IF WE HAD MET AT A DIFFERENT TIME

If we had met at a different time
I would have asked out Charlie
Charlie the beautiful young brunette
Whose voice alone was sufficient to arouse
Hazel eyes that could mesmerize
And her heady perfume was hypnotic
Just to look at her curves stirred my loins
Those perfectly round buttocks
The swing of her hips
And the movement of her breasts
Charlie the beautiful young brunette
With the impossibly long legs
That could have encircled me
In our passionate embrace
She could so easily have been mine
But I stepped away
And I distanced myself from her beauty
Because she was half my age
And because I was not free
I did the right thing
But I still think of what might have been

BENEATH THE CLOCK

Beneath the clock I’m waiting expectantly
Awaiting my blind date a little nervously
He’s late but I don’t mind, at least not yet
He’ll have a good reason no doubt, I bet
He’s here at last and only an hour late
A good-looking man it was worth the wait
A kiss on the cheek and a smile how terrific
Oh but his breath could stop the traffic
But nobody’s perfect and he has a kind face
And he’s booked a table at an exclusive place
The restaurant looks fine, very expensive
Let’s hope appearances are not deceptive
The food is poor, and the service shambolic
His conversation is dull and monosyllabic
He drinks too excess and slobbers his food
His table manners are nothing short of rude
His drinking is driving me around the bend
I really can’t wait for the evening to end
The bill arrives and I’m asked to pay half
My immediate reply “You’re having a laugh”
He leaps to his feet and explodes with fury
Then falls backwards into the shrubbery
I throw him a look of contempt and disdain
Embarrassed I leave saying “never again”
How could I have known it would go so amiss?
I just can’t believe I shaved my legs for this

EVERYTHING BUT A POSSESSION

My partner and lover
My significant other
My best friend and gal
My confidante and pal
She’s the love of my life
Happily she’s my wife

FATHER

I feel his hand on my shoulder
Reassuringly
When I am unsure of myself
Or hesitant
I see him watch me sagely
When I seek enlightenment
I see him smile with pride
When I succeed
Or with head inclined to comfort
When I fail
He is with me late at night
Watching Bogey and Bacall
I see his reflection on the lake
When I am fishing
And I hear him cheering loudly
Whenever we beat Australia
His smile sustains me
His words engage me
His strength supports me
His compassion inspires me
I shared joy with him
When my children were born
And sorrow when
My mother passed away
He stood behind me
In church on my wedding day
And beside me
At the reception when we toasted
At quiet moments I detect
The fragrance of old spice
Or the acrid tell tale aroma
Of his pipe tobacco
He is with me now
As I write these words
Though he has been dead
For nearly thirty years

AT THE SCHOOL GATE

A leafy suburban avenue
Nice and quiet as a rule
But this peaceful avenue
Leads to a junior school
Alone or in twos and threes
They begin to arrive
Up the road in time
For home time at three oh five
In variety they gather
Mostly mums or minders
Aunts or siblings
And dads in growing numbers
Some arrive on foot
But mostly they have a ride
Some plod wearily
While others proudly stride
An illegally parked parent
Falls foul of the law
And the language matches
From the driver’s door
The throng of adults
Arranged about the gate
Gossip and chat idly
While they stand and wait
The door bursts open
And boisterous kids spill out
Some crane neck to see
While others give a shout
Some appear dishevelled
And others prim and neat
Untucked clothes
And laces flap about their feet
Some run to the gate
Others trudging and lagging
With coats or bags following
Behind them dragging
The children drawn like moths
Towards the light
Amidst the heaving throng
The families reunite
Occasionally one’s dispatched
At a parent’s behest
To retrieve forgotten items,
A lunch box or a vest
Not all the children leave
At home time though
Some stay an hour or two
Before its time to go
Working parents
Unable to find someone to sub
Need to send their children
To after school club
In minutes the disgorging mass
Drifts from the gate
The crowd dispersing
As a stream of cars evacuate
It came like a tornado
Who’s sound assaults the ear
Then once more returned
To peaceful leafy suburbia

NEW LOVE

A New love, young love,
Fresh and in bud,
Exciting, Heart racingly so,
Though uncertain, exciting still
A Breathless love
Full of longing
Eagerness to be together
Reluctance to part

Hand touching hand, Pulse raising
Heart full of love, Head full of doubt
“Do they feel as I?” “Am I just a fool?”
Will our love last?
Will it blossom and grow
Will it bare fruit?
Or wither on the vine

WHERE, WHEN AND HOW?

Where did it go?
The sense of one
Feeling of togetherness
Of mutuality, symbiosis
Thinking each others thoughts
A consciousness shared
Breathing in unison
A single beating heart
Speaking in a single voice

When did it happen?
At what point?
Did we separate?
Torn asunder
Split like an atom
Dissected like conjoined twins
To Breath alone
Stop sharing one heart
Speak for ourselves

How could it be?
When I looked at her with love
A stranger looked back
Independent and solo
Individual and free
Thinking on a different plain
Breathing different air
Heart pulsing with a different beat
Speaking a foreign tongue

RETURNING HOME

Through leafy glades we walked together
In the dappled shade beneath the trees, where
Spots of light chase each other frantically
As the soft summer breeze moves the treetops
As on the forest floor the patterns change
In some places shafts of golden sunlight
Burst through the canopy, like sunbeams
Sent down from god above to light the darkness
In the sunnier spots the blue bells dance
As if to entertain the travellers
The path leads us upwards into the light
Each step taking us to ever lighter skies
Until we emerge atop a green hill
We looked out across the land, England
And knew what we had all fought and died for
To save this land from the spoils of war

FROM THE SHADOWS

I stood in the shadows
As I had often done before
Out of sight, to see yet be unseen
To look upon that vision of loveliness
She talks with friends in the gardens
Unaware of me
Her skirt was long and green
From high waste to ankle low
Her crisp blouse of white
Enhanced to elegance of her neck
The long sleeves encasing her slender arms
Covered her fine boned wrists
Her hair was red
Red like burnished copper
Thick and full bodied tied back at her nape
Her eyes were the hue of polished emeralds
In a setting of perfect pale skin
No jeweller could ever hope to equal
Her mouth pale lipped, strong yet sensitive
When transformed into a smile
Illuminated her countenance
As if a light had been switched on
Perusal of every inch of her delicate frame
Returned echoes of a cultured creature
Dressed in the finest Edwardian elegance
More than a class above me
I step from the shadows
Returning unseen to my duties

GUARDIAN

She was only slight
And petite of height
Her complexion light
Her smile so bright

Her hair was brown
Her eyes looked down
She never wore a frown
But a halo for a crown

Her eyes were green
And her intellect keen
Her limbs lithe and lean
With the poise of a queen

An angel in human form
Protecting me from the storm
Her embrace both soft and warm
From despair I will transform

IN THE COMPANY OF ANGELS

If I am the first to go
I will wait for you in the place
Where the crowns of Angels glow

If I go first because I lost the fight
I will be waiting with the Father
Where the tunnel opens into light

If I am the first one there
I will await you in lush meadows
Where heady perfume fills the air

If I go first and leave you lonely
We will meet again in paradise
In our loved ones company

If I am the first to go, allay your fears
I will be waiting in the place
Where there are no more tears

If I go before you and we must part
I will wait for you in heaven
Where sweet music soothes the heart

If I am first to go we will meet again
In a far better place than this
Where God has banished pain

If I go first through the eternal door
You will find me with the angels
Where suffering is no more

If I am first to go by days or years
You will find me waiting there
Far beyond this vale of tears