Dog biscuits in my pocket

Didn’t know we weren’t complete
Didn’t see the vacant space
That was there for you all along
Your new position at our place

Sleeping under the table
Curled up by me on the couch
Your den nestled in the corner
Leads, toys and training pouch

Hectic greetings of an evening
“Old man” walking off to bed
Proud of you playing at the dog park
Images for all time in my head

You’ll forever be a Sanders
You’ll always be our loving Miska
Thanks for all you’ve given us
The dog we’d always wished for

I will miss you in the morning
Your company I will grieve
Dog biscuits in my pocket
Broken heart upon my sleeve

April 15, 2021 0

Tortuous Force

Drip drip drip

Constant the prod to wake

To never settle into sleep

Unconscious thought to take

Tug tug tug

Threads of anxious plans

What ifs and wherefores

Confidence fails to stand

Lost lost lost

The calming blanket gone

Nerves left bare

Blackboard with nails upon

Tap tap tap

Can’t escape the source

Peace no more

Blue light tortuous force

April 11, 2021 0

Love is like being Cursed

A single tear rolls down my cheek
Lying in bed no will to wake
Thinking of you and that you’re not here
For all the difference it will make
There’s happiness deep within me
A sense that we can be whole
That you are my forever one
That my quest has found its goal
My heart heaves and I sigh
My body aches for a lack of you
My mind races through all you are
Agitated, addicted, nothing to do
No way to scratch the itch
Nothing to do to slake the thirst
Being in love is to be blessed
But in your absence it’s like being cursed

February 28, 2019 0

Contactless Now Go

Headphones on, the stairs I descend
Dreaming of the working days end
Step onto empty littered street
With no one around to greet
Turn and head for the northern tube
Past the fractured bus stop queue
Pause for coffee to ease morning low
Attempt to break the silence with hello
The barista doesn’t want to know
Hands over the cup and leaves you contactless now go

Train filled with vacant stares
Commuters who aren’t really there
Minds away from where they are
Thoughts of escape to take them off afar
Grey bubbles passing from A to Z
Repeated patterns from first breath to bed
Eyes fixed on the slatted floor,
Standing, waiting, but what for?
Didn’t we all want more?
Cold and contactless huddled lonely by the door

February 26, 2019 0

No Valentine’s Day

How many souls wake
On Valentines day
And wish the next
Twenty four hours go away
The focus on lovers
Plans to be open hearted
Depresses the lonely
Or where love has departed
Those people see gaps
A lack of love, card or cure
For their emptiness feeling
The pain they endure
For them no red roses
No chocolate treat
No dinner together
No-one for a secret meet.
They’re reminded they’re solo
With a partner vacancy
Their independence questioned
As spinster complacency.
You must find someone
To find your real purpose
Shout the masses and billboards
So loud that it hurts us.
If you wake on the fourteenth
Without significant others
Seemingly lonesome
Don’t hide under the covers
Go out and stand tall
Look your friends in the eye
You’re amazing, just you
You don’t need a guy
Or a girl or a partner
Unless that’s what you choose
And even then couples
Mix joy and the blues
So remember right now
Candied versions of love
Are not the reality
Cos the reality’s tough
You decide what you want
Be strong, sweet or sappy
Don’t let others decide
What you need to be happy

February 14, 2019 0

Island Sanctuary

A need to rest, mind at ease
To reach the island sanctuary
Beach, sun, palm trees
A return to self as primary
For self care, a chance to repair
To remove the grinding stress
Time to observe, breathe in fresh air
Clear mind, remove guilt and regrets
De-knot shoulders, feel alive
Reflect, work out what’s true
From fear cease to hide
Get back to being just you
Consider the solace in another
Think about what they might bring
Deliberate a life together
Maybe change everything
Seek a place to be calm
Oasis in a sea of strain
Safe, away from harm
Recover out of the rain

February 1, 2019 0

Try to be Happy

Some things in life are simple
Some out of your control
You can overthink it all you like
For a lot, you’ve not got a decision making role
But there are some steps more considered
That result in big forks in the road
Where a choice will lead to change
Build paths anew, make other paths explode
The pros and cons can be listed
You have to weigh the good and the bad
Consider the impacts on love ones
Maybe gamble to find the thing you never had
It’s not possible to see the outcome
You can see the damage to be caused
So such decisions need time
Not taken lightly, they cannot be forced.
In the midst of a dilemma
Overcome by concerns and fear
Sometimes the decisions are still simple
Follow you heart, be yourself, keep hope near
Be all you can be
Try to be happy
You will do the right thing.

January 25, 2019 0

Melancholy’s Veil

She’s stands alone near tube train rail
Forlorn and low, under melancholy’s veil
Her eyes are dark, devoid of light
Her heart a shadow black as night
Whomever she has lost or left
Her soul was torn, her hope bereft
A broken woman, sad and meek
Lacking the will to live, too weak
To raise her head or meet your eye
She shrinks from life and wonders why
Her path became so overgrown
To force her down, all on her own
With thorns and ghosts and things to fear
No way out, and no one near
Her footing lose, no way to climb
No meaning, no plan, no positive sign
The tube arrives and on she steps
An empty shell since she left her ex.

January 23, 2019 0

Incomplete and Happy

It’s wonderful to be incomplete
To not be done, be on a quest
Searching, changing, learning
This won’t be as good as it gets
There’s more in life to go for
Even if you’re happy with your lot
Have joy in days and nights
Appreciate all that you’ve got.
It’s good to want, dream big
Not feeling absence, seeking more
A solemn vow to find someone
To embrace, together life explore.
Fulfil your heart felt desires
To be you, be seen, be loved
In time to find an intimate one
Who is all others placed above
Until her hand I find, with faith
There’s joy in every forward step
Incomplete and happy,
I just haven’t found her yet.