A Walk in the Sunshine
Leafy green Elm trees line the path,
As we meander through the streets,
Past the unending line of parked cars,
And the coveted yellow Triumph,
To the coffee in the crowded café.
Going head to head with a city bound CAT,
We taunt the slow but steady bus,
The Moses like power of the crossing,
Holding back the flow of traffic,
As we migrate safely to our place in the sun.
Basking like seals on the shoreline,
The sun is warm and embracing,
“Number 70” enquires the waitress,
The conversation is like a melody,
And the coffee harmonizes.
All too soon completed,
We float back on the afternoon tide,
All the while thinking of reasons not to return,
There is nothing better on a Winter Tuesday,
Than a walk in the sunshine.
Blood and Tears For Breakfast
early morning
sneaking home like a teenager
missed my curfew by half the night
feeling guilty from intent more than action
a rooster crows in the distance…
cold, damp, door latch
forcing my hand not to recoil
pushed it open
making my way to the bathroom
time to wash away the sins of the night
"Click"
the room illuminated
"Click"
the penny dropped
too late
her form, beautiful, but contorted
too pale, too cold, too still
the life had drained out of her
her love was just blood on the bathroom floor
partners for life
strangers in the end
my part in this scene was passive
I had ignored her until she didn't exist
the rooster crowed again...
Cappuccino
She stares down at her morning coffee,
Hiding her eyes from my view,
But not all is concealed as the sun sillouhettes her form,
Against the smoky glass of the Café window.
the steam rises from the cup,
And lightly brushes her face before disappearing,
As if afraid to linger in her presence,
Having chanced itself upon her skin.
Hair pulled back tightly from her face,
Subtle make-up highlights soft features,
They need no beacons to draw my attention,
Her beauty is natural, not designer made.
Anticipating the challenges of the day ahead,
She finishes her coffee and gathers herself to leave,
Our eyes meet as she walks by,
Nothing to her, but everything to me.
She exits my life...I think I'll have another cappuccino.
Monsters
In memories past his Monsters lurk,
Hidden from view and smothered in silence,
Until the quite times and a confident routine,
Lower his guard against the shadows.
It's then that the demons appear,
Tearing skin from flesh and flesh from bone,
Powerless and suffocating just as before,
He succumbs to the torment within his mind.
A trust given, based on purest faith,
Broken in a violent affront to innocence,
The carers' offence goes undetected,
A cruel assault goes unavenged.
Twenty-four years haven't dulled the pain,
Or dimmed the memory of this vile perversion,
Nor has the abuse of drugs, drink or women,
Is death the only release from this prison ?
Contemplation completed and his course resolved,
He embarks on an absolute journey,
But chance rescues him from the Piper's call,
And delivers him to a salvation that was always there.
Curled up and crying in his father's arms,
He reveals his Monsters,
The burden now shared is lighter,
though the scars from this fierce fire will never heal.
Ode to Jack
This Beat icon, Man,
This Cymbal of a generation, Man
This Man,
Misunderstood, Misdirected, Mistaken,
Man,
This Man,
More like a clap between The Beat,
A rhythm in spite of life, not of life, Man,
He was a Beat icon,
Man
Suicide Note
never imagined it would happen
too much time spent staring at the stars
left me blinded
didn’t see you leaving ‘till you’d gone
the ground has disappeared
stepped on too many cracks
now it’s crumbled
nothing left to hold me up
falling way too fast
reaching out for something to hold on to
who will catch me
don’t let me hit the bottom
curled up on the floor
clutching colored pictures of our love
small moments
the exclamation marks of life
looking for a sanctuary
work, home, hospital or prison
running away
only death’s cold walls will hide me
did you imagine this would happen
when you left me standing in the doorway
now it’s over
I’ve got nowhere else to go
pills and water in a glass
razor sings its unhappy song
the noose tightens
a note sits quietly on the mantle
Goodnight my love…
good bye
