signs-
You should act right away…
No one knows that better than I do.
Similarities shared-
Too many to mention…
I am, as well, careful in this life.
The More You Have Dec ‘12
The more you have
The more you want.
This is true:
Especially of love.
The more I want
The less I have.
This is true:
Particularly of love.
Such is greed
That infiltrates rightful passion.
Such is need
That terminates legitimate desire.
So why recall every lost opportunity?
Why lament every untouched moment?
Why regret all those words still unspoken?
Why remember all those tears once suffered?
When a heart can feel no more it dies.
That is why.
Sales Pitch oct 13
Low ks
No rust
One owner-driver
Sales pitch-
What a bitch…
It wasn’t worth a fiver
Green The Grass Nov ‘13
Green the grass in this tree-lined park:
Blue the sky above.
White the clouds as they drift by…
Black the colour of love.
Red the glow of the setting sun:
Brown the autumn leaves.
Yellow becomes the desert sand-
Yet black the colour love weaves.
Orange the fruit of the blessed earth:
Violet a flower fair.
Purple for royalty… cloth woven fine…
Still black is her love I wear.
Sing me a rainbow
Give me your every song.
Come back from this darkness
To where you belong.
No angel of God
Could delight with such bliss…
The past is a memory-
The future a kiss.
Michael Gerard Collins shared The Poet‘s status.
Spirit Dancer Apr 13
Aries
Rising in Cancer-
Not surprising…
You are the dance-
I am the dancer.
Words to bind you.
A poem to remind you.
A rhyme to find you…
This side of Heaven.
Stars reveal we two-
You showed me how.
We travel apart and together…
Past is present- the future is now.
Aries
Rising in Cancer-
The journey continues…
I am the dance-
You are the dancer.
Aries
Rising in Cancer…
Nurturer. Healer.
We share the dance…
Each the other’s spirit dancer.
Let’s Host a Paper! Sept 13
Let’s host a paper-
It’s bound to be a winner;
It’ll suit both saint and sinner-
And we’ll all be home for dinner. (A nice roast!)
Yes, let’s host a paper.
We really should form a committee!
It’s a national disgrace!
We just don’t know our place.
… We should, in shame, hide our face.
(You know: animal rights; live export… etc… etc…
O, and send a memo of support to that group…
What’s its name? O yeah: Animals Australia.)
Yes, we’ll form a committee.
… Have a meeting!
We must all have a meeting:
A little heartfelt bleating;
Handshakes and breast beating
Let’s have a meeting!
O, and let’s explore the New Plan:
The Importance of Education.
It’s the future of our nation…
It’ll address all of the frustration-
Please do show us all the New Plan.
Now here’s another up-to-the-minute-guideline
Regarding ‘Boat People’… It’s a very, very, very, fine line.
Asylum Seekers, or Illegals? This land is your land… This land is mine!
Let’s hear it for another new neatly packaged, tough guideline.
I’m reading of the current conference in the Middle East:
Isn’t life exciting? Welcome to the feast!
Mistake follows misjudgement- the killing hasn’t ceased.
(Not any day now, not any way now… shall they be released.)
Yes, there’s another bloody conference in the Middle East.
What’s more: there’s to be a Citizen’s Forum…
(If, of course, we can ever get a quorum.)
It’s an ethical dilemma for our community:
The latest trend among young girls for near bare-naked nudity.
Yes friends, it seems, 10 or 11 has become the new puberty!
O, it’s time… way past time… for a Citizen’s Forum.
Can we organize a convention? (Failing all else.)
Invite those of ‘good intention?
We’ll gather like-minded folks from every political dimension!
(May even consider letting in some mild dissention…)
There’ll be no vague promises, no pretension!
There won’t be an issue that we won’t mention.
We’ll vote, and vote, and vote… and keep voting till we get it right!
… But the roast is just about done- so to all you friends out there…
Goodnight!
Inspired by Jonathan Oct ‘13
Say ‘goodbye’ to your community?
The water table goes?
No, we will not fail- no ‘coffin nail!
No reaping of the seeds they sow!
You may criticize, you businessmen,
The defenders of the Earth:
Still you torture the Mother- she is like no other!-
That gave us all our birth.
Chained to machines through the day-
The darkness closing in.
With rising fear, no law fits here
Sanity triumphs over sin.
Chorus:
So walk us all to the gates of justice
And not the gates of hell:
Here we are sitting close together,
Stories a-plenty to tell.
In these days of grief there is still hope,
Where the good would make a stand!
In the uniform of peace and love-
Solidarity with the land.
The evening under the Speaking Tree
Against a full moon sky;
The songs of the Goddess… I must confess
Could bring tears to the devil’s eye.
And me? I was embraced! She smiled:
“You are welcome family here!
If that were not the case you would not show your face…”
Her words, like the night, shone clear!
In truth, ‘twas Jonathan’s calming voice
That gave inspiration to the hour.
And though he may suffer the curse, destiny holds far worse…
A whole forest of weeds… to choke a single flower!
Old Men Feb ‘13
Old men
Already ancient in their infamy:
Manipulating markets,
Maximising their wealth.
Fools for power,
Insane with greed:
Betraying trust
Requires great stealth!
The daily papers
Paint a picture bleak:
Politicians organise
A little friendly swindle.
‘Friends in high places’-
To quote a well honed phrase-
See to it that the public coffers…
Dwindle.
Who do you vote for
When it comes to the crunch?
(No such thing as a free lunch)
Which side are you on?
Do you even know?
The devil is in the detail-
Or so it is claimed…
The print just gets finer
The further down you go.
So you tell me the wave you are riding
Will never break?
But this metaphor of yours
Will not outlast the season.
History is against you!
Listen carefully, friend:
Your thought process is bereft of logic
Shy of reason.
The Future?
You own every newspaper in town;
You pay off politicians:
Your power and your money talks-
And everybody listens.
The communities you invade-
Suddenly unaffordable:
Mistrust, despair, anger-
Suddenly unavoidable.
Chorus:
You take the coal out of the earth,
Leave a hole in the ground.
With no soul and no heart
You’ve lost more than you’ve found.
No one wants to live there now but miners
Who give so little in return.
The nation will be one large ghost town
When the resources are all burned.
Forget the farmland, dispense with grain-
The underground water fouled;
Pretend the country is riding high…
Such exclusivity should not be allowed!
Chorus:
You take the coal out of the earth,
Leave a hole in the ground.
With no soul and no heart
You’ve lost more than you’ve found.
So you men of business know your enemy-
It is not some Green alliance…
How will it be when manufacturing dies…?
When all we can feed is the fire?
I Watched You Kiss The Water Sept 12
I watched you kiss the water
As you knelt to embrace the waves:
Heard you mention my name
As we wandered through the labyrinth of caves.
I saw moonlight over the sea
As darkness enveloped the day:
Held you in a lover’s hold
On shifting sands our hearts did play.
We touched! Beheld the sunrise:
Heard the wail of the sea-bird’s cry.
You smiled for me a perfect smile-
Our bodies still beneath a perfect sky.
Worlds beyond words enchanted,
With no rhyme of the poet to charm.
The waves crashed and misted-
Returned the sea to its peaceful blue calm.
Night followed day became night.
You gave your hand to me.
In between the rhythm of heartbeats…
Time disappeared, swallowed up by the sea.
Cold Dark Walk July ‘12
Cold dark walk back along the path;
Getting warmed by the fireside hearth.
Woman in nightdress asleep with the moon;
Flames return embers… Morning too soon.
This Wattle and Daub hut 100 years young,
Seen many a love, heard many a song.
Night host the stars, I stand as at prayer-
Imagine I still see you smiling there.
Poetry in notebooks, Thoreau on the shelf:
The ‘me’ in the mirror no resemblance to self.
Moments unclaimed find a voice at last-
So I have surprised a bewildered past.
The cattle I tend, the sheep I guard,
The fences I fix… These days are hard.
Thoughts of you in the evening both haunt and caress-
I offered you all I would ever posses.
Folk songs of Angels bless me where I weep.
(In all I have lost there is still this to keep).
Yet from tears of great grief morning laughter cleanses…
And every passion to desire is new.
Rupert the Bear May 13
Great institutions rocked then razed
The day Rupert came to town.
He grabbed the news of nation states-
Turned their world completely upside down.
He made and unmade Prime Ministers;
Broke the unions in his wake.
Fleet Street, Wall Street- it did not matter:
He took away their bread and butter… served them cake.
More sex, death, and crime: front page headlines.
He gave the people what they craved- saw a need…
Inside the towers of the great; out in the streets: confusion!
Propaganda midwife to a poison seed.
Self-indulgent! Narcissistic!
A mirror reflecting the worst in man.
Dark is the night!
Swallow your daily dose of madness;
Regurgitate blasphemies- watch this space…
Herein black is white!
Here’s one for the Gillard fans.
Sir Kevin (Or The Tooth Fairy Cometh) July ‘13
The name is Rudd, Rudd, Rudd:
I take no crud, crud, crud.
I’m out for blood, blood, blood…
I’m very anal.
Yes, I’m the Hero of the Party-
Some folks call me Moriarty:
I’m the next best thing to Heaven…
The name is Rudd- but you can call me Kevin.
Now I’m back in power
And the universe is righted-
I’m the… Man of the Hour…
(Told the Queen I should be knighted!)
Yes, the name is Rudd, Rudd, Rudd
A Labor stud, stud, stud:
I’ll sling the mud, mud, mud
With the best of them.
I don’t need no Budgie Smugglers-
I never let my gonads show:
You lose them, anyway, in Caucus…
But bide your time and they regrow.
Hope you all received my email?
I’m not sexist but I’ll bet… That Female
Never wrote you such a letter:
I’m well… Well, I’m- just better!
She stabbed me in the back you see-
Made me cry and all…
But I got even- leaked like a sieve
Till The Boys gave me The Call.
So it’s Kevin, Kevin, Kevin
The closest thing to Heaven.
Yes, it’s Rudd, Rudd, Rudd:
Comeback kid… Labor stud.
A rhyme to tempt you back;
A tune to bring you close to me…
Words to uncover that veil of black.I know the medication you self-administer
Will destroy you in time…. Believe me, please!
Your heart you have surrendered to despair:
You have been far too long down on your knees.Now I am now hero on his white stead
Who will ride up with rescue on his mind:
For I already know- and we have been there before-
That to any plans along such lines you are blind.So I shall write my words, compose my tunes:
The songs that I would sing I offer thee.
And perchance, should the magic of the melody penetrate-
Then ‘love’ is the accompaniment I proffer free.
To deal with the demons,
You do not need the medicine now.Well, I will believe you…
(time will tell my brother)
… When you make your peace with the real world.I have seen this before-
All those times in the past…
Please forgive me my scepticism.Trust me I will be here:
You must feel free to call
Should your mind find a home in some hell.Do not disregard signs-
You should act right away…
No one knows that better than I do.Similarities shared-
Too many to mention…
I am, as well, careful in this life.
They break the nation:
The Left respond
The Right lack any heart.
All it leaves is he rest of us
In fine frustration…
If this is how to run a country
I want no part.We can always find money
For another war-
Or one we did not quite win…
Before.
Such obscenity
Should be against the law!
You are grotesque in your thinking…
A dangerous fool, and more.The planet will seek retribution:
We have cursed the sea… the land.
You think your macho, gung-ho, ego
So wonderful and grand.
But rising seas and melting ice
Will not bend to your command:
And the temperature as it increases
Will be impossible to withstand.So, I am a stranger to economics,
Still it is all too clear:
When the rich accumulate wealth for its own sake
Social responsibility takes a back seat, I fear.
So allow me my naïve, childish, solutions:
Feed the hungry, clothe the poor.
When and where the sick need help then heal them…
Be less consumed by greed- give more!Recognize in yourself as you look in the mirror
The seeds of your own (self) destruction:
Realize that the planet is a living ling-
Know that we have now reached a crucial junction.
And I believe if the Voice of God was heard today
This is what that Voice would say:
‘Mankind, desist! You are not the pinnacle of creation!
You cannot even feed yourself… You have risen far above your station.
The litany of your sins is ever increasing- hear me speak!
Should you proceed in My Name… there will be nothing left for the meek-To inherit.
The more you want.This is true:
Especially of love.The more I want
The less I have.This is true:
Particularly of love.Such is greed
That infiltrates rightful passion.
Such is need
That terminates legitimate desire.So why recall every lost opportunity?
Why lament every untouched moment?
Why regret all those words still unspoken?
Why remember all those tears once suffered?When a heart can feel no more it dies.That is why.
It Has Happened Again. Sept 13
It has happened again:
I have no explanation… There is no explanation.
It is interesting:
Though I am pleased it does not reach completion.
It makes me (every time) feel alienated-
I do not recognize myself at all.
I am someone else from somewhere else…
Who feels so very weak and fragile, and cannot recall
Anything! Until the brain recovers… reorders itself:
Yes! And the memory of who I am returns.
And it is very weird! Crazy even!
Whilst it is happening I cannot put names of friends to faces-
They are strangers… Names and faces have no meaning.
(After all these years it still scares me!)
The madness, the fear… The obvious dangers…
Still, it is soon enough over and I am ‘normal’ again,
And the person I had become in that ‘looking glass’ moment is gone.
And the names of friends- faces too- make perfect sense.
Yes! I have survived the storm… The Brain Fail!
Till next time!
When You Touch Yourself Jun ‘13 When you touch yourself Yes, should you trust yourself to- I loved you once In my arms. So when you see yourself Yes, and when your hand Think of me . Think of me… For I am thinking of you. |
There is a story that Leonard Cohen, after successfully practicing hypnosis on the dog, tried it out on the maid. It worked apparently and she became suitably naked in no time… I suspect it is myth-making, by the way….. Anyway, this poem is my (whimsical) take on the situation….
I Recall It Nov ‘13
I recall it very well:
The day I tried to hypnotize the maid-
And she woke up… not too impressed.
She took a while to ascertain
The gravity of the moment… then she screamed-
For she was of Latin blood- and hurriedly got dressed.
Her invective turned the air blue as the sky above…
Still, I did not speak that particular fine tongue-
I did not understand… ‘Twas like she was possessed!
Not knowing what to do or say I reached for my guitar,
Began to strum a blues chord- sang a soulful lullaby.
I begged for her forgiveness in a song… wanted so to be confessed.
Yet she left: returning with representatives of the law…
I was bemused. They spoke not a word. But tied me to a table… shaved my head.
… And you can guess the rest.
O, yes… You can guess the rest!
Our Heroes Oct ‘13
Our heroes play long
And into the night:
We sit by the fireside
Embers burn bright;
Look out the window
And the moon is our light
… And speak in hushed tones
Of wrong and of right.
There are no distractions
You listen in awe:
Never knowing exactly
What it is you wait for.
So when the music is over
You are left wanting more…
You breathe in the smoke-
Every nerve ending raw.
O friend of my youth
We have aged none too well:
Inside the caverns of memory
There are stories to tell.
And though I prefer heaven…
I would journey to hell-
For a time at least…
Doubts in you I would quell.
You know the hour is come-
You feel this in your heart.
You cannot open the subject…
Do not know where to start.
You want me to say if I touched her?
In what way did she play a part?
Was my love an arrow wounding
Like some poisoned dart?
Well how much
Do I really need to make clear?
You see I held her… caressed her…
Dried every tear.
And yes she was young!
But that was her year…
Have I explained yet well enough
What we are doing here?
Now you have listened closely
And I have been true:
Judgement is yours
Should this you choose to do.
Still such moments are precious-
Beyond all review…
Would you sacrifice so much more
That binds we two?
It’s bound to be a winner;
It’ll suit both saint and sinner-
And we’ll all be home for dinner. (A nice roast!)Yes, let’s host a paper.We really should form a committee!
It’s a national disgrace!
We just don’t know our place.
… We should, in shame, hide our face.(You know: animal rights; live export… etc… etc…
O, and send a memo of support to that group…
What’s its name? O yeah: Animals Australia.)Yes, we’ll form a committee.… Have a meeting!
We must all have a meeting:
A little heartfelt bleating;
Handshakes and breast beatingLet’s have a meeting!O, and let’s explore the New Plan:
The Importance of Education.
It’s the future of our nation…
It’ll address all of the frustration-
Please do show us all the New Plan.Now here’s another up-to-the-minute-guideline
Regarding ‘Boat People’… It’s a very, very, very, fine line.
Asylum Seekers, or Illegals? This land is your land… This land is mine!Let’s hear it for another new neatly packaged, tough guideline.I’m reading of the current conference in the Middle East:
Isn’t life exciting? Welcome to the feast!
Mistake follows misjudgement- the killing hasn’t ceased.
(Not any day now, not any way now… shall they be released.)Yes, there’s another bloody conference in the Middle East.What’s more: there’s to be a Citizen’s Forum…
(If, of course, we can ever get a quorum.)
It’s an ethical dilemma for our community:
The latest trend among young girls for near bare-naked nudity.
Yes friends, it seems, 10 or 11 has become the new puberty!O, it’s time… way past time… for a Citizen’s Forum.Can we organize a Convention? (Failing all else.)
Invite those of ‘good intention?
We’ll gather from like-minded folks from every political dimension!
(May even consider letting in some mild dissention…)
There’ll be no vague promises, no pretension!
There won’t be an issue that we won’t mention.We’ll vote, and vote, and vote… and keep voting till we get it right!
… But the roast is just about done- so to all you friends out there…Goodnight!
Sick Minds With Sad Hearts Aug ‘13
Sick minds with sad hearts,
Think sick thoughts, spread hate.
Warped souls in dead flesh-
No love, faith, hope, there!
Who kills, destroys!… Creates
A wound that must be healed.
To hurt, abuse, deny…
Requires redemption!
Do not take that life, soldier.
Do not shoot that beast, hunter.
Make your peace with creation…
Truly! All life is sacred!
Look my friend to those great teachers:
Open up yourself to their light.
Make their truth your own…be as good-
Know the wisdom of the ages!
You politicians! Without this Earth
Economies can no more exist:
Wake up now! The planet is bleeding-
Continue to sleep at your peril!
And millions cry for food, water, shelter:
Homelands destroyed they seek shelter elsewhere.
On the waves, overland- fighting their fate…
No star to guide them. Victimized! Outraged!
Sick minds with sad hearts…
You say there are no answers…
Think sick thoughts, spread hate…
That the problems are too great…
Warped souls in dead flesh…
Well, if so, we are all damned…
No love, faith, hope, there!
… To what hell we may create!
Do I haunt your dreams?
Are there days when you wonder
What the future has in store?So is your life a string of noughts?
Are you running out of schemes?
Do you miss the rolling thunder
That once shook you to the core?Everyday time runs away and he stands still-
We both know you have given him fair warning.
I have watched you watching me and if it be your will:
I shall be with you this- and every future- morning.You know I see it in your eyes-
The way you meet my gaze:
The look that looks like telling lies-
Well… there are many ways:To fight the night;
To beat the day;
To touch the sky;
To stem a cry-Come out to stay.
Come out to stay.
Come out and play…
With me… this day.Your bed is soft and lonely
Now no lover holds you wild;
Your body feels its own touch only:
And you are once again the child.Yes, your heart still wants for passion-
It is no crime to need.
Love is more than current fashion-
I will follow where you lead.The world turns and turns again:
Beauty seeks for beauty there.
The kiss that wets a cheek is fine-
And I am crossing lines now faint.Please feel the sunlight, shun the rain:
I will treat you with loving care.
And I am cutting ties that bind for you are mine-
And if I must I will play devil to your saint.
Vixi duellis nuper idoneus
Et militavi non sine gloria
I. NAMING OF PARTSTo-day we have naming of parts. Yesterday,
We had daily cleaning. And to-morrow morning,
We shall have what to do after firing. But to-day,
To-day we have naming of parts. Japonica
Glistens like coral in all of the neighboring gardens,
And to-day we have naming of parts.This is the lower sling swivel. And this
Is the upper sling swivel, whose use you will see,
When you are given your slings. And this is the piling swivel,
Which in your case you have not got. The branches
Hold in the gardens their silent, eloquent gestures,
Which in our case we have not got.This is the safety-catch, which is always released
With an easy flick of the thumb. And please do not let me
See anyone using his finger. You can do it quite easy
If you have any strength in your thumb. The blossoms
Are fragile and motionless, never letting anyone see
Any of them using their finger.And this you can see is the bolt. The purpose of this
Is to open the breech, as you see. We can slide it
Rapidly backwards and forwards: we call this
Easing the spring. And rapidly backwards and forwards
The early bees are assaulting and fumbling the flowers:
They call it easing the Spring.They call it easing the Spring: it is perfectly easy
If you have any strength in your thumb: like the bolt,
And the breech, and the cocking-piece, and the point of balance,
Which in our case we have not got; and the almond-blossom
Silent in all of the gardens and the bees going backwards and forwards,
For to-day we have naming of parts
