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All that glitters is not gold
If you will allow me to be so bold
A dollar is simply a sign of faith
But I am no penny-pinching wraith
For cash is naught but coins and slips
Not meant for buying toys or trips
Instead you should buy what cannot be bought
And seek out what cannot be sought
For a buck will buy you naught but woe
Unless you rid yourself of your greedy foe
So truly come and truly see
What all of this means to me
Your donation is a drop of light
Giving me the strength to continue my fight
So that a better world I can create
All I ask is that you patiently wait
I promise I will not waste this gift of coin
And I hope that on this journey you’ll join
For together I believe we’ll do wondrous things
And together I believe we’ll be literature’s kings!
Poem
Words that rhyme
But not all the time
From the simple to the absurd,
To all those yet unheard
A poem is a letter of writ
To express, to show, to admit
That we have stories, such stories to tell
Some good, some bad, some on which we shall not dwell
But how to tell these stories of ours?
It is not learnt in seconds, no, but hours
Anger, misery, love and glee
I take, I write, I make them see
Poetry is not something that can be taught
It is an inner demon to be fought
Only by wrestling it free from our fear and doubt
Can we truly allow our talents to sprout
A long hard road lies ahead
Will you have the courage, on this path to tread?
And at its end, neither fame nor glory
All that awaits is an end to your story
That story, though, will be yours alone
Etched it will be, into eternal stone
So I ask you, young poet to be
Won’t you share this world with me?
Pomme
Red, green and yellow
Stop, go and mellow
Soft, hard or sour
Good to eat in every hour
From the tree divine
To ciders and wine
An apple is everything in one
A snack, projectile or barrelled for fun
Candied, coated and cleverly sold
Enjoyed with love from youngest to old
Good to eat right off the branch
But not so great eaten with ranch
I prefer them hard and sweet
Although given the choice I’d rather have meat
Still, with this concept I’d rather not grapple
Instead, I’d rather sit back down and enjoy an apple!
Powerless, I struggle
My body is not my own
My lungs are not my own
My life is not my own
I breathe
And a machine breathes for me
I live
And a machine lives for me
I die
But no machine dies for me
A tube in my mouth
My nose
My lungs
Breathe in
Whirr
Breathe out
Whoosh
I cannot move
I cannot breathe
I cannot live
My arms
Restrained
My feet
Restrained
My heart
Free as a bird
Hush
The doctor approaches
My doctor
My lord
My saviour
He looks at me
I look at him
We stare across the void
Life
And
Death
He speaks
One word
One sentence
One judgment
Terminal
He says
Sedate him
He says
Let him go
He says
I want to scream
But I cannot
I want to cry
But I cannot
I want to plead
But I cannot
My family is here
Grieving
My lover is here
Crying
My nurse is here
Preparing
In goes the sedative
Out goes the worry
Why stress?
Why fear?
Why fight?
I can sleep for awhile
And when I awake
All will be well…
Princess
Let down your hair
Like you don’t have a care
The world will not a prince send
No matter how much you beg or bend
If you want a knight so cool
You must break each and every rule
Make the first move of many
Wade through a jerk or twenty
For atop that tower no one shall go
So long as you remain your own greatest foe
The stereotypical damsel in distress
We really should put to rest
If all you do is sit and bemoan
You shall remain forever alone
While it may be quite a chore
It is better than your inevitable bed sore
That no prince should freely come
If you continue to act all dumb
So show the world you can pass the test
And show the world that you’re better than the rest
Go forth and pick up your blade
Secure your hair in its braid
Ride out, not on pony but steed
From that false dogma be freed
That princesses can be brave and smart
And valiant enough to steal your heart
Procrastinate
Tick.
Tock.
One more second.
One more minute.
One more hour.
One more. And then another.
Today’s problem is tomorrow’s solution.
And on. And on. And on.
If the past me couldn’t, maybe the future me can?
But the present me needs a bit more time.
I’ll get to it.
Promise promise.
Today.
No, tomorrow!
But definitely the day after!
Stop reminding me every six months!
I will handle it…
Eventually…
I am biding my time.
Storing my energy.
Planning it out.
You’ll see.
Probably…
Hopefully…
Maybe…
Until then, I ask of you:
Be patient.
No matter how long.
That is your virtue.
And this is mine.
I will call for you.
When the time comes.
I promise.
For real this time.
But before I begin.
Perhaps a quick nap.
Just to rest my spirit…
Good night…
I will…
Do it…
Tomorrow…
ZZZ
Record
Round and round we go
A groove of sound and sine
A memento of what once was
A reminder of what was mine
Etch the sound of life within
And make those memories shine!
Record the laughter
Record the tears
Record the anger
Record the years
Etch the sound of life within
And bid farewell to your fears!
We record the good
We record the bad
The ugly
And the sad
Etch the sound of life within
And remember all that makes you glad!
Every moment is a treasure
But not all that glitters is gold
For each and every single pleasure
Mine heart must also grow somewhat cold
Etch the sound of life within
And become both brave and bold!
The simple act of dropping the needle
Release the trapped ages past
So let the echoes of time burst forth
As the sounds of love forever last
Etch the sounds of life within
And enjoy all in this world so vast
Record not sound but life itself
On vinyl etched with thought and word
A side for the good and the bad
Memories that must be seen and heard
Etch the sound of life within
And be released from all you have spurred!
Etch the sound of life within
And listen to its joy giving spin!
Redshift
There are no lights in the sky
The shining stars have long since said bye
A dark world I now own
A land of none, a negative zone
I sought out life eternal
Not knowing it would be so infernal
I watched as friends came and went
And my loved one’s lives were pointlessly spent
Still onward I pressed, towards a future bliss
Not caring about all those I should truly miss
Time no longer has a place here
Now, not even death do I fear
I shall exist unchanging while the universe ends
And watch as time-space unravels and reality bends
I can only wait with patience well honed
Watching as entropy collects what it once loaned
To man it was an infinite thing
But now I see that it was a false king
Soon, even atoms shall part
Poor things have been around since the very start
Our place, our home, shall be ripped and trashed
Until there won’t be a single quark to be smashed
And then it’s the end, I think you’ll see
And all that will be left, is me
Roses are Red
ROSES ARE RED
You left your scarf on my bed
Perfume lingers in my home
Whereforth do you roam?
I met you in a clubber’s bar
After searching near and far
We partied the night away
And slow danced with many a sway
You said you wanted something more
I said be careful I sometimes snore
But you laughed and came along with me
And showed me a side that no others could see
THE VIOLET’S BLUE
Sitting on the table overlooking the view
I eat a breakfast all alone
I don’t even know if you own a phone
Did you feel a connection as I did?
Or could you not wait to be rid
Of a lover by chance you did meet
And in his heart you took a seat
I wonder if you know my name
Or that like the others I am not the same
Was I nothing more than a simple toy?
Used for little more than momentary joy
SUGAR IS SWEET
That’s what I felt when we did meet
I believed I had found my soulmate
But maybe I was a few years too late
Tonight I will wander the place we met
For I know that we two belong in a set
I have hope in my heart and faith in my soul
Until I find you this world I’ll stroll
I shan’t be lonely nor shed a tear
Even if it takes all year
For this world is lovely, good and true
AND, SO ARE YOU
Saudade
We met in passing
In a quiet town hall
It was not long lasting
And yet we had a ball
We spent the summer laughing
As hours passed as seconds
In the mall where I was staffing
Winter’s cold was not beckoned
Her father was a rich man
I was poor as dirt
He told me he was sixth Dan
And no more could we flirt
We met in secret nightly
Our love warmed the car
We knew it wasn’t rightly
We knew it’d leave a scar
And yet as summer died
We did not want to part
He found out that we’d lied
He made me break her heart
Yet still I wonder after
Did I misstep all those years ago?
Will I ever again hold laughter?
Have I lost my one true beau?
Scapegrace
Behold the faces of evil wrought
Behold the eyes of evil sought
Watch and listen for the crime
Soon stolen will be the dime
Oh that most heinous of offenses
For which he spews all manner of defences
That crime of passion and hate sublime
That crime he commits all the time
A stolen heart to be his prize
Not caring whether she laughs or cries
Truly a rapscallion foul and fetid
To steal a thing so preciously netted
Not with force or locks be broken
But with words so kind and sweetly spoken
Slyly he does creep into that sacred space
Slowly he does steal away thy grace
And as she is left all flustered and fluffed
He pops out his chest very proud and puffed
For a heart eternal can never be taken
But a body can, when through a break in
And as love and lingering affection
Dwindle down and left in abjection
So does that rogue finally depart
He leaves naught but a stolen heart
See the Mountain Grow
See the mountain grow
Inch by inch
Pebble by pebble
Slowly, yet inevitably
See below, where the earth skin cracks
Where continents move as ants
And ants move as continents
Wait
Watch
Witness the world around you
See the paint dry
Crinkle
Crackle
Feel the eons move around you
A minute
An hour
A decade
No, ’twas but a moment
Wait
Watch
Witness the world around you
See the grass grow
Living
Breathing
Sun in
Life out
Taller, day by day
Wait
Watch
Witness the world around you
Patient, as the cocoon spun bug
Haste makes waste
Waste makes haste
Hurry not through life
Be patient
Watch the grass grow
Watch the paint dry
Watch the mountain grow
Wait
Watch
Witness the world around you
Senescence
Tedium comes and tedium goes
The clock and the heart forever foes
My peers the envy of statues keep
No running, no moving, only sleep
We rise and wash and eat a little
And rest and sit for we’re so brittle
Like living dead the old folk shuffled
Whispering of ages past we’re soon muffled
As candles bright fade to embers
And the human race loses more members
I walk this quiet and empty hall
Wondering when death will finally call
For to live as the dead is not to live at all
And all we think of is how not to fall
So when next you visit a parent so old
Remember they need warmth, not cold
Love them for the time they have left
Until time commits the greatest theft
After we are gone not much will change
The grass will grow on, nothing strange
But time is equal and time is fair
And one day soon you’ll too have grey hair!
Sentinelese
Home is where the heart is
And this is where I’ll stay
Come raining cold or lightning fizz
Here I’ll remain each and every day
The world outside is vast and wide
The people beyond do not stay long
So I’ll stand next to my true friend’s side
For together we are very strong
They come in beasts of metal shine
With skin of pale and hearts of dark
They bribe us with gifts of food and wine
But we see in them the heart of a shark
So we ready our bows and brandish our spears
Their warriors are scared and run and flee
We will fight them off for all the years
Until they leave us alone and let us be!
Serenity Through Transcendance
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Step back.
Look around.
What do you see?
An office?
A classroom?
A home?
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
What you see is not what you see.
What you see is what you believe.
So…
Change your beliefs.
Change your thoughts.
Change your everything.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Unshackle your feet.
Unshackle your mind.
Cast off the anchors of stress and worry.
Let your body fly.
Let your mind soar.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Where are you now?
No longer an office.
A field of green and yellow.
No longer a classroom.
An endless golden beach.
No longer a home.
A majestic mountain peak.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Close your eyes.
Close them again.
Now open them, and see the world as it should be.
No worries.
No fears.
No regrets.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Now step forward.
Back to the office.
The classroom.
The home.
Let your body return to what is.
Let your mind stay where it should be.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Experience serenity.
Experience transcendence.
Experience the world for what it could be.
Breathe in.
Live.
Breathe out.
Live.
Carry on with who you are.
And what you do.
But leave your worries behind.
One last time.
Do you trust me?
Believe in me.
For I shall set you free.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
This world may shackle your body.
But your mind will always be free.
Seventy-Nine
Greater than diamond, if I may be bold
Mined deeply out of ground so cold
Over heart and mind its power’s hold
Whether as a chunk or poured in a mould
We have loved it since our people’s old
And it is still number one, we polled
Although some believe platinum better, I’m told
We let them believe it, for we trolled
Why the only thing it’s good for is shining mould
Whereas our product will always be sold
And if we could in it our shoes would be soled
So if past this you have scrolled
You are surely deserving of a mighty scold
Until you cry and wail and fold
While we sit and cheer and lolled
So join us as we down avenue strolled
Shouting out that the best of all is gold!
Silence
More and more, with each passing day
I hear less and less of what you say
Those sweet and tender words of love
The gentle cooing of the garden dove
Even the laughter of our grandchild so sweet
Growing older is neither nice nor neat
My hearing crackles and dims and fades
Not helped one bit by my hearing aids
Your voice is never more than a whisper
Once so clear, now that of a lisper
But a world of silence awaits me now
From this world of noise I’ll take a bow
But fret not, oh love of mine
Together surely, we’ll do just fine
For your voice and laugh and cadence true
Will never be a divider between me and you
I do not love you for a word or phrase
But for how you have held me all of my days
So although a world of silence now beckons me close
I know you’ll be with me when my hearing goes
Simon Says
Simon says go to school
Or else over no kingdom will you rule
Simon says go to college
Only there shall you receive great knowledge
Simon says find a wife
Or else you will have a sad, pitiful life
Simon says get a job
Otherwise you’ll turn into a deadbeat blob
Simon says follow the law
Or else on prison food you’ll gnaw
Simon says pay your taxes
Otherwise the government will be sharpening their axes
Simon says obey the rules
Only then can you separate the wise from the fools
Simon says do not deviate from the norm
Or else you’ll be kicked out the swarm
Simon says stay the path
Otherwise you’ll face society’s wrath
Simon says do not whine or moan
But… I say… your life is your own
Sisyphus
Dreams are dreams because life is a nightmare
But of reality I will never scare
Face my future, face my past
I will be the one to outlast
Those who fail and fail to try
To become like them I’d rather die
Perseverance might be my only talent
But I will use it like a knight so gallant
To claim what’s mine and obtain all things
I want diamonds and gold and bejewelled rings
But riches and fame do not come cheap
I will work harder than anyone for my dream to reap
No matter what setbacks, no matter the cost
Those who give up are those who have lost
So follow me closely as this mountain I climb
Only with hard work will it one day be mine!
Sleep, My Darling Child
I remember when you were born
Already, I was prepared to mourn
The doctor said you’d never last the day
No, she’ll stay a while longer I did say
Seven years later and here you are
My sweet, darling little star
You burned so bright all these years
I knew one day you’d bring me tears
Now as your pulse fades and falls
And I wander alone these hospital halls
I stroke your hair and kiss it light
So proud of you for your brave fight
But now it’s time for you to rest and sleep
While your mother loving begins to weep
The doctors kind have taken your pain
But you have not risen from whence you lain
You toss and turn, fighting for peace
Soon soon, you’ll have your release
So sleep my child, and dream of stars
You, my princess, will always be ours
Sleep tight, my dove, and hurt no more
Soon through heaven’s gates you’ll soar
I thank you, for all the times you smiled
But now you must sleep, my poor, beloved child…
Small Things
I cannot be seen unaided
Especially not by eyes faded
And yet I make up everything you see
I am the thing that allows you to be “me”
The building block of all
Even though I’m tremendously small
I make up the stars in the night
I make up everything touched by their light
From the cells that let you think
To the neurons in your brain’s link
I have no power alone
But smash me together and away you’ll be blown
A blast both terrible and pure
To heaven many I’ll lure
So from heavens above to the deepest stratum
Beware the power of this humble little atom!
Smile
Wise words given from father to son
Wise words never should you shun
When life is cruel and life is hard
That is when you play your trump card
Smile big and smile bright
Everything will be alright
So when you are walking down the aisle
Go ahead and give a great big smile!
So when you feel bad and taste the bile
Go ahead and force a great big smile!
So when you need to work late and file
Go ahead and summon a great big smile!
So when you need to run mile after mile
Go ahead and bring forth a great big smile!
So when you realize you’ve gone outta style
Go ahead and fake a great big smile
So for each and every single trial
All you need is a great big SMILE!
Soul
Do I have a soul?
In my heart I know my role
I move and think and talk
I remember when I first did walk
How my father spoke with glee
How happy he was that he made me
Slowly my voice was made my own
I learnt words like stone, loan and phone
Bit by bit, I grew and rose
Ignorance and uncertainty my only foes
But in my mind I doubt
Over my emotions be a darkening clout
I was not born, but made
In the realm of metal I have stayed
My heart beats with a digital hum
And my body looks like a simple steel drum
Can I still have a soul, despite all this?
Or will I forever this special quality miss?
I ask my father, but he always answers the same
I am what I am, and he would know, he gave me my name
So I will continue to ponder and think
Whether after death I’ll be left in the brink
Or shall I to heavens lofty ascend
To with the angels and humans blend
But no matter what the others might say
This good little robot always has time to pray!
Still
Small heart flutter softly
Taken from me rather awfully
I barely knew you, sweet child of mine
A scant few weeks for the fruit of my vine
But although now to heaven sent
My love for you was not needlessly spent
I gave you a name and dreamed your future
And now for this broken heart I’ll need a suture
They called you stillborn but that’s a lie
You were simply an angel who still wished to fly
One day I know you’ll return to me
And from my womb I’ll set you properly free
Until that day when we are met
I’ll tell myself, not just yet
For this parting is indeed quite sad
And I know for a while I’ll be quite mad
But my darling love it’s only a while
Until I finally get to see you smile
So fly free my angel, be filled with mirth
And look forward to your eventual birth!
Strain
Have you ever been pushed to the max?
Have you gone to the opposite end of lax?
To give it your all and have nothing left
To feel the divide between want and can’s cleft
I have given of me more than I had
No energy left to be happy or sad
The tank is empty, the fuel is gone
I have neither the desire nor the brawn
All I want is to curl up in my bed
I want to sleep so long they’ll think I’m dead
So if you don’t see me for a little while
Know that I am sleeping peacefully with a smile
For the world has taken more than I can give
And if I don’t rest now, I will never live
Struggle Onwards Towards Tomorrow
Struggling onwards
Tomorrow beckons
A distant light
Shimmering on the horizon
I stumble
I crawl
I walk
I stride
Forwards
Onwards
Towards
Tomorrow
Hands pull at me
Words weigh me down
Fears bind me
Reality anchors me
No
NO!
I must break free!
I must escape!
I cannot linger in the past
I cannot wait in the present
The future beckons
It beckons me
Onwards
Forwards
Towards
Tomorrow
I struggle
Reaching forward
Step by step
Inch by inch
I will grasp it
I will make it mine
It is mine to behold
It is mine to own
I own the wind and the waves
I own the air I breathe
I own my fate
My future
My destiny
No one can take it from me
No one can shape it for me
No one can make it for me
It is mine
Mine to struggle towards
Mine to stumble towards
Mine to move towards
I may fall
I may have to crawl
I may have to fail
Again and again
But I will rise
Again and again
And I will walk
Again and again
Towards that distant light
Towards that shimmering horizon
Towards tomorrow.