Saturday 28 May 2016

The odd couple


I give her a hug
More loving than apostle like
We have long been friends

She is a blessing
She cares for me and I her
We are both broken

It is a friendship 
Of such a value for which
There is no high price

An unwritten pact
Tell no lies no porky pies
Life is hard enough

Joined in our sadness
Our lives needs some fresh gloss paint
Busy as buzzing bees

Don't push each other
There's plenty do that already
We have just got us

So we'll just hold hands
And are much stronger that way
I give her a hug


Image found at www.shutterstock.com

A ship sails in sight


Oh that I would drownèd be
Wrecked on lonely shore is me
Dressed in rags no sustenance
Such terrible happenstance
Not one soul to accompany me

Shelter shelter I must find
Lest I fail in this cruel wind
Cursing captain and the crew
That met this storm for they knew
The sea is not always kind

Palm fronds shall my shelter be
Coconut to comfort me
Blow wind blow go blow away
Let me see a sunlit day
Now saved I am from the sea

What speech this, not heard before
As I awake upon the shore
Oh no! The natives of this place
Will surely show death's cruel face
Not give me some succour

They jabber and laugh with glee
Then they pull me to my feet
I see some now fishing by
The tide is now at its high
Children run to look at me

They poke their hands in my skin
And scamper off all laughing
The women now come to stare
I gulp seeing breasts all bare
They chatter and all do grin

Before long I'm one of them
Accepted they do not condemn
My clumsy tongue and strange ways
One girl sets my heart ablaze
I love her she is a gem

One day a ship sails in sight
Now I'm fearful of my plight
Should I sail with them again?
No this is my home, no pain
I'll not leave my future's bright

As always my mind takes me on adventurous journeys and the prompt word "Despair'" although not used is implied in the first four verses and the last of course! It is best to read this with an 18th century English accent! Verses rhyme 1,1,2,2,1. 

Image 1 found at www.gettyimages.com

Friday 27 May 2016

Cold winter creeps in


Cold winter creeps in
Discontent settles abroad
Old Tawny owl hoots

It's a chill morning
Mists rise reluctantly now
The vines are withered

Icy tassels cling
Like frozen worms waiting there
To trap passers by

Splashed mud plasters all
To repair some unseen cracks
Of some mad tradesman

Wildlife has now fled
To their diverse safe havens
Birds to warmer climes

Animals sleeping
Dreaming of a glorious spring
Or such lucid thoughts

And me, you now ask
Just how then do I survive?
My love keeps me warm

Image found at www.pinterest.com

To be a child again


Oh to be a child again
And run dancing in the rain
Laughing screaming in the wet
How we adults do forget

And those days of summers bliss
Of stealing that first sweet kiss
Was it Pam or was it Sue
I changed that day and so did you

Now you looked with such strange eyes
Spoke in whispers and with sighs
Yes we played much as before
That little girl from right next door

You grew away which made me sad
Though I was a little lad
I could see not all was fine
For you wished your first kiss was mine

Now you're married so am I
Secretly for you I cry
Seasons come and they go
I dream of you I really do

Oh to be a child again
And run dancing in the rain
Laughing screaming in the wet
For of those times I'll not forget

Image found at www.tudatosvasarlo.hu


Wednesday 25 May 2016

Draw the curtains


"Draw the curtains would you?" she asked in a soft seductive voice.

The evening was drawing in so he complied without a murmur unaware of what she had in mind.

That's not true of course he was hoping she would be amorous tonight as he knew she had been away these last few weeks on some family matter interstate.

She rarely came to his place so when he felt her soft hands on his shoulders from behind him he murmured happily "Ah this is the life isn't it?"

"No, this is the death, you cheat, don't you think my friends haven't been keeping me informed of your little escapade while I was away?"

The impact of the knife thrust in the back of his neck was instantaneous and she was glad she had earlier left him a text message on his phone saying "Sorry am running late will see you tomorrow".

Image found at www.shutterstock.com


A wonder to behold



What a change had occurred
this former wallflower
had bloomed like an orchid
shy withdrawn with no flair
had changed overnight to
be happy-go-lucky
joyous and outgoing
a wonder to behold

Once she was ignorant
now she was colorful
her eyes sparkled with joy
while others looked envious
no wonder they all stared
it was the diamond ring
on her finger of course
she shone with happiness

Image found at www.affordableengagement.com



Life's no picnic


Life is no picnic
So wise men have said to me
There's no sense in that

As I remember
Picnic's meal "al fresco"
Best eaten at home

Ants and wasps love them
As storm clouds gather to play
Nature takes up arms

Children are screaming
Our chosen spot is crowded
Not now idyllic

Strange dog adopts us
Our food is better that theirs
But then cocks his leg

My drink's knocked over
People think I wet myself
There's no place to hide

Rain now patters down
We rush to evacuate
In mass migration

Get back to my place
Please do count me out next time
Says me from my chair

Image found at www.robinwoodpark.org

Saturday 21 May 2016

My Apprentice


I have that itch again
Life has now lost its gloss
And nights are drawing in

Bells ringing in the night
Summon me to dark deeds
For vampire is my trade

My mission simply is
A willing victim find
Pretty girl would be best

I'll not gloss over it
The payback is not bad
She'll see the sense of that

Six bites over winter
She'll be right on track
To be then one of us

Come Spring my apprentice
We will stand side by side
May even be my bride

Image found at www.stuffpoint.com

Grubby faced


You were my first friend
Grubby faced cute little girl
In a gritty grey little house
Same as ours next door
Smelled of boiled cabbage 
Because we were all so poor

It wasn't a broken home
Just that one that was dirty
We were all like that then
Filthy kids in squalid homes
Empty faces and empty lives
Same families everywhere

In the twilight of my youth
We moved out of that street
Went across town to Parkside
Took the streetcar far away
From my fetid birthplace
Ma vowing never to return

Now that I am all grown up
I have that itch to return
I so want to see you again
My grubby faced little friend
'Cos I really loved you
And I do miss you so much

Image found at www.cable-car-guy.com

Fun and Froth


Her name is Nichole
Barista at the café I go
Her eyes dance with fun

"Cappuccino please"
For I like frothy coffee
And a cake of course

I sit myself down
And grab a paper to read
There's few in today

She brings it herself
There's a twinkle in her eye
Now I can see why

Friday 20 May 2016

Her eyes are hazel


She glances at me
And I am smitten at once
I am lost in love

Her eyes are hazel
There's a scar on her cheek
She pouts with surprise

As I look at her
She's so much shorter than me
But I feel so small

She has such spirit
I so much want to touch her
And she knows that now

She softens gently
Then lowers her head and nods
That we may now talk 

She touches my hand
It's a small warm gift of love
I belong to her

In those precious months
Always she held on tight to me
Never letting go

We could not marry
Her parents did not like me
With the limp I had

Image found at www.istockphoto.com

Thursday 19 May 2016

Redundant


The world I knew is fast disappearing; for once I was knowledgeable but now I am a dunce, a Dumbo with big ears and tears in my eyes in this electronic age.

Many years ago as I walked down the street I would wave a hello at the shopkeepers attending their stalls or sweeping the sidewalk and they would wave back.

Now, no one give me a nod for there is but one girl manning the shop and I have to bag the chosen purchases myself and the lass at the till calls be not by my name but "Next".

I remember the days when the Bank clerk knew me by name but now the automatic teller says not a word except some bleeps from outer space after I have keyed in a number which I tend to forget because I have a hundred other pass codes to remember.

In my desk drawer at home there is a long little booklet, unused, lonely and forlorn for his name is checkbook and he hasn't been used for years.

As I close the drawer again he waves a sad goodbye and I shed a tear for we are both now redundant.

Image found at www.dailymail.co.uk

Wednesday 18 May 2016

It was raining out


It was raining out
I dashed to the art gallery
To wile away time 

I am a sucker 
For the old impressionists
But there were few there

I could go giddy
Over all Monet's landscapes
And Renoir's women

But this place had none
Just modern art at its best
The catalog said

Rules were forgotten
Painter bullying viewer
Masochistic art

"It's so enchanting"
Said the woman by my side
I managed a grunt

"It is frenetic"
I said hoping that would please
I got a doubtful nod

As I walked away
She followed wanting to talk
So then I let loose

"They're fanatical
Products of the age of war
Beauty lost from sight"

"Shall we have coffee?"
She then asked me with a smile
Yes! I could paint her

Image found at www.feministartpower.wordpress.com





Sunday 15 May 2016

Her wistful smile


A shy teenager 
Cannot believe the beauty
Of that girl in class

Groom at his wedding
Sees none other but his bride
With her wistful smile

A mother's child is
Her most beautiful creation
She blushes with pride

I touch your warm skin
This is where happiness lies
As I look in your eyes

What's more beautiful
Than the seas whispering song
Holding your hand

And you my angel
You'll be with me in heaven
For we cannot part

Image found at www.gettyimages.com

Something was wrong


Yes, something was wrong
The dog whined the cat snarled
My hair stood on end

So I looked outdoors
It wasn't evangelists
But was the devil

That cunning demon
Fit as an agile gymnast
Leapt onto the roof

So I lit a fire
Hoping that bewildered him
And prayed for some help

An angel bless him
Came clothed in a fleecy jacket
Of worsted fabric

Now touching my arm
Pointed to the waxing moon
Waiting for his chance

Then beyond the house
We heard a mournful howling
The angel set off

Now gone from our sight
We heard them wrestling above
'Til it was over

The dog barked for joy
And the cat purred with delight
What an adventure!

Image found at www.pinterest.com

Saturday 14 May 2016

A quiet moment


She entered the church
Silently sat in a pew
Drinking in the calm

No one else was there
She prayed for her family
Wherever they were

Relaxed she got up
Lit a candle for someone
To burn by itself

Stranger to the church
She slowly walked all around
Glad she was alone

The stained glass windows
Painting of the last supper
Hung by the choir stalls

Altar cloth was white
She sat by the chancel screen
And tried not to cry

A bible was open
Tale of the loaves and fishes
Her tears fell freely

Back at the entrance
She placed money in the alms box
Then took herself off 

In the balcony
The cleaner had made no sound
Lest that he was seen

He climbed down the stairs
Just time to do the flowers
Before his lunchtime

Image found at www.mnprairieroots.com




Heartbroken


Bob's letters had stopped
Well over a month had passed
She was heartbroken

Her iPhone silent
She cried herself to sleep now
Longing for a kiss

But then she saw him
An older woman on his arm
She was mortified

She stopped hid from sight
How could he do this to her?
She thought he loved her

Traffic roared lights flashed
She so needed a rest now
But walked in the road

A loud screech of brakes
The older woman turned round
Then covered her eyes

She woke from her dream
What was she thinking about?
She'd give Paul a call

Image found at www.andersonlawwa.com

Thursday 12 May 2016

A long time ago

                               
                              The house as it is now but it wasn't painted in my day

Such a long time ago I was born at home in a small house at the end of a rough road halfway between two towns in southern England. It was five o’clock in the morning and I cried as most babies do when greeting the world.

The address was No 1 Bentley Cottage, Reeds Estate, Heath End, Farnham, Surrey, then (but isn't anymore) and it was the best place to grow up with a field at the bottom of the garden and a stream running though the copse a bit further off.

Us kids ran free then even though it was wartime with army bases close by and planes flying overhead but we knew no other life. We climbed trees waded streams and caught tadpoles in ponds and played in the haystacks and pretended we were soldiers with sticks for guns just like our dads and uncles.

I went back there a few years ago but of course it is changed with a school in one field and dozens of houses in the others with everything looking so neat and tidy and I wondered where the kids were and what they do now for fun and so I sadly shook my head.

 Image found at www.zoopla.co.uk

Wednesday 11 May 2016

Birdwatching


Eagle in the sky
Soaring overhead
Seeing me below
With nothing to fear



Black swans drift close by
Nod expectantly
Chicks covered with down
Looking for handout



The scavenger gulls
Scream and fight on shore
Bullies and robbers
Our rowdy beach boys



Honeyeaters splash
Communal bathing
Sharing the gossip
This sunny morning


Freeloading pigeons
Thugs on the main street
Fouling the sidewalk
And maybe your head

Soliloquy


Hello loneliness
Damned companion at my side
Forever with me

How cherished you were
True love and light of my life
A host of memories

But now you have gone
And time like a babbling brook
Flows carelessly on

Yet the birds sing on
Clouds still drift across the sky
Thunder's in my heart

Beating a rhythm
Sending a message to you
From one who loves you

Image found at www.mymodernmet.com

Wednesday 4 May 2016

She lowers her eyes


Tempting, amoral
Just who would not look on her
Such is lust's draw card

She lowers her eyes
Unselfish with her favors
The hook's been baited

I woke from my dream
What on earth was I doing?
My wife's arm round me

Brain you're a temptress
Winding my dreams round the past
All that's behind me

Image found at www.lillian888.wordpress.com


So do no one harm


Moaning and sighing 
The wind tells me her secrets
But she's not our friend

The high mountain is
Even when wind whistles there
Always prattling on

The mountains love me
I sing loudly from her peaks
Sleep in her valleys

She knows me so well
I drink her fresh flowing streams
Then talk to her trees

Wind breezes away
Huffing and puffing in scorn
Birds laughing along

I rest my head down
They twitter their friendship
Happy that I stay

So do no one harm
Speaking to those that you meet
Just see them then smile

Sing on the mountain
Open your hearts and speak your words
Love one another


Image found at www.smoky-moments.photoshelter.com