For the New Year I resolve -

Not to swim with Humpbacked whales
Or ride an alpaca on the Inca Trail
Or skipper a ship with three masts and ten sails
I’d rather be lashed with a cat of nine tails.

The Northern Lights shall remain darkness to me
There will be no Amazon trips to see all the trees
If you dropped me on Everest attached to skis
I’d say “no thanks”, not “yes please”.

You w...

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A New Year

As we enter 2025
Will we prosper and survive?
Shall we find new goals and new ambitions?
And embark upon new special missions?

Will it be year to be strong?
And to put right what once was wrong?
Will it be a year full of success?
And one in which we try out best?

Shall we be great? Shall we be bold?
Shall we find new stories to unfold?
Shall we find new roads and new di...

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Locked again in the prison cell,

Gaolers buzz and wish us well!

But freedom's song within me swells,

And hope, a beacon, bravely tells

Of breaking free, of soaring high,

Beyond these walls, beneath the sky.

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Happy New Year to all at WOL! 

I Sailed across a stormy sea

I wonder what became of me?

Perhaps I settled in a far off land

Where palm trees grow through golden sand?

Or, do I still sail the many seas:

A ghost ship wearing the ghost of me?

Or, maybe, Atlantis dragged me to shore

And there I wander in untold awe?

In time, we build this ship ourselves, 

as the wind...

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The year drew on, a big wheel in the flow,
Marking the moments where change began to show.
Machines grew louder, their thoughts took flight,
Shaping a future both shadowed and bright.

On lunar plains, where footprints are few,
A woman stood, gazing at Earth’s vibrant hue.
The stars bore witness to progress and dreams,
While fusion ignited impossible schemes.

The skies roared ...

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And now another Christmas is over

And glad tidings are hidden amongst

Tinsel and mirrors

The smoke and choke of dust filled lives

Falling away into the in between days

Of hangovers too much pudding and turkey

Soon to be thrust into layers

Of left over mountains of mince pies and cheese

Whilst in other parts of the world

Little birds cry out for warmth and food

The cl...

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That proverbial “third wheel” syndrome
a companion in solitude

haunts the poet’s heart

- a feeling that clings like shadows
                …never quite shaken off.

In crowded spaces, they feel distant
a shaman stepping back from the scene
a witness to love’s tender embrace
while longing stirs like the wind.

With each verse penned, they mark the ache
attempting to erase the ...

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Her thoughts are a bulwark of hedonism and pain,
who will dare storm it with hate and vain.

Princess oh princess their voices shout,
whipped by carmine thorns in a lethal clout.

Your words speak of heroes but your actions sew malice,
life is no fairytale and you arent alice.

So bring forth another herold on his steed,
may hybris put an end to his ignorant deed.

Pale skinned and cri...

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I can feel fire in my veins

Red roses set aflame 

Burning embers 

Passionate rage 

A suffocating feeling I can't escape 

I feel like running away 

To some faraway place 

Where even the stars 

Wont remember my name 

I might lose myself 

In a faraway world 

Hiding away 

In my secret escape 

Time is an illusion 

And I'm caught up in the confusi...

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Dear blackbird
Let me have a feather from your wing
It will become my quill
In exchange I will sit silently
And listen to you sing

Take my wickedness
In your little yellow beak
Hold it as a stone
Before dropping it into the lake
At the break of dawn

Soar in circles
Tracing the ripples
Until you become weak
Then return to me
So together we can sleep. 
Clare Kinnaird, 2024.

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Be thou my vision,

All that is most beautiful,

Most life affirming.

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Life is lived moving forward

but we only understand looking back

If I looked back from the future, I know what I'd see: your love surrounding me with a fierce light of protection

a soft blanket of gentle cushioning balance of support and admiration

It held me up in my darkening despair and led me through

to the other side, where I made it

It does me no good

to deny the br...

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I'll chew my words
Mince them into a soft sponge 
Cleanse the red rage of pique
Return them eclair

I'll find my feet
Rotate along the axes
Slice through the ladder of fatigue
Meet at the Summit where the points meet

I'll get my spark
Learn to sharpen my bow
Steer the ship with my intuition
Brainstorm ideas for my arrow

I'll locate my voice
Journal the sea of musings in lead
Tak...

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As the new year is approaching…

Time to get the drinks and party going…

Not forgetting to reflect on this year…

Some teary moments, others with a cheer…

Treasuring every experience, good or bad…

Learning from each one, without feeling sad…

Before walking into the beautiful new year…

Making plans and resolutions, without fear…

Letting go of the things that cannot be reversed...

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Small things like these-

Staring out the window,  

Feeling the warmth of the sun on the face,  

Eyes gleaming, twinkling with quiet excitement.  

Goosebumps rise on the skin,  

Aflame with forgotten vigor.  

Small things like these-

The cold touch of water,  

Toes twitching in the bath,  

Awakening to the gentle brush of hands,  

Blood rushing to the face,  

C...

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He's a young man being beat down by society, 

Plagued with misfortune and unspeakable atrocities,

Survived cold nights despite the abject poverty,

No place to hide a dark mind with pure integrity,

He looks down to the ground with the up most intensity,

Whispered to himself "They will never take the best of me".

Forcibly made to be the man of the flat,

From the flat of his...

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My dear friends,

       Happy New Upcoming Year! I wish you all the best.

        Regards,

       Larisa

Please, read my poem in the comments

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‘If there is a troubadour washing, it is he

If there is a man about town., it is he …’

It’s the liminal hour, neither night nor day,

2am is when troubadours come out to play

Urban street savages roam around the pitch black

Most people fast asleep but not in next door’s flat

where two male cubs through the walls, I hear growling

It’s not just the foxes outside that ar...

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In sleep I see the nail

Pass through the yielding flesh;

Jesus knew about that.

But we are skin and bone,

Already. No reserves

Of fat or of muscle.

Bare bones. No resistance.

Every strike and rumble

A nail, hammered, pinpoint,

Into the joints and cracks.

The torment forcing us

Towards strange submission.

Soon we could be up there,

On the cross, con...

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An unknown journey

As I walk toward the New Year

With fear... hope... and joy!

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Like driftwood on a deserted beach

Our love’s abandoned, far from reach

The past, engulfed by fires of liberties took
Reciting hollow words from half-read books

Fearlessly we had wandered love’s convoluted path
Arriving sooner than most, unaware we wouldn’t last
Through unclenched fingers, love slipped away
Togetherness uprooted, lost and gone astray

No consideration nor ...

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A policeman investigating a spate of burglaries passed me by.

He said ,"I'm looking for a man with one eye."

His comment made my sense of humour flicker.

I said,"Why don't you use both eyes,it will be quicker."

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What happens when that sparks dies?

Are we ready? Am I ready? 

Forgiving the trust we lost hoping it'll all be worth it.

Dreaming is alot and hoping is just disappointing willing to love you forever.

Forever, forever, forever until death do us part,

corpse to soul, death will bless our marriage for no one else can own. 

Together always, the vows to take.....is this a mistake...

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County lines spread evil
across all the living and the dead
their line is our time
we need them, dead.

Or fled to
a spring day in late fall,
when she can no longer cope: 
be tall or not be crumpled or be  a spuperfluity
of hope.

She has lost the lines that link
her to her family tree 
so now the link is broken
and she is free.

Road, rail, phone,
needle, plunger, sink
in an...

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As if any more proof were needed of the threat I pose to the existing world order, I received, by e-mail on Christmas Eve, a death threat. Honestly. No joke.

It came from The Black Shadow, a hired assassin who had been paid an “enormous sum of money” to expedite my demise. This surprised me as anyone could nudge me off my pushbike for nothing. They said that they had been following my every mov...

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Some were like shooting stars,
crashing into me for a brief time
leaving stardust or debris.

Sometimes I just wasn't sure.
It was difficult to hold on to things
constantly in motion while they were moving on.

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Image source: Pinterest/@Arnab

Sweet floss brings happiness, 

With tender finesse, 

It greets, 

As joy spreads in fleeting beats. 

Floss compound with fairy,

Is magic within a combination of sweet, tender, and airy.

Fairies spin with rhythmic gait,

Blending sugar’s gleam with air in interplait. 

Their wings flutter, gathering air, 

A tinkling ...

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Chestnut floors we picked over pine.

Hazel almonds enveloped in your eyes.

Coffee beans to feel a rise.

Dark Chocolates are uncovered for surprise.

Amber streaks within your hair.

Lavender fills around the air.

Sky blue like the memories we share.

White noise for all of these moments we stare.

Ruby regal on your lips.

Inside all of these burgundy bricks.

Cri...

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Can you love me without consumption?

Simply leave me the way you found me

Without swallowing me whole,

Jaw unhinged like a snake

Delighting in their afternoon meal. 

Instead can you put me back into my box

So no one would ever know the difference?

Dust off my clothes, wipe my face

Fix my hair and shine my shoes

Ready again, as good as new. 

I have wasted too...

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The bones of Christmas, ragged torn,

carved, discarded, bin-bound waste.

In the farmyard cruelly born

raised for purpose, culled in haste.

The ribboned knot of cast-off wrap,

stuffed in plastics killer sack.

An offering up of deadly crap

to fill a void that can't grow back.

The joy of peace in frugal life,

of roots in earth as rich as Kings.

Reward born...

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The next

As we move into the next 
we’re completely perplexed 
as the past can’t help us 
understand anything 

our primitive tools 
make us look like fools 
all logic escapes 
in this vacuum 

those children with matches 
those martyrs of darkness 
all get consumed 
as the future chews on us 

I hold your hand 
I’ve got a plan 
to enjoy ourselves 
where we stand 

as I kiss...

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The resounding sins, of

many echo through

their etheric karma

manifesting the

good intentions, of

Personal Truth

at the end of the day the air waves:

find their way back home,

when the sun goes down, and

the lights go out at night

lightning never strikes the same place twice

however, once in a while you wonder…How? 

In the world we live in —

Th...

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Thickets

twisted

branches

blades of grass

Florida palms

fan in the wind 

thick as thieves

and feathers

Gold or green blades

sun scorched

or left untouched

to be loved 

Either way

they have seen beauty

they are not want

for more
 

© Candice Reineke 2024

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It's easy to get annoyed

when age is never on your side

but watches your every move

with stern disapproval.

Easy to fall out of proportion

such as is left to you

never quite enough to muster forces

easy then to get annoyed. 

And when  that happens

bits of you flake off like old skin

when smiling is a foreign land

you hesitate to visit

taking ...

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Stepping into the density,

I lose myself,

I become as a boat drifting in a lake, unattended, floating still, but lackluster, without guidance, 

clouded by a touch of sadness.

But then, breath returns,

deep, rich with the promise of renewal.

Deep, slow breath,

breath hums a tune of awakening,

breath sings a song of remembering.

Remembering compassion,

remembering frien...

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And in their deepest, darkest hour
the community came together
A time filled with fear, sadness and grief 
that will be remembered forever 

To the volunteer firefighters 
we salute your steadfast bravery 
Your selfless and courageous actions 
will be observed in our history 

For all the lives protected and saved
just how many will remain unknown 
Your work will never be forgotten 
o...

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Towards the far corner, 

An alluring kaleidoscopic spark

Catches my attention, and 

Besides the growing tension,

I hear a known voice. 

An out-of-the-world precipise 

Presents a familiar figure 

Who could overwhelm my heart.

Her unsurprised, unmoved eyes

Jesture that I was expected.

A gluesome lump in my throat

Lets the feeling float in silence

As she ...

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Christmas for one
A time of celebration
Peace and love abounds
All across the nation
Christmas for one

Christmas for one
That's the way it's going to be
But I am not alone
Because you are watching over me
Christmas for one

Christmas for one
Believers for the lord they wait
But our planet is so unequal 
A time for reflection of others fate
Christmas for one
 
Christmas for one
...

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I am in waves,
clapping hands,
art in/art out
of phase, the distinct
ghostshipshapeliness
of abstract lines,
appealing, revealing,
reviling, unveiling.
So much for rhyme.
Whatever comes next
came next-to-last,
whipping up wirestorms
of fountainhood,
revelling in the tines
of forking pathways,
expectantly gravid
or barren, the void
wherein, without which
we all surmount
the itchy...

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W

We

had

a tree

that lived

in our garden

for most of the

year. And when it

was time, my Dad dug

it up carefully, so as not

to damage the fragile roots.

He ceremoniously set it in a big

clay pot, ballasted with stones and

packed round with soil, and placed it in

a sort of giant terracotta saucer, to catch the

water, he said, so it would stay alive for ne...

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Lying with Lego is like:

typing poems on a keyboard

and hearing music in your head. 

Lying with music is like:

waking up in the morning

and you're still alive.

Lying with life is like:

that one kite on a string

against the metro pole

and somehow makes it lie. 

Lying with you is like:

making poems with the wind.

When you want me to belong (be ...

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What once held sway

Has perished without

Any genuine warning,

Yet those antique dreams

With the tenacious seams

Haven't ceased to pester,

And a world-weary Atlas, 

Ready to drop the ball, 

Wonders why 

Should it him befall

To be tethered thus

To the ends of Earth, 

Having to buttress 

A world half-conscious

Only half the time...

But then again, 

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Please come with me… hold my gloved hand.
Let’s stroll through a Knotty Ash Wonderland!
Knotty Ash is magical every month of the year.
But even more so now, as Christmas is near!

The Happiness Train has arrived on platform 4.
Colin and Vera arrive for their Wonderland Tour!
Then we follow the frosty Knotty Ash Signs.
That lead us to the famous Jam Butty Mines!

We turn left at Sir Ken W...

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Naked-It’s the most vulnerable state to be. 
So I undressed myself 
The bed Is the most comforting place to be when you have nowhere else to go
So I pulled back the covers and wept 
I wept for all the art I hadn’t made 
I wept for the brokenness inside 
For my brother
For the waste that has been my twenties 
And all the things I may never get to do 
I wept because I was numb and because I...

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(Inspired by a typo)

Do not stand at my grave and wee.
I'm damp enough. Just let me be.
You said you'd pour the finest wine
In tribute to these bones of mine;
So was it some stupendous thirst
That prompted you to drink it first?
Please note my epitaph (it's final!)
Does not contain the word "urinal".
Do not stand at my grave and wee.
I'll haunt your ass, I guarantee.

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Put that shit on Pinterest 

A show for the internet

I feel he's losing interest

I'll put you both to the test

Let the truth destroy the rest

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When the tick is tocking

and time calls louder

I have to choose -

this path

that desire.

So, I ask myself

'what is it that I truly want

from this life?'

I have wanted so much, and yet so little…

I invoke gratitude,

for kind hearts

strong hands

cool heads.

My own saints and saviours

in the pit stops of my travels.

Standing toe to toe with ...

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Mid month

as a good a time as any other

to write of howling winds that smother

Every hint

of comfort and the daily norms

to replace them all with Darragh's storms

Which break

the trees which crash and fall upon

wires, and thus: the village power has gone

And then

in every room in every country cottage

is darkness from the lack of wattage

No h...

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Like fine friends whose company I crave,
I cherish the seasons, each one a wave;
Their unique characters, in colors they dress,
They shape my moods, some joy, some distress.

In winter's warm hug, the sun sets me free,
With hiking through dreams, wild as can be;
The heart, an enthusiast, reaching for light,
Wrapped in the comfort of long, cozy nights.

Oh, for summer morni...

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PURSUE TRANSPARENCY

In veils of secrecy the captured states

Obscure the havens of the ultra-rich,

Who claim to hover in their global cloud;

Untouched, untaxable and out of reach.

They slip through loopholes spun, in legal webs,

By spider lawyers, lobbyists, - with bribes.

They loot our assets; dodge, evade and hide;

And multiply their influence round the globe.

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