The Labyrinth of Seasons

The Labyrinth of Seasons

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labyrinth

/ˈlab(ə)rɪnθ/

noun

 

 

A complicated irregular network of passages or paths

in which it is difficult to find one's way; a maze

 

A Labyrinth is an ancient symbol that relates to wholeness

 

It combines the imagery of the circle and the spiral

into a meandering but purposeful path

 

The Labyrinth represents a journey to our own centre

and back again out into the world

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Dedicated to my husband, best friend and soulmate Glen

and our beautiful cats Miss Judy and Angel Kimba

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Kimba

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Forever in our hearts

07.01.2012 – 27.01.2023

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She opened the latch to the door of my heart

And set free a thousand white butterflies into the darkness

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The Velvet Night

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Find yourself again

Tie yourself to your dreams

Begin the dance your feet once loved

And hold your cup up to the stream

 

Where can I find you, oh love of my life?

That glistening joy of my youth

That scent of freedom

All those songs in the wind

 

Let me dance again

Wild as a thunder storm

With the midnight moon above me

And the ocean spray surrounding me

 

I’ll let my hair down into the night

And you can hold my hand

Listen to the shimmering whispers

Of the endless summer breeze

 

This is where dreams are made

Out here under the stars

Earth, sky and wind are my companions

I’m as free as the tide

 

Here, all my yesterdays fade

Quietly and loftily

Into the long starry highway

Of the everlasting Milky Way above

 

I breathe in the soft warm air

Of the heavily scented night

Days gone by are like sunflowers

And lilac lavender swishing in memory’s tide

 

How long will the velvet night last?

As long as I revere this time I have?

As long as I see heaven in my universe?

Until the golden sun peeks over my horizon?

 

As long as I can feel, touch and breathe this life I own

I know I can have the dreams I imagine

And the foreverness of time, my mortal life

Can carry on its song in the manuscript of eternity

 

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The Fire of my Heart

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Where did my heart go

When did she leave me?

 

I saw an evening of music

And then the silence hit

 

Save me from this

This was not my life

 

Everything within me burns

The fire of my heart

 

BURNING

BURNING

BURNING

 

I am here

I love you

 

Today more than other days

I will help my soul

 

I will forgive her

For everything

 

She will be free

Absent from fear

 

She will find herself again

 

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The Labyrinth of Seasons

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You and I chose each other blindly

Like waves choose the spot on the beach they crash on to

Like children choose which present to open first at Christmas

There we were, and the starting gun cracked

 

Cutting the corners on the track we raced down

We never wasted a moment reaching the finish line

We cheated the rule book, skipping whole chapters in our haste

Waiting for nothing but the glass to be filled

 

Together now we rest our heavy hearts

Here in the dappled sunlight, the book left open

Stretching ahead lies the labyrinth of seasons

And within the hopes of our unfledged dreams do wait

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Starlit Field

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My wish is to capture moonbeams

On a quiet Monday night

And fly up through the stars that twinkle

Improving midnight sight

 

Taking my best friends with me

We’ll laugh like children free

Dancing and singing wildly

We’ll be clapping joyfully

 

The night will last forever

And time will know no end

The seconds will go by slowly

Our lives a sweet godsend

 

Through angelic galaxies we’ll soar

Where past loved ones we’ll meet

We’ll stay for years and laugh and play

In playgrounds of love so sweet

 

From there we’ll travel highways

Dreaming of a life never ending

While down below to earthly soil

Our fantasies are sending

 

To old lives and spherical moments

We’ll then descend unknowing

Ecstatic feelings of freedom

Towards an end are growing

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Dreams are part of living

Each day sees them out

Grasp them for the moment

They can turn our lives about

 

Joys are sometimes fleeting

Sometimes long and pure

Don’t hold on too tightly

Or they’ll fade too far and fewer

 

Just run with the wild horses

Across the plains of your sweet dreams

Let your mind and spirit wander

As you glide through clear blue streams

 

Sit upon a craggy cliff top

Wander through a starlit field

There you’ll be, a soldier

Bearing hearts platinum shield

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Still Your Soft Heart

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Now I feel a sense of freedom

A wave of glorious light

As I catch my pure reflection

In the silvery moonlight

 

Embracing the beauty I find within

It’s fire flickers gently

I know I am becoming akin

To something growing sweetly

 

Pierce the clouds of rising joy

Full of hope and trust

Gather salty teardrops falling

Still your soft heart, you must

 

 

Adventure

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Join me in the cloudless sky

On fresh new wings of freedom

We’ll fly together way up high

And breathe in all God’s kingdom

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I want to show you how it’s done

Soaring carefree with the breeze

Bring with you a sense of fun

Precious moments we will seize

 

At days end we’ll find a spot

Where the grass grows tall and green

Remember our adventures and laugh a lot

Hidden from the world, unseen

 

 

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Freedom Fair

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A flash of pure happiness

Like the bright bulb of a camera

Gives my mind free access

To a world of creative wonder

 

Thoughts and dreams now take me

To a place of freedom fair

The rolling hills, the crashing seas

Nature’s wonders meet me there

 

I’m dreaming in a bubble

Where my life’s a bright rainbow

Underneath the myriad of rubble

Are hopeful seeds to sow

 

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My Life, My Masterpiece

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What?  A little happiness ‘tis all

It’s finally spring come after fall

My toes are warming, uncurling

Rainbows on the sun setting swirling

 

Why, yes, my dreams stopped for a while

Yet thoughts did strongly still compile

Shooting stars, though hid from sight

Lit the velvet, moonlit night

 

My hands found warmth in ink and wood

My flesh, earthly desires withstood

My heart and head, both found their peace

Enveloped in love, my life, my masterpiece

 

 

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Now

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What you do now and today

Is what you can see

Make the most of it, don’t think

On what has been or what will be

 

Remember you have no control

Over happenings in the past

Thinking too much on your future

Makes the present go too fast

 

Live and breathe for the moment

Enjoy your life right now

If at first it’s all too difficult

Just practice and learn how

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Soul Song

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Keep your broken heart for the ‘morrow

Your teary eyes for dreaming

This day’s not meant for dread or sorrow

Find a hope within that’s gleaming

 

Joyful now your heart must roam

And dance as the wild sea

For neither knows whence comes the foam

Or where their waves must be

 

Let the joy within your soul

Loud it’s song now sing

For it holds a tune to make you whole

And peace within you bring

 

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Dare To Live

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Peel back the layers of your diamante skin

Let the light penetrate and sparkle within

A rainbow will form in the cleft of your heart

And set your soul rightfully safe and apart

 

Apart from the worries of today, all tomorrow

Whisk you away from all yesterday’s sorrows

The colours, a song they will place on your lips

And rhythm to the music will enter your hips

 

So dance with your hands held up high in the air

Joy and pure glee will grab hold if you dare

Live to the beat of the drum you know best

And only when you’re satisfied, then you can rest

 

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Until You Forget Yourself

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Let the sunshine in, but keep a little place in the shade

Laugh wildly throughout life, but let tears fall gently sometimes

Give from deep within, but hold tight to that which is precious

Don’t be afraid of anything, but make caution your friend

Make a show of your emotions, but exercise control to the end

Love until you forget yourself, but only if they remember you

Write until your pen runs dry, but only if the words will help

Read by the midnight oil, but only once your day is done

Run until your body aches, but only down the roads you know

Learn everything you can, but only if you can pass it on

 

 

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Sweet, Wonderful You

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Ok so you’ve been thinking you can do it alone

And still have the energy to give

It’s time to set the pace a little

Over to responsible thinking and living

Doing things often for yourself

And realising then that you just can’t do it alone

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I once saw a smile upon your face

It danced across and stayed for a minute

Then faded off into the clear blue sky

It was like it was never even there

 

You wrestle with your sanity like a lion

Taming yourself into a corner of sorts

Can anything save you from the clamour of thought?

Sleep is welcomed like the dawn

 

But then I see your face upon waking

And I realise everything within your soul

You’ve been there since the beginning of time

And it’s lovely, and it makes me love you more

 

Don’t change one thing about your personality

Your generosity, trustingness, your laughter

It’s all a part of your beautiful make-up

And without it, you wouldn’t be you

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The world doesn’t see your struggles

It doesn’t see your pain

All it knows is sweet, wonderful you

So stand tall and shine like the diamond you are

 

 

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Leaving

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Red carnations in my room

There on the sill in the afternoon light

My legs are weak, I lay still in the quiet

Alone for the first time today

 

The days have come and gone like rainbows

Well wishes mixed with lingering goodbyes

As my love makes me comfortable once more

I settle in for the long night ahead

 

Dreams take me into the future

Where I’m swimming in the ocean so free

My family are there with their own

And I’m happy as anyone could be

 

I know I’ll always be part of them

And the mix of my friends on the sand

So long as my memory lives in them

I’ll never let go of their hand

 

 

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Live for Today

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This day is one of thousands

One in a sea of swirling thoughts

Tomorrow it will just be yesterday

A ship that has seen many ports

 

So I’ll wake and let the sun warm me

My eyes will see bright new beginnings

Turn up the sound of my happiness

Ready for another strong innings

 

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Experience

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Facing up is half the game

Then waking up

Or maybe I should stay asleep

Head under the pillow

Eyes barely open

Open enough to see the sunshine

All the rainbows of light

To feel kisses on my cheeks

And watch rain dance on grass

To hear a bird sing a love song

To have someone care for me

Then, then I might face up

Face up to the fact

That life is OK

Full of happiness, bursting with fun

Good times to be shared

Then and only then will I wake up

I’ll be glad to be alive

Yes, facing up to living is the key to life

 

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Souls

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We can meet in our dreams

Where eyelids flutter

And hearts beat silently

 

There we’ll go to a place of memories

And live in each other’s fantasies

Taking with us fresh fields of hope

 

And in the morning we’ll wake and know

That dreams are a part of living

In them we find each other’s soul

 

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Never Letting Go

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Did you know I’ve always loved you?

The second our eyes met

I smiled

I laughed

I saw life differently

 

You gave me so much of your time

We spent long hours together

Eating

Drinking

I looked forward to being with you

 

I think about you constantly

Your face is imprinted on my mind

Your smile

Your voice

Your words play on me

 

We’ll always be friends

In a lot of ways, lovers

Life brought you to me

And I’m never letting go

 

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Sunshine of Love

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I love dreaming about you

Even though it may never be

It’s a kind of haphazard future

That gurgles from this fantasy

 

I love these clear cool mornings

Alone but for dreams of us

The rippling sea, the birds so free

For me, this is enough

 

Out in nature’s wonderland

Sun’s shadow’s dance in the air

Basking in my love for you

A bed for my soul found there

 

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Stand in the Storm

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Bring to me

All that which you hold dear

Show me yourself

 

Storms will come

Storms will go

Yet into the depth of knowing you

I shall go

 

Beautiful you are

Weaknesses and strengths

It’s strengths I see

As the hope you carry with you

 

RAIN

STORMS

THUNDER

 

The weather of life

It brings a river of emotion

And there you stand amongst it

 

 

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Precious Moments

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Children laughing

Music playing

Birds fly on the breeze

You and I sit by the shore

We laugh and chat with ease

 

Lazy days and summer haze

Watching boats go by

This, for me, is just enough

Though precious moments fly

 

The crowded street

The dusty park

They’re summers telltale signs

Hope the clock won’t strike the hour

And spoil these wondrous times

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Close to Me

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The sun is shining again

Clouds have broken

Warmth envelopes me

Like your arms

 

I have waited silently

Not knowing what would come

Now we’re here

Happy once again

 

Like fresh flowing water

My mind runs over your touch

So lovely, your lips, your tongue

I need you close to me forever

 

 

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The Simple Things

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Each colour of the rainbow

Every cloud up in the sky

Each and every chocolate flavour

Try all these and you’ll know why

 

You’re everything in life to me

Wrapped up cosily into one

You’re a smile on a child’s face

You’re a new life just begun

 

I love lying in the hot sunshine

Next to your body so brown

Playing cards, sipping gin and tonics

It’s great to just have you around

 

Let these words be a simple reminder

Of my love and adoration for you

My mind has been filled with happiness

Since my trip over oceans so blue

 

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Whisper

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We are one now

I think of you as part of me

My breath

My body

My bones

 

You bring me happiness

You shower me with laughter

Kissing me

Caressing me

Needing me

 

Everything collapses around us

The world is spinning, but we stand still

Gather me in your arms for now

And whisper you love me

 

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Belonging

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Faint into my arms

Here is where you belong

Stop fighting, stop thinking

Don’t think that you have to be strong

 

I’ll clothe you with kisses

I’ll bathe you with calm

I know hits and misses

Have brought you much harm

 

You’re one in a billion baby

You’re a wave on the sea

You’re free to be anything

That you want to be

You’re one in ten billion

 

Let me love you and hold your warmth close to me

I am yours, I’m yours now alone

I know that you have insecurities

But don’t worry, my heart is your home

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The Cave

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Once empty seconds

Become fields of sanctity

Black holes of silence

Burst into splendour

 

The uninhabitable is filled with comfort

The air brings sweet desire

Doors to freedom open

And I rush out to meet you

 

You cave me in with laughter

And I warm to your soft touch

Read between the lines companion

Before the journey ends

 

 

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Peppering Life with Friendships

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I grasp the meaning of this world

When we’re out having fun

I never believed it was quite this special

To be known deeply by someone

 

We laugh at jokes together

And talk of life’s new trials

Sometimes we disagree on things

But respect’s there all the while

 

I’ll remember all your sweetness

When I’m exiting this place

And think of all your loving ways

Your bright and happy face

 

For you were one that brought to me

A life better and worth living

So these words I am putting down

To you I am now giving

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Fields of Light, Gold and Blue

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If this was the last piece of paper on earth

Lines, pen and thoughts would belie all it’s worth

But you are another story to record

A life, a destiny straighter than the sword

Eyes to see and lips to tell

Buried deep are mysteries to sell

Bright as the sun, your wit and wonder

Gather strength, don’t fall or blunder

Weakness is a soldier’s friend

To a poor man, hands must lend

Bury now your hearts’ regret

Tend the soil, sun must set

Flowers grow where tears fall softly

Sit a while, quiet and lofty

Take up residence

Where soul finds decadence

Trees will whisper

On breezes crisper

Doors will open, walk on through

Fields of light, gold and blue

Settle into soft warm bed

Now you must put down your head

Into space and time forgotton

We are all of love begotten

Long held hope and anchors deep

Seconds away from welcome sleep

Warmth and safety holds me in

You and I now – we’re akin

 

 

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Slow Moments

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She leads a double life

Never trying to lie

She longs to be his all, his fantasy

He lets her dreams fly high

 

Entwined in his strong arms

Her mouth pressed to his lip

Slow moments melt and pass

Her heart’s held in his grip

 

 

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Escape

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I stared at you on the train

You must have thought that I was weird

It was just that you stared back at me

and I couldn’t look away

 

I imagined making love to you

You were handsome and had kind eyes

 

Stumbling back to the thoughts in my head

I think of what to cook for dinner

and how long it will be till I can pull the covers

over my chest and escape myself

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Shudder

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Tears taste like heaven

Clean, warm like rain

I crunch my hands into my face

There’s no escape from their drops

 

Sobs shake the foundations

I lean forward into the night

If only there was an embrace

I could shudder into the darkness

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Secret Lair

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Broken rules cover the page

You scream to try to capture what’s gone

Serenity has come of age

Never mind trying to be strong

 

Here in your four-cornered room

A window left open for air

Your innermost now you exhume

Opening doors to a secret lair

 

Capture a moment in eternity

And spin the thought round in your mind

Record the notion as you do earnestly

Or leave it forever behind

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The Flame

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The flame died down many months ago

You can’t say I didn’t fan it back to life once or twice

I’m not even sure I was ready for the final blow

 

I’ve found the strength to end the tale

Returning all your love-sick mail

Now my words dominate the page

Finally, my act dominates the stage

 

Into the future I head with pride

Holding my head high with every stride

Yesterdays’ stories and all her sorrows

Fade when I consider glorious tomorrows

 

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Purple Garden Path

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‘Take my hand in yours’ I said softly

I have so many things to show you

We’ll dance along a purple garden path

silver leaves and a giant pine will shade us

 

Don’t you worry about the sun

A little warmth on your shoulders is good for you

There’ll be cool drinks at dusk

And we can listen to your favourite music, till you fall asleep

 

In your slumber I want you to dream

Of a place where you are loved

Rest gently so you can feel the kisses

Of the moonlight upon your soft cheek

 

Let your mind wander over happy memories

Think of a time you sat, holding a friend’s hand

When you could feel their comfort in your just being there

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Keeping Light in a Crystal Jar

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My heart flew out the window

It beat its wings and soared

Into the moons pink glow

 

Fireflies danced around my aorta

Somewhere buried deep in there

The demise of Lachlan’s daughter

 

Love could not hold unwanted spoil

Nor could childhood beatings

On my own, alone… she was sent to soil

 

Secrets, they are etched upon my heart

Especially for times like this

Just so you don’t tear me apart

 

Safely high my heart will fly

Through galaxies near and far

Enjoy the memories, as time goes by

Keeping light in a crystal jar

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The Search

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She searched many rooms

Opening doors, lifting floors

There were times she lingered

A friend found

Then lost

The search continued

Her mind was lost

Just where, or how, she wasn’t sure of

Somewhere back there amongst the vines

Unwanted children, magistrates and men

I watched but most I ignored

Too busy, too frightened, too ignored myself

Her life was important

She’d lost it

And the search consumed her

 

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Old Scars

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When you became familiar, I left

When I stopped wanting you, I left

I left you a thousand times over

I’ve been leaving you for years

I’m walking away

Head high

One hand hailing freedom

I want to leave you

But you’re magnetic

I’m strong as steel

Yet you know how to bend me

Old scars healed last year

Under the cloak of night

Dinners and movies

When we were wanting more

Now you play me like a song

And I gladly hum along

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Lion

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Sometimes I just want to do it my way

Ignoring the words that you think and you say

It’s my life to live and I’m doing it right

I’ve put up a struggle, put up a fight

 

Sometimes I know that you think I am wrong

But my lips tell a story, they sing my life’s song

I’m here on earth and my feet walk the ground

But sometimes you don’t let me make any sound

 

My hands make my future, my eyes watch the game

My head is a lion that you try to tame

Inside this cage that you build around me

I’m trapped in a lifeboat, but I’m on the open sea

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Leave no Traces

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Cool clear water, by the sea, on the sand

You are here with your outstretched hand

Your eyes sparkle blue in your beautiful face

The wind sings a song, how I love this place

 

Under the expanse of clear skies, you and me

Balanced on times’ edge, our souls carefree

The long flat horizon, a world of opportunity

We wish for the future, our hearts enjoy unity

 

Seconds spent together stretch into a day

Long held moments, like a scene in a play

Closing our eyes as the sun warms our faces

Just you and me now, the world leaves no traces

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Podium

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Wrapped up warmly in my blanket of silence

Far, far away from the thunder of tyrants

For as long as I’ve known I have aimed for good health

Mind, body, soul – doing away with all wealth

 

I’m dancing and jumping – inside and all over

Expansive fields of dreams and clover

Strutting my stuff – lifting feet to the music

Poems, words and music – all this is intrinsic

 

Capture scent of freedom, let it embrace you

Times to let all your fears go are too few

Stand on the podium, sing out your anthem

Today is a gift to you – find there your freedom

 

Then, on reflection when all you have done

Is equaled in effort and outcome by none

Then you can rest in the knowledge few know

That all of your growth came from seeds you did sow

 

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Footprints

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Let your dreams in, bright as they are

Don’t keep them locked in or hidden afar

Your life is a painting, with colours awash

It’s not a mud pie, that a big foot has squashed

 

Be brave as a hurricane, carrying the wind

Be full of pure strength though you know you have sinned

For there’s nothing so bad that you’ve done on this day

That a little love and courage can’t help blow that away

 

All those paths which your feet have trodden in haste

Don’t sink in history as a sad hopeless waste

Your footprints all serve as reminders to you

Of times and experience and things we all do

 

Hold your head high my darling, and know you are great

You hold the key to your own futures fate

Struggles you’ve had though they weigh on your mind

Are what help your future together to bind

 

Exit your fears with a smile and a song

Laughter will fill you in time not so long

Hope for tomorrow brave the bad weather

To your aspirations let there be a tether

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The Morning Sea

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The gathered strength of my mind settles me

As I rise and fall gently like the morning sea

Up through blue-green prisms of light

Down into dark troughs, devoid of fright

 

As I move close towards a land filled with sun

Up to the top of the slope now I run

Feeling the strength of your trust as I go

Letting the cool of clear mountain streams flow

 

Driving heavy anchors into soft moistened ground

Letting in all of the strange lilting sound

Breathing in time to the music we play

Watching the sky and the white clouds turn grey

 

Back now I go to the waters clear edge

I run my hand over the soft sandy ledge

Alone but together we stare at the world

And listen as each others dreams gently unfurl

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My Pumping Mind

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You can scratch out my eyes and beat upon my back

And you’ll still see a kaleidoscope of dreams

 

I’ll still run in the sunshine that glistens on grass

Making rainbows on soft morning dew

Precious moments in life though they skip and they pass

Are not gestures of time spent too soon

 

Clutching thoughts in the mornings first light

Writing them down on trees flattened pulp

Dreams show their face in the night

When I wake, the air they do gulp

 

In darkness I know my own breathing

Under a blanket of blood in my room

Gone is the crowd upon minds seething

Has created a box in the gloom

 

Books lay open on the table

Music soothes my pumping mind

Underneath the protective strong gable

I sleep and become my own kind

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No Perfect Song

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You’re fretting aimlessly on a windy night

Wishing for a friend when you need one

Your tumbling mind full of morbid fright

Is anxious for tomorrows dawn sun

 

You back pedal over where it went wrong

And search frantically for the source

You’ve played 6 CDs but there’s no perfect song

To set you back on the right course

 

So you lie on the couch with a pen in your hand

Writing down seems to help work it out

You sense in your heart on your feet you will land

These experience’s turn life about

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Stay Forever

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I can feel an ever so slight breeze on my leg,

A faint wash of cool over my bareness

Inside I am hot as a northern summer

Yet outside nature brings my temperature down

 

Closing my eyes now is a sweet rest from thinking

My head on my arm, and voices in the background

I drift out of the reality that holds me

As my mind warps into a slow state of calm

 

I could stay this way forever, here with my friends

I hear them talking around me, a dog barks

They know I’m not sleeping, just closing my eyes

In their presence I am safe and sound

 

On waking I’m alert and bright, ready to play

I’ve got so many things I want to say

The time for socialising, love and laughter

Rest and solitude, that can come after

 

Life’s sweet pleasures – a laugh, a smile, a chat

It’s such a simple game we have to play

There’s not much difficulty to be had

In the day-to-day beauty I have shared

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Finding You

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I used to search for you the world over

I thought I found you when I was nine

I sang to you and clapped my hands

But I couldn’t always do right

 

My mother told me I’d go to hell without you

That I wasn’t able to earn your love

I had to try and try every day

But I would still fall short of your glory

 

I strayed off the path you made for me

I wandered back and forth, lost in my mind

I didn’t know it was easy to love you

I was taught another, harder way

 

Now I know it’s just about doing right

And finding you in my thoughts

Like a child, I trust you will always find me

And I wait for you with open arms

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The Blue Denim Bag with a Butterfly

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I needed to get rid of it

To move on in my life

Drop all the attachment I felt to it

And that youth which held such strife

 

Times in the packed white combi

Moving around in a haze

Picking pears and smoking marijuana

I had to forget those days

 

For here I am, a woman

Fighting for a new, clear mind

Friends and family holding me

Being so caring and kind

 

I’d come out of the woods, a skeleton

With no future, no past I was proud to have

And that bag with the big red butterfly

Was just holding me down in the cave

 

So I passed it on to a colleague

If I remember correct, it was Jess

I wanted someone to love it

Perhaps be attached to it less

 

I’d bought it from Childers second hand shop

Along with a purple bikini

It summed up that 8 month nightmare

When I left my employment stability

​

So you’re wondering why I write about it

Why I lost it but can’t let it go

I’m not sad or sorry to think of it

The winds of change constantly blow

 

That was an era of mayhem

The trip finished prior to nineteen

The blue butterfly bag and its contents

Still remind me of all I have seen

 

​

 

Your Story

​

I can see you straining

Your happy smile has disappeared

Is it because it’s been raining

No, it’s more than that, so I feared

 

There’s a little sadness dwelling there

I know some of the story of your life

You know it is often unfair

Bringing good times and also some strife

 

But you must be strong and courageous

If not for yourself, for the world

Make your happiness highly infectious

And watch as your dreams all unfurl

​

​

​

Staving Off

​

So there’s a lifeline I have found within

A thick and heavy rope, not thin

It’s pull has dragged me back into

A land of gold and turquoise blue  

 

For months I felt this land was lost

Gone forever, my life it’s cost

I feel like squeezing someone’s fingers

It’s almost like a taste has lingered

 

Still, a little rusty and hopeless

But on I’ll try, my soul is fearless

I know I must forget the wine

I admit tonight’s stave, a sign

​

​

​

Shudder

​

Tears taste like heaven

Clean, warm like rain

I crunch my hands into my face

There’s no escape from their drops

 

Sobs shake the foundations

I lean forward into the night

If only there was an embrace

I could shudder into the darkness

​

​

​

Four Corners

​

Broken rules cover the page

You scream to try to capture what’s gone

Serenity has come of age

Never mind trying to be strong

 

Here in your four-cornered room

A window left open for air

Your innermost now you exhume

Opening doors to a secret lair

 

Capture a moment in eternity

And spin the thought round in your mind

Record the notion as you do earnestly

Or leave it forever behind

​

​

​

Unfinished

​

As I piece together my life, all my hours

My mind wanders over her old ground

Times when I should’ve been smelling the flowers

Instead spent sleeping, without a mere sound

 

But this day, is a new life I’ve found in me

A song and a dance made for so many

Onto the ocean I sail with glee

Waves crashing around

​

​

​

Less Than Golden

​

Now tell me I’m wonderful

I’m sorry but I can’t be right now

The alcohol has made me stall

I’m really just lazy – a bit of a know-how

 

Life has showed her pretty face to me

A smile of sorts, a dance of glee

Somehow I’ve seen hidden therein

A life less than golden, a lot more like tin

 

Then there’s the ache, the cry for space

A hand of Kings, a Jack, an Ace

I’m trapped now, you’re the driver, rider

Paths ahead mean distance strider

 

So we all know that life’s a wonder

Books and poetry, all asunder

Pull the curtains, lift the blanket

Anymore – I just can’t take it

​

​

​

Sunshine of Your Day

​

I’m still your mate, your friend and all

Just right now, I gotta stall

Cause being so close – it’s pretty hard

Always wondering if I should play the card

 

I don’t want to be the one you call

Just when the chips are down, when you fall

I want to be the sunshine of your day

Your home to return to from being away

 

For all it’s worth, I’m still confused

A little tired, not amused

I’m treading the path I’ve made my own

By the wayside, flowers have grown

 

​

 

All The Same Things We Fear

​

Everything stands in the way

The past – the present – all I have to say

Your wishes unsaid – my dreams imagined

Into the future, holding the margin

 

Now wherever you wish to take me

Holding back – too big the open sea

Drowning in the depth of feeling

The two of us have done with dealing

 

Give me now my spirits’ rest

Think you’re empty – this is best

Eyes see, ears hear

All the same things we fear

​

​

​

The Key

​

It’s a chorus of thoughts that holds me

Just letting go, and letting be

In that freedom is found a light

Shining on the way, the future’s bright

 

Tossing and turning though, it never ends

Back and forward, watching the bends

Somewhere in that toybox of feelings

Is the key to unlock dealings

 

Just a rummage through the mess

Yes, it may make unnecessary stress

To find an answer to all our woes

Would surely have to soften blows

 

Half an hour of searching strongly

Cursing, swearing…not so wrongly

Till the moment seizes me

Oh my god, I’ve found the key

 

It’s not exactly what I expected

A bit of a let down to dreams I’d erected

A rusty, broken, poor looking thing

I doubt enlightenment it could bring

 

I hold it up in the dusty sunlight

My goodness, so old it looks a fright

I imagine all the hands that’ve touched it

And quietly there, a moment I sit

 

I gather my thoughts, now relaxed and still

And honestly now, it takes all my will

To admit to myself that now I have the key

It’s not even close to where I want to be

 

Closing the door, I walk away

I’ll use the key another day

For now I’m happy just for one

Searching for the answer is much more fun

​

​

​

Fire Racing Skyward

​

It’s always the beginning of a thing, anything

A poem, a phone call, a friendship

That brings the most hardship

 

Once we decide to resist the fear

It should very quickly become quite clear

That really, it’s half the fun getting started

C’mon don’t you love seeing the fire ignited

 

Those tiny, licking flames a jumping

Gets your mind and body pumping

Get more fuel for soon there’ll be

A fire racing skyward, free

​

​

​

Nightmare

​

Softly I tread in a garden of pins

And watch I don’t pierce my soft feet

Tiptoeing around the fat clumps of my sins

The rage of my past I can beat

 

Eyelids stuck shut in the gloom of night

My body’s a still, steady rock

Fighting dead thoughts with all my minds might

I listen to the slow ticking clock

 

Together with death I walk into the sea

I swim in the blackness out there

A nightmare takes hold of the freedom in me

Closed eyes into nothing do stare

 

A violin plays a scratchy tune

I can’t make out the body that holds it

Oh waking is not going to happen too soon

I can feel my teeth clenching the grit

 

My head is a balloon blown to bursting,

As I climb out of the blankets which cover

Finally the day and its noises are sounding

I now write this and hope to recover

​

​

​

Wherever You’re Breathing

​

Why do I think this way?

Why do I say the things I say?

When you offer to come and help me

I find it hard to take it for free

 

My eyes can be closed to kindness

It must seem I’m afflicted by blindness

I know it makes you feel confused,

And I don’t want your good nature to feel abused

 

It’s just that I’m not used to this

All your love and all this bliss

I’ll try to open up my heart

I’ll listen, these new grounds I’ll chart

 

I’ll learn a new way, treading softly

New fields of love where the grass grows lofty

If I need to hide and recover

I’ll let you know, you needn’t smother

 

We’ll be fine, our hearts will survive

I’ve never felt so free and alive

Blue sky above us, wild seas below

Wherever you’re breathing, I will go

​

​

​

Making Love

​

Your hands upon me gripping tight

Here in the soft cool morning light

I’m tripping over thoughts in my head

As we share our bodies, making love on your bed

 

My skin feels every touch you make

I hear you breathing as I become more awake

Torso’s, legs and feet are twisting

We pause a while, and you start wristing

 

​

 

No Trace

​

Cool clear water, by the sea, on the sand

You are here with your outstretched hand

Your eyes sparkle blue in your beautiful face

The wind sings a song, how I love this place

 

Under the expanse of clear skies, you and me

Balanced on time’s edge, our souls carefree

The long flat horizon, a world of opportunity

We wish for the future, our hearts enjoy unity

 

Seconds spent together stretch into a day

Long held moments, like a scene in a play

Closing our eyes as the sun warms our faces

Just you and me now, the world leaves no traces

​

​

​

If We Had But a Day

​

My darling, listen as my soft heart beats

Listen as it pounds in my chest

You make my cool body to rise in heat

My sleepy mind to slow and rest

 

Do you know when I’m thinking of you?

Is it madness to think it can be?

I wish that strange conviction be true

As I know you are thinking of me

 

Where is your face in the bare, dark night?

Where is that love I once saw?

I’m wishing, I’m hoping, that maybe you might

Come close to me, kiss me once more

 

If time is a measure of distance

Then let me now stretch out my hand

So little separates our existence

Our voices and stretches of land

 

If we had but a day with each other

I’d start with the sun in the sky

Then your lips with warm kisses I’d smother

In the mornings’ light shadows we’d lie

 

You’d find for me pools of bright ocean

Where we’d swim and laugh loud in the breeze

Our minds would be drunk on love’s potion

Like two wild, untamed gypsies

​

The most beautiful place in the shade of a tree

A blanket we’d spread on the grass

Then love as slow, as tender could be

Would be made as the slow seconds pass

 

The afternoon light then fading into dusk

My head would be resting on your chest

Your scent, soft and luring, that masculine musk

The air rising gently in my breast

 

There in the moonlight we’ll talk and listen

Tell and hear of our hopes, dreams and fears

The water with silvery starlight will glisten

The end of the day now appears

 

Each day holding you I remember

As pure light held tight in my soul

Hoping only by stars they’re outnumbered

For when you’re with me you make me feel whole

​

​

​

Run with Me to The Beach

​

I am pinching myself that this is all real

It’s like a hot fantasy, you’re oh so surreal

Being this close to you, feeling you too

I’m wondering… how can it possibly be true?

 

You’re body next to mine, so strong and sublime

I wish I could stop the clock, freeze the earths time

Cause when we’re together I’m like a little girl

My head’s in a spin, my heart’s in a whirl

 

Will you tell me now, whisper it soft in the moonlight

That you’ll stay here beside me for one more long night

Hold me close and let me hear your heavy breathing

The dawn will come soon, all our dreams will be leaving

 

So run with me down to the beach in the sun

We’ll laugh, holding hands in the water having fun

It’s a world made for us and our sweet yearning love

In this world where souls live, you and I rise above

​​​​​

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TALES AND TITTER

 

 

Hairy Underpants

​

We drove in a second hand combi van

Up the Australian eastern seaboard

To find ourselves a decent suntan

And lands that were still unexplored

 

We settled in for two weeks up at the Bay

Where we frolicked in the surf, sand and sun

But the local ranger sent us on our way

I guess ‘parking up’ was too much fun

 

So we took off to fields of bright golden corn

Capsicum, rockmelon and zucchini

In Bundaberg, Queensland this tale is born

Turtle Beach was our own Santorini

 

We settled in down by the surfside

Strung our washing over the van doors

The humble campsite had us all starry-eyed

As we took long walks at dusk on the moors

 

4:30am damp from dewdrops

The alarm bell would wake us from our dreams

Our careers lacked striped suits and a laptop

Picking fruit for our wages was supreme

 

Early morning we’d assemble at the farmyard

About 50 of us, old and young at heart

There were those who were chipper and die-hard

But most of us needed a kickstart

​

We’d all pile in the back of a pick-up

The odd wave hello to a play mate

Snuggled there close we’d soon warm up

As we drove along, tired heads would vibrate

 

After more than ten minutes of navigation

We’d stop somewhere in the heart of the fields

By then, we’d found more motivation

And were ready to help out with the yields

 

Along with our half asleep bodies

The pick up held round picking bins

The system felt backyard and shoddy

Some workers deserved a weigh in

 

I’d come upon this glorious, freedom-filled life

With two crazy poms, Liz and Jay

The three of us made for oh so much strife

On this fruit-picking beachside holiday

 

There were jolly campers from near and far

Sweating it out on the land

The goings on make a great memoir

The hours flowed on like quicksand

 

There was one particular morning

And some words I will never forget

You may find them either heartwarming

Or gross and unnecessary, I bet

 

You see, I’d found some old jersey trousers

By the road, one day after picking

And as I jumped ship, rabble-rouser

Those old pants became my belongings

​

I treasured those old baggy daggies

They were comfy and worn at the seams

They were fit for a free scallywaggy

And in them I felt quite extreme

 

But Liz had her eyes on those raggies

And one day, early start, sore and tired

I gave up the treasured old daggies

Liz asked and I gave what she desired

 

But tired she was, and as she got dressed

No underpants did she put on

Then out past the beach and onwards we pressed

To the fields of zucchini and corn

 

We stumbled into the pick-up truck

For the ride to our office in the sun

Liz wore a smile that told of her luck

To be wearing the raggies she’d won

 

One part of the story has been slyly left out

And it’s to do with the pants that Liz wore

I believe the reason they were thrown out

Was the inner seam where they were torn

 

So combine Liz’s rush in the morning

Not to put any underpants on

And the darkness before the days dawning

Let’s just say it was dreadfully wrong

 

So there we are sitting in the pick-up

And we’re all leaning back with our knees up

Legs spread apart so we’d hold up

As the corrugated roads made us shake up

​

We’re about to jump out and start our days work

when our loud mouth mate, Colin, looks down

His faced is covered in a childish smirk

What he said may just cause you to frown

 

“You’re wearing furry undies” he exclaimed

Liz’s face was a whitewash of fear

She looked down and realized the truth and her shame

For her pubes were showing through the tear

 

I was beside myself with this comment

A few others around were as well

I think that Liz wished herself absent

And hoped that the laughter would quell

 

But Liz is a brave pommy soldier

She’s a nurse and she’s seen more than that

So the hilarity just rolled off her shoulders

And that was the end of that

 

So… this tale has told you a story

But let it also be a reminder to you

Don’t let your own private glory

Go on show to the whole fruit picking crew

 

 

​

My Two Bucks Worth

​

The night is now etched in our memory

Like a wave carves a line on the sea

The party became a menagerie

Onto Chatswood my happy decree

 

Under age drinking at the pub by rail

Noisy shouts at the bar with the boys

Soon would begin the oft remembered tale

Of that night and it’s crazy deploys

 

Making my way to the footpath

The streetlights became girls in stilettos

Imagining bikini-clad mudbaths

I tried walking straight, incognito

 

I spied a white van going slowly

Its driver seemed familiar to me

I took a double take then I realized

Bloody hell, that’s Nathan Kennedy

 

Nathan was a friend of my brothers’

His wheels for the night were his dads

We drove round the corner to the bottle-o

Five dollars was all that we had

 

We planned to get back to the party

With a bottle of port for the night

By now I was feeling quite tardy

Cheap alcohol didn’t excite

​

Over the bridge, back to Forestville

Down some back streets, left and right

Locating Traceys took all of my will

My sense of direction a fright

 

We pulled up in the dark on the kerbside

And wandered to the house, through the door

Oddly quiet though once we got inside

I noticed 1970’s décor

 

Four glasses were there on a side bench

As if left out especially for us

The port let out an awful stench

But I was in no state to fuss

 

The box was tuned into the ball game

“Hey Buckley mate, party’s died down”

I’d been wondering something exactly the same

And whether I should’ve gone into town

 

The game and the port were finished in a blast

When out of the corner of my eye

Through the kitchen louvre, a shadow was cast

So I turned round to look and see why

 

An answer came quickly as soon as I saw

Two large, glaring eyes full of fright

For beyond that 70s kitchen door

Was what would upturn our whole night

 

“What’s going on?” someone yelled from back there

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

I’m still not sure who got the biggest scare

As I realized some awful wrongdoing

​

“We’re here for the party, Tracey’s party mate”

“There ain’t no flamin’ party here”

“Yeah there is”, I purported, in my now confused state

Though I knew that departure was near

 

Then up off the couch, in an odd state of mind

“What the fuck’” I thought, staring at the floor

Kennedy had the balls to reach back behind

Grab the port as we lurched for the door

 

We ran to the van, all dazed and confused

Still amused by what happened inside

The engine roared to life, and we were enthused

Still the goings on had us wide-eyed

 

But no sooner had we roared up the darkened street

A siren called our wheels straight back

A diligent copper who was minding his beat

Had kept us from running the slack

 

“Blow into this bag son”, the uniform said

Leaving no room for excuses

The number on the reading put all plans to bed

And now we were no longer footloose

 

I thought of my 12 o’clock curfew

And questioned how I’d get home from there

The scenario being obviously nothing so new

I was waved on, without any care

 

So saying goodbye to my lost lift back home

I crossed Warringah Road to Killarney

I gamely decided into bush I would roam

A short cut to quicken the journey

​

My tired eyes adjusting to the darkness

I trudged through the bush with full power

But the beers and the port brought on weakness   

I fell asleep under a transmission tower

 

For hours I lay there, curled up in the dirt

When I woke, I wasn’t sure of the time

I had spider webs and sticky stuff covering my shirt

And my hands were all covered in grime

 

“Bloody hell, that curfew”, I spoke to the dark

With no watch on I was sure I was past

When all of a sudden, an idea like a spark

Off I trundled, this time much more fast

 

If the lights are still on at the Servo’s club

I’ll be right, it’s before one o’clock

I’ll be able to make some excuse up

Cross fingers dad won’t smell a crock

 

As I made my way round the street corner

I saw the neon sign lit up bright

But as I got nearer and the truth became clearer

There were no cars, all was over and quiet

 

Home still a decent half an hour away

The sun slowly creeping her way up

With nothing left to do I hoped and I prayed

Dad wasn’t up watching The Cup

 

But as my key turned and the door opened wide

My heart skipped a beat as I saw

Dad on the lounge, watching TV inside

“Go to bed son, you’ve broken house law”

​

Come Sunday morning, the house was awake

A voice at the door stirred my slumber

What happened next really took the whole cake

For what I beheld did encumber

 

There in the courtyard stood Kennedy

His hand reaching out in my direction

His voice sounded more like a parody

His words were no careful selection

 

He asked me for two dollars fifty

My eyes bulged, my stomach turned slightly

This was just crazy, bloody shifty

So I questioned I was hearing this rightly

 

“For the port”, he said, “Your half, remember?”

By now I was starting to sway

The night came flooding back to my memory

I just wished it would all go away

 

I gave him the coins, he departed

And I stumbled my way back into bed

My mind went to where this all started

I held on to my spinning, sore head

​

​

​

The Great Bee Chase

​

The bee hive came from a friend we knew

I think he painted it himself

We propped it up on a brick or two

So the moisture would keep from the shelf

 

On an ordinary day it just sat there

Down the back near the craggy cliff

To go anywhere close to it, I didn’t dare

The nearest I got was a whiff

 

Dad called up some guys in the game

To extract the sweet trickle for us

With palm smoke the bees they did expertly tame

The whole exercise caused a big fuss

 

They used a gallon drum with a rod down the middle

The tray full of gold spinning fast

We stuck in our fingers to taste just a tiddle

So much honey, such a wondrous task

 

We gave the old geezers a pail of the stuff

And the rest we kept just for enjoyment

With tea, toast and cereal we could not get enough

Rourke Gold became our very soul supplement

 

Some months after the great honey harvest

On a hot, lazy spring afternoon

My father and brother decided it would be best

To move the old hive pretty soon

 

Armed with nought but excitement and bravery

Thin t-shirts and shorts for the weather

They set off for the box of bee slavery

Might as well have been covered in heather

​

I recall it was dad’s grand idea

To move one of the bricks underneath

Within seconds my young heart was full of great fear

As the box tilted, disturbing bee sleep

 

What happened next is Rourke history

You simply had to be there to witness

Just how they survived is a mystery

Thank god they could run and had fitness

 

My brother took flight like a horse on the plain

His attackers the size of a pea

“Keep moving” yelled dad as those tiny beasts gained

And I gazed on in stark disbelief

 

I was frozen in horror, watching his plight

As my brother made haste up the slope

His friend followed fast to try join in the fight

Running fast like a crazed antelope

 

They reached the street corner, brother bit head to foot

And his friend grabbed a neighbour’s garden hose

He sprayed those sticky fellas and gave them the boot

Twas too late, one had flown up Dave’s nose

 

As Dad and I waited patiently back in the yard

I was worried that things might be bad

When up strolled the boys, the friend trying so hard

Not to laugh at my brother, poor lad

 

After the day of the great bee chase

I can recall one more day that they swarmed

It was too great a risk, and we had to save face

No. 27 had no more Rourke Gold

 

​

 

Studded Stilettos

​

Her studded stilettos pierce the pavement

Losing their place on the way

Bending sideways, almost snapping

She wore the same style yesterday

 

Kick off your stilettos, I scream at her

They’re sure to soon bring bended knee

Open your mind, hear and hearken

And realise your stupidity

 

Forget fashion, rhyme and reason

The sun is out – it’s barefoot season

 

Please take off those shoes

You’ve got nothing to lose

To keep them strapped on would be treason

 

 

​

Second Hand Susie

​

Second hand Susie knows just where to shop

That girl can spot a bargain from a mile

If it’s dazzling jewellery or a quirky new top

She always struts away with a smile

 

The local cashiers know her face

For she’s been in each place for a look

If you go with her, she’ll set a fine pace

‘Shop For Success’ that’s her book

 

She’s got her Westpac MasterCard

Tucked away in her new red purse

She claims that saving is ‘very hard’

That her spending’s a family curse

 

There she goes now, dressed stylishly

Into MYER, Giftica and Blush

She spends her dollars so comfortably

And never seems to be in a rush

 

Good things come from Susie’s lack of thrift

For she balances her shopping attacks

With a thought for a friend, be it just a small gift

She makes sure that nobody lacks

 

 

​

Feed Me Something Yummy

​

Please feed me something yummy
Maybe that lovely birthday cake!
I want it to fill my tummy
And help keep me awake

I noticed the coconut slice
With pink icing across the top
Ooh, I think that could be quite nice
Would you move your legs – chop chop

Please, put it on a pretty plate
And if you have a rose, add that
Another second I can’t wait
And neither can my cat

 

​

 

Shawn By Shawn

​

Imagine a hairdresser who came to you

To shape your hair how you like

You wouldn’t have to bother to put on your shoes

Or pump up the tyres on your bike

 

You choose your appointment time

Invite your friends to stay back

Put your feet up, relax and feel fine

In the comfort of your own happy shack

 

If service and style is what you seek

Shawn by Shawn offers this and more

He’s fun, professional, honest and sleek

Call him up and he’ll come to your door

 

 

​

LOL

​

I scorn those three little letters

That appear on my emails

They are expressions fetters

Her hard driven coffin nails

 

I’m impervious to their droll

And rushed, uncreative slap

Barely do they reach the goal

Of the hurried keyboard tap

 

I decided to use them once

As everyone was doing it

Then glanced back in disgust

And never pressed submit

 

I’d rather call my cyber friend

Hear her chuckle down the phone

Those LOL’s stifle and offend

They lack all style and tone

 

So don’t you ever use that threesome

Two hard bends and a sphere in the middle

If you do you will only become

A bow without a fiddle

 

 

​

Abs Like J-Lo

​

Whip yourself into shape

Pound that pavement baby

You’ll never know how good it feels

Until you sweat like crazy

 

Your skin will glow like peaches

Your nails will never break

You’ll feel so very sexy

Move your legs and lift heart rate

 

I’m not lying when I tell you

Exercise is for us all

You can do it on a windy beach

Or at home with a fitness ball

 

Just choose your favourite past time

And add a little spark

You can turn watching TV

Into a jog around the park

 

Soon you’ll have abs like J Lo

And a butt just like Grace Jones

You’ll be the envy of the schoolyard

If you’re not a lazybones

 

Now this might be a little verse

You will read and then forget

But exercise and diet right

And a hot body you will get

 

You’ll thank me for it down the track

When you’re sitting down at rest

You can eat that block of chocolate

Knowing you have done your best