The old fool folds a bony talon 
jealously around the timeless and universal
when the old fool remembers their value
though the blood of the age surges in the old fool's body
and the scars of the old fool's particular history 
are painfully ever present.
This, for better or worse, is what I do.
I do remember splinters, blisters and nettle stings
but I'm no Seamus Heaney.
I can't bring bac...

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I knew a man 

Once 

He wasn’t a

Big man 

In the grand scheme 

Of things 

But he filled up

My whole

World 

In the week 

I don’t suppose 

I saw him

Too often 

He left 

When it was dark

He came home 

When 

It was dark

But my world 

Was anything 

But 

Dark 

And I didn’t

Make the link

Back then

Or even 

Until n...

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The American appears to cough
While mouthing an obvious lie

Relying on a charm 
He’s stolen from another guy 

Laying out a vision
Suspiciously familiar

As the other actors at the table
Poke at a cold dinner

While the Canadian seems to choke
On her hemp salad

The Chinese envoy excuses himself
To send another message

The American proposes a toast 
To friendship and progress 

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Photo by Dmitry Ermakov on Unsplash

Fresh water suits my watery nature.
I squint at the ripples of redemption,
Watch the ducks glide beside me

Keeping me on the straight and narrow.

The call of strangers splatters across
The sky and I choke on what I know ,
And cannot even whisper out, or sigh.

Mountains and sky reflected in water.

The ordinary has become extraordinary
...

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If i could move the little fingers of the clock

Turn them around to the loveliest hour

When i shall see you finally and hug you hard

I'm your teddy and you are my knight in shining armour

I love you so much and miss you every single hour

It's not been days, weeks or months rather been years

Since last we saw eachother and felt that love power

Had i known what was in store for ...

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I want a life of peace and love and comradely
I want a man I can love and who can love me
I want a man I can trust, because he could trust me
I want a man with values and integrity
Who wants to live right, without animosity
I want a man who isn't demanding, controlling or belittling me
I had a father who was a tyrant and didn't love me
Or his version of love was to discipline and punish me
...

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My thoughts

about all they are worth

they do not necessarily

follow each other

sometimes they go off

on tangents

sometimes they get out

on a slip of tongue

some leave for good

those thoughts escape me

where do

those thoughts go

there must be a place

where you collect your thoughts

if you could find it

think how sm...

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I don’t like answering a lot of questions.

Like when I go to Starbucks and order a
flat white, and the cashier asks what size
I want, and I say there is only one size of
flat white, pointing at the menu, but the
cashier says, no sir, you can have whatever
size you want, and I say, yes, but any other
size is not a flat white, is it? It’s just some
milk with coffee in it, and the barista i...

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To whom it may concern

From this I hope you will learn

More about this candidate

Who up to now is never late

He always gets things done

Provided his team have won

He’s as honest as the day is new

and also makes a decent brew

This man has integrity in his bones

Never been known to whinge or moan

Nothing is ever too much trouble

He just lives in a hard work bubble

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Ever since I remember, the forests have burned,

governments have suppressed, and the Markets have ruled,

and ever since I remember, there’s been a groundswell,

a movement – resistance in the face of inevitable doom,

and ever since I remember, nothing has changed, nothing has been done,

the Forests burn, the oceans warm, the ice melts,

and, ever since I remember, we edge past poin...

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How Old Are You?

How old are you my dear friend?

Old as the woman I touch

Said Groucho Marx when questioned
I like this answer much

How old are you my friend asked?

I said older than you

But not as old as that man

With no teeth left to chew

Our age? How vague we try and be

When people ask, and delve

We want to hide, embarrassed

And keep it to oursel...

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Don’t give in to the madness.

Save it for another day, 

long after you’ve left this life 

that’s full of opportunities.

Life is like the weather.

All you have to do is wait

for the rain to go away, 

the storm to pass,

and enjoy the sunshine

in between. 

###

https://youtu.be/icEHA2DGFCk

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Listening to the pattering of winter rain

then looking at the tiny glass jar,

savouring the moment of its opening.

Remembering on hot summer nights

caressing the pretty basil leaves

and the aromatic scent long remaining 

Then recalling the careful preparation,

the beautiful green leaf mound

perfuming the whole kitchen.

The sweet resiny taste of pine-nuts,

greenis...

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Please forgive, I got no desire,
I was warm but you put out the fire.
So don't hold back my tears.

Now you just try to avoid looking me in the face,
not even our thoughts can see eye to eye.
Please let's forget the lies we told ourselves.

I used to dream bout your golden hair,
than November came and we're not the same, anymore,
but I guess we're happy.

Put on your shoes,
let's go f...

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wake up from a buzz from my phone.

Its my nephew he leaves me a voice note


"Uncle I'm coming to your home" 

He sounded worried,

So I try call him back, but im met with the tone.

I'm hearings knocks at my door.

"Open the door uncle, I'm feeling cold"


I open it and in he rushes in.

I'm confused, look at the clock its 4am

"What the hell is this"

He's bruised up and b...

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Jim's grandad left him the contents of his house in his will,to be fair.

Jim on leaving home was desperately in need of the kitchenware.

Jim loved cooking and one evening invited his friends round,

I'm glad I visited him that day and luckily found,

In the kitchenware collection which Jim had got,

Amongst the pots and pans his grandad's chamber pot.

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What if I never . . .

What if I never
had worldly sight,
only heard before words
with each in-out breath,
and pulsed as living light

How can I ever
slam a door
be mean and cruel
sink or soar,
when love is all there is

What if I never
knew real love.
Just you and me and baby makes 3
and the peace symbol dove,
when love is all there is.

How will I ever
see an apple tree
or ...

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It was all but a distant recollection.

You sat me down and said you wanted a real connection.

I believed you because I wanted to believe that your heart was true. 

I remember you reaching out to hold my hand.

I remember your arms reaching to embrace me.

I remember the feeling of warmth when I saw your smile.

It was then I knew you’d be worth my while. 

Suddenly it was no longe...

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When the whistle blew at 6 minutes past 3.
'Hillsborough' stole my life from me.
My brother Michael was not coming home.
A long journey begun, that I begun alone.
Now 30 years have passed on the clock.
And nobody held accountable in the dock.
But my brothers' killing was against the law.
So that Justice I sought, I'm still looking for.
I have seen faces grow tired over the years.
Fac...

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My poem supporting the Labour Party.

A Storm is Coming

I’m looking at the big sky

Not just my favourite piece

Abundance of selfish thinking

Putting everyone in doubt

Of the true purpose of what it’s all about.

I’m not giving anything to anyone

Is the mantra taken up

What’s good for me is all I see

I disregard everyone else

A storm is coming, look after yoursel...

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caught dead, laughing like smooth muscle 
as my memory clapped into the cobblestone
a blunderbuss of splintered moments of chaos 
to land in a mosaic at your feet.
From up here, so much more ordered than it had felt
now a lifetime away
framed in yellow tape
and quiet, pursed brows. 
i'll miss you 
;

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If you live life ordinarily you can only be one thing

Ordinary 

But if you live life with a little struggle to be great 

You will eventually push through and be more than plain you will be

Amazing

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Damned by the stars that shone down from the night sky,

Damned in their light on the night of his birth,

The devil's in the detail and the detailed question is, Why

Would such heavenly bodies cast aspersions on his worth?

Damned from the moment that he first opened his eyes,

Damned all to hell as he drew his first breath,

Damned quietly, implicitly, with deep duplicitous lies,

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I want to see you glide through your sacred path.

Like a dancer empowered with courage and belief in yourself.

Not influenced by the reluctance of those that dither at the edge, afraid of adventure.

You are never afraid of dying because you haven’t finished living yet.

Your song has only just begun.

You mould your destiny from day to day.

So go on, open those wings and let m...

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I'm on the edge

Looking over the cliff side

The drop looks rather comforting

But that is no answer

I need to calm the noise

Please

Stop shouting at me

I can't be perfect

I'm no machine

I'm just a human

I'm trying my best

And I think I'm failing

Think I'm falling

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If home is where the heart
Then I haven't been home in a long time
So tell me I'm wrong 
I'll tell you this sad sappy story

Of this boy that loved a girl
That he wasted his whole fucking life
Only live to see 26 because his heart strings broken
So tell me that's not love
I'll tell you that you're full of shit

She gave a promise that she would marry him
She found a boy that could trea...

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At 18 years old I could run the one lap

Of 400 metres in one minute flat;

These days I’ll tell you I flew like a bat

Quicker than Usain because

The older I get, the better I was.

My qualifications don’t do much for me

But I could have completed a Masters degree

Instead I accomplished 2 GCSE’s

But I could have been Einstein because

The older I get, the better I was.

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All those long hours

days, weeks caged into jobs with no prospects.

Odd one out

lost to the streets he walked

in snatched lunch hours

with a cheap camera, curious

capturing moments on little glassy eyed

strips of film snaking glistening

unwinding from the tank

hung out to dry, teardrops of history

in the making,

a hobby and more besides,

a way of life. 

...

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All around us and within.

Ever with us, birthed by sin.

All embracing, cold finger tracing

A line we all must cross.

All around us and within,

To ignore it that is sin.

Ever with us, all consuming,

Looming, looming ever looming.

Do you laugh and deride it?

Do you fear but try to hide it?

Is it in your calculations,

Figured out, accounted for?

Is i...

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Dark outside,

you see inside.

I’m standing there,

without a care,

but looking out,

i’m full of doubts.

I’m projecting pride,

but have nearly died.

He makes my tea,

you see he loves me.

I appear to have done

nothing for it.

My inner voice,

gives me no choice,

where you can’t see,

I slice my extremity,

the blood runs down,

into the family’s dishes.

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If Brexiteers are Britain's lions

Then Remainers are her sheep;

Hoping against hope they won't get fleeced

As back to the Brussels farm they creep.

Self-deluding wool covering supplicant eyes

Over-eager certainly - but hardly over-wise.

Convenience their self-serving rock - 

But one thing should be feared

In their desperate desire to run with the flock

They are certain t...

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I remember the beautiful way

you strolled down the beach

where the sun's shadow

danced so gleefully

because it knew the inner

solace and silence

that sang in your soul,

and it thrilled in your joy.

The waves bowed down

continuously in your presence,

conceding eternity to the

sunshine in your smile,

while I looked on in wonder,

listened to your soft breath,

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Everything Must Go

The blue bicycle that arrived,

gleaming from the shop,

now leans crooked against the broken shed,

its faded paint and musty seat

forgotten within the muddy yard;

a relic of disregard.

“Everything Must Go”,

or so the big sign said.

The wild-eyed yearling steers,

corralled in the dusty stockyard,

bellow with the steady beat

of the...

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Swift

No swift route to find your way

But be a swift and don’t delay

Let the currents raise you to reach the sky

Enjoy the view as you speed on by

You’ve found your lift to hit the heights

No frantic flaps to just get by

Just glide the air and cross the sky

And chance a glance as you pass us by

With faith to carry you across the big blue

You’re on your way, but there’...

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when my pencil hits the paper

and my brain begins to race,

my hand cannot keep up

with the unruly pace.

my scribbles become springs

bouncing up and down the page

with an energy quite erratic,

full of angst, or joy, or rage.

I submit myself to thee,

oh Goddess of the pen!

I beg for illumination,

for the power to go within

to unearth the sticky...

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Quick learning
Fast talking
No time for nonsense
Swift breeze passes by
As you pass us by
Little talk
Other than 'Hi
No time for bye
Or look me in the eye
This makes you mysterious
This makes me curious
Inquisitive by nature
Brain already on it
Naturally faster than the speed you travel
But body still as still as it was when sleeping
Brain doesnt miss a trick
My brain has collected...

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A miracle?

Prevented, unplanned, unknown.

...

2020.

4 years later.

3 years old, I can’t imagine,

life;

what it would be like.

Love,

is what,

I thought it was.

Learned,

you can love and let go.

For a reason, everything happens, they say.

Believed, I believe it.

A miracle.

A lesson.

You were a lesson.

Today,

I would not be who,

I am,

wit...

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Makes us write poems and sculpt marble though inner strength

Makes us knee bend

Makes us difficult to reply to that work email

Because the mind is not free, it is in jail

That jail is a rose prison, with red flowers and hitting thorns

And you received both the keys and the warns

But still, that’s where you want to be.

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In late November tinseltown is on the distant horizon
The clock is ticking and the countdown has begun
Yuletide bells are ringing loudly in my head
It seems to get earlier every year - am I the only one ?
Black Friday starts the frenzied stampede of buying
Amazon and ebay encourage us to freely spend
Don't get me started on the big budget tv campaigns
The onslaught continues in sight there ...

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Was it a mistake?

Everytime your hands caressed my warm skin

The bruises on my thighs 

From something so tender turns something so blue 

The imprint of your lips on me 

Leaving lovebites in their wake

The gentle beginning 

Ending as I call your name 

Pain and power and pleasure 

Mixed with a childish innocence

What have we become?

We are not two people in...

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Crisp russet leaves begin to fall

amid the early autumn squall

no more we’ll hear that clamoured call

as swallow flies

Each night the sun makes haste to set

tonight will be the soonest yet

while bitter breezes blow their threat

as summer dies

And now we barely hear a sound

as sleepy hedgehogs go to ground

in secret refuges they’ve found

and close their ey...

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AMAZONIAN

would be
famous
if everyone knew
who i was
don't
understand
should have records
of platinum
they don't know
my name
should have
fortune and fame
poured out
my soul
in tales
i've told
should be on
Rolling Stone
producing
pure gold
write like
nobody's business
but haven't made
any hit list
can rock
a line
do it all
the time
yet my star
still doesn't shine
n...

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If you have been shafted by the gods

What can you do?

Logic is useless, prevarication pointless, lying impossible.

Whatever is 'IS', and you deal with it.

I think there is more to 'LIFE' than the physical.

I accept 'SCIENCE: to observe, to test, to conclude, to know, to alter'.

Our senses are programmed according to 'rules'

As is our entire physical body.

Including our...

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Fame is a food that dead men eat, —
I have no stomach for such meat.
In little light and narrow room,
They eat it in the silent tomb,
With no kind voice of comrade near
To bid the feaster be of cheer.

But Friendship is a nobler thing, —
Of Friendship it is good to sing.
For truly, when a man shall end,
He lives in memory of his friend,
Who doth his better part recall
And of his f...

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Many nights like this

I sat beside a darkened window

cradling thoughts of what

delivered you here.

Nights when snow fell

and Coltrane's mute tenor

signalled in the gloom,

A Golden Record, 

spiraling the consolations

of a beleaguered earth

into the silent cosmos.

I would wonder what

beacon you followed,

in your small white suit, 

buttoned to the chin,

lu...

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I wish I could see the future, 
And then see it plain and clear. 
And hope it is full of love and joy 
And not misery or fear.

I wish I could see the future, 
And hope it is happy and care free. 
Not at all with cruel oppression, 
But with peace and harmony.

I wish I could see the future, 
And hope the world becomes respected, 
But since all these may just be a dreams, 
It may be ha...

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Dean Martin, you say?

Well, yes I see why

With the silk in his voice

And the glint in his eye

A boxer, a crooner

With satire and skits

A boozer, no loser

Wine, westerns and wit

But it's Williams for me

I admire the sheer range

The highs and the lows

The awesome, the strange

The pain and the ego

The bad-boy style grin

A writer, a fighter

W...

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Reading between 

The blurred lines

Defining sublimes 

Of reality

Noticing all

That others

Can't see

This how

Poets bring

Clarity

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Saturn doesn’t make things easy. It demands structure, discipline, and order. It governs old age along with the lessons it teaches us and it pays attention on how we manage our limitations. Above all, this ringed planet values growth and hard work.

It took me a while to recognize my own pain, but when I did, I have finally understood how to heal, and if I can be completely honest, it is not as ...

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