Up the hill I drag my feet

One languid step at a time

Wondering if, per chance I’ll see

My fate etched in the skyline

Darkness above, darkness below

The expanse is vast and bare

Confused, I keep traipsing up that hill

Frightened there’ll be nothing there

And then ahead I suddenly see

What I’d never seen before

Or at least I thought it new to me

But then, how could I be sure?

When I’d lived each day fixed on the ‘nots’

Afraid of what might be

If I opened my eyes, looked to the stars

And proclaimed “All is fine with me!”

So on this day when at last I saw

The world as it had always been

Each crevice and crescent bathed in colour

Alit in a rainbow dream

For it’s a curious thought that we feel compelled

To march gallantly up that hill

When the answers to each and every step

Are found only when we are still

To take that time, oh precious time

And know that the climb just might

Despite the drudgerous hill we walk

Be cause for wondrous delight

Prey tell, good sir have you ever seen

The illustrious Madame “M”

A noblewoman of such repute

They call her the crème de la femme

Ah yes, your grace I do know this “M”

She bounds from distant shores

I believe her regal blood’s so rich

It illuminates her pours

Indeed, she’s a beauty – make no mistake

This “M” is a sight to behold

A luminescent coup de tat

God marvelled at his work I am told

My lord, in his praise God is not alone

Many revere our “M” from below

Her warmth of heart and soulful touch

Are so treasured by all those who know

That our “M” is a sloppy jo’d angel

Who loves like none other I’ve seen

And to be hugged by her is a blessing

Of the most notable esteem

If you’ll allow me sir, I’d also add

That “M” has the brains to boot

She’s gutsy and impeccably sharp

Not to mention, she’s a raging hoot

Then we agree as two men of considerable stature

That “M” boasts a je ne sais quoi

And is adored by her doting girls (plus H)

For who couldn’t love the magnanimous “M” for Monika

Scattered words

Aligned with none

Take refuge in the scorching sun

A question here, an answer there

Trifle matters demanding too much care

For it’s not the shape, nor form, nor lyric

Nor the cry, nor the sigh, nor the need to ask “Why?”

It’s just you and me

And the will to be

Our fair maidens met some eons ago

In a marvellously mythical land

Where philosopher queens reign supreme

And all hail the writer’s hand

In their world, the moon holds wisdoms

That the stars doth tussle to know

But his Moonship reserves for our princesses

The keys to his luminous glow

And with this gift our ladies wave

The tips of their glittery wands

Frolicking about without any doubt

That theirs is a sacred bond

In their kingdom they oft dance til sunrise

Sharing a world of boundless glee

Where noblewomen twirl in gowns of lace

That smell like potpourri

Chatter doth flood the sandy shores

Of their creatively cultivated soils

Our girls are seldom bereft of a topic

In which they’re not utterly embroiled

Wealth is of idle concern to our maidens

Uggh! Such puffery bores them stiff

They’d far prefer to spend their dimes

Tapping about to a jolly good riff

These two, our bosom buddies

Will forever each other adore

And on any given day, they will always say

One gives the other wings to sore

Two peas in a pod

A pod and a pea

To laugh we love

We laugh endlessly

Breathless whispers

A distant gaze

Rumours of

A vanilla haze

Fill the night sky

With white wash

Ice-dusted cries

I can see your tilted smile

Watching me ambitiously

Knowing you had me in one breath

Expecting I’d bow out graciously

Sifting memories drizzle like sleet

Through the vast space beneath my feet

Awash with dreams that flicker like rain

One by one they dissolve in vein

Raucous noise fills the space

And then leaves without any trace

Black holes toss me in

Down she falls warts and all

With her original sin

The tides have come to sweep me away

From where I came I could no longer say

Grab hold of what was

I beg you don’t let go

We’re nothing if not the love that we have sown

Spill over into me

Pour yourself out over my body

Wash away my doubt

If I could, I would, but I can’t

When I was, I might

Oh but I shan’t

Take me to the place

Where I long to be

Envelop what’s so precious in me

Whisk me away

To the stars above the sea

Where I can be free

Though the rain seeps quietly into our hearts

It eventually floods our soul with tears

And all the currents we’ve swum against

Become an ocean of realised fears

Now bleak is the sky that once guided our strokes

Unknown waters is all the future we know

Whether waves that drown or keep us afloat

It’s a life that on us Neptune must bestow

Yet faith can remove the blanket of pain

That causes within us those ripples of woe

So we can swim towards that distant life

With the hope of calmer seas tomorrow