Potpourri

DOING WHAT YOU LIKE

Doing what you like
Does bring happiness for you
But the true source of joy
Is in liking what you do

HOPE SITS PATIENTLY

Hope sits patiently
Upon its primordial throne
A reassuring constant,
In a sea of change
Always there
Available to all
Like a beacon in the dark
To lost souls at sea
Pure unremitting Hope
An unquenchable thirst
An unsatisfied yearning
An unscratchable itch
There for everyone
When all else fails
Hope waits for us all
Sitting patiently
Upon its primordial throne
Since time immemorial
And until the end of time

THE ACCIDENTAL VILLAIN

I am the smoke
That simply floats away
On a convenient breeze
Drifting away
Powerless to stop
And at the mercy of the wind

I am the smoke and there is
A kind of beauty about me
But also there is danger in me

I am the smoke and I am mercurial
Appearing in many forms
I am thick like pea soup fog
Or thin and translucent like a veil

I am the smoke and
I have no purpose
I am only an after thought
A bi product of something useful
I am the smoke
And I am the villain

ENDSHIP

OldfriEND or New FriEND,
BoyfriEND or GirlfriEND,
BestFRIEND or FriEND,
They all have an END
So if you’re looking for longevity
Look no further than family

SWALK IS AN ACRONYM FOR

SWALK is an acronym for
“Sealed with a loving kiss”
Used when writing letters
To loved ones we miss

I SIT WITH A MIRROR STRAIGHT AHEAD OF ME

I sit with a mirror straight ahead of me
And another one placed behind me
So my image is repeated in perpetuity
That way I don’t feel so lonely

PUZZLING

How should I begin to describe you?
Well you are 13 down,
Without exception, and always 2 across
But you have never been 1 down
And sadly not once 19 across
You are four letters
Starting with a S and ending with a Y
You are coffee time and an acrostic too
As well as being cryptic
Let’s try 11 down followed by three across
Which is what might describe you
But I have never known you to be 7 down
A dictionary won’t help me, nor a thesaurus
You are Mind-bendingly vexatious, unfathomable
Inscrutable and infuriating enigmatic
And like most women I have known
You are an unsolvable puzzle to me

ON THAT BEAUTIFUL SUNLIT DAY IN JUNE

On that beautiful sunlit day in June
When they played that familiar tune
My heart was filled with happiness
When I saw you in the big white dress

I stole a sideways glance at you
And found you looking at me too
It was quite goofy we smiled so much
I took your hand and felt your tender touch

Proudly we stood together side by side
As before God the knot was tied
My heart filled again with happiness
As I wed the girl in the big white dress

If pride is a sin then I’ve sinned too much
I’ve felt it when I’ve felt your loving touch
I’ve felt it at our happiest and our saddest
And when I saw you in a maternity dress

Oh how I remember that day in June
When they played that familiar tune
And my heart was filled with happiness
When I saw you in the big white dress

And now as I look back across the years
To the times of laughter and of tears
I wish to tell it to the world and shout it loud
I’ve never said “I love you” and not felt proud

ILLUMINATED SUNSET CLOUDS

Illuminated sunset clouds, lit
Like smoke in a funeral pyre
In red and orange shades
As the sky burns with fire

THE TRUTH ABOUT FAMILY

Have you noticed that
Family Contains I L Y
Which stands for “I Love You”
And no one asks why

Tales of Love # 13

DISTANT SUMMER

I look back fondly
Across the years
On that brief affair
So glorious, yet
All too brief
Like a perfect summer
That left its mark
Forever on my heart

RESOLUTE AND STRONG

My love for her
Is resolutely strong
She lifts my heart
Like the sweet song
Of woodland birds
In chorused throng

EVERY CORNER OF THE WORLD (7)

I will sail Around the Cape of Good Hope
where the two great oceans meet
I will follow you to the ends of the earth
Because you’re the only one for me

SHE WAS SO ELEGANT

She was so elegant
And light of step
As if on Angels wings
She was swept
From heavens high
Into my arms
To bless my life
With her charms

MY WIFE IS VERY HOUSE PROUD

My wife is very house proud
A domestic goddess n'est-ce elle pas
She make a Dyson look obsolete
And her food wins a Michelin star
She washes and iron like a Trojan
And keeps the garden tidy and neat
But all this counts for nothing
As I love her because she so sweet

HER BEAUTY WAS LIKE THE SPRING

Her beauty was like the Spring
A smile as warm as Summer sun
Tempestuous like an Autumn gale
And as refreshing as a Winters day

THEIR BODIES LAY ENTWINED

Their bodies lay entwined
As they had so many times before
It was in this final lingering embrace
That she slowly slipped away

LIVE A VERY GOOD LIFE

Live a very good life
Live it honourably and true
And live it to the full
Then I will promise you
That when you look back
As your days begin to wane
And you look back, you’ll
Get to enjoy it all over again

SHE HAS GONE NOW

She has gone now
And has left a hole
Where my heart
Once resided
But her spirit
Is always with me
And hangs in the air
Like a breath of spring

SHE WAS MY COMPASS

She was my compass
And my anchor
She steered me
And held me
She gave me direction
And stability
Without her I am
Lost at sea
And rudderless

I WILL LIFT YOU UP

I will lift you up
On the days
When you are blue
I will reach up
And touch a rainbow
And capture it for you

I WOULD LIKE TO FIND A MOUNTAIN

I would like to find a mountain
Where I can be alone
A place of peace and serenity
A truly tranquil zone
And I will sit and wonder why
You left me on my own

HOW I WAS FOOLED BY YOUR DISGUISE

How I was fooled by your disguise
When at the very start
You had summer in your eyes
But you had winter in your heart

EVERY CORNER OF THE WORLD (8)

From Tierra del Fuegos archipelago
To the land of the rising sun
I will follow you to the ends of the earth
Because for me you’re the only one

GATHER IN THE WOODLAND LILIES

Gather in the woodland lilies
Kissed with natures gentle dew
Lay them on the polished oak
And bid your love a fond adieu

SOFT KISSES, PLANTED

Soft kisses, planted
Like whispers
On expectant lips
Then a smile of coyness
And a blush
The hue of Rose Hips

SHE READ A POEM

She read a poem
Out loud to me
On a quiet afternoon
That touched me,
Awakened me,
Stirred my soul
And my dulled senses
As she read
It flowed over me
Like scented honey
Each word a caress
Each syllable a kiss
A soothing balm
Of evocative beauty
Whose feeling,
In metrical form
Left me unshackled
Releasing me, from
My contented taupe
Free to soar
On poetic wings

THE WORDS FLOWED

The words flowed
like spring melt
Rushing to fill
Every stream of reason
Every rivulet of love
With bitter bile

MY SWEET WORDS OF LOVE

My sweet words of love
Were wasted on her it appears
Because all I got in return
Was the bitter sting of tears

Tales of Love # 12

YOU BRING ME RAINBOWS

You bring me rainbows
Of an April morning
You bring me the laughter
Of a hundred happy children
You bring me the azure blue
Of a summer sky
You bring me the scented meadows
Of a summer day
You bring me the moonlight
Of a star bright night
You bring me the wonders
Of the modern age
But most of all you bring me
A love that I have never known

ANOTHER OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY

The office party
Was in full swing
From a Radio
Music played
Too loud for my taste
And overly jolly
For my mood.
Wine was consumed
In copious quantities
As eagerly
As the temps
Who imbibed it
And the more it flowed
The more inappropriate
The behaviour became
It was noisy
Raucous and unseemly
And I had seen enough
So I drained my glass
And prepared to leave
Which was when I saw her
Standing alone
In a quiet corner
Gazing into space
An untouched drink
In her hand
And sadness in her eyes.
She seemed oblivious
To events unfolding
In the office, It was like
She was elsewhere
I hoped wherever it was
Was a happier place
She looked so sad.
I was drawn to her
Though not out of sympathy
It was in equal measure
Recognition of a kindred spirit
And a kind of curiosity
To determine the reason
For such great sadness
Amidst the jollity
Of another Christmas
Had she too lost
The object of her affections?
“Hello” I said
“Not enjoying it?”
She shook her head
“Let’s leave then”
I suggested
She smiled weakly
And nodded her accent
And we slipped away
When she smiled
She was much prettier
From that moment
I took it upon myself
To ensure she would
Never be sad again
That was forty years ago
And we’re still happy

I SAW HER ACROSS THE ROOM

I saw her across the room
Wearing a worried frown
There was sadness in her eyes
Beneath her Tinsel crown
But there was something
Hidden away all the while
A previously untapped joy
Hinted at by the faintest smile
So I smiled and said hello
Not knowing that was the start
Of a Christmas romance in which
I would give to her my heart

Tales of Love # 11

YOUR EMBRACE IS LIKE A VELVET CLOAK

Your embrace is like a velvet cloak
Enveloping me in love
As you speak to my soul
And burn into my heart a perfect love

YOUR SERPENT HIPS

Your serpent hips
And slender limbs
The glow and lustre
On your skin
In the half light
Of the afterglow
Beyond the bliss
And read the smile
On each other’s lips

SNOWFLAKES FALL STEADILY

Snowflakes fall steadily
As the wind blows
Laying deeper and deeper
As her progress slows
Knee deep she trudged
Through the deep snows
So I go and rescue her
From out of the snows
To get her safe indoors
Out of the snows
Though not for kindness
Heaven only knows
It was to get her out
Of her ho ho hose

SHE’S TICKING ALL THE BOXES

“She’s ticking all the boxes”
I thought to myself
When I first laid eyes on her
But of course she wasn’t perfect
That would have been a claim too far
Then when we spoke, at length
More boxes were checked
But again she fell short of the summit
But then who wants perfection
Which is in reality subjective
I have met girls in my life
Slightly more than ordinary
But thought themselves perfect
And others nearly perfect
And thought themselves ordinary
This girl was as close to it
As I had ever come
Or wanted to come
For if she was to be flawless
That would be unnatural
As well as undesirable
For it’s in the imperfections
Where character lies

LIKE DRIFTWOOD YOU FLOATED INTO MY LIFE

Like driftwood you floated into my life
As I cruised upon a calm blue sea
Your presence stirred the peaceful waters
And turned my outlook squally
But though we blow from storm to storm
I still believe you rescued me

IF YOU WERE AN ISLAND

If you were an island
Set in a clear blue sea
Dressed with palm trees
Stirred by the scented breeze
With sun soaked beaches
Of coral white
I would be the gentle waves
Washing over them

TWO CASTAWAYS

Two castaways
Washed up together
Like flotsam and jetsam
The floating wreckage
Of their failed loves
And from the driftwood
Of their own detritus
And broken remnants
Of previous vessels
They manage to build
A new ship of love

I WAS READY, WITHOUT A DOUBT

I was ready, without a doubt
Ready for the one
I was set on the start line
Heart beating at the run
Then bang!
Went loves starting gun

Tales of Love # 10

Tales of Love # 10

I FINALLY FOUND THE ONE

I finally found the one
The one for whom I’d yearned
And everything was going well
Until my fortunes turned
When the joy became sorrow
And I suddenly got burned

RED ROSES

Red roses
For my true love
Each stem symbolic
One for each year
Each unopened bud
A year yet to come

RED SUNSET

The red sunset is for lovers
Who sigh with lovesick bliss
And in the glow of a blood red sky
The lovers stand and kiss

HOW COULD SHE BE REAL?

Is she not a mirage?
Born in my arid heart
To confuse my senses
Conjured from my dreams
To give false hope
This wild imagining
Is so cruelly meant
For someone so unworthy
How could she be real?

I FELL FOR YOU

I fell for you
Like a stone
And I am in heaven
I’m walking on air
As I imagine
Your arms around me
And If you fall for me
You’ll leave me breathless

UNHINGED, UNLOCKED

Unhinged, unlocked
Old wounds reopened
A love turned to hate
The passion and desire
Now for revenge

TOWARDS YOU MY LOVE

Towards you my love
My heart conveys me
Drawn towards your beauty
And your healing heart
The cherished moments
Of your tender embrace
Sustain me on my journey
Towards your open arms

YOUR KISS UPON MY MOUTH

Your kiss upon my mouth
Your breath against my skin
Your almost palpable touch on my heart

A PASSIONATE DESIRE

A passionate desire,
Made manifest
First in a perfect kiss
Then in a carnal embrace
Entwined with you
In an act of bliss
My love for you
Made complete

SOME PEOPLE SEEK

Some people seek
A maelstrom
Or a whirlwind
A breathless passion
Of eternal desire
But for me
I just need to be loved

A KEEP-SAKE

A keep-sake
That speaks of love
A handkerchief
Bearing a lipstick kiss
A rose dried and pressed
Within a weighty tome
A missive couched
In terms of love
Or a photograph
Kept beside your heart

THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE

Sending signals
And reading
The replies
A look or gesture
That holds a message
To be relayed
Is as ancient
As hieroglyphs
And as difficult
To translate

Tales of Love # 9

Tales of Love # 9
THE COMPASS OF MY HEART

The compass of my heart
Points for all its worth
With unwavering certainty
To the true polar north

It is not easily diverted
Or drawn to any latitude
But remains unerringly
On its northern longitude

IN HER DEEP BLUE EYES

In her deep blue eyes
Blue like the ocean deep
I looked for my reflection
But I couldn’t see it
Then all at once it hit me
Washing over me
Like a tidal wave
And I was left breathless,
Drowning in a sea of love
Then your arms were around me
And we made love
In the breaking waves

RED DRESS

I find that I have to confess
Though she lacks finesse
And her hair is a complete mess
I feel I can no longer suppress
The feelings I want to express
For the girl in the Red Dress

YOU WERE MY ONE AND ONLY # 2

You were my one and only
You were the sun in my sky
Now light has been banished
And I must in the darkness cry

HAIR OF BLACK

Hair of black
Falls untamed
Over ivory skin
Stark in contrast
Like a ravens wing
Against an alabaster sky

YOU TOOK ME FROM A SEA OF COLD

You took me from a sea of cold
You breathed life into me
Brought me back from the dead
Gave wings to my soul
And put music into my heart

I LIVED IN A CHASM OF EMPTINESS

I lived in a chasm of emptiness
A dark void of loneliness
Cold and emotionless
Without purpose or direction
A soulless vessel
Until that blessed moment
When you blew into my heart
Your divine wind
And I was full of love

OH WIND OF LOVE

Oh wind of love,
Blow my way
Have influence over me
Like the moon does the tides
Bring music into the silence
And shine your light
Into every darkened corner
And fill my world with love

THE RED BARN MURDER

At the Old Red Barn
In a Suffolk village
Maria and William
Had a lovers tryst

Romantic young Maria
Thought it was love
And they would elope
And not be missed

But he had other plans
And shot her dead
Burying her in the barn
And escaping into the mist

But just a year later
Billy paid the price
When he met the hangman
In a different kind of tryst

RED SKY AT NIGHT

Red sky at night;
Romantics delight,
When love can start
With an open heart

A LOVE SO STRONG

A love so strong
With depth and tone
Shared by two souls,
Kindred spirits of the heart
Enough love to last
Three lifetimes
So why would such a love,
Such loving feelings,
Not only fade,
But turn to retched hate

FINALLY I FOUND SOMEONE TO LOVE

Finally I found someone to love
Someone caring and nice
Someone who loves me
But it was over in a trice
For I was complacent
And so paid the ultimate price

Tales of Love # 8

Tales of Love # 8

IN ORDER TO BE SECURE

In order to be secure
I have to be sure
That our love will last
And expectations passed
Before I can agree
To give everything of me

SHE WAS A FORCE OF NATURE

When she was a young woman
She was a force of nature
But she is a force to be reckoned with
Now she is mature

WHEN I FIRST LAID EYES ON HER

When I first laid eyes on her
It was with music in my heart
And poetry in my soul
It was she who possessed the love
Which she brought into my life
A love she generously shared
And then I fell in love with her

SHE WAS ALWAYS MORE TO ME

She was always more to me
Than just a wonderful wife
She was quite simply
The rhyme and hue of life

HORSES FOR COURSES

Horses for courses
Or opposites attracting
There is no formula
At times of interacting

It doesn’t matter
If they are that or this
I just know in my heart
I’m a hit for my miss

THE IDLE RHYTHM

The idle rhythm
Of Her song
Soothes the soul
And cools like balm
The molten heat
Of raw desire

WITH A HEART FULL TO THE BRIM

With a heart full to the brim
With love and passion
I promised her this
She would forever occupy my heart
And possess my very soul
From the moment we kissed

OH SWEET HEART

Oh sweet heart
I yearned for you, until
That first moment
Of that exquisite thrill

Oh sweet heart
I yearned for you
When you left me
Lonely and blue

Oh sweet heart
I can’t take this bitter pill
I yearned for you
I yearn for you still

HAIR OF SILVER

Hair of silver
Falls untamed
Over blemished skin
In perfect compliment
Graceful aging
And timeless beauty

I FIRST MET ANDREA

I first met Andrea
Beneath a stone grey sky
In the barren frost covered fields
Where the raspberry canes would grow
Her cheeks were as red
As the expectant fruit
And hair the shade of chestnut wood
Breath plumed as she spoke
And her nose dripped in the cold
Laughter followed her
And her lips always bore a smile
As we toiled in the canes
All day long with knife and twine
And I fell in love with the girl
Whose hair was chestnut brown
Amongst the raspberry canes of autumn

WHAT ARE THE POINT OF PEARLS?

What are the point of pearls?
If not strung in elaborate swirls
About the necks of pretty girls
Or on tiaras amidst their curls
For Girls bring lustre to the pearls
And pearls add beauty to the girls

SEND ME ON A QUEST

Send me on a quest
To win your heart
Set me any task
And I will do my part

Across any ocean
I will gladly sail
Through seas of calm
And force ten gale

Across any mountain
I will gladly climb
No matter how long
I will take the time

Across any desert
On my hands and knees
I will whatever
I must do to please

WAS IT DESTINY?

Was it destiny?
Or an act of providence
That wove the threads
On the eternal tapestry
What twist of fate?
What unseen hand
Rolled the fateful die
That moved us on our paths
What unseen gamer
Steered my avatar to yours
For what reason
Did the fates conspire?
To cross our paths
To bind our souls
What great celestial clock
Struck time
And brought us both to this place
To this time
To each other
Who must we thank?

EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

You always feel like
A Sunflower amidst the Daffodils
A Thistle among the Tulips
Out of place, unsightly

You see yourself
As the ugly duckling
But who never transformed
Into the beautiful swan

You feel ugly and at odds
Ungainly and ungraceful
How wrong you are
To me you are perfection

You should feel like
You are a Rose amidst Cabbages
An Orchid among Daises
In pride of place, radiant

I see you as
The beautiful signet
Who was transformed
Into a beautiful graceful swan

That’s how I see you
An angel from the host
A goddess among mortals
Whom I shall forever worship

I FELL IN LOVE WITH YOU ALL THOSE YEARS AGO

I fell in love with you
All those years ago
Because you were oblivious
You simply didn’t know

You didn’t know
That beauty shone from every pore
You saw yourself as odd
But you were no oddity that’s for sure

You always put yourself down
If you could have seen through my eyes
You would have realized
You really didn’t have fat thighs

And your legs were fabulous
And your bum was not too fat
Your nose wasn’t pointy
And your chest wasn’t too flat

But that wasn’t possible
So I fell in love with your modesty
And you thought I was a good catch
So you got stuck with me

I still love you just as much today
As I did all those years ago
And you’re still completely oblivious
You simply don’t know

I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU

I love everything about you
Every inch of your 5 foot 2
I love the way you dress
And disrobed as well I confess
I love your overt sexuality
And your subtle femininity

I love your seductive smile
And your soft tender lips
I love you from head to toe
And each and every finger tip

I love your bobbed brown hair
And your dazzling green eyes
I love your curvaceous-ness
Your breasts, your hips, your thighs

I love you lying in my arms
Beside me in my bed
I love to hold you close
And kiss you softy on the head

I love everything about you
Every inch of your 5 foot 2
And the greatest thing of all
Is that you love me too