Give thanks for every step you take

that you can make it,

thanks for each thought

that you can think it.

Bless each moment's constant rebirth

then give thanks for the bounty of mother earth.

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All those long hours

days, weeks caged into jobs with no prospects.

Odd one out

lost to the streets he walked

in snatched lunch hours

with a cheap camera, curious

capturing moments on little glassy eyed

strips of film snaking glistening

unwinding from the tank

hung out to dry, teardrops of history

in the making,

a hobby and more besides,

a way of life. 

...

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I talk to my anger as I would to a wild dog

or pray to it as to a wild God

either way it's the same

hard to give it a name

but you pick at the knot

anti-spray it with reason

suffer the more

and choke it off

until the feeling subsides

while others pat you on the head

as if to say "ok, there's nothing you can do,"

and would I want to?

there is no finishing li...

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The man in the mattress stood himself up

and became an incredible sight,

a rare example of fly tipping,

he mainly came out at night.

In spite of his strange appearance,

he seldom gave cause for concern,

for his simple belief in the life that he led

was a lesson in nothing to learn.

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You touched my hand,

I was a stranger in paradise

stranger than fiction.

Come to think of it,

I don't dwell on them too often,

such moments of benediction.

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But once a year

out of obscurity glory flares

in decisive moments every year

far from where bullets tore at the fabric

flags are hoisted high

to a grave whisper of tattered dreams.

No questions asked of why,

better to do and die.

Then the fabric is once more re-stitched

at small shrines again

tributes dusted down, candles lit

trying to make some sense of it,

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Being a musician and therefore unworthy

they put you down the front of the ship

in a virtual windowless cell,

prey to every plunging and ascending swell

as if the passengers might dance on your grave

but the view to the horizon is a great leveller

and the big apple awaits

for its Leonardos and Kates,

I guess,

ah yes!  I remember it well.

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I hold the world in my hands

to make what I may of it.

They open and close,

grasping with the frenzy of fish

what they can find

and so it must be

from three to ninety three

until, by some outside design

they cease to be of my world

cease to be part of me.

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On Hallowe'en I saw a sight

two mothers with daughters of the night

in supermarket skeleton clothes

all breathless with excitement there

and in my headlights as I passed

they gave their elemental game away

no element of surprise you see

A conformity of plan no doubt

to wake the dead not yet entombed

and offer them some ghastly deal

invigorated by the seventh seal

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She would have waited

though some didn't,

on a street corner

she would have been there

waiting in a rooftop restaurant,

or by a tall oak streaked with light,

on a station concourse

I would have found her

I tell myself,

I tell myself she may be waiting still. 

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A train terminating in Troon

brings Harry and Megan to town,

the Lord Lieutenant will carry the pennant

there'll be swapping of keys and a spoon. 

Harry will wear his kilt

Megan dressed up to the hilt,

Mrs Fitzpartick will open her cafe

tastefully rebuilt. 

Penelope Keith will be there,

with wonderful teeth and hair,

Megan Markle will be sure to sparkle,

...

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Jacko Wiseman died in the garden

he'd be the first to own up

never take on something you can't finish,

that took him by surprise.

Apart from that he was a capable man,

more than ready with his fists

and anything that came to hand.

He knew the Krays and the Richardsons too

did bits of business, never went inside,

would always buy you a drink in the Albion,

forever...

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What rhymes with bucket

is my thought for the day,

no prizes i'm afraid

but don't go away,

There may be other challenges

who can say.

Until then,

fuck it, i've said it anyway.

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I hadn't noticed the circus in town

all those immigrant species,

flora and fauna on days of rain

until the sun shone again,

and saw then that the ox carts had arrived

the pony traps,

waggons with all their paraphernalia,

chain gangs of spider's webs

all those colours that welcome light

showing off in wild abandon were there,

the dependencies of bees on flowers,

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A piece of land if cleared

will provide a suitable setting:

a pig's or sheep's bladder leather bound

secured with stitches

can be fashioned into a facsmilie of the globe

made to fly above the ground

or propelled along it

by the agency of human intervention

that will be the intention.

There will soon arise a system of attack

and defence whereby the bladder

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"Masochistic lonely widow

seeks rip off merchant

for sex and violation.

Anything goes, leading to

deprivation of funds.

Has previous experience of con men

unlimited private income,

can spot a liar a mile away.

Enjoys the charade of brief courtships

the sharing of company.

I always carry a weapon. "

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They come home

pleading with wild eyes;

and every time you lose them

you miss them even more,

with each haunting welcome them back

as though they would always be there

reliving your despair.

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Up, up the raven flies

from the Tower's scaly height,

and in its coal black downward view

the Thames is shrouded

as low slung day

turns to charcoal night.

This he sees:

Sailing ships are scuttling

encrusting the sun's last rays

the spines of wharves close - pressed

for all the world's commercial gaze.

Matelot and lashkar dark and fair

come to Chinatown...

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In Maryland, in Maryland

Freddie Foreman had a pub

had a pub in Maryland.

In that pub

plans were laid.

Frank Mitchell dumped into the channel

not under concrete as some suspected,

No evidence was ever found.

The story finally ran to ground

courtesy of Freddie himself,

double jeopardy let him off

although he'd already done some time.

Confession the...

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I read my poem in retrospect

my response to his comment

a show of respect

for his trouble taken,

the sharp eye for detail

well thought out

intelligent

balanced

his comment taken down.

And then I realized my friend was gone

no trace remaining

of his welcome song,

the stuff of his life

his wit and wisdom

removed as if it had never been,

the space era...

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It's good not to understand things

wise to have some doubt,

frustrating though it may be

to those who've worked things out.

For them the game is over

ahead and yet behind

while you in golden searching

have so much left to find.

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Flags

uniforms

alliances

defiances

causes of conflict

frustrations thereof

hopes for world peace

always out of reach

just autumn leaves

that served their purpose once

like silver tongues

sacrifices to the Gods.

Rallies

blind alleys

slave galleys pulling together

for the cause no-one can foresee

in the crows nest of my life

it all seems much of a m...

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When the aliens come

we'll teach them about love

not destruction

co habitation

instead of ethnic cleansing

how to co-exist.

They can help us save the planet

having reached us from the great beyond.

We can show them our brave new towns

shopping malls

how to be obese

obsequious to VIPs

feel at ease in social circles

how gravity really helps.

T...

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Here where the light shows itself off

a canal turns its back on the buildings

sniffs and moves on,

draws itself into dead ends

doubles back to check bridges

its reflection, its meanderings,

spreads out to tease banks

garlanded, with tresses that tumble,

is pleased with its imperceptible flow

lays on its back in pools of sun

blends into night as dark dreams begin.

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I apply a light to the bowl of my pipe

draw flame through the tobacco;

its secrets of pleasure are soon revealed

chasing the air in a pact.

We smoke together,

nothing can come between us

except time, never lasting forever.

On lonely days

I take to manicuring the briar

buffing it like an apple ripe

filling her bowl with new delight

then, once again I complete t...

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They loved to do the Palais glide

now it seems they've let things slide,

both recline with swollen ankles,

the slightest conversation wrankles.

Medals line their mantelpiece

a programme cover displaying Grease,

there's still a space where costumes hang

they wore to sing doo lang a lang.

Their style and flair caused much kerfuffle,

now they can barely do the shu...

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Eva and Stanley are on sun loungers

    Derek and his mongrel have had a bad night in Wigan

Eva and Stanley have a 3000 dollar a night cabin

    the weather wasn't kind to Derek and his sleeping bag is soaked through

Eva and Stanley are sailing from Gibraltar on the Queen of the Seas

    Derek tries to find a hostel to dry off; he is hungry and has a nasty cough.

Eva and Stanley ...

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i don't drink much

now ain't that sad,

I see the world the way I see it

and know it well

ah well - so be it.

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Wheeler dealers - all the same

deception a lifelong tragic game,

your hopes and dreams go in their pot

they'll fleece you rotten

take whatever you've got.

No Christian ethics to stay their hand

they already own the promised land.

I got to know one only once

a ready fellow who staked his claim.

A chirpy wit

full of shit

he taught me much

with his Midas touch

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What choice would you make:

A life sentence

or a death sentence.

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THE PLANETS KNOW THEIR PLACE

WE DON'T

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My tather walks with suitable aplomb

into the premises of G A Dunn

to select a tweed of autumn hue

for winter journeys to Waterloo.

Although this takes place on the other side

he still maintains a sense of pride

returning to shops he favoured when

I was around the age of ten.

As I awake the image fades,

outside I see the autumn shades,

will dress myself to f...

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Me and Johnny Gold went to Julie's place to find Frankie.

He never knew we was coming.  We just wanted verbals

to see what his story was about the job at the jewellers

in Barnet, like why he was brought in behind our backs?

He was always a bit handy with shooters so we got tooled

up just in case.  Needn't have bothered - when we got there

he'd scarpered. Julie said she hadn't see...

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Times were rough for the Punch and Judy Man

this year harder by far

until with the arthritis kicking in

Samuel hit rock bottom.

With health and safety measures newly imposed

looming large

his enthusiasm for the seaside art

like the tide ebbed away.

On that fateful day

while Mr Punch, Judy, the Policeman

and The Dog were silent and stiff

Samuel drew a blade acr...

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I speak of Julia the Peculiar

whose female subjects could not

have been unrulier.

Their grievances and demands

were more than met

with macho men under permanent threat.

The tables were turned on the male elite

who were under the thumb

and under Julia if the fancy took her

but commonly spat upon,

jeered at in the street.

Parlament was held uner party whip

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As keeper of the garden

I notice things

interventions,

Today it is a skirmish on the lawn.

A cluster of bluebottles

at the smothered grey slick of a mouse

I wonder where they all come from

for nature to call them so promptly

attentive at the worm of entrails.

I don't see the cat often,

he left a turd as marker,

a barnstorm of a smell,

with more bl...

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Nose to tail grazing

 cars sniff each other

like dogs on heat,

their owners restless, confined

waiting for the next excuse me roundabout

disorderly speeding entry and exit;

farting exhausts add to the ambience

of furious delay,

all sorts of imagined incursions

of assumed priorities,

valued expected space.

These are the beasts of burden

with their armch...

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I wanna be one of the noisy boys

I wanna be one of the boys,

striding about with power tools

showing off my toys.

I wanna get kitted with engines fitted

that smell and cut and chop,

things with extensions of massive dimensions

the biggest in the shop.

I'll cut my way through night and day

creating havoc wherever I go,

be a very noisy neighbour

reaping tro...

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Sometimes it's the simple truths

that are hard to look in the eye

so used we are to fabrication

and the obligations of disguise,

Just for today try to be honest,

let the raw dogs out of your house

to scramble to their heart's content

while you let them go and search for offal

not your concern.

They might have their place

but yours should be seasoned

with ...

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I could see a face beneath the ice

deprived of air to breathe

without a voice,

trapped inside a frosted world

that gave no heed, no blessed welcome

save the Universal One

the Holy Ghost lingering there

a shadow in the deepest deep

all secrets alone forever to keep.

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RE ARRANGE THESE WORDS

INTO A WELL KNOWN

PHRASE OR SAYING

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Little more than urchins

we were discoverers along dusty terrain

scuffing about with dilapidated bikes

atop old dump hills and down

to jar our bones and test our nerve

cross legged playing with fag cards

using provided handkerchiefs to tie marbles

gorging on the remains of old sweets

ready to burst, so keen we were,

with the ghosts of industry our backdrop,

skele...

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Your shoelace is undone, she said

which threw me quite off balance,

for such considerations run

outside my sphere of talents.

Such observations that ladies tell

will bring us down to earth

from higher realms wherein we dwell,

challenging our worth.

A shoe is just a metaphor

when in that state the ladies find us,

to rescue us from siren's muse

and use thei...

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I could say nothing

and still the thoughts would come,

some questioning in disbelief

like marauding cats, persistent

upon the hauntings of old bones and scraps,

some creative, toying with mayhem

of my own making, and for what?

Still the pictures would come

from the other side of older deaths

that stick to walls

held by winds that blow

from God knows where -

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We long to be free

my piano and me.

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I'm waiting

just waiting

for urination

The time is right

the urge is right

but the train is as it were

held up outside the station.

Young men either side of me

continue on their merry way

while this old fella

waits for the off

managing just a nervous cough.

imagining trees and cows

porcelain extrusions

fostering old youthful illusi...

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Light is dripping from the trees,

the nectar of July under a silver sky

collected by the air

is the breath that I take.

Could this be the season of fear that's talked of,

just a poison cup offered

by the mind so twisted

as to pervert all joy?

If so I am misled by what I see

and feel on this so special of days

when nature hangs full of promise

for the taki...

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Snapped shut on the poacher's leg

the iron cage in its hide of bracken bites

with a dark declaration of blood

through a tangle of fustian,

matted hair jerked back with a brief cry,

a dead rabbit thrown clear by the shock.

He was spotted under an early sky

first by the beagle then the farmer.

Taken all but dead

back to the tack room on the estate

to survive with a...

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When static ruled the airwaves,

Britain never being slaves,

morse code across the bows of uncertain ships

took to the skies, while

receivers were tuned to the shipping forecast

just as I twiddled on my crystal set

in a bakelite bedroom

before the dark doom of oceanic night

and heard that calm voice proclaim:

"Faroes, North Utsire,

north west four or five increa...

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