THE NEEDLES

 

The needles lie half submerged

Bleached skeletal vertebrae

Of a long dead sunken beast

That once basked in Alum bay

Lifes Infinate Variety

AS IVAN ILLICH ONCE WROTE

As Ivan Illich once wrote,
A man clearly cleverer than me
Who stated that within
A consumer society
There are inevitably
Two kinds of slaves
The prisoners of addiction
And the prisoners of envy

MEASURE YOUR LIFE BY THE QUANTITY OF SMILES

Measure your life by the quantity of smiles,
And forget the tears
Measure your age by the quality of friends,
And forget the passing years

THE NEEDLES

The needles lie half submerged
Like bleached skeletal vertebrae
Of a long dead sunken beast
That once basked in Alum bay

AS I'VE GROWN OLDER

As I've grown older
I don't question
Myself anymore
I’ve learned to accept
Things about me,
My own shortcomings,
I’ve forgiven myself
I don’t second guess
Or criticise
I even like myself
Like a friend

I’VE LOST TOO MANY

I’ve lost too many
Nearest and dearest
Friends and families
I’ve watched as they
Left this world
One by one.
Each one gone too soon
Before they came to terms
With themselves
As I have done
And felt as free as I

SHE KNOWS NO OTHER COMPANY

She knows no other company
Than her own,
Her only friends
Are heroes and heroines
Of the classic tales
Or message boards
And chat rooms
She never sleeps
And spends her time
Dancing to the old tunes
And weeping over lost love

WHEN I WAS YOUNG

When I was young
I was self-conscious
Walking on the beach
With my shirt off
Now I walk
To the water’s edge
With my abused body
Bulging over my speedos
And I go slowly and deliberately
To the waves
In an act of defiance
And I feel great