Poems from One Word

sounds begin louder as dawn makes her entrance
piercing bird song in a blur of engines
first footprints of the day
will they be the same as yesterday
the same tomorrow
i'd like to make a change
the air feels crisper
like i could grab a handfull
sunlight seems to whisper blissfull
i stand still, stop at works door
paused and kiss goodbye to change
closed behind me
country lanes till evening wanes


freedom

Freedom

Freedom from this song
You do me wrong
Cut lines like graphic halos
Cursed strong along the winding
You really think that?
Fine
A common line
But hey, let them be
Let them live in harmony
Before too long
They'll sing to you their own song



numbers

Numbers talk of infinity
Days talk of decades
Seasons talk of ages
While we are this far..
All i wish is connectivity
But money matters
and business moves
Got to forget, souls we are!

Effort

My mate told me that giving birth
Was like "pushing a truck up a hill".
I laughed. Nothing on the Earth
Would rob me of the heady thrill
Of bringing forth a new life in glory
And other assorted cliches.

A month later, weaker but wiser,
I was rewarded for my effort,
In awe of a tiny person and in love,
And more in touch with truth.


see saw

Nobody ever likes my words (sob)

All those cliches
Of swings and roundabouts
Come back to bite.

There's nothing to gain.
Nothing to lose.
The balance of the see saw
Gets toppled
By the weight of fear
And,
To flog a metaphor
Past endurance,
Everything slides
In a cold, dirty
Puddle.


sofa

I don't say 'sofa'-I say 'couch'
I don't say 'curmudgeon'- I say 'grouch'
I don't say 'lorry'- I say 'truck'
I don't say 'fornicate'- I say '****'
I know that I shouldn't - and my mother wouldn't like it
But I don't say 'oh sugar' when I slip- I say, 'oh ****'.

habit

So sorry, my fluffy-eared friend.
Our modern haste, which ferries you,
And yours, to your wasteful end
Lacks compromise. All my regret
Will never bring you back
Nor once abate the speed
Of habit which shoots me down the track.




flame

The flame of long past days
Burns bright once more
As I wander through life's maze
I reach the sea and its shore
I hope to find what once left me
Staring over the sunset as it burns
Once more chanting A, B, C
Sky aflame, I recount through the world's turns.

Sorry, I'm no good at poetry.

Forever

Beg to differ, I liked that.


There never is a perfect life, you know.
When worry over how to pay the phone bill
Makes me snap, or frown,
I trust you to grin, poke my ribs,
And mutter “Settle down”.

And when the antics of offspring make you tetchy,
I promise to straddle your legs,
Where you sit on the couch,
Crushing the newspaper beyond recognition,
And attach my lips to your forehead,
Limpet-like,
Until you relax, and smile.

This is my pledge to you.
When some monster rears its ugly head
So vexing, or frightening,
That all the combined brains and courage
At our disposal cannot subdue it,
(Rely on this - forever)
I will be in there, fighting, too.


sow

tender crops you sow and tend
for what you reap
is what you keep
as all else is for a lend

candle

The Candle

A homefire pledge to soldiers far
A signal to home in on
A Christmas glow within a jar
A steady faith to pin on.


fog

they came in the fog around the bend
stealthy as leopards of zen
carried tattered flags of a lost cause
blisters and blood on their paws

saturn

In orbit around Saturn
Amongst those awesome rings
Is the whitest object in the solar system.

What a chill,
Inhospitable
Place that must be.

But imagine the wonder
Of gazing up from there
Into the Saturnine sky.


autumn

Autumn leaves filled our day
Bundled in piles waiting for a child's play
Colors changing as they lie
bright to brown, they live to die.

Veracity

We say we value kids' veracity
And try to teach them well,
But, truth to tell,
Many adults lack the capacity
To look us in the eye
And accurately report
The time of day.


wooden

they spoke of a heart
tender, caring and bright
always open when times are right
well, mine never made it through the cut
maybe soft inside, with a wooden crust
who really cares for the little girl who was always fast
in life, took a dive before she grew wings
slept in every bed, including the king’s
bad words have come and gone
she lives on with just her body; soul finished
maybe one guy will see pass her sins
declare love and give her the ring


elevator

Arthur C. Clarke wrote a story
About an elevator to the stars.
These last few magic days,
Alive in brittle clear skies
My heart has been riding such a lift
High enough to see beyond the bars.



sweep

sweep, just sweep, leave us spotless
I’m asking for justice though I’m also guilty
deep cleansing; our hearts are filthy
just to restore what is, what was, and is to be
we can’t go on like this, we need discipline
what has happened, what went wrong
when all sins are left unpunished, the spirit dies
when prisoners go free, they lose conscience
when we call killing protecting the country and her interest
when we see the race before we see a human
and still complain about how hard life is
when life feels too good on your side, check the rear view
........


darkness

Lying in the friendly darkness
Coaxing dreams and hearing sounds.
Chitter chatter of the possum
Scritching as he makes his rounds.

Gentle thudding tells me kangas
Have stopped by to mow my lawn.
The wombat who checks my verandah
Better dine before the dawn.

Birds are active in the nighttime
Hoots and the occasional cheep.
Since the world is as it should be
I can drop off into sleep.


toast

I'm answering my own questions again.
Fortunately, I'm reasonably happy playing by myself.

Snuggled up beside the fire
With toast and cocoa on the mat.
Nursing 'flu and shiv'ring hard.
Me, my boy, the dog, the cat.

E.T. gleaming on the telly.
Raging winds outside the door.
Body heat within the doona.
Feet tucked up above the floor.

Toasty warm, we share the sofa.
Pounding rain denudes our tree.
The world outside seems oddly distant
From my family and me.


paint