Dachau

The first snowdrops poked their heads above the parapet

An act of heroism in an unheroic world.

My eyes stinging with the freeze rejoice

 On my island of green I stand firm

Surrounded on all sides by snow like ice

Sharp, cruel and threatening to break through the frontline

Of my black leather jackboots.

No joyful bird song shattered my military meditations

No...

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Coal – you have no role!

An insult to my eyes

You rise up from a verdant sea of green

Brooding and malevolent

And me, I feel my senses scream.

Nostrils flare

Take in the smell of smog

Lungs contract

Choked by particulate fog.

With the clouds of carbon oxides

And the cancers you emit

The fumes that you produce

Make our planet and our people sick.

Your fil...

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Situation earth 2019

Forest fires in the artic,

And oceans full of plastic,

This environmental catastrophe,

Demands action that is drastic.

We have just 11 years,

To put right what is wrong,

Or our earth will be facing,

A very bitter swansong.

Our tots and our teens,

Are out protesting in our towns,

On policies of a corrupt Govt.,

Headed by a toxi...

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Situation earth 2019

Forest fires in the artic,

And oceans full of plastic,

This environmental catastrophe,

Demands action that is drastic.

We have just 11 years,

To put right what is wrong,

Or our earth will be facing,

A very bitter swansong.

Our tots and our teens,

Are out protesting in our towns,

On policies of a corrupt Govt.,

Headed by a toxi...

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The fabric of society

Our earth is held together

And yet is torn apart,

By spider webs of commerce

With neither soul nor heart.

We buy cheap clothes in Britain

And claim material needs

Whilst in Bangladesh and India

Children suffer for our greed.

The leisure wear we chill in

Comes at a heavy price

As youngsters toil for fourteen hours

Their leisur...

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 Demi Stalker – Demon Dog Walker

The bravest cat of all

Is Ms Demi Stalker

Who earns her living

As a demon dog walker.

A resourceful cat

Whose skills abound

Can walk at one time

Twenty two hounds.

She lines them up

The tallest first

Greyhounds and St Bernard’s

And underneath them Bratwursts

Those dashing little sausages

With tummies on the ground

T...

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Ecologists Haiku

Climate Change not real

Incredulity is what I felt

U.S. Premier deluded

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I Wish That...

I wish that I lived in a world where

Jelly fish wobbled on plates and tasted of strawberries,

Fish had fingers and could count to thirteen,

Sea potatoes grew up to be sea chips,

Seaweeds grew everywhere

And no one minded the plethora of Green.

Where the tide could rock and roll,

And Dover had soul.

I wish I lived in a world where

Pirates with ...

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Outside ASDA -Walmart

I was outside Asda -Walmart,

Talking to a not-for-profit prophet

She talked tax evasion and Walmart,

She talked child labour and Walmart,

She talked Plastic packaging in tonnes - Walmart,

She talked high costs and low quality – Walmart.

I was outside Asda -Walmart, talking to a retail prophet,

She talked poverty wages Walmart,

She talked no uni...

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It’s war!

I’m waging war on plastic

And it’s really quite a chore

For every time I think I’ve won

I find there’s even more.

I started with the teabags

Replacing them with leaves and pot

I’m really pleased now with my brew

It sure hits the spot.

My milk is now in cartons

Made of cardboard what a treat

And next I turn attention

 To the food I want to eat.

...

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Outside Time

Our love is outside time,

We smile in synchronicity

Outside time.

Our hands seek and fine solace

Outside time.

The tornado of town traffic

Tires the eyes and mind,

Single minded shoppers

Determined and often desperate,

Find themselves too busy

To be kind.

On a street thronged with folk,

We two alone are alive,

Our love is outside time.

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Love OnThe Beach

Fingers feeling sun-soaked skin

Tingling under tentative touches

We celebrate our closeness.

Side by side we sit stroking

Forearms first,

Watching seabirds wheel,

Dive and dance in sea breezes

As your fingers dance over my skin.

Our eyes hover on the horizon,

We skim the sea of sensuality,

So close now our scents are tinged with salt...

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For Always

For always you swore,

Until the end of time,

Could anyone love me more?

Know, you told me so.

You slipped away,

One day,

Unbeknown with my best friend – do I wish you well?

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Love Potion

I am love sick

Give me love medicine quick

Hold and hug me tight

Hot days and cold nights.

My hand in yours for all time

Would make reality sublime

Your smile on my face

Let’s win life’s race.

Shared dreams in our heads

A whole world in our bed

I want to love you

Till I’m dead.

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In celebration of nature....

The Squirrel Ripple

Out in the park,

Relishing signs of spring,

I chanced upon a wonderful thing,

Backbone flexing,

Nose twitching,

Brush bristling,

I watched, wishing I too,

Could do

The squirrel ripple.

Across a flint grey path,

Camouflage in place,

Keeping a low profile

From the rat race.

Bright eyes right,

B...

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Rock pools

Six-year-old sandaled feet

Combing the beach,

Looking for tidal treasures

Far out of reach.

Crimson sea anemone,

Scurrying crabs,

Dashing and darting fish,

They could be dabs.

Tiger-striped razor shells,

Enchanting echinoderms,

Aubergine mussels,

Busy, bustling terns.

Six-year-old sandaled feet

Dragging home to bed,

Vivid visions of volc...

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A little peep into Britains history......

 Can You bank on Winston?

Mrs Fry

Why, oh, why

Has Winston Churchill made you cry?

On our fivers you appeared serene

Smiling back to back with the queen.

Until dubious Churchill usurped your spot,

 Got civil rights activists angry and hot.

Now you’re a woman with a spotless reputation

Held up as a shining light of th...

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a tongue in cheek piece (with a serious message on the dumbing down of our society) about current Govt. policy to mark REFUGEE WEEK.....

Hostile environment

Our Governments created a hostile environment

Because of the alien invasion

They say it’s to protect

 The future of our nation

They’re limiting the gene pool

So we all end up thick

Which allows the corrupt min...

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An asylum story from someone currently seeking refugee status...to mark refugee week.

Modern Slavery UK 2018

I have lived for 14 years in your country,

Hidden from all eyes,

Sold by my family

For food and basic household supplies.

My hands have been red raw

With sores from inhuman chores

Why are you so surprised?

My smile dimmed by long months underground

My...

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To mark refugee week....this piece is inspired by the words of a member of staff at Liverpool Immigration Offices. The staff there hear heartbreaking stories daily and have no work based access to support or counseling....

Tonight I will go home and cry

I sat straight faced and listened
As the torrent of terror
Tumbled from your throat
And wondered 
How do you ever smile?
And...

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A poem about the importance of offering asylum......to mark refugee week

She walks in Beauty

I know a girl whose smile

 Is as warm as August sunshine

A girl whose eyes shine

Like the pole star.

A girl whose heart is so powerful

She will share her only food

With people living on wild winter streets.

Behind her smile she hides

The feel of a rifle in her mouth as sh...

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one to mark national refugee week..................

Sparklers in the dark

They came

2 grown ups

2 children

And a carrier bag.

Pockets and stomachs empty

Hearts full of hope.

They came from a green visual paradise

To the unremitting grey

Of an urban North West December.

And they breathed the colours of life

Into the tattered and tired house

They fill...

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Sea Woman

I saw her first when beaching my boat,

Tired eyes see strange sights.

Sun glinting in golden locks

That rippled like a neap tide,

Rivulets of salt-soaked water

Running down sun-ripened skin,

Rope-calloused hands itching

To caress her bare back.

Then the heart-stop shock

As my eyes ran their downward course:

No lissom legs on my mysterious m...

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A Life OnThe Ocean Wave

I’m standing at the water’s edge

with an origami boat,

I’m mindful of your heartaches

so I’m putting them afloat.

The waves will carry them far from you

to exotic distant shores,

And you can smile and laugh and sing

and think of them no more.

The roaring tides may sink your ship

or sail forever on life’s seas,

So, my friend, r...

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Come Down To TheBeach
 

Come down to the beach with me

And jump the tide,

Hunt for nature’s treasure trove

By the water’s side,

Play a game of hide and seek

With the wily wind,

Imagine like the herring gulls

You and I have wings,

Relish the feel of sunny sand

Hot beneath your feet,

Eyes wide looking for the place

Where sea and sky can meet…

Come down to...

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Driftwords

I spelt out my love in the sand,

Confessed my love to the land.

The summer sun shone hot on my love,

Seagulls strutted around my love,

Crying it out to the sea.

The whispering wind rolled over my love,

Bare bodied babes built castles to my love,

Dogs wet from wildness in the sea

Shook salty coats and sprayed brine on my love.

Couples walking ...

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Awful Androgens  (from Love and Lust in Bury and Rochdale, by Chris Bainbridge and Eve Nortley)

Total frustration is mine,

Explore the inner workings of my mind,

Stem the tide,

Tease and please me,

Offering satisfaction would be,

Sublime,

Tempt me with titbit,

Exotic morsels of affection,

Ribald rollicking, rolls in the hay,

Once will never be enough,

Now we s...

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Dear Mr Burne Jones

Dear Mr Burne Jones.

I am just a little in love

With your art.

The flowing lines and vibrant colours

Mesmerise mind and kidnap heart.

I am stolen away

Through time and place

By Merlin and Nimue.

The here and now is erased

I am the very substance of your heroines

And on this page

My fumbling fingers take wings

The golden glory of your ...

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Birmingham’s Bhangra Babes

The thunder of the Dhol

Can stir rich memories in your soul

Of those Birmingham Bhangra Babes.

On the bus,

In the park

At the cinema after dark

They sing and dance out a revolution

A twisting turning multicultural solution.

On still autumn days

In summers soporific haze

I remember the crazy

Body and beat,

On the tarmac in the street

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21st Century Love

Lips lock,

Tongues tingle as they tangle,

Hearts thunder,

Nerve endings jingle and jangle.

Eyes bright, shine,

Because I am yours and you are mine,

And on the street

The birdsong is so very sweet.

Love in the 21st century.

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Curry and Kulfi

Curry and Kulfi

What a feast

Eye bright colour splashes

Exotic spices from the east.

Sari’s down the Soho Road

Jamaican Jerk Chicken, peas and rice

A multihued dress-code

A sparkling tinsel life.

Bob Marley and Bhangra

The Blues of City

Aston Villa’s vintage claret

In my beautiful shinning city.

A bull in the ring

Hot and sour so...

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Gambling with Granddad

When I was seven

And lucky you see

My Granddad used to call for me

To take me out

For ice-cream and milkshake

But only if we got

That winning break.

We’d make for the bookies

Via the park

And in the smoky tension filled dark

My Granddad read me out the names

Of runners and riders

And I’d play the game

And make my choice

Then ...

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Money

Money makes you round eyed,

Or square eyed,

Money makes you open arms

And legs wide,

Money makes you feel dirty

Inside,

Money makes your scruples run and hide,

Money gives you lots of false pride,

Money makes you take friends

For a ride.

Money makes you blind

So you can’t see

Injustice and cruelty.

Money makes you treat people

Like ...

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Francis Drake

Sir Frances Drake was a pirate

who sailed the seven seas,

He robbed King Phil of Spain,

to fund his life of ease.

With a yo ho ho and a bottle of beer

he swaggered around London Town,

He knew Queen Liz would stop them all

from writing his exploits down.

With his flowing raven tresses

and his jaunty pierced ear,

He was a smiling handsome...

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Quiet Storm

A quiet storm was building

In the homes and on the streets

All lives were being touched now by those

With not enough to eat.

The homeless and the disposed

Who could not, would not, go away

The quiet storm was building

National consciousness

Began to sway.

The lies were just so big now

They were chocking mouths and minds

The lies so very big now

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Quiet Storm

A quiet storm was building

In the homes and on the streets

All lives were being touched now by those

With not enough to eat.

The homeless and the disposed

Who could not, would not, go away

The quiet storm was building

National consciousness

Began to sway.

The lies were just so big now

They were chocking mouths and minds

The lies so very big now

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January tree

I look at you January tree

Trunk and branches forlorn

And lovelorn.

Black withered witches fingers

Claw at an unremitting steel grey sky

As you reach high

And try to tear a rip in the firmament.

Would that you could steal some sun rays

To warm our wooden winter hearts.

I look at you January tree

Small, stoic and silent on the drabbest of days

I...

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She walks in Beauty

I know a girl whose smile

 Is as warm as August sunshine

A girl whose eyes shine

Like the pole star.

A girl whose heart is so powerful

She will share her only food

With people living on wild winter streets.

Behind her smile she hides

The feel of a rifle in her mouth as she is raped

Under a merciless Eritrean sun.

Behind her eyes she hides

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This Christmas

I am wishing you a Christmas

Wrapped snug in family love

Sharing hugs and food and laughter

Celebrating the birth of Christ the dove.

Will you spare a thought for a man I know

Locked up in a Home Office cell

A gentle soul whose only crime

Was to seek asylum from a living hell.

He came quietly to give praise and pray

His eyes downcast his shoul...

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Time stands still

When our tentative lips touch

I want time to stand still

And let us revel

In the absolute thrill.

When you enfold me in a hot embrace

I want time to stand still

As we mesh together

To banish a lifetime of chills.

When your eyes find mine across the dining table

I want time to stand still

As I struggle to breath

Heart racing uphil...

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Found Poetry

I found some poetry the other day

But it didn’t belong to me

The words didn’t speak my way.

Some of the words belonged to Kellogg’s

And some belonged to Nestle

We live in a corporate world

Which leaves real people nothing to say.

These words had no reason

Or rhyme

So I decided to erase them

 From my mind.

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Fight back

Its fight back time

If you can’t accept what we’ve become

A country where homelessness is everyday

Where one in every two children is fed by a food bank

And billions in taxes seem to be going “astray”.

Its fight back time

When public transport cannot move you

And hospitals are terminally ill about to die

Where the media the public own and pay for

...

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Hair – like I care!

When you care about your hair

But you really love the earth

You start to try alternatives to chemicals

And for what it’s worth

I’m going to share the story

Of my own hair care journey

As a modern day Rapunzel

It’s really rather funny.

I have a lot of hair

And it was of some concern

That the products it was consuming

Made my conscience bu...

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Small things....matter

When the size of the world’s problems is so big

That they dominate the media

And swamp our minds

Start with a small thing

Start with a smile.

Give a smile to someone

You give validation

Give a smile to someone

You give a heartfelt burst of joy

Give a smile to someone

You give people power

Give a smile

 Because you can change the wo...

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Tonight I will go home and cry

(This piece is inspired by the words of an employee of the Home Office after hearing a story of human trafficking)

I sat straight faced and listened
As the torrent of terror
Tumbled from your throat
And wondered 
How do you ever smile?
And how do your bird like eyes glisten?
Your smile is radiant.
I heard your story
And tonight
I will go home and...

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We wish you a red and green Christmas

It was Christmas Eve in the workshop

And the elves were feeling jolly

Their little woollen hats

Were decked with mistletoe and holly.

Their faces alight with smiles

Not a sad thought in their heads

For Santa had agreed that Christmas

Should be green and red.

No blousy buxom Barbies

Or action men with guns

Just lots of fair...

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This must be Christmas

I’m sitting watching adverts

For things I’ll never need

Made to appear irresistible

And pander to mans greed.

I’m sold a dream of Christmas

 That happiness is contained

 In gaudy transient baubles

That tantalise my eyes and brain.

I’m propaganderised to believe

That I need so much food

The sight of all those double portions

Really is ...

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It’s war!

I’m waging war on plastic

And it’s really quite a chore

For every time I think I’ve won

I find there’s even more.

I started with the teabags

Replacing them with leaves and pot

I’m really pleased now with my brew

It sure hits the spot.

My milk is now in cartons

Made of cardboard what a treat

And next I turn attention

 To the food I want to eat.

...

Read and leave comments (1)