Autumn Storm

September 13, 2014September 14, 20142 Comments

Dirt flecks spew the ground as I
dash through the puddles
like rivers that seep on tarmac,
water moulds my skin;
a black lava
mirroring the growling sky above.

My limbs flail through
a moment of stillness
as raindrops shudder,
waiting for that beam
of sunlight to illuminate
all in sparkling white and gold.

Dissolving into grey,
raining dust
as the heavens split their seams
humouring the belly
of a carnivorous beast
as the light fades.

The Parcel

September 10, 2014September 10, 20142 Comments

I believe people are like parcels.

They start off nicely wrapped and taped

stamped with fresh ink;

destination marked in black biro.

Some are dropped from the van

others get crushed

as they leave the sorting office.

Scuffed on the floor

kicked and dented as their tape unravels;

words smudged

lying in a pool of rainwater.

Some don’t reach their destination

and countless are lost in transit.

The parcel that arrives at the end of its journey

is stronger;

branded with battle scars.

Clarity

September 9, 2014Leave a comment

Her face was like Athens.

It was Rome, Alexandria, London.

It was the changing seasons, flashing amber, scarlet;

the colour of the sun.

Fluttering;

like the moth eaten pages of a journal

faded, yellowed; long exposed,

yearning for clarity.

Inspiration #4

September 1, 2014Leave a comment

“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore –
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door –
“‘Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door –
Only this and nothing more.”

“Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow; – vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow – sorrow for the lost Lenore –
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore –
Nameless here for evermore.”

~Stanza 1&2, from The Raven – Edgar Allen Poe

Denial, my best friend

August 30, 2014August 31, 2014Leave a comment

burrows under my skin like the larva
of an impending heartache.
I catch myself in the guilty act of a laugh,
a smile- and admonish myself for forgetting
the scales held in the balance.
Still the imposing vulture follows
unabated
with his slanting grin reeking of darkness.
To be sure the judgement will come
one day
but for now little one, stay strong

Stay strong…

The Life Trail

August 21, 2014Leave a comment

We follow the paint marks on the road like gingerbread crumbs
jellyfish clouds that seep pale seams of sunlight
sweeping along the contours of a drowsy leaf
higher, higher, carried on the soft film of a breeze
like gossamer, to a somewhere, a someplace-
as we battle our ravaging demons

-for a moment of beauty.

Night Market

August 19, 2014August 19, 2014Leave a comment

My exhausted feet wander
pacing tents of aquamarine
vendors haggling their wares
fortune tellers, jade Buddhas and
rows of sparkling jewellery
trinkets to fool westerners with as
I clamp my arm through hers
bargaining with the rest
overwhelmed by colours and lights;
dewy beads of sweat tingle my scalp
as I press through the throng like an undulating wave
faster, like a dancer’s carousel
until we emerge in soaring fields of red
down a side street with dripping air conditioners

-and the dream of cool, fresh air.