Tag: Poem

The Truth Is Hiding

The truth is hiding

isn’t it?

Deep in the shadows

Under the bed

On top of the wardrobe

Inside the drawer

Behind the mirror

The truth was hiding

wasn’t it?

In the flowerbed

Among the daises

In the corner of

the garden shed

Tangled in webs

The truth was never hiding

was it?

It goes out in broad daylight

It walks in the sun

It throws the curtains open

Sits on a throne

For all to see

Takes centre stage

In your living room

You can’t escape

its looming face

Shouting and screaming

its head off

The truth is in plain sight.

We can’t – but…

We can’t unsend an email

Unscramble an egg

Take back what we said

Bring back the dead

We can’t uncry the tears

Blank that written page

Reverse that move

Rewind our age

We can’t put the genie back in the lamp

Uneat that cake

Unabsorb that toxicity

Make truth from fake

We can’t unopen that box

Break the paradigm

Mend the mirror

Go back in time

We can’t stem the tide

Undream a dream

Unsmoke the fire

Unsee what we’ve seen

Too many CAN’TS

In this world, for you and me

But what CAN we do?

And what CAN we be?

Famous For 15 Days – The Life Of A Crane fly

You left the window open

So I came in

You had a light on

And it was warm.

You seem afraid

When I flutter

I do not mean

To frighten you.

I seem chaotic

Haphazard

Bouncing around

Just trying to find

Somewhere to land.

I hope we can

Co-exist peacefully.

Now, just a bit of back story

To make you less afraid.

Our larvae spend

Most of the year

In moist soil

We are food

For many animals.

We do not bite or sting

Or spread diseases.

When we do emerge

We don’t even have

Much time to eat.

We have between 10 and 15 days

To propagate the species

To love, to live

That time is precious

It’s like the lifetime

That you have.

In school playgrounds

Boys pulled off our legs

Our legs are decidious

Easily coming away

But even decidious legs

Shouldn’t be pulled away

I know that used to upset you.

We are born to fly

In open skies

I was out the other day

A cloudy, windy

September Day

When the author

Saw me in flight.

They exclaimed

It was so nice

To get a glimpse of us

Outside the confines

Of a building.

Hadn’t seen

A more graceful flyer.

It’s like we’re in slow motion

With an invisible parachute.

The author finally realised

How gentle we were

I’m glad.

Also, we don’t need to be famous.

See you next year.

August Aims To Please

Second chance summer

The lover lost and found

Eighth month, slap bang centre

You’ll find me half way down

You saw shades of me

Earlier in the year

First episodes aired in May and June

The seasons premier

Then a commercial break

Which took up all July

Where did the summer go?

Just seemed to go awry

The best part of the series

Is generally Part Two

This is where I stumble in

Looking all askew

Wrapping up the season

I come crumpled through the door

Wondering what’s been going on

Thinkin’ I’ve been here before

Soon I sober up

Get my mojo on

Get into the stride of things

Once brain fog is gone

Oh, right, okay, I’m August, I wrap up summer

I’m the king of months, the month of kings.

Hey man, in between rainy months

It’s been a blur of things

May and June as always

Promised to go dutch

July reneged on the deal

Again, they lied so much

I wandered off, blissfully ignorant

Got dragged back by my tail

Now I’m expected to perform

Now that they’ve all bailed

I’m left with a month’s worth

Of weather, to please the crowds

Just me, no-one else

Among these thunderclouds

I will be there for you

And sunkiss your knees

I will warm your little toes

I like to people please

I am August, you know me

I’ve been long in this summer queue

But by the time I get there

I’ve forgotten what to do

Don’t you worry, I will shine

Up in a cloudless sky

I’ll be the best August, you’ll see

I’ll make your eggs fry

During my finale

I’ll be off on a spree

You’ll call for an encore

Of sun, sand and sea

You’ll applaud my entrance

And I’ll prove to you

I’m not washed up

I’ve lots to do

As the last month of summer

I don’t want to let anyone down

September’s in the wings

Wearing russet gown

Intention is what I’m all about

I do aim to be honest

Please excuse my changeable moods

I want to give you all that I promise.

The Madness Of March

You never said you were easy

Or told us you were warm

Your cold shoulder is predictable

You say you don’t mean harm

Always, you whisper a promise

Of better days to come

Yet, through mock sinister breath

You’ll say, you’re not quite done

You teeter on the brink

Last dregs of passionate breeze

The want to push into spring

The need to pull back to freeze

Oh, mischief month of March

Your lips of blue shape a tale

That tell us Feb is the real foe

And you are no spring fail

You hold it back, like always

Won’t take that final bow

You strong arm, then stroke cool fingers

Along our fevered brow

So reluctant to lead us out

Of your darkest winter play

The curtain call is hesitant

You really want to stay

Okay, you are dynamic

But you’ve always been an upstart

Storms and snow and drama

You sing, just like a bard

Another ice show over

But now your encore calls

Come out March, come out

It’s time for your applause

January Joy

There must be joy in January

There must be joy you know

There has to be love in winter

There must be fun in snow

There has to be joy in first month blues

Somewhere there is thrills

Kisses in the cold

Fire in icicles

There will be joy in January

As dark and as bleak as it seems

There have to be smiles in January

That toast down to our dreams

As we snuggle down in bed

After long short day of pain

Hope of burning embers

In drawn out schemes again

There is joy in January

I know it to be true

January tells the truth

It’s all that it can do

It won’t say, ‘Spring is near!’

‘Keep your eye on that April day!’

It will tell the truth

And say it is far away.

‘Love me, I’m one of the twelve!’

Says abandonment issues Jan

‘Don’t wish for me to go

I am what I am!’

Everyone negging on January

Wanting it to go

Shunning and shaming it

And hating on it so

So, let’s get on some January Joy

For the umpteenth time

Remember New Year Resolutions

We made at Auld Lang Syne

Maybe good can come from that

Positive action we can do

It doesn’t have to be a trial

That we always put ourselves through

Baby steps in the shallow end

No deep dives in the pool

January can be joyful

January can be cool.

Dancing In December

Dancing

Dancing to the tune of the old year

To the memories it hopes it will hold dear

Twirling around on the big floor

Dancing in December again

Dancing

Hoping the footwork will be strong

Swaying along to the same song

Hoping the spin is not too long

Dancing in December again

Dancing

Twirling to all of the days left

Weaving away from the bereft

Hoping the rhythm is well met

Dancing in December again

Hoping

Lunging and dipping and lilting

Trusting the sequence not stilted

Nothing out here has been filtered

Dancing in December again

Dreaming

Keeping a balance that’s good now

A nice hold, and then, I don’t know how

But a perfect and dignified low bow

Dancing in December again.

It Happened In The Attic

Below the belt of this old house, it’s cold

Numb and still, and finally, got old

It doesn’t have a creak or moan

There are no stairs in this old home

And in the footsteps, no stories will be told

But the top of this old house, it shines bright

Its restless light won’t allow the night

Electricity-you hear its hum

It can’t switch off, it’s always on

This lonely one, just won’t give up the fight

The action is all happening upstairs

There’s a ghost that sits up there and dares

To dream of things that never came to pass

Of memories, that still hold hard and fast

It’s firing on all cylinders-don’t look down

Hopes and goals could still come back to town

Love could wipe the tears away

Of manic, laughing clowns this day

That in the past, were only going to drown

It happened in the attic, that cold night

Thieves planned to steal, and leave, without a fight

They had thought the job would be

oh, so soft

They hadn’t bargained

on the old one, in the loft

Now inventions, are created, thick and fast

They’ll see the flames explode the attic glass

The sparks they fly, and shake the building too

And they’ll be fireworks for anyone in view

The thieves didn’t get a chance

to steal

And rub on open wounds

that never learned to heal

Now, inside the attic,

there’s a glow

And the warmth into the house,

begins to flow

And bring back life into the soul,

that they all said,

was abandoned, boarded up, and left for dead.

Hiding In The Shadows

It’s hiding in the shadows

I say it won’t last

The murky old memories

Cobwebs of the past

Detritus and debris

Lying on the floor

The body of regret

Dead behind the door

Bitterness and sorrow

Smells of rot and rust

Of damp, dark mildew

Of mold, dank and must.

It’s hiding in the shadows

The pain and the love

The joy and the anger

Mingle in the dust

The hopes and the what-if’s

Broken dreams, failed schemes

Scramble for the strip of light

That peeps beyond the beams

I listen for footsteps

But they are silent in the hall

What’s hiding in the shadows

Won’t come out at all.

Is frozen in the distance

And cannot move or go.

It’s stuck in aged decades

Of many moons ago.

This shadow is looming

And it won’t let me be.

What’s hiding in the shadows

Well, that thing…

Is me.