Granda's slouched 

In his fave comfy chair

A Christmas cracker party hat

Hides his four strands of hair

His wife always said:

'Get the buggers cut!'

But he wasn't quite ready

To be a total baldy nut! 

He wishes she was here now

Nagging at full pelt:

'If ye eat or drink one more thing,

yer gonna burst your belt!'

And Sophie's eyes sparkle

L...

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in the blaze of the summer heat, drips

of sweat rippled down our smooth skin backs.

we set out for adventure along the Pacific coast,

the four of us squeezed in a compact sedan.

sisters laughing, shouting, nowhere else to be.

engaging winding hair-pin turns, honking,

speeding, and slamming on the brakes

as the afternoon sun scorched the town.

we reveled ...

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What is this dark energy

cloaking the universe

threatening to consume me,

wrap me in a weighted blanket

of silent abyss. 

Some days I’m tempted

to dive into the black hole,

see what all the fuss is about, 

but I know if I do, I will take

a generation or two of

fragile minds with me. 

Weakness is not my legacy. 

I have to stay strong,

be my family’s guiding li...

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Brothers of sand

Holding signs, I am a man 

Daughters of dust

Holding signs life in her gut

Fathers of the past

Never thought how long this would last

Mothers of the movement

Never thought so many forget their commitments.

Brothers of man

Fictional to control and command

Daughters of woman

Subjected to the desire of lust

Fathers of the future

H...

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I have been

Seen 

Death has held me

Life has killed me

But you still think

You have the right

To give me advice

As if you’re above me

If you let me speak

You might learn

Something

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When I walked through the path,
Alone in the moonlight stars.
I found a stranger wearing smile,
Didn't know the feelings behind
Walked with her and saw a different world
'There I got a new family' - I loved
Didn't know we could get so close
That my life could be disastrous if we broke.
Hiding the feelings behind and faking the smile they left.
Hope of meeting again is the only thing they ...

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Encouraged by comments on my latest blog - and reminded that I always intend to post my blogs on WOL and usually get distracted before doing so - I'm repeating a blog from a few weeks ago which I didn't post here. With thanks to those who commented on the last one!

I've been thinking about what happens next. There's been a lot of talk in the press, and shared posts on social media, about t...

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Resting his knee,
he holds his face
to bury his sobs
as she is laid to rest

We hold hands
as I gently squeeze
knowing too well 
this may be our last embrace

Feeling his warmth,
his mighty strong hands,
he held us together 
when she left this land

It’s only one slip away 
before you’re gone too soon

On the drive home, 
our last goodbye became true

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I embellish my arms with bangles

As thick as two strands of hair.

Their raucous cackles

Suffuse the tepid air.

Air that's fragrant with spices

I add to my copper pots. 

Air whose redolence

Reminds me of what I've lost.

The dough that I mould

Sans a scintilla of strain,

Boasts imprints of my knuckles manifold, 

Knuckles on which those kisses still linger, ...

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The very machine that gives life
could easily take mine away

The piercing from exhaustion 
punctures my living, my breathing
Every bodily function is affected
as I reach my hand towards the pulsing and thumping 
racing through my chest

I don’t want this to be how I end
I can’t let my kids see their mother this way
I hold on tight to life as I feel my chest tightening 

I sit, 
I br...

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He orders black coffee,

soup and salad,

steak and potatoes

before his apple pie dessert

at buffets on the other side of town

A routine meal

that would years later

be remembered

as his reward

Dad loves on his Alaskan crab legs

with a side of melted butter

While Mom orders chicken

at a seafood restaurant

She doesn’t offer to pay

while Auntie tells ...

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Minds meeting
words spoken
stories shared
world is hushed
but inside we are all screaming
waiting for the tomorrows
when our meetings will be filled with embraces,
with kisses,
with reading a silent stare
and we will know what they mean
not just from a frozen screen
but for a reflection of all time

We are all waiting for the tomorrows
we will no longer meet in solitude
but a meetin...

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I know what time it is

A new wall-clock’s

Hands move ever so slowly

As the hour passes quickly by

Mesmerizing my attention

Each life choice seems small

Each breath almost effortless

Until hindsight enlarges

Magnifying the moments

Of our lives – highlighting the times

When we held our breath

Life is long

Even when time is short

Seconds slow

Novels...

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In the midst of a pandemic

Your biggest concern happens to be

My weight

And yet the bliss of the pandemic

Was not having to hear you

The deadweight

I was wondering when your time would come

To be quite honest I was surprised

You are a little late

Here's your rescinded wedding invitation

Not that we planned it to your taste

It's on this perfectly whit...

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Late at night 
Lying in bed
Headphones on
Listening to music
Or a few recorded poems
Reading the latest 
I attempt to craft a new one
Or brush up a draft not quite finished

It’s becoming routine
I’ve always been
An undercover poet
Now I’m sharing my words 
With my family’s support as an added bonus

Shared are the happenings,
The disappointments,
The contests never won,
Submissi...

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Many years ago I met a lovely girl. 
She was fun to talk with about most anything
We walked through woods 
and climbed some hills together, 
She made lunch for picnics that we shared.

We walked on beaches, felt the crunch 
of wet sand underfoot,  
listened to seagulls and ocean waves, 
and felt the caress of sea breezes.
We gathered shells with no place to keep them.

We were caught i...

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Watching you grow 
brings joy to our eyes
You’ve got your Daddy 
to make you smile 
and your Mama 
to hold you tight 
while you sleep at night 
we'll make everything alright

First a crawl, walk, then run
O, to watch you grow is so much fun 
From your first skinned knee
a little kiss will make you believe 
we’ll be right here whenever you need

Years will pass
but this love will al...

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Bandages constantly being placed,

Straight onto those voids that were caused

By someone who had no right to harm.

Wrap, tape, cry.

That's your pattern each night, isn't it?

When you weep because of your craving for love.

You do not understand it yet

But you do not require this person in your life.

Yesterday's emotions need to be wiped clean.

We are the uni...

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you cannot shut the whole world off as
and when you please.
i was fifteen
my mother, forty-five, fighting
an incessant war with my headphones.
fewer words,
our days were outlined more with
slammed doors and dour glares,
conversations prisoned behind the fear
of exposing the soft-
ness in the way our hearts beat
or pumped blood
or ruptured
to spill over that   much    love. our hands
...

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On the cold winters morning thermal boots are pulled on

The radio announced…ground frost and the promise of snow later in the day

And yet she is happy…

Happy because she is doing what she loves

The market is freezing in December

Icy winds blow and there is no sunlight to warm frozen hands

It’s the people you see

Fellow workers on the market, pleased to see her

Customers sto...

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eating off the floor momma aint got no plates

she shield me from the world full of crime and full of hate

all of the world going on outside my window, i got a little curious

fell in love with the danger and it made my momma furious

she stopped paying attention

told me her warning was already mentioned

i went on because i no longer felt the love

the streets gave me more affecti...

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