BENEATH AUTUMNAL SKIES

Beneath autumnal skies
The suns strength diminishes
With each passing day
Then foliage turns slowly
From green to gold
And finally to red and brown
Before fluttering to earth
The gentle late summer breezes
Make them dance
And when breeze turns to raging storm
They’re sent swirling
As if court in some frenetic snow globe
The lucky ones escape this chaos
And ends their short lives
Trapped Beneath hedgerows
Or blown into quiet corners
The rest whirl like dervishes
Hither and thither
Until the winter rains
Turn them to mush under foot

PERFECT PARADISE

The crystal waters
Wash gently onto
Virgin white sand
Untrod by man
Unspoiled by technology
And no vapour trails
Mark the azure sky

The trees untended
Lay where they fell
The coconuts un-harvested
But for the wind
Lay untouched also

They beach stretched
As far as the eye could see
Far into the distance
Un-marked and un-scarred
No buildings
No phone masts
No pylons
No wind farms
Or streetlights
The only sounds to be heard
Were the waves breaking,
The gentle breeze in the palms
And assorted birdcalls
No gunfire
No car alarms
No train whistles
No sonic booms
Or traffic
Just a perfect silence

No flotsam of plastics and tins
Littered the beach
Just endless white sand’s
And perfect blue skies
The rustles of palm fronds
And warm scented breezes
So where is this paradise?
It’s in the long distant past

WHEN HARRY MET SALLY

Harry’s mind wandered
As he wend his way
Through crowded streets
He would see her that night
Anna, his new love
He could smell her hair
Feel the softness of her skin
He could even taste her
He longed for her
As he remembered
Her smile, her kiss
Her writhing body
Then Harry stepped off the curb
Oblivious
And was struck
By a car unseen
Tossing him like a rag doll
Depositing him unceremoniously
Between car and gutter
As his body lay broken
And bleeding
Where it came to rest
On the unforgiving street
The last image in his mind
Was not the killer car
But his Anna, His new love
As his life ebbed away
His heart beat its last
The paramedic’s best efforts
Were to no avail
A moment’s carelessness
Had cost a young life
His heart beat no more
In his broken body
Only to beat once more
And reanimate
In another’s chest
To bring new hope
To rekindle another’s existence
Bringing a new beginning for Sally
Which like a phoenix
Rose from the ashes
Of another families grief

ALONE

Tears stung her eyes
And her voice cracked
As she remembered
Her loss hung heavy
Since he, what?
Even now she can’t say it
Could not utter the word
Euphemisms fill her head
Crossed over, left the world,
Gone to a better place
He’s in the next room
Passed away
Other people can say dead
But she cannot
Seven years have passed
Since it happened, her loss
And she lost so much
A husband, lover, friend
Partner, confident
Soul mate
And even now it hurt
Though the wound
Is an old one
It is still unhealed
Still vivid red, angry
Time is a great healer
They said to help her
To comfort her
But she thinks they lied

REFRESHED

Laughter rings now
In the once empty caverns
Of my heart
Sweet wine now
Replaces the bitter brew
Which once coursed
Through narrow streams
My senses once dulled by time
Are now sharp, concise
Vision like an eagle soaring
Able to hear the beat
Of a humming birds wings
Nostrils filled with exotic scent
Heady and cloying
Exquisite tastes tantalize
An unsophisticated palate
And the reason
For my transformation
My metamorphosis
Is an angel
Earthbound
Who has energized an old man
Invigorated my senses
She has re-awakened me
Stirred my soul
But she will never know
Must never know
How she has affected me
I will view her from a distance
And exchange polite greetings
A warm smile, A familiar nod
I will keep my own council
And I will feel contentment
My love unrequited

A PASSING CIVILIZATION

Fast food packaging
Hits the ground
As a car passes
Paper cups dance
In the artificial breeze
As a lorry passes
In the shrubbery
Tin cans and wrappers lie
As a pedestrian passes
Tickets, receipts, cartons
Bottles, tins and old refrigerators
Each successive piece surpasses
But nature will overcome
Our laziness and contempt
When our tenancy passes

THE DAWN PASSING

Sun light pierced the darkness
Through unmet curtains
Spilling gentle early morning sun
On her quiet restful countenance
Facing the dawn
She lay on her side
Her hand supporting her pail cheek
She was at peace
Her three score year and ten served
Age and weariness had left her
And the pain, which hardens our features, was no more
As I held her cold hand
I remembered her warmth
And my mind was at once filled
With a lifetimes memories
Good memories
Warm and rich beyond price
Memories So vivid they might have been yesterday
My lips quivered
And my eyes filled with the sting of tears
Happy for the memories
But so sad for the loss
Then Suddenly The peace was broken
With the doctors heavy footfall on the stairs
So I kissed her gentle hand
And said my last goodbye to mum.