Dallying in the evening wild, studded with barbed wire,
My mind takes a turn for the worse.
Oak trees help me flee to the world I need
My mind is soaking up this new year’s eve 
Your slow gaze onto this solitary page
Releases the frame of my bondage to the world
Now only the mind can release the tension of the moment
My imagination leaps, frees my broken body,
into the dream of transmi...

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Ten seconds to go before I ring in the new year,

I balance on my left leg and let it appear.

On the last second of the countdown when the clock does strike,

To lay down my right foot is what I do like.

The trauma of 2020 behind my left foot I put,

And always start the new year off on the right foot.

A happy new year to all and sundry,

Let's hope 2021 will not be as thunde...

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We woke up to find our garden
covered in a light dusting of snow
Pretty as a winter wonderland
shimmering under a sunny glow

Careful steps across the patio
which became a temporary ice rink
Defrosted the frozen bird bath
a grateful blackbird came to drink

Every surface remained frozen
under blue skies, clear and bright
The temperature just below zero
the day glistened icing sugar wh...

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The New Year 2021

A time for New Year's Resolutions

for introspection and internal ablutions

A glance at the past where it now belongs

as we drink, dance and sing familiar songs

A time to ponder and begin anew

for there lies ahead so much we can do

Let us waste no time as the future beckons

it will soon be here in hours, minutes and seconds

If we are with ...

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We do not know

what he meant

and he did not know either

but it sounded good

at the time

it flew out of his mouth

like a undigested meatball

he thought he had really

put the reporter down

calling him

a "One Horse Pony"

in his mind

the ultimate insult

a brilliant putdown

he had scored

he thanked the audience

of otherwise compliant reporters

and...

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Refreshing your company has been. I must admit I find myself wondering about my future. I normally keep myself safe behind walls I have built.
My walls have come down quite rapidly. Something about you can reach though them and I don’t know how to stop you from finding the vulnerable me.

You look into my eyes I’m an open book written in a language which you don’t understand completely.
Questi...

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Assured me everything was ok

That he was a great leader

That scientists were wrong

We could live for the day

So radiant so confident

Said if you wanted to be rich 

You just had to pray

I believed in her love

Opposites attract

They say

Never having time to read

Laughing in the face of experts

It was only a cold she said

When ...

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A slant start sparked this slam, 

Soft whispers twirling atop busy macadam; 

A familiar far cry

From January faked pleasures across our sky.

Was born like a secret, travelled like a comet,

Spinned the viral faucet, laughed at from every state.

Cunning and surreptitious, evolved insidious; 

February wine flows, life turning frivolous. 

Exciting perspective of apoca...

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I am pro any religion that advocates harming no others or taking a life

Protecting the innocent, nurturing the lost and protecting wildlife

They come to my front door, knock, knock, knock for my attention

A personal invitation right from my doorstep to join their congregation

And generally the same question they are consistently asked by me

“I think all killing is wrong, tell me, do...

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I am from water.
I am from breath.
I am from body.
I am from blood.
I am from heart.
I am from thought.
I am from life.

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This year has been hard..
In more ways than one..
We lament about the dreams unfulfilled..
The chances missed..
The lives lost..
The barriers that surround us..
The fear that hounds us..
Among all these dark clouds, sun still rose everyday,
Flowers bloomed, life took some rest..
We bonded whether near or far..
We treasured families together and those apart..
We experienced the pain of m...

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say it was in the stars,

something supernatural led me to you.

say it was the moon

pulling my tides closer to you.

it’s something deeper

than a mere connection.

it’s something in the waiting

& it grows with our knowing.

you can’t put your finger on it.

there’s something there.

some call it ‘love’

but it digs in so much further.

it’s in our details...

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One day 

You discover 

God

Only, not how one 

Might imagine

But simply 

A part of you 

Or rather that you,

In all of your strengths,

Your weaknesses,

Your imperfections,

Your absolute beauty.

You are but one part.

Not all-powerful,

But a piece of the puzzle

The cosmic puzzle, that is.

And that together 

We are United as One.

We are whole.

Lo...

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In spite of it all, we stand here smoking
The dark is speaking a common tongue 
The rain is beating a common drum
In spite of it all, the fire churns
Young heart yearns for age
Brainwashed rage taught page by page
Enslaved by minimum wage
Final stage predetermined 
Doesn't matter how much you're earning
Look at that cigarette you're burning - 
Bring that Camel through a needles eye
Same...

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The rose was succulent and red,

Spoke of passion and desire,

"Put it away," the raven said,

"Lest their ire we tempt."

You thought yourself invincible,

A knight, an angel of steel;

But what are you willing to fight for

When it's fire you breathe?

Wore the rose in your hair, 

The raven be damned,

The smell forever trapped in air,

Hail ignorance, oh gloriou...

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The snow has fallen deeply overnight

to form a pristine carpet all around.

It rimes the trees with pure unblemished white,

and gently floats a dusting to the ground.

Outside the world is silent, not a sound

disturbs the deadened echoing of peace.

So tranquil is the morning, so profound,

until a passing robin’s shrill caprice

attracts our notice to his darting flight,

and...

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Invited to a talk

by a humble, yet well respected man

I learn about a life of exile

(that I am living)

& although the spotlight is not on me

it shines brightly

accentuating my distorted priorities

and all the while

I am accompanied by the living dead

A life that shines so brightly and yet fades before my eyes.

A man who is so close to me 

and yet a man I cannot tou...

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veiled her blue calculating eyes

perplexing glances in the gloom

doubts pierced my needy soul

doomed before I left the room

sultry night in old San Francisco

anxious moon smearing the bed

mood like some jack in the box

doubt running amok in my head

woke to discover a basilisk stare

examining my rank imperfection

my body was never the greatest

where is the...

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            in the pages of time

            inscribed upon the velum

            of argent skin sheer

            is her narcissistic life

            of dark immortality 

Her elegant movement of hand, infuses her script with graceful strokes of purpose. Her cantillating voice, a casting of spell; the binding of eyes to the page; to the ink, that of blood, blotted an...

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Liverpool won the cup…

In an empty stadium

And stadiums of souls around the world

Ascended into heaven

It was the best of years

It was the worst of years

Vaccines were produced at break neck speed

And lies disseminated to stop people taking what they need

Heath workers went the extra mile

Risking life and limb

Applauded by million with a loud din

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Born 2021...

You stabbed in the back

Of whole humanity,

Who at your arrival welcomed you

With wholehearted naivete.

We waited long, impatienly for you

To cheer,

In all glittering-gathering

Of the dear and near.

But alas!...

Like a traitor

You deceived us all,

On your very arrival

Caused bad omen everywhere to fall.

The jolt of your

Bad omen

Make the ...

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Dear Lord, please find me 

somebody to love.  

God replied, no, 

not just one love. 

I give you an ocean 

of eternal love 

found only in faith, 

poetry and music. 

From this special place, 

you will find love 

like you have never known,

from kindred spirits

around the world, 

transcending 

space and time, 

to give you a glimpse 

of the divine. 

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Thinks she's a failure
As a Wife and a Mother
A failure of all

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[ ] 1 + 1 = 2.

[ ] That shiny bright star equates to you.

[ ] That circle full of life that wonderful loop.

[ ] That beautiful flower that blossom & grew.

[ ] Low to the ground you will never stoop.

[ ] But high to the sky you will always shoot.

[ ] Praise & glory to the righteous & truth.

[ ] May the Universe bless, shield, & guide you.

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A task seemingly impossible made possible
enlightened me dearly and surely
The outcome of course
The old saying" If indeed you fall then get back on your horse"

Simple phrases ..the reality
Somewhat not so simple in physicality
For One dreads practicality

Push it aside ignoring such monotony
So much more excitement than to face such monstrosity

It won't go away you know
Escaping te...

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Falling

It's surprisingly easy to let your mind

Begin to wander

While waiting at a supermarket checkout counter only to find

You've no folding money left to squander.

Why, then, is this prim register lady with her deep-lined face

Staring so hard at me, while arching a disapproving eyebrow?

I must extricate myself from this frightfulness with a particle of charm

Since I...

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It’s your birthday Dad

But I am feeling sad

Because you are not here

For whom I party and cheer

You love your chocolate cake

As well as some chips with steak

Always looking forward to your gifts

Your lovely smile automatically lifts

Today just feels so empty

I was looking forward to plenty

I am aching from the inside

This feeling, I can just not hide

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"Yours in Everything"

 I sit forlorn in the dark

Guiding my thoughts to return

To the ways of sweet memories and you.

Hoping to find all we left behind.

Like the soothing touch of your hands on my troubled soul

Or the river-like calmness your laughter brings when it fades away.

I recall these and walk further into:

Your silence as your listened to my dreams

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The murmur of friendly chatter

The thuds and rattles
of heavy mugs and wayward knives on tables

The sizzle and smell of bacon

The intrusive noise of the coffee machine
ensuring everyone knows it's working hard
even if no-one else is

The dodgy teapot lids
sliding about
threatening to spill and scold

The ketchup and salad cream stand
upside down, on duty and ready to serve

Sa...

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তাড়াতাড়ি করতেই দেরী হয়ে গ্যালো। উন্নত মানের খাবার খাওয়া হল রাতে, নাগদান হয়ে বসে আছি এখন। ভূড়ির গৌরব স্পন্দনে রাত্রী পৃথিবীর ভার টের পাওয়া যাচ্ছে, স্থূলতারই ভারে কিনা জানি না মগজ কেটে যাচ্ছে উন্নত মানের বিষন্নতায়।

শিয়ালের ঘাড়ে চেপে দ্রাক্ষার কালিমা-দোষারোপ— বহুত দিন ধরেই তো লেপ্টে আছে ব্যর্থতার মতন জীবনের ওপেন সিক্রেটগুলি, তাই না? 

অনেকগুলি মুখোশ-
মুখোশ স্বভাবতই একটা দুরত্ব রচনাকারী চিজ ...

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Forty is, they say, when life begins.
And is it time to look back at your sins?
As you have finally reached middle age,
It is now time to turn life's page.

Now you are forty are you also wiser?
And have you started to become a miser?
Is your hair turning grey?
Do you stop caring what others say?

And on your life have you applied the brakes?
And do you start to find your muscles ache?
...

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We all know of one

A rusty old train trestle

Or a highway,  maybe an old street

A bridge,  going from ridge to ridge

Underneath,

The secret place where as young boys we would meet

Having adventures,  climbing and playing

And telling stories that could not be beat

One day,  imagine what would cross my mind

When a stack of old 70`s porno mag`s we did find

Showing privat...

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WE HAVE CREATION IN OUR HANDS

AND DON’T KMOW HOW TO USE IT

BEAUTY LIES WITHIN OUR GRASP

YET FEAR WE MAY ABUSE IT

WE HAVE THE WORLD WITHIN OURSELVES

YET WATCH IT SLIP AWAY

LIKE JEWELS THAT SPARKLE IN MORNING DEW

THEN DISAPPEAR WHEN THE SUN BREAKS THROUGH

SOMETIMES I THINK LIFES JUST A DREAM

A FLIGHT OF FANTASY

IF YOU BELIEVE WHAT YOU WANT TO BELIEVE

YOU CAN BE ...

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Pure white drifters

transparent tissue falling

frozen layers thaw

encouraging words connect

melting coldest heart

leaving snowflake love.

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Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

I know that, strictly speaking, the Magi, are still on camel back following a star but I also know everyone is bored with the story by epiphany so here is my final Christmas related poetry blog. Courage, doubt, fear and wonder, in the story of the Magi. What had they been part of? Like us, they wondered whether ‘this was a future they wanted to know’…

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I wake up to the morning sunlight with a smile
Knowing that you are okay
Every day I pray that you be safe and sound
And I hold on to a faith that it will be heard
The day begins and ends with your thought
And happiness is all that I wish for you forever
Fate did bring us together but yet kept us apart
I accepted that, knowing that you are okay
Never knew that love could burn and then balm
...

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Play in the Night

                      --Michael Kwack

From two o’clock

When owls hoot

Up to four when cocks crow

Surely I will be kept awake,

To watch the secret play

Of the conscious and unconscious.

However, I will not see

The queer performance inside me

As a mere dream in the night.

If I long for better plays,

More will I wander dur...

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Sound, in motion on the platter
Around and around at thirty-three
and a third revolutions per minute
Through the needle to my ears
Warm and deep, with crackles and pops

The static and the clicks
coming from the dust is my favorite part
It makes the sound seem so delicate
like it could fall and shatter

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Ten years ago when Daughter No2 was a student at Nottingham Trent University she took a part-time job at Primark.  Until this happened.

The lights were all dimmed, they’d cashed the tills

The staff had gone home, their usual drill

A day uneventful without any thrills

In fact a bit of a bore

Till,

            Sammy got locked in the store.

She’d waited till shift-end ...

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The day when I decided,

what I will not..

And what I Will..

Moving on..

from the chaos and further wreckage.. 

Preventing the further mess.

I decided to be the best version of myself. 

I chose self esteem over suppression. 

I chose to love myself the way I truly deserve. 

I chose YES I chose. 

I wish if I had chosen before. 

And favored myself with the ch...

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sitting on some rusty purposeless wire 

looking down the platforms

of Paddington’s Circle Line

the rain falling gently

and settling on the head of a sad man

who walks in circles on the platform  

as if a bird looking for stale bread

almost like we do minute after bleeding minute

unless it’s shagging or building our nests

in some dying tree or leaf and moss filled gu...

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In the memory of all the flames that ignited coastlines,
The strings of dazzling Christmas lights,
The long-forgotten chronic normalcy,
The countless ceremonial wreaths—

I realize that from one beginning to the next,
We often overlook the vast expanse of nothingness.
Our stories swing from one pole to its antipode. 
The aftermath, a distant folklore.

But every grocery store receipt,
E...

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There it goes

Somewhere 

Off in the distance where nobody can see me

I'll take time to write my symphony 

Every word is an earthquake of emotion rumbling your spectrum 

Hear the soul's beat and become what I've always imagined 

You have seen what I love and became what I hated

If it was something that was mistaken I could say i hate what i created

Pain did not end it but ha...

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Did you pack my blue dressing gown Fred?

Yes Tommy.

Are you sure you packed my blue dressing gown Fred?

Quite sure, Tommy. 

Tommy checked himself in the mirror, made adjustments.

Fred, I havn't got a blue dressing gown.

      This charade for the sake of us in the band

      invited up for a drink which never happened. 

The varicose veins like his act were outstan...

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A series of Haiku's written on a daily basis in the form of an advent calendar, leading up tpo Christmas Eve. All relevant to the current situation on a daily basis.

1/12/20 First of December

Twenty four days to go 

Then it's Christmas Day 

2/12/20 Morning backoned

It was December second

Lockdown was over

3/12/20 The newspapers said 

There's a vaccine on the ...

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The abstracted mind

Can't delineate

The Uniformalities

That begin to postulate

I Reckon

The dawn beckons 

Of early Morn'

Forget me not

forgive me so

Subjects  taught

to be divisive

Hunky Dorie

That's just fine

The obtrusiveness

Injected into our minds

To seize control

Only

There is a flip side to this coin

What we fear comes from the outside

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Though I left Lee Park for pastures new.
I returned to see mates, as young lads do!
I spent my youth there, a teenager by then.
Mischief levels grew from when I was 10!

We learnt how to 'stick' the lift in full flight.
We played 'Bulldog' until no more light.
To get on the roof was easy...child's play.
But those high winds nearly blew us away!

Dangerous high jinks on Attlee House roof.
...

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I've found each piece of the mosaic has faith 
it is the only one so it believes
(and what kind of picture can this offer?)
all those others must be the same at least

it should be easy to imagine 
a line of flowers all bent to a southerly
or a myriad of bright colours 
all mere sparkles about a dolphin's eye

I could be convinced I'm catching the scent 
of magnolia and roses here 
...

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If Logic's the theory of Proof
and Inference a process to Truth
then it's impossible to state
a premise
then negate the conclusion
unless it's a spoof.

Words and foto Tommy Carroll

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