New Beginnings

The very roots of my inner being tingle with anticipation

as we make our preparations for the New Year celebration

I possess a renewed sense of profound optimism

as I discard the forlorn cares of past pessimism

My mind is overwhelmed with new and inspired ideas

which look forward to new and fertile fields

I shall cast away the clouds of despair and depressi...

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A Glimmer of Hope

Yesterday I trampled autumn underfoot

those dry brown and red leaves

some crisp others damp and flattened by a drizzzle

The trees now stand disarmed, naked and 

vulnerable before icy winds

A grey blanket has been cast over 

a dormant landscape

Life has withdrawn its clamour from nature's fray

A stillness of inaudible quietude

has enfolded the la...

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Poets

Poets are drunks, the loquacious and disillussioned 

Those whose energy is breathing its last gasp

We think before we say, as memories lay dormant

We have loved, cheated and manipulated

no strangers to this corrupt world

Poets ponder and meditate but fail in any conclusions

But through the joy of life they speak clear cut truth

Listen to our poets as they speak f...

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A Peculiar Inheritance

There is a strain which runs through

every family

Passed on by a mysterious grace from one

generation to another

It does not consider gender or prediliction

but becomes self evident

Often not readily discernible but apparent

to those who can perceive

A trait of intellect that sets some apart 

from their bretheren

It is bequeathed by a na...

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A Decent Folk

We must not allow ourselves to be corrupted by the 

age we live in

Nor to be the victims of fear and the words

of endless discouragement

We are a decent and compassionate people

often misled

But we remain who we are, a people who recognise

what is good and right

A people prepared to defend freedom and justice

against tyranny and oppression

An isl...

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The Soul

The soul is the power house of our very being

it is the essential kernel of our true identity

It is who we are and who we could be

a unique creation placed in us to bear

It is invisible and often incomprehensible

from it emanates our character and personality

It is a permanent feature, a transplant

of an origin mysterious and unseen

The soul guide...

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A Tangle of Tinsel

Christmas is here

be of good cheer

A tangle of tinsel

and a boys silver whistle

A Christmas Tree

for all to see

Christmas Carols

and chocolate barrels

Party games

and paper chains

Golden balls

and sausage rolls

Balloons to burst

a beer for a thirst

Tangerines, nuts and dates

altogether on silver plates

Party hats 

and ta...

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There is still hope

In this wild west gold rush of the present age

Hidden within the folds of duplicity is a jungle of accomplished liars

Where governments are corrupt and the rich by stealth cheat the poor

I came acorss a cameo of hope, it was a blessed moment

From thoughts shrouded in darkness I was invited into a glimmer of hope

A dozen young men sat in the front pew of a...

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The Conundrum of Life

I want to know why I am here and what for

to discover what drives and motivates me each day

Why hope is forever present even in darkness

and love consumes my very being with such desire

We live a shiftless and seemingly hopeless life

only to repeat past mistakes and behave foolishly

Why was I born into this conundrum of being

of which I can f...

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Encirclement

No visible or discernible change

of an old familiar landscape

Shapes and scenes the same

spires, stiles and hedgerows

Winding rivers with swans and ducks

bridges over which to peer 

On rusted tracks once filled

with steam and whistles

New sounds bring new echoes

reverberating engines

Aeroplanes, fly high and low

calls are unfamiliar and invasiv...

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An Illusion

When will they stop bleeding us dry

Assaulting the walls of our very being

Laying us out to dry in rain sodden earth

Squeezing our hand with an eye on our pocket

I search for light, a glimmer of a reward

Only to dwell in an abyss of inner turmoil

Fantasies of past joys visit my mind

These memories I invite into my slumber

Weary of endless days of entrenc...

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World AIDS Day

The Gay Plague soon came our way

justly so the prejudiced would say

A punishment from God on the perverted few

as a friend said to me......especially for you

Gay and plague soon became synonymous

they brought it upon themselves said those 

who were not one of us

What can you expect from a bunch of deviants

who live and fornicate like dirty rodent...

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In my element

I cocoon myself in a creative cave

where I luxuriate and fondly bathe

It is my demi paradise and retreat

where I take my fill of drink and meat

Books and more books precariously stored

surround the wall to prevent me from being bored

Pens, paper and ink with many a blot

is my sofa my warm cradling cot

One lamp is all the light I need

as I ...

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The Indian Ocean

It seemed like a huge variance between a pallid blue into a grand azure

with a lean slither of sunbaked saffron sand

shimmering and slicing its way along an indeterminable edge

Pristine beauty barely defiled by human interruption

the sun hovered aloft in an aura of majesty above its pleasure

The air was fresh and a balmy breeze caressed one's flesh

Did on...

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The Village Hall

In a remote corner of England's pleasant land

a village lay hidden off the beaten track

Down a country lane a church spire could be seen

a church at the heart of an English village

This is the land our ancestors cultivated and defended

here the people, good and hard working folk

Their homes radiate away from the church

modest dwellings lovingly cared f...

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A Blinding Flash

I want to die in a blinding flash

catapulted into the blue yonder

Where many have already gone and wander

I do not want to linger here in pain

as I have already had too much of the same

I have had enough of this hopeless confusion

and firmly believe it is all a mere illusion

Take me here and now for I am ready to depart

this cry comes from a yearnin...

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A Ghostly Forest

Saplings now grow where men once stood

in trenches on duck boards of wood and blood

Beneath the uneven surface of moss and grass

lie shells of high explosives and deadly gas

The silence is eerie, past events are still palpable

where men clad in uniforms did once stumble

Driven in a frenzy of fear they fought their way

because there seemed to be no...

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The Eve of Winter

A bleary sun hovers above the horizon

to illuminate a forest bereft of any foliage

I shade my eyes from a sun that stings

as it makes its final departure of the year

The land is tired and has fallen asleep

it is dormant in anticipation of Spring's resurrection

The birds have flown south to warmer climes

leaving a landscape abandoned and forlorn

The...

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What Remains

Cigarettes, navy rum and some smoked a pipe

young ready and eager for the coming fight

Volunteered for their country only to find a grave

yet in their heroism they did their nation save

Now long forgotten they lie six feet below

their sacrifice freely given and this we know

How our hearts break and tears run dry

as we look heaven ward and ask why

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Into the Stars

The soul soars high above the firmament

leaving in its wake a frail bodily sediment

In time and space it is caught in a swirling haze of golden dust

Or perhaps destined for the dust of ashes if justice is a must

Here and there the soul is cast

with no destination that will last

A never ending journey in a trail of bliss

with all the blessings of a c...

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Toothpaste

I noticed on closer inspection

that it had been squeezed at the neck

I have told him several times

to start at the bottom and press it upwards

I talk to myself, ignored at best

My intensity has no impact

as every morning it is the same

I press from the bottom

and he from the top

Two diametrically opposed forces

why do I bother?

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November's Soul

It is no coincidence that November is a month of solemnity

as we remember those lost in enmity

As trees shed their leaves and morning mists envelop the land

do we hear the distant drums of a military band

As the nights draw in our thoughts grow dim

when requiems are sung to a sombre hymn

Those long since gone from sight seem to come to life

as memo...

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A Strange Farewell

As life draws to its weary close

that final horizon begins to unfold

It is as if I am elated and elevated

as I glance back with no scales on my eyes

or clouded vision but sheer clarity

My part in life's theatre has now taken shape

but no sense can be gleaned from this earthly tenure

With experience wisdom has been born

in a soul which is about to ...

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Headlong

The whistle blew a sound we all knew

it signalled the call for me and you

We scarmbled up and over laden with ammo and rifles

with fearful courage we did not trifle

Headlong we charged into the waiting gloom

there seemed to be very little space or room

We formed a jagged line of humanity

gay and straight, black and white, who gave a shite

in this one great ...

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Those Early Hours

When the depths of slumber draw us down

into a darkened well of another realm

We wander along unmarked passages

assailed by ghostly images which frighten our souls

Behind this veil we are temporarily trapped

subjected to fantasies, enticed into chaos

Seduced into salacious desires 

which burn deep into our longing loins

Fragments, images of others ...

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A Distant Field

It lies like a furrow in a distant field

an anniversary of events long since passed.

The wind blows over this foreign landscape

rustling the autumn leaves about a myriad of graves.

Valleys and hillsides stand in uniformity

with regimented lines of white headstones.

To step across this furrow or to by pass it

this our conscience will never permit.

For...

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November

A month of shadowy figures and forgotten memories

All Souls Day we recall past family and friends

Those who we loved and influenced our lives

Remembrance Sunday we lament insufferable loss

The nights have already out manouvered the days

Windy wet weather sends us scurrying to the hearth of home

As cloud laden skies fly passed with menacing ease

 a twig raps ag...

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Come Down from the Hill

Come down from the hill and speak to us

you will find us in a queue waiting for a bus

We see you from afar with money to spend

when we don't even have enough to lend

We voted you into power to speak for us

but the whole process seems quite useless

Once in power you enjoy expenses and wealth

often this is obtained through corruption and stealth

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Cut it all away

I lacked the strength due to my years

but I was possessed of a fury unleashed

With what sharp instrument should I use

as the task ahead was great indeed

I took hold of a kukri and strapped it to my belt

then a wieldy sickle firmly gripped in my hand

I had been misled, cheated and used through life

with clarity of heart and purpose I strode forward

I ...

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Removal

It was the last night with everything packed

most of the furniture had gone and the rest was stacked

Only the solitary piano remained in the room

and little else could be seen in the evening gloom

Nostalgia touched the strings of a reluctant heart

as our days of making love did here with passion start

Memories flooded from wiley crevices and corners

with a...

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Moments only.....

I write this to you in a great hurry

they are on their way to get me

I am trembling with fear, unable to think

I want to cry but the tears wont come

The evidence against us is destroyed

From that we are free I suppose

My mind reels in a whirl of chaos

I want to run away with you

Please, if only you could hold me now

Be so careful as you are know...

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Silent Witness

I am a silent witness which cannot speak

I am a silent witness which cannot see

for words and sights are not mine to own

But I have senses unknown to you

I feel, perceive, remember and bear many scars

I am inanimate but clearly visible

I stand above other structures in the city

I am concious of time and its consequences

I was new once but now old and ...

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Vast Horizons

We climb snow capped mountains of glistening pristine love

meander along country lanes dripping with the lethargy of hanging boughs

We gaze serenely at lakes of shimmering indolent beauty

to see the every growing ripples of an entangled world

Skies that sail by with clouds of wool and doves aloft in flight

to the interminable profundity of azure in life's upwar...

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Shifting Sands

The Shifting Sands of a Christian Faith

Denominations cut adrift from the source of truth

People now create their own God giving themselves authority

Christ prayed that we should all be one

But now we are many and dispersed

The keys to the Kingdom were handed to Peter

The keys to the Kingdom of Heaven

Now we have a key ring with many keys

but only one...

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Look but do not Touch

To seek for love, to touch, to hold, to cherish

natural feelings to express who we are and feel

But in a guilt ridden and fearful society

sex simmers beneath the surface to pollute

what is naturally a wonderful instinct

Eye contact, a glance of admiration or desire

is immediately misconstrued

A hug is seen as a prelude to something

dirty and si...

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A Fountain of Eternal Hope

Compassion emerges from the ashes of hatred

The ruins of destruction provide stones to rebuild

From the graves of those who have died flowers grow

Out of war the seeds of peace sprout forth

Nothing really dies or is lost, only absent for a while

Discord, animosity and violence sow reconciliation

The innocent perish to flourish again as the star ...

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The Library of Silence

I lived in a silent library full of no books

it was a hollow echo chamber of nothingness

The shelves were bare and covered with dust

few visitors bothered to enter as there was no reason

Learning was basic as it depended on spoken words

only one's memory was able to retain and store

Conversation and dialogue were certainly not encouraged

oft...

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An Autumnal Stepping Stone

The leaves have already fallen

crisp and curled they lay beneath their summer home

Acorns ready to be harvested by the famished squirrel

cover the branches of the sturdy oak

The gardens give forth their ultimate bloom

a red rose lingers as a farewell to summer's fading sun

The lawns sing their lament as the mower

sweeps once more over their v...

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Overwhelmed

As chubby pink flesh yields to dry wrinkled skin

I peer back through the mystical swirling mists of lost time

Intoxicated I reel at the wonder and incredulity of it all

Joy causes my heart to ache for forgotten moments

Where passion heightened my senses to a searing flame

Then I wiped away my tears of regret and abandonment

I see faces as cameos emerge from th...

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An Open Prison

There are no bars or barriers of confinement

no striped uniform or alarms which sound an escape

There is not even a building to enclose its prisoners

no chapel or exercise yard to be present to oneself and others

The Open Prison can be for a life time sentence

for the place of incarceration is in the mind

Deep inside the cerebral cavity the prisoner dw...

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Come and See

Then there was a faint light

A glimmer of hope in a vault of cloud

No brightness was emitted

Not even shadows could be formed

It seemed to remain still, unmovable

I pondered on its presence

Did it signify new hope or a beginning?

It would not go away

My attention was transfixed

A gradual movement dispersed the remaining darkness

I saw the sun in i...

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I never cried

I persevered often in the darkest rooms of despair

Alone I drew upon an unknown resilience of strength

Determined to overcome and survive against all odds

Yet the abyss crept into view as a temptress of seduction

I sat without emotion on the edge of emptiness

In a sea of misery I fell forward into the chasm

Which waited like an open grave to engulf me

Con...

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The Good Old Days

Those were the good old days

but were they really halcyon days

Perhaps our memories are distorted

as my parents faces became contorted

The good old days had their problems too

not unlike those suffered by me and you

They were not spent in sunny meadows

but in the darkness of wartime shadows

Those were the good old days

but people exper...

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A Smile

Sometimes I catch myself smiling

it reflects an innocent joy of heart

I brim with a wonder and gladness

at these passing moments, each a blessing

The smile comes from my inner self

prompted by some thought or feeling

Often it is in response to the joy of others

a shared sense of wholesome goodness

God can be seen in these actions

and in the word...

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It lay open

The portal had no barrier

no key, no lock, no door

Inside was partly obscured

against the light outside

I moved forward but

not with trepidation

Rather a silent invitation spoke

with encouragement

There was an absence of fear

as I crossed the threshold

Into a dark warmth

a womb of familiar welcome

Inside passages formed a web

around an inn...

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The Cowl

For centuries their head was covered by the cowl

as the brothers heard the cry of a distant owl

Compline's last verse prayed in whispers

by those who wore sandals and slippers

The dawn brought light and the bell of Lauds

as the devout put on their habit and tied cords

To chapel and psalm in gregorian continuity

they began the day in true fraternal community

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Life is not here

I had searched for justice

But it was nowhere to be found

Reason had escaped me completely

So I went after trust but it came to nought

My wanderings were futile

As also seemed my very existence

Perfection and order lay crumpled

In the ruins of desolation and destruction

Yet I could see beauty everyday

In an abundance all about me

Landscapes cr...

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A Battle Fought

Sadness lies in its beauty

a splendour lost to tears of despair

Abused and disfigured of no recognition

by its custodians

Groups of vandals and thugs tarnish

our land with vile smears

Their desire to wage wars 

long since already fought

to acquire wealth at all costs

Sea beds littered with the 

skeletons of sunken warships

Oil thick black sl...

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Utterances of Wisdom

It can arrive unexpected

unannounced , around the corner

of daily life

Words often spoken softly by another

or a sign open to interpretation

Or in a darkened room in

the depths of slumber

A voice quietly spoken

with no apparent identity

of its own

But distinctive and with words of

brevity and relevance

The soul and senses need to

...

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