FIRESIDE CONFESSION

You know, my friend, there is a tale I must tell
After you have heard it all, you will take a view
It’ll affect the way you think of me, that is true
All of us have paths to choose, some go to Hell

We were talking business, many years ago in fact
With constant disagreements about this and that
You may even recall it, and consider it as a spat
Yet to my deepest shame, it was honesty I lacked

BEACH UNREADY

Why was I naked when I awoke
Could it be an odd sort of joke
A nudist beach with similar folk
But no, a deserted strip of sand
Memory loss I don’t understand
Before I move, just let me think

I do recall many a rum and coke
And someone there who spoke
I've a tiny towel worn as a cloak
Seeing the parts of me not tanned
Such a display was never planned
A lad’s day out and lots to drink

WHISPERING WOODS

Perhaps the rustling leaves are telling the tree’s tale
Whispering, such that only those listening may hear
Only when it is in tune, may the message be clear
Yet unless easily understood, it will be of little avail

The breeze is a medium, but other connections too
To share, an underground root network also serves
It’s communication via a kind of complex of nerves
No myths or stories, as all that’s shared will be true

BOARDWALK SECRETS

The lovers had their very own secret place
Under the boardwalk after the sun had set
A nightly tryst hadn’t been discovered yet
And being so careful not to leave any trace

But that evening, meeting on time as agreed
They were greeted with a most awful sight
A body drained of blood, so pale and white
Yet still smiling, as if its soul had been freed

HOMECOMING

After so many years away, it almost hurts
Seeing the old place again, albeit changed
A few remaining half-remembered friends
Upon whom my future years still depends
Some of that chemistry is now rearranged
Yet soon to original relationships it reverts

Faces, a little aged of course, I still recall
Children that I’ve never seen, acting coy
To them, I’m a stranger finally returned
I wonder if forgiveness could be earned
Some expressions of surprise, others joy
It’s the smiles that please me most of all

BONFIRE

As we approach the fifth of November
Few may recall the bonfire’s significance
An act of treason, if you did not know
Guy Fawkes discovered, match in hand
It was just in time, you will understand
Many gunpowder barrels ready to blow
Targeting Parliament in its magnificence
Something we all still should remember

THE BULLY

Being a bully is a state of mind
Not always physical you’ll find
Nor even aggressive behaviour
I wonder, who needs a saviour
And who’s the real victim here
Bullies are bullied it may appear

Yet is this all psychological fluff
Those affected have had enough
Not long before one might snap
And react with more than a slap
To pursue a permanent solution
Finally ending all the persecution

Looking through my cell window, I can see other cell windows. Some with lights on, some with lights off. I imagine what sad thoughts and sad hearts are dreaming behind those cell windows. Children, husbands, lovers. To taste some good home cooking, to touch without being scalded. To laugh without fear and to cry without shame. I wonder? How many hearts behind those windows want to smash that glass, just wanna scream in anger, hurt and pain. But! It's just in vain. There's no-one to listen, it's not worth it, only to be placed in another cell, with no windows...

WHEN LIFE IS A BLUR

Whenever I try and look back
My life has mostly been a blur
There are memories, for sure
More a whimper than a roar
The brain always was the spur
Hiding what a heart may lack

It was always about far to go
Travel, and much to achieve
The emptiness is yet to come
With few depths left to plumb
Only facts, not what I believe
So why do I now feel so low

WINTER COMETH

Do you hear winter, I hear it coming
That distant growl, there in the wind
Stronger now, than an autumn breeze
With the merest hint of an early freeze
And with no sweet taste like tamarind
But a biting cold that can be numbing

For some, it is a season for celebration
But its hidden scowl suggests otherwise
Hearing threats under its frozen breath
Of ice and snow, laying so still in death
Pretty snowflakes offering cute disguise
As so much of Nature is in hibernation