two shadows of shoulder-height
deathly grey, in war's twilight,
each one older than the other,
Each one woven to his brother

Each one begging for morsel bite
to feed the other to last the night
each one's sorrow etched in tears
well runs dry from thousand years

of ******, cruelty, carnage unspeakable,
condensed in a year of black irredeemable,
hearts had fled, souls unreachable,
forever struck dumb, humanity irretrievable

a moonbeam touched the earth one night
it shone through window and skylight
it danced from roof to tree to ground
it lanced the cat and dog and hound

it spread its palest silver light
as one who walks with royal right
with quiet dignity, declared its might
in secret whisper, with no fight

it bathed me with its pearly crown
it wrapped me in its ermine gown
it swooped me up and laid me down
in softest feather'd eiderdown

in wordless voice said mystery,
bereft of cunning or witchery,
there laid clear its history,
orbit of Earth periphery

its waxing waning faceless orb
reflecting light in night's absorb
revealing hidden lantern true
the shine of day in heaven's blue

but more than mirror, i am the soul
of inner yearning, want and goal,
i am the softness in the night
that makes you dream, that makes you write

i am the magic that shines a path
in desolation of war's wrath,
who speaks the badgers and otters' tongue
who comforts babes, and nature's young

i am the cry of lonesome one
ere the light of day's begun
who dreads the hour of dawn's on-come,
the herald of day in rising sun

i am the silent witness of
oppression without love
i am a link in stillness of
your chain to the Above

the new year came
darkness in its wake
mars took careful aim
sanity took a break

first plague, then war,
black clouds 'n thunder
we've stopped keeping score
of bodies wrought asunder,

gone is modest shame
conscience limping lame
life is but a game
all to take a claim

it came abruptly when least expected
yet all predicted it would happen
humanity was least directed
free for all and all for passion
men were wild and unconnected,
religion, morality, out of fashion
nobody wanted to be corrected,
soul was dying, lying ashen,
it lay neglected, unrespected,
so when it came, it came expected.

perchance 'twas no feline
that killed my little robin
but plastic polystyrene
that was to be his coffin

i saw him there a-coughin',
his red breast there a-bobbin,
as if he was trying to swallow
but something wouldn't follow

so again, man's the killer,
earth-pollution, natural spiller,
poor robin was no tom-cat's dinner
but a victim of the human sinner

Light, unending beauty,
soundless music shattering ears,
your chords, soul of rainbow strings,
play golden melody of moving spheres,

in beatitude, let me bow
pronounce in happiest tears
a benediction, blest art Thou
O Creator of Light and Years

London's burning, Lies are churning,
Fetch the engines, Retching vengeance,
Fire Fire! Liar Liar!
Pour on water. Call for order.

London's burning, Lords are earning,
Kvetch the tensions, Cut the pensions,
Dire dire! Mire mire!
Pour on water, 'gnore the poorer.

parlaying quality action,
obedience to inner voice
in thought, speech, or sanction,
aware of Divine free choice

self-worth for obeisance to opinion
inflating a doomed balloon,
bowing to man, unworthy dominion,
weaving an iron cocoon

insides beats rhythm of hopes and dreams,
like jazz, pulsating nowhere,
screaming aloud it ain't what it seems,
a world that's doomed to failure

tweet goes the bird
cow follows herd
vulture feeds on dead
lice **** blood from head

man alone boasts
i rule from coast to coast
makes hero out of ghosts
proclaims he's king of hosts

cultured and accomplished,
diction clear 'n polished,
superior, none like me,
save aliens, likely likely

i'll splash millions exploring mars
discover planets and more stars
shout into space for all i'm worth
as millions suffer here on earth

because i'm intelligent and so caring
and life is all about giving and sharing
so i'll dump my refuse on some backward land
and when they cry, i'll lend them a hand

i'd never do anything at someone's expense,
whatever i do makes absolute sense,
so let's get on with the pretence
and speak up loud in man's defence

she plucked the rose from the garden
crushed it under foot
ground its petals to the earth
without an afterthought

and, as pearls scattered hence,
they lay there in the dirt,
till gradually, in nature's course,
succumbed they to the hurt

for she was broken from her childhood,
something rotted inside,
and when she saw the whitest rose,
its beauty could not abide,

a rose as crystal alabaster,
as soft as nature's cheek,
as a prairie golden aster
of divine mystique

from that time she longed to cut it,
longed to cast it far aside,
so it too would rotten be,
'til, eventually, it died.

hi there, folks
it's me here,
if i might u coax
to lend an ear

'specially those of you
who have been so kind
read my poetry through
with presence of mind

i'm on my way
for more than a day
don't know when
i'll be back again

[no, not planning
on emigrating,
i'll just be away
how long, i can't say]

can i ask you a favour
if you have the time
again to savour
my lines of rhyme

let me know
in the space below
which poems are best
stand out from the rest

and i'll thank you again
from the bottom of my heart
for being such a friend
though physically apart

if it's your pain i feel,
i'm living

crushed by heel
stronger than steel,
if i can forgive,
i'm living

hit by hand,
slipper and shoe,
crushed under stand
by bullying shrew,
if i'm surviving
i'm living

but those who delight
in offence and spite,
those who take joy
disturb to annoy,
those who take pleasure
in receipt of cringe,
needling at leisure
like dermal syringe

are dying

they see the morning light
but behold the mourner's night,
see white in Lady Moon
yet are deaf to her gentle tune,
though they breathe air of life,
their air's noxious as carver's knife,
as the shadows of twilight
that close in without respite.

brown crackled underfoot
crinkly, dead matter
buried with the sod and soot
buried 'neath the constant patter

gone the joy of boyhood
crystal before its shatter
sits beneath the tree of wood
silent among the chatter

piled in a corner
left in no-man's land
bereft of friend or mourner
bereft of comfort's hand

is it normal to feel fright
every time i take a bite
knowing that you're in the room
scanning me as camera zoom
focused on my every action
driving me to distraction

i take a step and i'm aware
of your so very intrusive stare
i say a word and feel uneasy
often faint and slightly queasy
what was it in your history
that gave cause to this mystery?

i pity you, it cannot be easy,
always on watch, never breezy,
your scorpio moon, secretive, intense
thinking everyone's, to you, against,
to be on guard your sole defence
a pressure-cooker, simmering, incens'd

that i am the brunt of your emotion
coupled with your strange devotion
is my lot in this world i suppose
and, I must, take it on the nose,
bow my head to superior wisdom
or else, take flight? flee the system?

as playwriter put in the mouth of the Dane,
To be, or not to be, that is the question:
If 'tis nobler suffering fortune's arrow 'n chain,
Or to end them. Abscond. To quit the session?
To take flight, to act —aye, there's the pain:
For in that change i know not if i'll freshen

or as yacht flotilla set in sea tub
be drowned by circumstance as by depression
today i know i bare your snub
but what if i'm fated to public aggression
so that, when i'm free, as drinker from pub
i'll never master my self-expression

is the better part of valour discretion
or is caution best expressed by it's lack?
will i flounder in my own self-egression
or will my soul make final it's comeback?
and what of the children? part of concession?
i cannot on them turn my back...

so it's settled then, i must sail on,
be resigned to path of no return
and when summer nights have all but gone
allow myself luxurious yearn
of what might have been in life bygone
had i struck out in its sojourn

K indness done in this life
A ssures good prospects in the next,
R un amok with gun and knife
M akes for a very different text
A s what you do, next life affects.

Crackly prickles,
Sharp as razors,
Teeth like little
Alligators.

Black thorn,
Stalk dried,
Bush forlorn,
Flowers died.

And then, Spring angel,
A whisper gave,
As in a fable,
A magic wave.

From dried twig,
Emerged a bud,
Within the sprig,
Elixir blood.

A hint of green,
Edged with scarlet,
The garden queen,
A youthful varlet.

Bedecked in emerald,
Gives haughty bow,
Once naked 'n bald,
Now jewel-filled bough.

With nod 'n light wink,
Royalty with diadems,
With sunrise pink,
Citrines, pearl gems.

Soul of my rose,
She lives on eternal,
Forever she grows,
Ever youthful 'n vernal.

The soul of your rose,
Lies hidden and waiting,
As poetry prose,
As life pulsating.

"hi there, folks!
that's you at home!
i'm up on the oaks,
my place to roam.

to remember my stores
my memory matches yours
to hide all my nuts
best food for my guts

while you're lazing the autumn
i'm burying amounts awesome
though i forget where i put half
i find the rest, so don't laugh

i'm a squirrel, 'case you hadn't noticed,
though i always look so focused,
upbeat, sanguine, that's me all over,
love to frolic through grass 'n clover

so next time you spy an intelligent lookin' male
with winsome grin and bushy tail
hoppin' around or walkin' a strut
it's likely me, so throw me a nut!"

it's no fun to hear my bones creak
feel my back give way
here and there a twinge and squeak
as i climb stairway

chorus:
pass the WD-40 spray
lubricate my joints
if you take my aches away
you'll earn some extra points

there's a rainstorm in the air
grandmother used to say
as she'd sink into her chair
her legs giving way

chorus:
pass the WD-40 spray
lubricate my joints
if you take my aches away
you'll earn some extra points

no denying, i feel it coming
Sir Age is knock a-knocking
impatiently his fingers strumming
on me under-stocking

chorus:
pass the WD-40 spray
lubricate my joints
if you take my aches away
you'll earn some extra points

there's little fun in getting weak
but we can't turn back the clock
so instead turn other cheek
and hope my jaw won't lock

chorus:
pass the WD-40 spray
lubricate my joints
if you take my aches away
you'll earn some extra points.

his loving warmth enveloped my hand
his strong old veins soft to the touch
now that warmth is covered by sand
ephemeral memory, childhood crutch

Does nature find solace in human hands,
As plastic blossom replace G-d's plans,
And oceans choke on treasures' sands?

As mighty trees gasp for air,
Stagger 'neath man's love affair
With money, power, devil-may-care.

And as they splutter their oxygen,
Wildlife's symphonies echo thin
Beneath progress’s discordant din.

Ecstatic, humans tout repair,
As Earth, in silence, yields to tear,
Honey'd words, care insincere.

Resilient, you persist,
O weary warrior of iron-clad wrist.
Until ye despoilers cease to exist.

black and white
night and day
left and right
learn and play

life and death
disease and health
peace and war
rich and poor

land and sea
earth and sky
good and bad
low and high

in a world of opposites
elements and composites
it's up to us to choose our way
but if perchance we're led astray

remember that wherever you are
in highest heaven or deepest tar
however near you feel, or far,
G-d is not some far-off star

He's with you in the dead of night
He's there with you in fear and flight
He even holds your hand in hell
in blackest pit or prison cell

No matter of the circumstance
In enemy retreat or their advance,
Or if you feel clamped up tight,
Because of sorrowful bitter plight

Just hold on till the storm has passed,
Ride out the cruel trough and fall,
There was a time when life was a blast,
There'll be a time you won't recall

The pain, the black, the tear'd confusion,
As peak and crest will lift you up,
As you'll see 'twas all illusion
As painted lady's white make-up

life awoken
from rotten grain
to flourish as new paragon

world broken
can grow again
only when once truly gone

what was spoken
once thought insane
becomes world's new dawn

sun a token
of golden chain
a link to world bygone.'

world once askew
aligns anew
humanity as one

Tender green shoot
Carelessly crushed
Reckless, underfoot
parents that rushed

Providence, miracle,
sapling survives,
its smile lyrical
humanity revives

forever scarred
innocent childhood
memories marred
charred firewood

bloom it bears
with full apology
hiding its wares
a damaged psychology

the hanging rope beckons again
as it sways from ceiling
the empty nothingness of dangling chain
allure most appealing

to and fro oblivion
swings as giant pendulum
its tempting vacant meridian
mocks me with its rhythm

proffers an out from jeer, contempt,
escape from false pretence
escape from moral turpitude
that glistens as a ****.

glistens 'n shines, 'n sickens the mind,
'n turns the innocent blind,
escape that makes the loop enticing
a circle so inviting

step up to me it whispers
feel my tight embrace
forget the world of twisters
let go of cursed chase

the throbbing music beat my heart
making numb my ears
the noise it shook my nerves apart
but i faced up to my fears

i'd stocked up earlier on ***** 'n drugs
got my mind sedated
protected sound with two ear-plugs
felt, well, insulated

of course i sensed the adrenalin surge
as i mounted the hall-steps
but i disregarded the muted urge
ignored the flex of biceps

hiding behind mask on face
with windows wintered over
i entered the commodious space
and felt like interloper

then i spied the smarmy singer
voice screaming out aloud
grinding hips like shameless *******
galvanizing dancing crowd

i watched the people dropping out
like flies one by one
distaste plastered on their pout
saying, clearly, "I'm done!".

I wondered why they don't the tout
ostracize or throw in foyer
why do they put up with the lout
'n worse still, give him his pay?

he's got showmanship
i'll give him that
but i'd rather skip
his constant ****.

If fomites can spread disease
through bacteria and virus
i'd say he's spreads worse dis-ease
gives headaches worse than sinus!

Love is the smile,
The warmth in my *****,
As I hug my child
To his presence succumb.

Love is the crying,
The longing for father,
On his death-bed dying,
Face softer and calmer.

Love is the tea
I make for my wife,
The nod, 'I agree',
To avoid her strife.

Love is the worm
Fed to chick 'n nestling,
Grubs as they squirm
Into hungry fledgling.

Love is the strokes
Of artist on canvas,
The mellow sweet notes
Of musical stanzas.

Love is the cry
Of soul in prayer,
The longing eye,
The hot, sweet tear.

Love is the beat of butterfly wing,
The buzz of the bee with honey and sting,
Love is the heat of summer and spring,
Love is the language of Elusive King.

the night began with revelry
with joy, with song, with dance,
the choir sang sweet melody,
the rabbis in sweet trance,
the flames leapt high towards the sky
as roundabout advanced
the voices of a myriad sighs
soul's spirit-flame enhanced

but lo, a tragedy on the way,
ere long begun the day,
as hundred thousand men would sway
towards enchanted arched gateway
a hundred thousand men o' ardor,
there to bargain and to barter
with heaven's lore and law of order,
squashed against the barrier border

the lights became their funeral lamps
leading groups of mourners
the cave became where death encamps
'stead praying saints in corners
and all about the yell and shout
'stead praise from G-d's adorners
tears and cries from hearts worn out
as carrion for the scorners

to purposely confine
a poem in line
to assign guideline
can undermine

free flow of thought
of meaning's import
impede and thwart
your mind's report

but oft times a border
creates form and order
as rhythmic performer
like glass filled with water

like canes support beans
like stakes uphold vines,
injects meaning to scenes
sacrality to shrines

a soul needs a ladder
a system to climb
else, as mad-hatter
it'll just waste in time

"stand up straight!" she said,
"do not slump!" she cried,
i couldn't less have cared
for all she tried and tried

but now i understand
those well-meant words of wisdom
for if you stand up grand
you'll feel a king - not victim

this world will throw you curveballs,
and people are not angels,
so stand as if you've strong walls
within those gentle facials

your meekness keep within
before your own Creator
and smile at friend and kin
be not fazed by your hater

this world's no ballet arena
for a prima ballerina
it's a place of spiritual warfare
so stand strong and don't despair

to win the inner battle
you have got to be strong
a smile and seeming chuckle
will ease the way along

so while you're working on inner calibre,
don't forget that outer pose,
it'll help unsheathe your inner excalibur
if you garnish your self-repose

'Twas the day when heart slammed shut in opening new door,
'twas the day the children cried, 'our father is no more',
'twas the day when he succumbed to other world explore,
'twas the day the nightingale sang in reaching the seashore.

On metal wings he opened flight on way of no return,
In silent song his ascent grew on path of soulful yearn,
Upon the track blazed by tears, of joy and taciturn,
To reap the years, as preachers teach, 'sow 'n you shall earn'.

But lo, the monsters dark, of shadows black engulf,
Betwixt the light and soul, a chasm and a gulf,
The energies created in acts of grave impulse
As heavenly court disown, soul in repulse.

But as the many tongues of fire reach out to ensnare,
words of pain, as English rain, drench and clear the air,
arrow o' troubled oppression, arrows of despair,
shoot the many headed devil in hellish nightmare.

And from the blackness there arises secret nest so bright,
An unknown treasure of unknown deeds, curious crown of light,
Scarce materials of gems and jewels encrusted with delight
The goodness sown, the deeds that breed, when done out of sight.

And so, ethereal winged bird opens her beak in bliss,
In rapture and in joy she sails towards the heavenly kiss,
as cries of wolves surround her, bidding her dismiss
unparalleled star, a million suns, her soul's genesis

First came the credit crunch
As millions lost their stash
And scammers on a hunch
Helped the markets crash

Then came Brexit,
Dividing the nation,
Lies like sepsis
Spreading altercation

Next with classic whiplash
Population took some dives
As Covid became a smash
And millions lost their lives

Roller-coaster aint yet ended
we've got some way to go
As Putin's got intended
And Trump laughs **-**-**

Let's hold hands now as we duck
Coz the next one's gonna hurt,
Wish I could turn clock back..
The future to avert ...

In grey silence, time stands watch,
Sentinels from bygone era,
Granite tombs, stannite wombs,
Final cradles, carved by hands.

Resting places
Devoid of breath,
Lives in cases,
Embraced -- by death.

Dreams and hopes of yesteryears
In cold repose,
Excite and hate, love and fears,
In deep earth's hold.

Within, all light of memories dimmed,
The sun's soft rays a fleeting hymn,
All murmured love long since winged.

And o'er the grey of beasts unbent,
Echoes life's lament.
Bitter tears of empty years,
Cold stone that no-one hears.

forgetting is
like the blankness
of a paper
hold it to the light
there's a word
erased
no more
it's gone

In the hush of winter’s breath,
Where mountains sleep,
Stands a crest, silent,
Nestled in nature’s ice.

In white array, dawn whispers.
Lustre o' icicles reflect approaching morn,
The voice of the eagle soaring,
The song of the unheard sun,
Break forth in new excursion.

Secular hustle of city streets,
neons cozen the weary,
flicker with promise, eternal nights,
fleeting moments to wake the dreary.

but 'neath the surface, there's no converse,
only echoes, leitmotif of isolation,
lost in labyrinth of sweet sensation,
loss of life in soul stagnation.

from cracked earth
an ebony branch
stretches towards
blue skies blanch
as iron hordes
ride from ranch
crush 'n floor
without wherefore
with none to stanch
blood of gored
ebony branch,
underfoot cranch,
'neath powdered sword

then from the air
without siren'd blare
invisible foe
blow after blow
crushes the hordes
magnates 'n lords
clobber and clout
cry and shout
crumble till grout
within and without
till all that's left
in world bereft
is a branch in a cleft.

Stop press!
I confess
for wedding-band
i did not stand
nor for my rights
to scale life's heights
to spend my nights
with set sight
my soul's delight
who shined so bright
upon my midheaven

oh yes, i regret,
my life's meander,
i'll not quick forget
that living wonder
drop o' thousand rainbows
secret of green meadows
more delicate than a buttercup
graced by angelic dewdrop
why did i not tell you
not send you billet-doux
about the million sparks of you
that shine upon my heaven