Rarely a winner, the sad lonely long-distance sinner,
A heart of broken rubble, repair not worth the trouble,
In conflict with life’s rabble, their ill-informed babble,
Lacking civilised patina, that saps my spiritual stamina.

I face a blank wall of ignorance, solace is a constant séance,
Lifeless I drift in hyperspace, a freefall from grace,
A bat-squeak whispers what a waste! wake up and chase!
Those youthful hopes and romance, you so readily denounce.

Soar away wordsmith! banish all doubts as myth,
Word by word and line by line, rise up and shine!
Love and valour will align, poetry will become your new divine,
Forge beauty as any talented goldsmith, oh sweet songsmith!

Some will mock and wonder, let courage be your rudder,
Through cruel shoals of torment, that masquerade as comment,
Rip away the tattered cloak of lament, hail poetry’s debutante!
Let soul and passion cast asunder, the years of sorrowed shudder.

Arise Sir Poet! your old world is there to conquer and outwit!

© Robert Porteus

Sprinkle sprinkle little star, shower me with love’s fairy-dust,
I hitch a ride on a passing meteor, single to Paradise please!
I soon suspect something amiss, a cruel galactic tease?
Are you sure this is the right way? I ask in disgust.

‘Sorry mate this thing does not have steering’
‘Oh, and no brakes too! no time to discuss’
‘You would have been better on the number 9 bus’
Many thanks! let me off and I will start queuing.

‘Get off! you must be joking!’
I scream and shout in rising panic,
‘No unless you know a ****** good mechanic!’
‘In a few minutes SPLATT!! you will all be croaking!’

All? I thought there was only me?
‘Oh no! the usual throng, the idiots express!’
‘Always ends in an almighty unpleasant mess’
‘Love’s fairy-dust indeed! that silly fantasy!’

This is torture! stop this meteor! enough is enough,
‘Forgetting my manners, I’m Parachute Pat’
‘My thirteenth trip, unlucky for you, thick prat!’
Worse still love’s fairy-dust, was only dandruff!

SPLATT!!

© Robert Porteus

Moonbeam-caressed Elven faces, the most noble of races,
Clad in grey and silver, spellbound I am a humble follower,
Voices that are musical salver, proud to be an evangelical believer,
Honour these cherished spaces! their protective carapaces.

We humans may scale the heights of Mount Erudite,
Firmly fixing the banner of lore and learning,
But we lack wisdom for all our striving,
Only Elves possess this, the true intelligence, their birth-right

Salvation lies in the power of our Elven blood,
The tiniest drop can help reclaim our lost innocence,
We must strive and strive, no time for dalliance,
Time to purge our hearts, cast aside our cynical hood!

Their purity is our forgotten childhood,
Swept aside by our brutish spirit, ****** and colonial,
True happiness is not measured in the material,
Believe in the healing air of their sainted greenwood!

Decay is afoot in this blessed wood, ignorance of what is good,
Malice has many a shape, hides even in a benign landscape,
Once bitten there is no escape, snared by death’s drape,
Fear of the misunderstood, jealously of nature’s brotherhood.

Sadly, the visible world is full of deceit,
Forsake not the Elves! take that spiritual window-seat!

            © Robert Porteus

Around and around he/she goes, it matters not which,
Often alone, in constant struggle against the current,
Understanding may elude even the most observant,
A weary battle, for calm waters never within reach.

Our swan may be one-legged, but is forever beautiful,
He/she is so proud to have young to attend,
It would be my honour to befriend,
Surely fraught lives can still be meaningful?


Circling seemingly forever, more so than his kin,
Despair and tiredness in equal measure,
Magnificent plumage masks hard-fought treasure,
Never at rest, alas no hope of a stand-in.

Our hawk may be one-eyed, but is forever beautiful,
He is so proud to have young to attend,
It would be my honour to befriend,
Surely fraught lives can still be meaningful?


Awkward gait, will not diminish his endeavour,
A daily struggle against hunger,
Constant anxiety yes, never anger,
Here, there and everywhere, whatever the weather.

Our blackbird may be wing-damaged, but is forever beautiful,
He is so proud to have young to attend,
It would be my honour to befriend,
Surely fraught lives can still be meaningful?


Few achieve physical and mental perfection,
True humanity is to cherish ALL with utter conviction.


© Robert Porteus

The radiance of a raisin-hued sunset, mmmm begs to be devoured,
Surpassed only by the sun-kissed swish of your hair,
Freeze-dried mouse **** takeaway coffee, yuck never savoured!
Liberate that unwrapped shiny percolator from its cupboard lair!

A risen sunrise, nature’s soufflé, how delicious!
Matched only by your uplifting starlight smile,
Tooth destroying shop cakes, rock-like and dangerous,
Shamefully neglected family recipes, go on worth a trial!

A silvered-moonrise over a dappled seascape,
The equal just, of the bewitching tint of your eyes,
Inappropriate Use Of Capitals, Sadly There Is No Escape,
Poor education or the tyranny of Media Ignorance I surmise.

The magnificence of a frosted night, behold a starry-symphony!
Rivalled by the musical grace of your dance-like movements,
Other people’s mobile conversations, ill-mannered cacophony,
Full of their self-important pompous little moments.

The surreal eerie calm after a summer thunderstorm,
Mirrored by the eternally sunny charm of your blessed being,
The despicable litter of our fellows, their squalid pitiful art form,
From self-respect and consideration, perpetual fleeing.

An enchanted stroll through aromatic Springtime pastures,
Joyously refreshing, worthy reflection of your beautiful soul,
Sad humourless beings, their perennial blank-eyed gestures,
Barren and wasteful, a merciless lifelong own goal.

© Robert Porteus

Pride should not prevent a pious Blind Pilgrim,
From accepting a meal with a wealthy camel trader,
Fear should never deter Love’s Crusader,
Even if the battle ahead is tough, ****** and grim.

Envy, a curse and pandemic through the ages,
Must be faced and fought with steely determination,
Gluttony is the hideous blight of our generation,
That shames us daily on television and the news pages.

Compassion is in chronic, worldwide shortage,
A sin that it is rationed, begs to be a universal gift,
Charity begins in the heart, should never be cast adrift
Humbled, to the needy we should pay due homage.

It is perilous that we give up on hope,
Without it our futures will be perennially bleak,
Cruelty has many forms, the preserve of the weak,
That may torture an innocent into a bloodied coil of rope.

Avarice is the unremitting creature of our downfall,
Lures us into a riotous Palace of Lies and Deceit,
Resolve always needed to keep step with life’s drumbeat,
Falling behind, may jeopardy a joyous windfall.


© Robert Porteus

His drumbeat was my closest pre-teen companion,
A rock-hymn that echoed down the years,
Sometimes smooth jazz swing, sweet balm to my ears,
He gave voice to my batsqueak rebellion.

Always suave, simply the best dressed gent ever,
Manners as impeccable as his attire,
Through good times and bad, never thought to retire,
Will we see the likes of him again? I think never.

With a drum-roll the Pearly Gates open,
To be lauded by rock-icons tearfully summoned,
All hail! Your star will shine forever as the brightest diamond,
Farewell Charlie Watts, so many hearts lay broken.

© Robert Porteus