He wasn’t a regular specimen of a boy, he was a rarity and I could feel the sun and stars and everything in between when he looked at me. 

He was nothing but a stranger

Yet somehow his face felt familiar 

There was a song in his eyes 

But I fail to recall the words 

For he's stolen every thought that has ever bothered to exist from my head

It was quite evident that adventure wasn...

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Where Les Dawson Were Taught

     Sometimes, pain is not to be mentioned,

even when young, when children – there is a

special notice inside that says…….

…… ‘don’t act dumb but don’t let on!’

     Humility, is something that gravitates to

wealth within human kind, and none know

more-so than those of northern quarters -

   (if not quartered themselves for abundance ...

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Once upon a time
Back in the day
The sun shone brightly 
And everything was okay
Once upon a time

I look up to the sky
And I often wonder why
The heavens are just out of touch
I miss holding you so much
But I just have to go on
When all hope is gone

Another day I greet with pain
Knowing that I won't see you again
Not in this lifetime anyway
Maybe on the other side I pray
I hold ...

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There were a few words left unspoken,

The lawn with uneven grass 

And a window with cracked glass

Was fixed to spotless perfection,

Moody lights for the night

Were given undisturbed connection,

Crotchets were rewritten,

Wardrobe was diversified,

And a long-lost-friend 

Was dialed again,

A break in chain

To lay down the butterfly effect 

Hinting a probable mayhem...

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I pulled up a seat at the bar we used to frequent,
ordered a couple of beers and wanted to know
how my friend had been.

“Kind of rough of late”, he offered. “Missing some friends
I didn’t know how to tell I was going away.”

“I get that.”, I said. “A lot of people don’t know how to say goodbye.”

Pulling us both away from the shadows around me,
we reminisced and shared a few laughs for ...

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A heart once green as summer leaves

Trembling with the expectation of love

Blushing red with emotions decreed

Is it the true love that dreams are made of

But love’s colors fade in Autum’s indifference

Leaving behind a colorless landscape of hope

Love now stands broken with no recompence

Stripped of beauty and warmth, left to cope

Winter’s bleak, colorless days will slo...

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Jim read a book,"You can be the man of the house."

He was determined to be in control of his spouse.

Raising his finger to her face,"from now on I am the boss.

Tonight you will make me an expensive  meal , no matter the loss.

When I have finished. your going to run me a bath,

Then you wll massage my back and relax me Kath.

After that guess who's going to dress me and comb my hair...

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When close to the ground…you could always tell.
You were suddenly greeted by that Hot Dog smell!
On every corner, there was a mobile Hot Dog stand.
A seller at the ready, with a bread roll in his hand!

Walking to The Kop, it was my teen pre match treat.
Back then, food hygiene standards took a back seat!
In fact, I don’t think they even had a ‘seat’ at all.
Not when you judge the state of...

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Few voices, soft whispers,  

carrying me back to childhood days,  

where it felt like each exam was a mountain,  

a test of who I could be,  

where late nights turned into silent battles  

against tired eyes and wandering thoughts,  

or novels stretched before me,  

as I gazed out the window,  

the world a backdrop to my dreams,  

the hum of life a constant song.

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Who got the power?

Every minute and hour

It is the beautiful you

Come sit and have a brew

Let me tell you this as we sip

Give my hand a good grip

You shine like a bright star

That will for sure go very far

You blossom like pretty flowers

Just stand up high like tall towers

Wherever you are in your journey

The situation may be sunny or stormy

But remember, you ar...

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gulp!

ahurr ahurr ahurr

“I swallowed a cricketer”

he shouted with a cough

but, we asked, in a joking scoff

“do you not mean a cricket?”

then to our amazement

and in the very next minute

he regurgitated a bat!

which promptly flew back to its cave

and that, it seems, was that

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In the stillness of the morning,
the world awakens softly.
Light spills over the horizon,
casting shadows that dance
among the whispers of leaves.

A bird sings...
its song unfolding like petals,
with each note a breath of possibility,
a promise of an unexplored day,
where the air is thick with dreams.

Footsteps on a winding path,
and each step a choice:
the ground beneath the feet,...

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Desire is the root of all suffering.

In shadows, deep my wishes lie,
Desire speaks, a tempting sigh.
From ancient tales to modern woes,
It stirs my heart, but pain it sows.

Each yearning wish that dares to rise,
Comes with a cost, a heavy sigh.
In gardens light, I seek the sweet,
Yet I find myself at sorrow’s feet.

The Greeks warned of hubris’ fall,
Desires’ echo, a haunting call.
...

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Millionaire of Time

I know the richest man in the world 
without a penny to his name 
he knows the worth of everything 
he knows what’s important 

he’s a millionaire of time 
holding stresses in one hand 
other remains open 
to whatever sets in it 

millionaire of time 
moving the clock at will 
with truth and beauty 
you can make the world stand still 

you’d swear you were sto...

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leeward of a lean-to hill
iambic cadence thrill
amber flecked lemonade
morsels don pleated frill
bring on tend’rest brocade
while at windward dale
wizened cheeks go pale

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dimensional
cellular division
the genomic sequence

time is a light matrix
encoded in
0’s & 1’s
goes on forever …
and, in that order
10, 9.

A singularity
and absolute zero

the big freeze or heat death

he said no one can help us
when, asking the universe
for answers

what, times any number
… is nothing other than zero

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There's an England I remember

That I seem to see somewhere

As my May becomes September

I dream that I am there

The old England that made me

Is forever in my heart;

This new England has betrayed me

Of it I want no part!

....................................................................

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This autumn is so sweet,

it gives me so many presents,

this autumn is my best award,

this autumn is my golden lord.

I am lost in this warm September,

my love looks like an ember,

but only with a tender touch

it turns into a fire and burns much.

Maybe it’s my last flight,

so, I will hold it very tight.

I will not wait for the spring,

I would love in th...

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Twittering twattery

Katey-Click-Baitery

Pissed up on winery

Our Hatey Katery,

Twittering blithely,

is Hatey-Katery,

Twattering, spluttering,

Katey-hate-mongering,

Twattering splattering,

Odiously shittering,

Hatefully mongering,

Twattering blithely,

Is that chap gaytery?

Asks Hatey Katery

He must be gay-ery!

Says Hatey Katery,

Yes he seems gay-ery,

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The rollers roll and the breakers break

as the storm sweeps unforeseen,

and the waters boil and the clouds roil

but the moon looks down serene.

All the ships that creep across the deep

and even the submarine

take closer haul through savage squall

but the moon looks down serene.

Though winds may blow and waves may grow

as the tempest supervenes,

sailors hold ...

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Contentment can be hard to catch.
So box it in and close the latch.
Let your contentment not escape,
Whatever be it's form or shape.

Our contentment is so very special,
For with our problems it will wrestle.
And since it helps our spirits rise,
Let it not dwindle nor demise.

Keep it safe from all destruction.
Let no troubles make an interruption.
So whatever be your situation,
For c...

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Oceans, believe me, will never run dry,

Whilst flooded tears fall from my saddened eyes.

I'm unloved, now you are gone.

Neither can I comprehend, nor explain,

The reason for storms or the driving rain.

Or figure, why you are gone.

Or why the frosted field, now whitened cold,

Is abandoned as my heart, frightened, old.

Lonely, lost, now you are gone.

The Art...

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What is more fascinating than the close study of the created being? 

In her own way she laughs and then scoffs

and scolds in tormenting fun to the point where she searches your own eyes and coyly tries to look for answers about you in response to your teasing nature.

Even though it's early days there is a soul searching feeling of her fascinating ways that will not leave me.

I am ...

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Wachefeld

Let’s start at the beginning

In a land of ice and snow

Where a brave band of armoured warriors

Set sail with sword and bow

To forge a new life far way

And settle in a land

Where the gods had promised riches

For each and every man

We sailed the mighty North Sea

And  by the grace of Odin’s beard

Landed safe in England

Where our kinsmen were ri...

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(More on - free to subscribe - https://graynicholls.substack.com/)

Our past haunts the present reverberating backwards and forwards our lives, a missing piece of a puzzle that continues to ache even in its absence like a ghost standing just out of eyesight in a rearview mirror of consciousness like an aeroplane stuck between two dimensions, a prisoner of time, a spectral companion that whispers...

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Dear Mom... 

Every morning, the warm scent of rice from the cooker stirs me awake, 

The rhythmic echo of your footsteps, back and forth,

Followed by the sound of boiling water pouring over coffee in a cup,

Truly, it becomes a harmony I always long for, 

And, a melody I always wish to hear,

It is etched clearly in my mind.

Dear Mom... 

Your voice through the phone...

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Would you tell anyone

If you used an impact drill

To drill the cork in a bottle of wine?

It could ruin a perfect rhyme

Would you tell anyone

You made an autumn space

Suitable for each season

With both rhyme nor reason

Would you tell anyone

You're happy to be noone

Even if it means someone

who knows language always rhymes

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We don’t have much time; sooner or later

This planet of ours will hit the buffers.

By then weak excuses or fake facts won’t work,

Nor saying: ‘well, it’s always been like this.’

Hot air is no defence against the heat;

The war, unfought, starts to flex its muscles.

It seemed so different the last time round,

As smiling faces sauntered on the bridge,

Seeking the usual gl...

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Your feelings for me were beyond what you lead on

Did us talking regularly 

Soften your heart unexpectedly?

Unknown to me but very known to you 

It came to the point where “love you” became “I love you” 

Slight change to our goodnights 

Nothing to overthink 

We’re friends right? 

You got “busier”

Our talks lessened 

I still see you partying though 

I’m confused 

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so, lets catch up.

its been a minute i must say.

but today, i had to give
myself time to write.

ive been in a fog of stress.
which isnt everyone?

there is always someone worse off,
having a worse day.

you know, full honesty.
that saying doesnt work for me.

is it selfish to want to think
about your struggles, your sacrifices, 
and your chal...

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skip sit-down breakfast  

take a rushed lunch on the run  

then late tea for one  

repeat ad-nauseum 

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Discover the same other

whilst under the cover

Creeping seeping peeping

covert operations

my teenage fascinations

awkward altercations

with non queer populations

Sensations that taught me

if ever they caught me

side cautiously er

deliberately blur words that infer derogatory slur

I got very clever,

very clever at seeing without being seen

...

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Men, entrenched like ancient trees

whose branches mock their roots,

their trunks engorged with gnarled disease...

embittering their fruits.

The axe gleams brightly in The Sun

beyond the shaded edge,

where with one swing its work begun

it fells their broken pledge.

To cut and clear the rot away

of stock that's grown too long,

where green shoots feel the ...

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Dearest lovable warrior 

Blessed boy Oscar 

Big and strong with a heart even bigger 

Champagne ripples he shines 

Huge presence his family pine 

Raised from a pup 

He helped raise the children 

Forever so loved 

mother she held him 

Loyal fur angel God taken back 

Forever watch over your chloe and jack

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The days I focus on manifesting the weather are usually the days I trip over the treasure not knowing any better. 

Quite literally Falling over gems but keep on walking, intensely struggling as I continue listening to myself talking. 

Interestingly it's never to question my destiny, instead remained silent to appreciate what lay ahead, in times of great calamity only reveals the be...

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As the grace of age settles into all the parts of me

I begin to see life differently

Now, with the album almost full

Looking back is easy

My fingers trace the outlines of memories

While my mind fills the gaps that once lived in between

I watch the young girl in the frame

 -A frozen fragment of history-

Gazing out at me

Her eyes have changed

But her heart is ...

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spirits are a wise crank
spirits are a wise crack of a crank
a wise crack is a wise crank
a wise crack is a wise soul
a crack soul,a crack spirit,a wise crack
a crack spirit is a crack soul
a spirit is a spirit of a crack soul

a shadow is a shadow of a shadowy
a shadow is a shadowy of a wise crack
a shadowy is a shadowy of science
a shadow science is a shadowy of a shadowy
science is ...

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In my youth when the whims of women got me down, 
I would seek the company of ex-sergeant Eamonn McSwilly.

He’d fought at Rorke’s Drift against the Zulus,
and would often do one of their war dances,
while drinking a pint of stout,
then sob into his glass, recalling the horror of
that misguided military campaign.

I would listen in awe, but it was myself,
a wet-behind-be-the ears young m...

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My teeth feel fuzzy

I think that's a good thing

My head feels funny

I think that's bad

I’ve got six more hours

And three more days

That's plenty of time

Let's waste it away

My score’s an angel number

Eleven point one percent

And the lighting here is pretty

It makes me feel warm instead

I can't do big things

So everything is small

My body’s feeling ick...

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you were so content
keeping me at arms length
so I ended up
in someone else's
with a trail of teeth
behind me

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I left everything, and made you my everything. Just for you to stab me in the back. Down on my lowest you left. I thought you had my best interest, instead you squeezed my heart to death. And instead of giving it back you left my heart on the shelf. Haven’t let me seen taeden, you got him thinking I left him by himself.  Left me for dead, I was sleeping in the car by myself. Cold and lonely, I did...

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I scanned the stanzas of some bard,
which, as they landed, hit home - hard.
How could a dead man know such truth,
who'd died dishonoured, stripped of youth?

Down generations flew his words,
their talons sharp, like fearsome birds
sent through the centuries to tell
us all about his manmade hell.

The less we learned, the more was lost;
so today, we've passed on the cost
incurred by lon...

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More poetic flash fiction based on the browsing of best selling book titles in under 30 words. Perhaps next time you're looking at a list you'll spot them all!

Tomorrow and Tomorrow 

And Tomorrow 

The Last Goodbye

Was the longest 

Then she was gone 

No one saw a thing 

Except for the couple 

At No 9

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Let me put this out there straight away.  Freddie Tyas was called “Spaz”.  I can’t help that.  He was.

I’m talking here about my schooldays in the 60’s.  If you’ve seen any of those TV programmes like “It Was Alright in the 80’s” you’ll understand that it was alright in the 80’s.  Twenty years earlier in the 60’s it was even more “alright”.  We were closer to World War 1 than the 60’s are to us...

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I guess I am mechanical

I am here at your leisure

Should I cause a problem

You can cast me into the garbage

I guess I am mechanical

In a way, that I will keep coming back

Like an old watch, or something that will eventually wear out ,like a phone

And die off, and none would be the wiser

Not one tear shed, and I guess I like it that way

I guess I am mechanical because

...

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down here among the ruined and the rising

I am alien
and the children cannot understand
tears at the comic absurdity of hope

nor the sight of skin thin like paper
covering old peoples' hands folded in prayer

they cannot comprehend
the ferocity of newborn cries

nor the fearful stillness of expectation and Waiting

down here among the glowering bell towers

the silence is apoplec...

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A cloth so beautiful, he said
I’ll weave for you, Sir Kier
That to the simple or unfit
Invisible ‘t will appear

These splendid clothes, I just must have
What do they cost, pray tell
To you it’s free, the Baron said
‘N’ I’ll dress your wife as well

He set up looms and set to work
Weaving night and day
And yet the golden thread they brought
He simply put away

Kier sent a spad to vi...

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Everyone has a fire in their soul

A bright passion that makes them whole

An urge to follow like a fool

A desperate need to fulfill no matter how cruel

A bright spark in their eyes

A light that never dies

A wonderful dream that never lies

A reason to get up and rise

A star in their hearts to answer their wishes

A burning desire inside their chests

A cheery pe...

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What Drives Loyalty

I’ve learned that loyalty

Can be a beautiful quality

When harnessed in the right way

But it can also keep us in situations and relationships

That make our values sway

As a little girl and a teenager

I desperately wanted to be Lily’s best friend

In fact, I wished I could be her 

My hypnotised devotion had no end

Until one day I realis...

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