The humm of distant traffic gently fills my ears,

It will pass us by, our proximity soon forgot,

It will rapidly move beyond our confusion and tears,

In short, it will do what we cannot.

So many memories to cherish down the years,

So many moments to never be forgot,

But I'm tired of being tested to comfort your fears,

In the end, I'm either good enough as me, or I am not.

Read and leave comments (0)

Unlock the door I sealed many years ago,

It only takes a moment to open up that void,

Let me stare into the eyes of a beast I have always known,

One I thought that I had beaten, thought I had destroyed,

But this time let its empty face gaze upon the man I am,

Rather than it terrorise the boy that I once was,

Let me stare into its souless eyes until it turns its face away,

For ...

Read and leave comments (3)

Tell the truth my child, or at least try not to lie,

This above all other things will set you free,

It really isn't easy but it's worth it if you try,

Because true meaning is only found in honesty,

And though it's true to say that we don't always know what's true,

It's also true that we know when we're lying,

And even if the truth you hide is only known to you,

It's the greate...

Read and leave comments (3)

Let the sky rain red ribbons of rhesus on my retrospection,

It's only in this torrent of blood I'm positive,

Let the jubilant defend their joy in Jesus's resurrection,

It pleases me to see the pleasure that it gives,

Wash away the negatives oh plasma of the skies,

With the A and B of your sweet H2O,

Let your platelets mingle with the salt in my eyes,

Let your pressure rise wit...

Read and leave comments (0)

Everybody's talking, slinging mud and accusations like confetti,

I wonder what moral highground it is that they stand upon?

The mingled, mangled, insults tangled like alphabeti spaghetti,

Tweeted and repeated, every expletive, "Expleted," and offers of redemption, none,

All accusing and refusing to acknowledge the, "glass house," they inhabit,

Or that they have no moral highground b...

Read and leave comments (2)

Child of mine you wonder why we taught you honesty?

And caring and compassion and to never act in spite?

I could give you many reasons but the main one, honestly,

Is that to fit into society, you need to get these right,

True enough, as your parents we'd forgive you any sin,

But society will not and you need to learn this truth,

You need to know the rules if you're going to fit i...

Read and leave comments (3)

Shall I compare thee to someone that I'd like to be?

Should I, compare thee on this summer's day?

I think not, comparisons are dangerous you see,

Unless I compare myself with who I was yesterday,

The cracked pot and scuffed pan that make my soul,

Are mine to mend and polish alone,

And every fissure I've fixed, and scuff I've scrubbed until it's shone,

Have left me a little bet...

Read and leave comments (5)

Of all the people you know, you are most responsible for you,

And even one day, when you have kids, this much will still be true,

You're responsible for every thought, every word, every bit of, "Truth," you bring to their door,

So you'd best start looking after yourself, as if you're someone you're responsible for,

I know life seems unfair right now, but let's be honest it made no prom...

Read and leave comments (0)

Sometimes the bravest thing you do is just stand up.

When life's loaded you up with all the despair you can carry,

And you knees buckle under the weight,

To the point where you can't stand up straight,

Or even stand up at all, stand up.

When it's the equivallent of some huge monster standing over you,

Telling you, "If you dare get up off the floor,

You're just gonna get some m...

Read and leave comments (2)

You can't control the innevitable,

And the truth is, you know it,

But what you can control is,

The face you choose to show it.

Read and leave comments (0)

I'm tired,

Not weary or, "All tuckered out,"

Exhausted,

On every level,

Past the point of return, burned out,

As one thing after another, smothers

The breath from my chest,

As test after never ending test,

"Trust falls," backwards into my waiting hands,

Screaming, "Catch me if you can!"

Tired,

And all the, "Peppy," shit that I've told myself across the years,

Ca...

Read and leave comments (4)

I used to cringe at the, "Politically correct," label,

Referring to me and my kind as, "Differently able,"

I used to think, "For fucks sake, just say disabled, it's fine,"

Although in my case, not so obvious, as the issue is my mind,

And then I heard a young man explain his autism,

How he thanked God for it, I loved his optimism,

But it was true that the focus of his unique mind,

Read and leave comments (3)

No-one ever mapped out my route,

Or offered a hand to carry my load,

So I learned to discard what I didn't need,

And I found my way by just walking the road,

And there have been plenty of times that I fell,

And trinkets I dropped and treasures I stowed,

And plenty of times I watched my feet bleed,

And felt that my weary heart might explode,

Until at last I came to know my r...

Read and leave comments (4)

Damned by the stars that shone down from the night sky,

Damned in their light on the night of his birth,

The devil's in the detail and the detailed question is, Why

Would such heavenly bodies cast aspersions on his worth?

Damned from the moment that he first opened his eyes,

Damned all to hell as he drew his first breath,

Damned quietly, implicitly, with deep duplicitous lies,

Read and leave comments (4)

The bare bones of Winter stand upon my doorstep and rattle at the windows of my home,

It's cold breath exhales a scent of Fir trees and damp logs that linger on the loam,

To truly see it's beauty you have look past the stark absence of flesh upon the bone,

And accept that the time has come for it put to bed the summer we have known,

And in its muffled depths it hold its breath and make...

Read and leave comments (2)

Give me the peace of the lonely woods,

Give the hush of a gentle breeze,

Give me relief, relief would good,

Relieve me of the assault on my ears,

Let me use my mouth only for breath,

Let me still the noise in my head,

Let the land around be quiet as death,

Without the need to be dead,

In short let each person from north to south,

Rebalance their verbal distortion,

Let...

Read and leave comments (4)

Refugee, a dictionary definition, that we may understand more,

"Someone forced to leave their country to escape, persecution, natural disaster or war,"

But that's, "Them," right? I mean, it could never happen to us,

Our system, civiisation, politicians, they would never, "Throw us under the bus?"

Surely we're just too organised for that to ever come to pass?

But as John Buchan said,...

Read and leave comments (5)

Wear your heart on your sleeve and and wear it proudly,

The fact that others may hurt you does not make you weak,

Tell the world of your hopes and your fears loudly,

Don't let anyone tell you of what you should speak,

It's your life and you have to own completely,

The good, the bad and the things you got wrong,

And don't think that telling hard truths will be easy,

But tell th...

Read and leave comments (6)

Take a soul, give it just enough love for it to grow,

Enough distance from the others, so it's always on its own,

Make it whole but only just enough to know,

The difference between being lonely and alone,

Stretch it thin as paper over skin and bone,

Leave hard as marble at the heart, at the core,

Make sure it remembers all the hurt that it has known,

Provide it with some love ...

Read and leave comments (3)

If I wrote my life in biography, filled with all the thrills and tears,

I would issue several apologies, to those I've hurt down the years,

And to those that never abandoned me, that always stood by my side,

I'd acknowledge the trust they gave to me, eased the pain in heart and mind,

The space at my side was a vacancy, I never dreamed I would fill,

Then she came along and insisted w...

Read and leave comments (2)

Sitting at the kitchen table in still, wee hours of the morning,

I'm minded to ponder the brevity of this living,

The way it slips through your fingers without prior warning,

And we forgive it its speed, though to us it's unforgiving,

The clock ticks and each second passes irrespective,

Of whether we care if it does or not,

And it doesn't pay to wonder why, because from my perspe...

Read and leave comments (3)

The greatest enemy of all writers

Is distr..........

Read and leave comments (3)

If ever I'm lost on distant shores, this is my message in a bottle to you,

I miss you deeply and though I can't see your face, I hold it deep in my heart,

It was never my intention to leave you behind, please believe that's true,

And it leaves me bereft that the innevitable time and tide forced us apart,

But know that this lost, ragged, beach bound souls bond with you is unbreakable,

Read and leave comments (2)

You told me once that life isn't fair and for that you'd always resent it,

You told me how much you hated it for hurting you, and I could see that you meant it,

And it's true to say that much like the rest of us life has dealt you some hard blows,

But the truth is even harder than the hatred, 'cos the truth is sometimes that's just how it goes,

There's no changing most of it 'cos it's ...

Read and leave comments (2)

Life chose to bless me with a little rain amongst the sunshine,

Chose to water my soul and allow it to grow,

I'll confess at the time I resented the pain that was made mine,

But I wouldn't change a thing now I know what I know,

Because it watered the garden at the very heart of me,

Irrigated and enriched that virgin newborn soil,

And the wild flora that spawned from its flow beca...

Read and leave comments (2)

If I could reach back in time and speak to you as a child,

I'd take you by the hand and tell you it will all be ok,

I'd explain that you'll be strong enough to make it that way,

So don't worry too much, enjoy what you can, 'cos It'll be fine.

If I could reach back in time and address you in your youth,

I'd ask you if you really wanted self destruction,

Remind you if you want to l...

Read and leave comments (0)

Lost within the twisting turns of of the corridors of your mind,

Plain to see the agony endured upon your face,

Unwind the thread, leave a trail of breadcrumbs I can find,

That I may lead you out of this cold dark place,

Put your hand in my hand and your trust upon my back,

I'll never let it go and I can bear the weight,

I'll help you to stand, walk with you down this track,

D...

Read and leave comments (4)

Here's to all the loves I lost and the lovers I have gained,

here's to all the paths I've crossed and some on which I have remained,

Here's to all the hope I've tossed carelessly into the wishing well,

And here's to all the bawdy, roudy, tawdry tales I've lived to tell,

Here's to all the pretty maids that shared my well worn bed in youth,

Here's to all the wise old owls who taught m...

Read and leave comments (3)

Hand me the yoke brother, sister, I see how much it weighs upon your soul,

It's my turn to take the strain, to bear the pain and your time to rest,

Let me stand in place of forefathers and mothers, let me shoulder the oaken pole,

Catch your breath and still the beating heart within your chest,

Fear not, I will not fail you, not pain nor grief will force me from it's bitter load,

My ...

Read and leave comments (2)

I cried for you,

I she'd tears for lost years, 'til my eyes dried,

I tried for you,

Until the lost hopes were only fit to stay inside,

I lied for you,

I told the world that though it seemed unlikely, you did care,

I died for you,

But only the little child that continued wishing you'd been there,

And though it's true,

That in our later years we balanced our ledger, man to...

Read and leave comments (2)

No pretence excuses the intense expense of our abuses,

And when people ask what the use is,

It seems they've lost all sense of what truth is,

The endless barrage of empty excuses,

As we pour fuel onto the fire that, "Cooks our gooses,"

Is the equivalent of taking the rope and tying our own nooses,

It's morally bankrupt to pretend that there's no end 'cos the truth is,

That we'...

Read and leave comments (2)

Lay down in the dewy wet grass of a fresh spring dawn,
And look to the gently waking heavens stretched out from where you lie,
This is a good day for the child that still lives within those tired old eyes,
To cast its innocent gaze upon the subtle beauty of the morn’,

Ease your weary back of its herculean burdens,
Ease your weary mind of all duplicity and lies,
That this manic world of our...

Read and leave comments (5)

I am sitting, you are sitting, we are sitting staring at each other,

Never blinking once, waiting for response, we're eye to eye,

And crying,

Patent leather watchstrap, holds a clock to tell the time,

Though you'd never know it 'cos we'd never show it, neither of us even knows if the sun's gone down,

I look contented, 

You're well presented,

But we are falling,

Falling just...

Read and leave comments (2)

Strong enough to shed a tear of pain for another,

Strong enough to find no shred of shame in your tears,

Strong enough to honour your father and mother,

Strong enough to know the name of your fears,

Strong enough to stand alone in the maelstrom,

Strong enough to ask for help when it's needed,

Strong enough to recognise whence the storm hails from,

Strong enough to recognise wh...

Read and leave comments (6)

Can I tell you in these quiet moments before the storm what the future holds?

I wish I could my loves, I wish beyond all things that I knew,

The distant shores of things yet to come are to me as hushed mist that enfolds

The eye and mind so deeply that all seems untrue,

And I would say, Do not fear consequence but rather the creeping paralysis,

That grips all hearts and minds hypnoti...

Read and leave comments (2)

Family.....I built it all up for you,

Tore down the walls for you,

Opened my heart up for you,

Because when it came to you,

Anything less than the truth just wouldn't do.

Family..... I'll live my life for you,

Take on any strife for you,

Be a light in the night for you,

Because even in darkness it's true,

Anything less than my brightest hope just wouldn't do.

Read and leave comments (6)

Bind me with your chains,

You control the beast tonight,

You are all there is,

All that now remains,

And I'll let you feast tonight,

I am here to please,

Tight against my skin,

Pull your bindings oh so tight,

Don't let me get free,

Guide our pleasure in,

You are in control tonight,

That's how it should be,

Slap my guilty skin,

Bound by col...

Read and leave comments (4)

Oh England, land of the Lionheart, lone man of the sea, barnacle encrusted,

Will of iron, a step apart, guardian of the gate, your armour is rusted,

Memories of long ago, memories of power, but the strength of your mumbled word fades,

The straps of your shield rot on the arm, and your sword is dull at the edge of its blade,

Can you not recall the painful centuries, scribing each line o...

Read and leave comments (2)

I'll start with an apology, solemnly, to make up for the one you never gave to me

Properly, probably, you didn't even know that it was necessary,

Honestly, this disunity,  that has come to be between you and me,

Bothers me,  so deeply, because it questions our compatibility,

The quality, of amity, is strained to limits of insanity,

Our policy, of clarity, was crushed under the heels...

Read and leave comments (9)

Sell your sorry soul for a handful of sheckels,

Sell your hands to do the devil's labour,

Sell yourself whole, from fingertips to freckles,

Sell your flesh for others to savour,

Sit with me girl, at this Sabbath table,

Sit and divine what the morrow may hold

Sit and converse, convince me, if you're able,

Sit and explore the torture that's foretold,

Another week of toil at t...

Read and leave comments (3)

(something dark for Halloween)

I plant a black seed in the loam of your soul and water it with your tears,

I'll feed it with poison and vitriol and nourish it with your fears,

And it's roots will worm to your very foundations and suck at the love in your heart,

And it's fruits will burn on its withered boughs with the bitterness they will impart,

And the bark at its trunk will be ma...

Read and leave comments (4)

Borne on the breath of winter, flies Hallows Harbinger,

Black wings sealing summer's fate,

This ebony messenger, stormcrow of October,

"Caws," that winter won't wait,

And wings that push the chill winds upon us,

Are matched by the ice in his breast,

He is the messenger racing to tell us,

The news of summers death,

And his song is harsh, no more than a croaking,

As he mou...

Read and leave comments (4)

Take my hand, I broke it forging chains that bind me,

Take my head, I broke it on the Jagged rocks,

Take my eyes, I broke them on the lights that blind me,

Take my ears, broken by the ticking clocks,

Take my back, broken by this heavy burden,

Take my legs, broken by the road,

Take my ribs, broken by the lungs beneath them,

Take my shoulders, broken by the load,

Take my hear...

Read and leave comments (4)

Climb the hills that you can manage, stand upon the pinnacles,

Find the will to fight the damage levied by the cynical,

Their perturbances don't matter, the lyrical don't shout,

Their disturbances, the chatter of stereotypical doubt,

Concentrate on the peak but be sure to enjoy the climb,

Contemplate the oblique as you endure the passage of time,

There is no use pushing on so har...

Read and leave comments (7)

Someone suggested a long hard look in the mirror might be in order,

And so mirror was stared at and glared at with all respect that was due,

And it's true, the man that used to stare back had become a little fuzzy at the border,

But to my mind, and my eye, he's still there even if he's not so visible to you,

I don't know what it is you expected him to tell me,

I don't know if some e...

Read and leave comments (5)

Come, join me at the edge but be sure bring your sharpest blade,

Whittle your wit upon this ledge, some hasty decisions must be made,

Whether to stop just short of the fall knowing how easy it is to slip,

But in this land of slippery madness the edge at least provides some grip,

And don't stand still and don't look down it's a long drop to the dark abyss,

Only by dancing the frantic...

Read and leave comments (5)

You've spent a long time kissing frogs and looking for princes,

And never really asking if a prince is what you need,

Cuz maybe, just maybe it doesn't matter what the world says,

This, "Princess," needs a frog to succeed,

And all the gleaming armour and the white steeds,

And silver crowns and ermine cloaks,

Are there to cover up some deficiencies,

That are plain as day in the ...

Read and leave comments (5)

(Inspired by the findings that dogs have evolved some human facial expressions:

BBC NEWS

Researchers have found that dogs have evolved muscles around their eyes, which allow them to make expressions that particularly appeal to humans. A small facial muscle allows dog eyes to mimic an "infant-like" expression which prompts a "nurturing response".)

Strange, that we should have such an ...

Read and leave comments (5)

Hang the sword above my cot by the single hair of a horses tale,

That even in my sleep I must beware the shadow of its blade,

Lest I forget price to pay should my endeavours fail,

As it strains at its slim tether, all that keeps its fall delayed,

And let its weight fill my mind as the second hand slices time,

Let its ever present threat weigh heavy on my soul,

Certain in the know...

Read and leave comments (9)

The silence of the muffled night is shattered by the scraping call of storm crows,

The "Plinking" heavy heat of sunlight plays a tune upon the fences of the park,

The violence of the storm in flight that clatters over gaping fields of corn rows,

Leaves the thinking man to ponder what is levied by the dragon in the dark, 

For from its jaws it spews forth fire to split and crack the...

Read and leave comments (8)

Well now let me ask you is it right to not highlight the plight of those hidden from sight,

Denied the bright light as they stumble through night and they get uptight cuz their fight might be right,

And let me ask you would you agree that it's not up to me or you or we what the world should see,

Or proud pomposity, or loud verbosity, to even possibly, censor what should be free,

And wo...

Read and leave comments (8)

A ripple of air gently cut by his slow moving hand,

The pin sharp slicing of the hubbub by the ringing of a chime,

The cut of a suit made specifically for the man,

As sharp eyes take note of the second hand slicing time,

All angular, all blades when there are no blades present,

Yet the deep cuts exacted by the keen edge of an incisive mind,

Leave others slashed hard in a way they...

Read and leave comments (10)

Oh pernicious fool, speak not unto me,

Blacken not my heart with thy vitriol,

Still thy bitter tongue, still eternally,

The whispered words of thy venomous soul.

Lay thy sorry wit, softly on the ground,

Let the daggers of thy feeble mouth rest,

For the worst I could offer in return,

Would still be better than thy very best.

Slip not behind me on this darkest night...

Read and leave comments (10)

I bought a Kayak, a little boat, to paddle away from responsibility,

Not forever, just for the day, there are too many that rely on me,

It was a good deal, nearly half price, this inflatable slice of liberty,

And even though I've not used it once, you know, the knowledge it's there comforts me,

"Cut price escape," is always at hand, though it's true, almost imperceptibly,

The idea's...

Read and leave comments (15)

 (Originally posted March 15th 2019, And reposted as it has been so kindly voiced by the wonderful Mae Foreman. Thank you so much for doing this Mae, I can't thank you enough.)

J. x

Walking in the fields in the land of abandoned god's,

The clay clumps at my heels and clings in wet clods,

Staring at the skies with a view to the divine,

Trying to get a feel for what's mine a...

Read and leave comments (22)

The world crumbles, while the disaffected shout at me,

The meek mumble, when they could scream a symphony,

Their low rumbles, underscoring the cacophony,

Their voice humbled, by the weight of their humility,

Their point jumbled, with the din of dim hyperbole,

The key fumbled, at the door to all humanity,

They blind stumble, on the pathway to divinity,

As we tumble, head first ...

Read and leave comments (12)

Pack the haversack Jack and hang it slack on the scatback,

Attack the track like a lightning crack all the way to the tamarack,

The Andoraks are in die back so don't backtrack to the black shack,

There's a carack on waters slack, with coin to hijack and bring back.

Ride bareback with your gripsack push hard through the hardhack,

Don't go offtrack with that knapsack or mess with its ...

Read and leave comments (11)

Stand upon the mount and raise your eyes to the skies,

Let the fingers of your left hand trail in the seas,

The right held high to orchestrate the breeze,

Let your tongue taste the bitterness of lies.

Lift within your ancient soul angers raging fires,

Call upon your wounded spirit to quell all sentiment,

Know that in this world all mercy is spent,

And purity murdered...

Read and leave comments (17)

Hold hard friend and give thy attention to this oft rendered tale,

In truth I share it with thee for tis one ignored at thy peril,

As we sit here happily ensconced twixt warm hearth and cold ale,

Let I warn thee of the dangerous temptings cast by the the devil.

First look at the ale that be there in thy hand,

And recall the times it crept upon thee til recollection had died yet...

Read and leave comments (8)

Sometimes we need to sit on the shores of an ocean to remind ourselves how small we are,

To stand under vast open skies that stretch from the promise of tomorrow to the memories of the night before,

To insignificantly piss in the driving rain against the foundations of all we know and all we are,

And gaze fifty thousand light years into the past luminescence of a star that probably isn't ...

Read and leave comments (12)

(We used to say this rhyme when I was small. I didn't write it, I don't know if anyone did or whether it was just made up by bored children with nothing better to do sat on a corner in the midlands.  So please excuse any simplicities or political incorrectness, I just thought it would be nice to share. I also wondered if anyone else had some more childhood rhymes local to them?)

One sunny ...

Read and leave comments (11)

I pray that my story is worthy of the telling,

I pray that my given path is clear from the start,

And when life whispers sadness, the words are soft compelling,

And when it sings of joy it lifts the very heart,

And in those times between these it offers some contentments,

And when contentment's gone, at least it gives me truth,

And when that truth is crushing it shields me from r...

Read and leave comments (5)

There is a place where the storm stops and you sift the silt and rake the wreckage,

You count the damage out in torn crops and the cracked panes in the shaken frames,

You hear the rain drip its last drops in loud, "Plops," as it taps its message,

The tempest touches all from doorstops to treetops irrespective of their names,

And in the stillness when the wind drops you take stock and c...

Read and leave comments (12)

Lay me down in the meadow,

Give me the shade of an oak,

Let the grasses whisper the winds,

As if soft words had been spoke,

Let those soft words hold memories,

Memories for us to keep,

Lay me down in the meadow,

Where the breezes will sing me to sleep.

Read and leave comments (15)

Be at peace and tread softly on the delicate egg shells,

There is more than enough time to boldly blunder on,

Let the waters lap at your feet as the tide swells,

You have no power over the waves, you are not the moon or the sun.

Let the winds tussle your hair as they will,

Do not interfere with their soft caresses,

The maelstrom is not yours to command.

You have no say on...

Read and leave comments (9)

(Sometimes in life, those that should offer their best give you their worst, and sometimes disappointment hurts more than anything else they could have given you)

When I think about the depths and the pinnacles,

It's plainly a miracle I'm not more cynical,

Because at those shining peaks all is lyrical,

But the depths inspire me to be deeply quizzical,

And between those two lay ...

Read and leave comments (15)

To sleep perchance to dream,

Of all that I could be,

But while I close my eyes, 

Will you watch over me?

Read and leave comments (0)

Walk the paths well trodden by the brave,

Live boldly my son, embrace your fears and let them drive you on,

Be master of your hurts not slave,

Value the story in your scars, pity those that have none.

Treasure every tear that rolls on your cheek,

Let them fall on barren ground knowing their waters bring life,

Their salt does not cleanse the lips of the meek,

In the same w...

Read and leave comments (7)

The clocks missed a beat today,

Moments marked by incisive ticks,

Fused into one stretched pause in time,

As you stepped away,

From the arms of those around you,

And into the arms of those gone before.

Only to feel their warmth once more.

Read and leave comments (11)

Ever felt like the clock's ticking and you haven't achieved what you set out to do?

Like you've wasted your time, "Can kicking," and denied the existence you were born to?

Like the relentless tidal wash of time laps at the castles you built in the sand?

And the sense that sensibility and banality benignly bind your restless hands?

Is there some truth in the naivety of youth that w...

Read and leave comments (19)

Life can be shit but let's examine the alternative,

Never seeing light in the long sleep of death,

And every little bit of defiance that it takes to live,

Means you truly value every single stolen breath.

There will be no ever after at the end of the narrative,

Only here and now and then nothing, ever more,

And even when it's bad, it beats the stark alternative,

So squeez...

Read and leave comments (9)

(Sinister nursery rhyme challenge. Your turn...)

Crawling through the undergrowth,

On, "Tick tock," legs all spindle thin,

Eight in number, like it's eyes,

A spider came a'wandering.

Spying out a sleeping girl,

Resting on her tuffet, 

The spider had a dark desire,

To eat up a young Muffet.

Just like she'd munched on curds and whey,

He thought he'd munch...

Read and leave comments (12)

I've only just been told,

That in messages or texts,

It's peculiarly British,

To sign off with an X,

So don't misunderstand,

We mean no disrespect,

We don't mean to be forward,

We're not offering sex,

It's just a friendly gesture,

Attempting to inflect,

A gentle nod to friendship,

So thank you, XXX.

Read and leave comments (15)

Let's travel to Hell in a handcart,

Come on, we're already half way there,

If you want, wring your hands and pretend to care,

But let's not pretend that it's true despair,

So let's travel to Hell in a handcart.

Let's travel to Hell in a handcart,

You know that it's where we all want to go,

Wouldn't be this way if it wasn't so,

Saying yes to this mess and never say no,

Read and leave comments (9)

The book of broken promises knows your name too well,

Each entry lodged against you is a weight upon your back,

Empty words are spoken as you map your route to Hell,

Each falsehood that is uttered is a step along that track.

Each time you chose to profit from the losses of another,

Each time you chose to sell yourself as something that you're not,

Each time you sent a Son to...

Read and leave comments (4)

There is a face in the looking glass,

No need to disguise it, I don't recognise it,

There is a face in the looking glass, looking back at me.

There is a face in the looking glass,

It's lines and it's tension, are too grim to mention,

There is a face in the looking glass, as clear as it can be.

There is a face in the looking glass,

The street grime is streaked, from t...

Read and leave comments (4)

What use is a web,

If it catches a tiger,

Instead of a fly?

Read and leave comments (3)

We entered life together,

Seperated at conception,

He born directly into the world,

Waiting for me to follow,

Hiding in the tall branches and low fields,

In the speeding traffic and deep rivers,

In the aeroplanes engines and the sharks jaws,

In the dark chasms and the freak streak of lightning,

In the storms head and hopefully, one day, in the comfortable bed.

I know of ...

Read and leave comments (14)

(Long Form Haiku)

Her soft crimson lips,

Mesmerise my waking eyes,

And speak in my dreams.

Her warm syrup voice,

Oozes over me like oil,

And sooths my desire.

Her hot gentle breath,

Touches me from head to toe,

And breaks my sad heart.

It whispers to me,

And says, "Goodnight my sweetheart,"

And I am alone.

I lay here alone,

And she...

Read and leave comments (5)

(Right, never tried Haiku before so here's some I wrote today, hope they're ok)

(Soul)

A wandering soul,

Tortured by experience,

Finds peace in your arms.

(Compass)

A broken compass,

Knows not the way to true north,

But may yet find it.

(Tears)

Tears of happiness,

​​​​​​Taste exactly as salty,

​​​​​​As tears of sorrow.

​(Student)

​​​​​​...

Read and leave comments (12)

(meant to be read in an ever decreasing whisper)

Let me hide in the silence, away from the cacophony,

I only need a moment to ease my weary mind,

I need to switch the noise off, escape this temporal battery,

Find some inner peace and there become enshrined.

And so I'll read the paper, have a smoke upon the balcony,

Temporarily detach from the busy, endless din,

Don't...

Read and leave comments (10)

Dear future generations, it is with the deepest regret that we write this letter,

Concerning all the tomorrows we borrowed, and should have served you so much better,

And while we'd debate whether it was too late to save all from being lost,

To contemplate a change so great, at the time, seemed too high a cost.

We realise now we cannot disavow our reticence or reservation,

And ...

Read and leave comments (12)

(Can you tell I've been dusting today?)

Where do cobwebs come from anyway?

I genuinely don't have the slightest clue,

'Cos the word "Web" suggests there's a spider involved,

But I don't believe that, do you?

If that's true, when I look at the ragged,

Bedraggled, dangling thread,

I think, "If that came out of a spider,"

"It's either pissed or on its death bed!"

Read and leave comments (1)

We need all our shit, like desperate junkies,

The blinkered authors of our own sorrow,

The materialistic king of the monkeys,

We know we must stop, but not 'til tomorrow

It can't carry on, this rate of consumption,

We know it, but fuck it, it's just one more day,

And don't rush to judge, don't make the assumption,

That you're any better, despite what you say.

We a...

Read and leave comments (7)

(We all have a dark side, hemmed in by the light,

But controlled, it is useful, your dark slice of night)

It would be a mistake, to pick a fight with me,

I've had enough practice to know where to hit,

Only grace and experience make me act honourably,

Still, crack on if you must, but prepare for some shit.

I don't have the patience to withstand hyperbole,

All the fals...

Read and leave comments (6)

I have walked a thousand miles in the footsteps of another,

Then walked another thousand making footsteps of my own,

My intent, to circumvent the will of every other,

And find the peace of mind that you can only find alone.

And each step that was right, led me further forward,

And each step that was left, reminded me of home,

And between the left and right lay the distance I...

Read and leave comments (8)

An old woman feeling quite drastic,

Undid her knicker elastic,

To allow some airflow,

To her, "Down below,"

Which she told passers by felt fantastic

Read and leave comments (7)

Born with the freedom of all little birds,

You'll come to discover the irony of age,

That one by one with your own words,

You'll forge the bars of your own cage.

Read and leave comments (11)

A lone wolf haunts the darkness, sniffing out the killing bite,

Searching for a hole in the void, the black this cold, cold night,

For she is the very soul of the wild with her teeth and claws,

An unkindness of ravens circles with its grating, "Caws."

But she welcomes the sound, her paws at the ground muffled by the din,

As she, the silent grey, has caught a familiar scent on t...

Read and leave comments (0)

Why does it feel like I failed when I tried so hard?

How can it be when I never relented?

I burned myself out 'til my senses were charred,

I sold out my soul and moved into rented.

And those most precious don't really talk with me,

Even though I tried so hard to hear them,

Maybe it's my fault 'cos I'm not what I ought to be,

And try as I might I just can't get near them.

Read and leave comments (1)

Tend to the tension in your tense and terse relationships,

Mend your tendention if you want to stand a chance,

Resist your sententious clucking, hands resting upon your hips,

Your censure is a weeping boil, so extend your Lance.

Pretend your intention is to tilt us all towards the light,

Contend every mention that your voice came from the dark,

Just Tweet little bird 'cos te...

Read and leave comments (3)

Poetic Elvis,

Always had the common touch,

Rotating pelvis,

And gyrating at the crotch,

"I tanka you very much,"

Read and leave comments (2)

"Tick Tock."

Read and leave comments (11)

I'll tell you this for nothing and you can believe it or not,

I've been around a while and I've felt life crack the whip,

And the spirits of decisions make sure they're not forgot,

And I promise you they'll haunt you until you take ownership.

Own your fears and mistakes, the heartaches, every last one,

I know the things I got right and I'm proud to own them too,

But that's t...

Read and leave comments (4)

There'll be no rest in this life,

No respite from the call,

Every breath a step to death before the final fall,

And there's no winning that game,

Ours is the endless night,

Inevitably ours, but we'll put up a good fight.

Read and leave comments (0)

I have searched for the spiritual,

Wrapped in the lyrical,

With an open heart sought the truth that sings.

I have pondered the miniscule,

And the impossible,

And also all the improbable things.

I have sought revelation,

In depravation,

In the hope that insight might hold recompense.

And the insight this brings,

Is that life is three things,

Responsib...

Read and leave comments (1)

(Well, once again I find myself awake at 3.30 a.m. you've gotta love insomnia. A good friend told me she wished I'd cheer up and to honour that wish I thought I'd try and write a response and a thank you.)

There are so many things to be grateful for,

For a start, just the chance to draw breath,

That alone is enough and we shouldn't ignore,

The fact that we daily cheat death.

Read and leave comments (0)

There are cold deep valleys between the sunlit pinnacles,

Where the rivers run and the twilight ever sleeps,

Where all fallen things rest in the chill unblessed,

And the waterfall gently weeps.

And the sheer, rough hewn walls seem impossible,

So slick that all footholds would slide from their face,

And though escape seems improbable,

It is not wise to spend too long ...

Read and leave comments (7)

It's a cruel mistress that gives you life, love and youth all ever fading,

And the only compensation is the wit to see them fade,

Wisdom enough to see the frippery degrading,

And the ever certain knowledge that you must watch it degrade.

It's the bitterest of bitter pills to sense your wisdom growing,

Knowing as it grows you must watch your body fail,

'Til all that's left ar...

Read and leave comments (4)

Tender is the night that whispers in my ear,

Gentle is the breath that is stolen from my lips,

My lungs fill with its still chill,

As the cool night strokes my fingertips,

Stars point out the sky so it's never truly black,

The crescent of a moon peaks out from the trees,

A lone fox in its wan light as it wanders down the track,

Tender is this gentle night that whispers on the ...

Read and leave comments (4)

Eternal, ever present, the Door Of Naked Souls,

No toll to pay except one, you must carry nothing through,

It is the beginning and the end of every single road,

No matter the traveller, this much is ever true.

No trinkets nor garments may cross its threshold,

You must exit as you enter, stripped to the bone,

And though you step in, to the arms of another,

The outward step...

Read and leave comments (4)

Cold, in the night as I watch the flame burn,

Colder in the daylight as the flame burns out,

Older by the day as the days take their turn,

Bolder as I age and burn away doubt.

Resolute, resigned and ready for my judgement,

Patiently consigned to wait it out,

Accepting of the fact that I'll pay for my involvement,

Faithful the divine will not leave me without.

Read and leave comments (5)

Battered and bruised on this slab of the Gods,

Cracked by the weight of their expectations,

Tempered by beatings my limbs are steel rods,

Toughened and shaped by their perturbations.

Veins run with blood that is not like my blood,

Mind, with thoughts that are not like my own,

Understanding yet misunderstood,

Wounds only hurt when they cut to the bone.

Knowing I wi...

Read and leave comments (3)

Recall, when you feel the option is "Force,"

 Whilst fists might win battles,

It takes brains to win wars.

Read and leave comments (1)

Load me up with a barrel of woes,

I'll raise a drink to fallen foes,

And another one for my friends,

And toast each one 'til the bottle ends.

And a shot for each love so hot,

'Cos it would be a sin if they were forgot,

All the times that we would spend,

Rattling the bed 'til glories end.

Slip me another shot of "Jack,"

I'll drink to em all 'til I'm on my back,

Read and leave comments (9)

(Written for a friend)

Share the words at the core of your soul,

Without fear, so all can hear,

Only this outpouring will allow you to be whole,

So speak bravely my friend, speak clear.

To hell and be damned all those that disapprove,

They don't have to carry the burden of your load,

You must speak with your heart if you're ever going to move

The hearts of your fe...

Read and leave comments (6)

Redemption, like water through your fingers,

A coil of mist beyond your grasp,

Almost within reach, but no whisp lingers,

No droplet held within your clasp.

No arbiter or judge except your endless soul,

No sign of the divine expresses,

The hole which leaves you unwhole,

Filled with the unholy that so wholly possesses.

That which can only be gifted, never taken,

Read and leave comments (6)

Walking in the fields in the land of abandoned god's,

The clay clumps at my heels and clings in wet clods,

Staring at the skies with a view to the divine,

Trying to get a feel for what's mine and not mine,

There's a sense of past tense in everything I see,

As if all of it is there but none of it's for me,

Strolling like a pilgrim to an alter I don't know,

Going somewhere, but ...

Read and leave comments (7)

Whiplashed skin heals thick as leather,

Broken bones knit more strongly together,

The healed knuckle hits so much harder,

Road worn feet can walk so much farther,

The spirit diminished, rises much stronger,

The will cast in iron goes on so much longer,

Though the forging is painful, a torture at best,

As the fire and hammers put your steel to the test,

As ore you begin, dug...

Read and leave comments (8)

Let's fall into bed and into each other,

Dive into it's water's, embrace one another,

Roll in it's tumbling, jumbling flows,

Drown in each others fumbling throws,

Fall ever deeper and deeper under,

Waves that roar in our ears like thunder,

As this tempest drags us to it's nether,

 Writhing as we're going down together,

Lost now, to the world beyond these depths,

Lost now...

Read and leave comments (2)

I stand beneath the broken banner, ragged at the fringe,

This tattered flag, this battered rag, tortured by the wind,

Though once it rallied countless roaring, warring, whoring hoards,

No longer will it summon them, or their cleaving swords.

No longer will it flap and flick and fly upon the breeze,

No longer will the sight of it bring subjects to their knees,

No longer will ...

Read and leave comments (5)

Standing at the graveside, staring into the dark slot,

I wonder if my narrative will read like a dime novel plot,

Or a moving exploration of those that, "Have and have not,"

Will I be remembered fondly or, acknowledged then forgot?

Will the mournful matter, "Shatter," those that grieve,

Or will they vaguely nod, vaguely turn and vaguely leave,

Will the thoughts i shared with...

Read and leave comments (4)

(Right, now I'm not so tired that I virtually couldn't read, I'll explain. I loved the almost sinister, repetitive nursery rhyme quality of the Inchworm song. I've always fancied trying to do something around that, which I tried this morning after a long night at work. I'm not saying that I think my efforts paid off, it's more experimental really, but listen to the original on the video, which is ...

Read and leave comments (1)

Tell me the thoughts that hide behind that, "half smile,

Beneath the ever so slight, light shadow of a frown,

It would help if you weren't in such a hurry and would tarry a while,

Quit the flurry and the worry and just sit down.

I'm concerned that you mask the truth with each task,

And that fear and doubt will leave you burned out,

I'm more than prepared for truths to be air...

Read and leave comments (5)

Life owes you precisely nothing,

The exact amount it intends to pay out,

So don't set your heart on the, "Fairytale,"

You're most likely not in with a shout.

Don't torture yourself every day,

With how "better" your life could be,

Just praise all your blessings 'cos it's quite depressing,

When you want more and more endlessly.

Give thanks for your home and your hea...

Read and leave comments (5)

(I wanted to write something descriptively accurate and brief, like an equation, just with all the joy and emotion of human interpretation sucked out of it.

I have to say, as much as it feels like, "Job done." It's so cold and heartless, I truly, truly hate it!)

Accurate cognition,

Of apposite rendition,

Gives new interpretation,

To accepted information.

Appreciable mov...

Read and leave comments (10)

It takes a long time to figure out what you're really all about,

There's no definitive guide book that takes a frank look, and explains the mysteries of life,

You just have to, "Go in blind," and kind of work it out,

And face and embrace with good grace, its pleasures and its strife.

There's no guarantee that you'll see' "Three score years and ten,"

No end date to state or indi...

Read and leave comments (7)

Keep your tongue razor sharp, in case you ever need it,

Place an embargo on your ego, so you never need to feed it,

Don't mumble that you're humble, the knowledge is enough,

Speak, don't be meek and if they don't like it, tough.

Wake up yawning every morning but don't spend the day asleep,

Prepare for some despair and when you need to, weep,

Sharpen your wit 'cos there's som...

Read and leave comments (9)

Lead me into the dappled wood,

Where spears of light hit the clay,

I'll lay in the grass as the hours pass,

And just absorb the day.

Give me the peace and the solitude,

To contemplate my way,

Let the imbued platitudes of servitude,

Quietly melt away.

Give me the grace and strength to embrace,

The knowledge that I cannot stay,

In the peaceful release of the d...

Read and leave comments (5)

Show me a "Saint," I'll show you a sinner,

Whose moral restraint keeps, "Sinner," inner,

Show me an "Angel," I'll show you the Fallen,

Whose " Inner," made, "Outer," abandon their calling.

Show me a, "King," I'll show you a, "Wretch,"

With pleading hand weakly, meekly outstretched,

Show me a "Martyr," I'll show you a "Fool,"

That was schooled by rules as a sinners tool.

Read and leave comments (8)

I have ridden the dragon of order,

For as long as I can recall, 

Or walked the path at the border,

For fear of, "Dropping the ball,"

But the serpent of chaos beckons,

With a wild irreverent feast,

And this "Old soldier" reckons,

"Might be time to release the beast."

Read and leave comments (5)

(Written after watching about 25 people walk past, glued to their smartphones and brought to a fitting crescendo when two young ladies stopped to do a, "Pouting selfie," then walk on, face glued to phone.)

Mirror mirror in my hand, who's the fairest in the land?

Who has the most shapely hips, the largest bum, plumpest lips?

For the sake of sanity, feed my hungry vanity,

Confirm to...

Read and leave comments (6)

Be kind to those you meet, 

Each is a story you haven't read,

Each a novel left un-thumbed,

Each a thriller of untold dread,

Each a trashy romantic tome,

Each a lyrical elegant play,

A Merchant of Venice, Fall of Rome,

50 varied Shades of Grey.

If you haven't got past the back cover blurb,

Made time to read each sonnet complete,

Then remember each is an unread bo...

Read and leave comments (2)

Life never promised to be fair,

Gave no hushed pledge to bless your road,

Never made any offer to share,

The heavy burden of your load.

But I can say, as your friend,

Whatever burden life does allot,

I will always be there,

For I can promise what life cannot.

Read and leave comments (4)

I cast a shadow.

A featureless wraith that holds my shape,

An empty image that fades into night,

A hollow silhouette that I can't escape,

Played out on the ground when it's felt out by the light.

But it has been with me ever since I can recall,

A reminder that darkness hides within the edge of light,

And without the "me" you see, it could not exist at all,

This lonely ...

Read and leave comments (6)

Though I've had 50 years practice,

Dyslexia still wins sometimes,

I'll miss out, "The's," and, "Me's and, "My's,"

While I focus on rhythm and rhyme.

But I know if I'm gonna crack this,

Have disciplined linguistic lines,

I'll just have to smile and toil for a while,

Re-read, edit, refine.

So if you are reading my stuff,

Probably best go with the flow,

If the ...

Read and leave comments (12)

Be my bedrock, my foundation, let me climb upon your shoulders high,

Be my guide, my inspiration,  wipe fearful tears from my eye,

And when tears are cried, give consolation, tell me it will be ok,

Guide me through the darkest nights to lead me to the brightest day,

Be the hand, I hold in my hand, be the strength stood at my side,

Be my friend, as I am your friend, be my parent, be ...

Read and leave comments (2)

A warm, quiet kitchen in a nice but unassuming council house,

No sounds but a stove warming something for breakfast, and the tick tock of a wall clock,

And a grandad, once a soldier, now a postman, quietly reading the paper,

And a knee on which a sleepy eyed little boy could sit, and listen to stories as he'd gently rock.

There were stories of postal mishaps, battles, bullets and ...

Read and leave comments (2)

Be strong, don't be silent,

They're not the same thing,

It takes true courage to honestly speak,

The silent hide,

They're thoughts inside,

For fear of appearing weak.

So be strong, don't be silent,

Bare your soul,

Bring your fears out into the light,

Let your bravery see them,

Master them, free them,

Don't fight them alone in the night.

Be strong, don'...

Read and leave comments (3)

I want to reach in and heal the pain, I see your feeling,

I don't know if I can but you're worth the time and worth the healing,

The problem is right now you speak in a tongue that can't be heard,

Of all the words to understand, the hardest one's the silent word.

It's the word that exists only in the spaces between the others,

It occupies the jaws of the pause between one word ...

Read and leave comments (3)

Incanting is enchanting with it's slanting strophic form,

Each repeat completes the beat and hits the strophic norm,

But the learning of the churning turning rhythm hid inside,

Is revealing of the feeling and the message there implied.

Read and leave comments (0)

Don't stand alone in the dark,

For whatever reason you went out there,

There's no answer that can help you, out there.

I understand why you'd want to look,

I know because I've spent time out there,

Too much time, and just found doubt there

I stayed mostly for pride,

I stayed and called the demons out there,

Angrily, I'd stand and shout there.

No demons eve...

Read and leave comments (0)

Wind whipped tails of a weeping willow,

Snip and snap on the surface so sharp,

Of my bedroom window as I rest on my pillow,

The breeze through the trees resonates like a harp.

A gale is galing, a wailing wind wailing,

Atrocious, ferocious, it breaks my rest,

And the whip and the crack of the snip and the snap,

On the window, puts it panes to the test.

But safely i...

Read and leave comments (3)

Each little bean in the coffee pot,

Has it's own unique design,

But who cares as long as the coffee's hot,

'Cos each little bean's divine.

Read and leave comments (2)

I get chills when I think of ills in this world,

The tumbling spills and the kills in this world,

The evil and torturous wills in this world,

That fill the grave 'til it overspills in this world,

There should be more friendship and frills in this world, 

Less need for the cheap gaudy thrills in this world,

More respect for the miller who mills in this world,

'Cos were all tryi...

Read and leave comments (0)

Oh Ms Donohoe you are the best,

At this game we invented that we may test,

Our ability, in the briefest of time,

To crack each other up with a well penned rhyme,

I bow to your skill, you're a humorous menace,

The queen of WOL Poetry Tennis.

Read and leave comments (3)

Wear your cracks and your scars boldly, proudly,

Proclaim and explain your hurts loudly,

Don't disguise or hide them away,

They're yesterdays kiss on the face of today.

A person is born of a father and mother,

Personality comes from somewhere other,

Put your cracks and your scars on proud display,

They're yesterdays kiss on the face of today.

Read and leave comments (4)

Your eyes blind with lies and contemptuous loathing,

You think me a sheep but I just wear his clothing,

Horses run courses, some jump, some fall,

You watch but don't see the most dark horse of all.

You should recall that each dog has its day,

And a wolf in sheep's clothing must have its way,

This wolf is dressed the most sheepish of all,

And it bares its teeth when blind shepp...

Read and leave comments (4)

Jump in my car and we'll take it as far as it goes,

We could confide and share secrets that nobody knows,

We could confess and express the distress that has worn away at our lives,

We could reflect with each gear we select, or just put our foot down and drive.

Crying's not simple, it means that you're letting it go,

Holding in's holding together all that we know,

We could mo...

Read and leave comments (2)

Flicking the chain of a silver shot pocket watch, flicking,

Slicking back hair like you don't really care but still slicking,

The tick and the tock of the clock in your pocket is ticking,

Put on your coat and step out the door, lock clicking.

Your feet hit repeat as the steel at your heel is sounding,

On the pavement below and you know it'll stop your heart pounding,

The rhy...

Read and leave comments (6)

I want to refine,

Structure and form,

Express and stress,

Not conform to the norm,

Distil by will,

What I must say,

Simplify, 

Then convey,

Extricate,

Uneeded words,

Uncomplicate,

What must be heard.

Not deviate,

From this mission,

To innovate,

 The briefest transmission.

Read and leave comments (2)

We understand the true power of words,

The difference it makes to be heard or unheard,

How an ache in your heart or weight on your soul,

Can be spoken, and broken made once again whole.

We understand that the rhythm and tone,

Mean much more than just the word on it's own,

That to construct and destruct a single idea,

The rhythm, the tone and the words must be clear.

Read and leave comments (3)

I approach you as a relative stranger,

Who professionally faces genuine danger,

This site is for me a haven of peace,

Somewhere to unwind, to express and release.

My days are all conflict, I've been sprayed with spit,

I've rolled round on floors covered in blood and shit,

I've been called names that I just won't repeat,

And each time I've had to get back on my feet.

Read and leave comments (3)

Sticks and stones, whips and lashes,

The long knives make their long slashes,

The hammer falls, the nut smashes.

Sword of discord with sword clashes,

The metaphorical car crashes,

The softly spoken's big stick bashes.

But the sting of stick and whip passes,

The cost of the cuts of the swords masses,

Making those that used the long knives, asses.

If you're ...

Read and leave comments (4)

If the goal is creating, something unique, 

To bring out the best, make something divine,

 Be wary of making an exclusive clique,

In your quest to distil, improve and refine.

A wise person knows a value is spoke,

In each sentence, each word, each letter,

So to save our quest from becoming a joke,

We'll remember we're different, not better.

Read and leave comments (0)

Oh precious little gem,

A "stone" that gleams and glows,

The daughter of my son,

And her name is Ada Rose.

As her tiny little hands,

Around my finger close,

I know our hearts belong,

To little Ada Rose.

A new era begins,

And brings another to a close,

As I hold the daughter of my son,

Little Ada Rose.

Read and leave comments (2)

(What we all do every time we open our hearts and minds and write.)

Let me weave a spell, impel,

Through the medium of chant, incant,

And directly to your heart, impart,

A seed I wish to plant, extant.

In the innermost inside, reside,

A humming of the unheard word, inferred,

An inference I must resist, desist,

Or the cost will be my word, incurred.

So to u...

Read and leave comments (0)

"My best friend," now there's a term,

A name not given lightly,

To be called that, far as I'm concerned,

You have to have stood by me.

We'd need to have some history,

Some experiences as well,

Some intrigue and some mystery,

Some, "Tales that we could tell."

We must have laughed together,

We must have shed some tears,

We must have, "Had each others back,"

Read and leave comments (5)

(Second go at "5 W H" challenge ?)

I know not WHO it was,

Nor WHAT was said to me,

Nor WHERE indeed they said it,

Nor WHEN in my memory,

Nor WHY if I rack my brain, it just won't, "Imbed,"

So HOW could you expect that I'd remember what they said?

Read and leave comments (0)

Who are you?

What do you do?

Where have you travelled?

When did you unravel?

Why didn't you say?

How you'd gone astray?

Read and leave comments (2)