REUNION TREPIDATION

Reunions are strange affairs
Full of shadows of events long past
Faces swim at you from the crowd
Faces from the past
Some are old friends
Greyer in colour
Frailer in body
But still recognisable
Someone says
"I haven't seen you for years"
And suddenly you see them as they once were
You swap stories
Exchange remembrances
And the years just melt away
Though at times you grasp for names
In the far reaches
Of your cluttered mind
You pour over old albums
Regimental photos
Or company teams
Picking out familiar faces
"His name was Chisholm"
"What was his first name?"
"George?"
"No he played trombone"
"Tom, Tim, no Jim"
You feel pleased with yourself.
Your trepidation at attending long gone
With the pleasure of old friendships revisited
You are glad you made the effort

At reunions and other such gatherings
Amongst the sea of faces
There always appears
As if released from a time capsule
That one person who seems completely unchanged
The “Dorian Gray”
Who makes you feel older than ever
And a little bit envious
But not bitter
You console yourself with the fact
He has a painting of Methuselah in his attic
Plus there was that smug satisfaction you got
When you met the rabble rousers of your youth
That are now the teetotallers
Or those with walking frames
And the special diets

Reunions are more than that though
It’s not just about meeting old friends
Some people you never liked
Some you always avoided
Those are the ones who propel themselves
Excocet like from the throng
And act like your long lost best friend
They are the ones you need rescuing from
That cause time to stand still
They ones that caused your trepidation
Who talks incessantly
About everything
And nothing
The ones that cause you to vow
"This is my last reunion"
Or “Never again”
But because the one annoyance
Is the exception to the rule
When next you're askedYou always relent

HALLOWEEN TALES

SEASON OF WITCH

When the werewolf’s howl
And vampires take to the wing
When the witches start to brew
And you hear the banshees sing
When the ghouls are on the move
And the ghosts can all be seen
Then that’s the time you know
That it’s the night of Halloween

A VAMPIRES TALE

When the sun has long set
At dead of night
I rise from my bed
And go out for a bite

Soon I am flying
On my vampire quest
Its fresh young necks
That I like the best

Though I am in no way
A connoisseur
And I would not turn down
Something more mature

Soon I find a subject
Ripe for the picking
And when I’ve supped
My lips I’m licking

Then I return fulfilled
To my dark domain
And sleep the clock around
Until I can sup again

TIS ON THE NIGHT OF HALLOWEEN

Tis on the night of Halloween
When ghosts and ghouls and things obscene
Arrive when our worlds come together unseen
And the souls and demons can pass between

CHRISTMAS HERALD

The Christmas lights are up
The shops play Christmas tunes
The Santas are out in force
In their red and white platoons
Christmas goodies are on display
The best selections ever seen
Which sends the message out
That it’s nearly Halloween

OUR NIGHT OF FIRSTS

I dreamt last night
About our night of firsts
I saw everything with such clarity
Though it was many years ago
All the sights and sounds
The smells and of course touch
It was such a special night
Our night of firsts
Our first date
The first time we held hands
As I walked you home
Along the orchard lane
And then of course
Beneath the cherry tree
Our first kiss
On that late spring evening
When the air was full of perfume
And we heard the birdsong
We gazed into each others eyes
Then our lips touched
And our fate was sealed
For at that moment
On our night of firsts
We fell in love
From that moment on
And all the days of our lives
Our love has lasted
And though I am alone now
And I can only kiss you in my dreams
When my time comes
We will meet again
And walk hand in hand along the orchard lane
And kiss once more
Beneath the cherry tree

BLACKBERRY CAT

You had to go out on such a filthy day
Even though you have a litter tray
I suppose out side there is fun to be had
And you’re still active so I should be glad
But why is it that you deign to re-enter?
Taking a path right across the centre
With half the garden on your paws
Only after I’ve washed all the floors

GIRL ON HORSEBACK

Elegant and beautiful I thought
Admiring the girl on the horse
I couldn’t take my eyes off her
No glance back at me of course

She sits in the saddle quite aloof
A cut above us I’ve been told
A little bit snobby to tell the truth
But she is a beauty to behold

As for the horse she sits upon
A fine thoroughbred steed
A beast like she, looks down its nose
Because like her it’s of noble breed

You expect to be looked down upon
By a girl atop a noble horse
But when on terra firma
I would expect equality of course

But from her five foot one inch stance
She looked down on me once more
Which was quite a feat indeed for her
As I stand tall at six foot four

PC COFFEE TIME

Black coffee
That’s all I crave
Nothing fancy
Just coffee, black
Not latte
Skinny or otherwise
Not espresso
Cappuccino
Mocca
Mocca choca
Macchiato,
Americano
Just coffee, black
But now I’m told
It’s not PC
To order black coffee
Apparently
To be perfectly PC
When ordering black coffee
I must request
Coffee without milk

SHADES OF LOVE

THE LIGHT WENT FROM THE WORLD

The light went from the world
When our love came to an end
I lost everything of worth
My lover, confident and friend

At the moment we discovered
Our love had simply lost its spark
Like the switching of a light switch
My whole world went dark.

PLEASE DON’T LOVE ME

Please don’t love me
Please don’t make me
The object of your affections
Or subject me to your infatuations

Just because I smile at you
And make small talk too
And we have so much in common
Is nothing to pin your hopes upon

Please don’t love me
Please don’t invest your love in me
I’ve been down that road before
I don’t wish to travel it anymore

Every thing is rosy at the start
But too many times love breaks your heart
I will not risk my heart again
So all alone I will remain

So please don’t love me
Friends is all we can ever be
Save your love for the “one”
My dealings with love are over and done

TOO MUCH LOVE

He loves her he says
And he says it often
To elicit a reciprocation
In case her feelings soften

And he does love her
Too much though
Than is really healthy
Soon she will know

For stronger than his love
Growing in intensity
Smoulder the embers
Of his bitter jealousy

She loves him in return
And feels his love
But has not yet felt
The iron fist in the velvet glove

A WORLD OF LOVE

When I walk with you
Through the woods and hills
Just you and I together
The real world disappears
Melts away like a dream
In the cold light of day
That you just can’t quite remember
We avoid the other walkers
Such is our greed for each other
That we jealously guard our company
We are in love
Though we speak of it reluctantly
Lest we break the spell
So we embrace together
In our special world
Cocooned from the real world
By our close proximity
Just you and I
And that is all the world we need

FOR LOVES ADVENTURE

For loves adventure to begin
With life’s journey to share in
Requires only that our souls should meet
And the circle then to be complete
Then with that first sweet embrace
There is nothing ahead we cannot face
For love itself is not the prerequisite
The prize is to keep and treasure it

BEAUTIFUL EYES

Beautiful eyesSo clear and blue
Big eyes,
“All the better to see you”
Eyes, the windows to the soul
What do you see through?

Beautiful eyes
Imperfection free
Big eyes,
“All the better to see me”
What do you see?
When you look through them at me

Beautiful eyes
So honest, so sincere
Big eyes,
“All the better to see clear”
Do they see me with love?
Yes they see with love, my dear?

TAKE A CHANCE ON LOVE

I know it’s difficult to trust again
When deceit is all you’ve known
And lies are all you got to hear
Don’t let it turn your heart to stone

My love for you is boundless
Though the intensity may alter
There will be constancy
My love for you will never falter

Please give me a chance
Put an end to your distress
Take a gamble one last time
The jackpot is your happiness

TWO HEARTS

Two hearts wanting
Standing on the sidelines
Wanting to participate
But fearing heartbreak

Too scared to trust
Past wounds still raw
The wanting so deep
But the spirit to weak

Two hearts wanting
Standing on the shoreline
Wanting to take a swim
But too fearful to dive in

Two hearts wanting
Standing on the sidelines
They will join in, in time
Or they’ll wither on the vine

CONCERNING SPURNING

Since that moment of your spurning
How to live without you I’m learning
But as long as the world keeps turning
And a boomerang keeps returning
All the time the sun keeps on burning
That’s how long I’ll keep on yearning

OUR LOVE IS TOUGH

Our love is tough
Our love is strong
Made in England Apropos
As strong as tungsten steel
It’s as hard as granite rock
It won’t melt away like the April snow
It’s made of sterner stuff
The only thing that will break it
Is if we let it go

I THOUGHT MY HEART WAS BROKEN

I thought my heart was broken
On the day she said goodbye
I loved her so much
I loved her too much
All my friends said
“You’re better off without her”
“Plenty more fish in the sea”
But I wasn’t so sure

I thought my heart was broken
But in the end I was mistaken
Though I felt pain
I don’t want to feel again
My friends were right
I was better off without her
And there were more fish in the sea
Of that I was assured

I thought my heart was broken
On the day she said goodbye
But it was not you see
And if she had not left me
Then my friends, the matchmakers
Would not have trawled the seas
And found the perfect girl for me
My future is now secured

DREAMING OF YOU

Walking alone on a bright summers day
I’m thinking of you though you’re far away
Wishing you were with me neath this sky of blue
In my lovers daydream I’m walking with you
I dream of you every step and every stride
Picturing you with me walking by my side
Soon I won’t have to dream to have you near me
And my phantom lover will have to flee
Your perfume will intoxicate me like wine
Then I will really feel your hand in mine
And then we can fall in love anew
Until then I must keep dreaming of you

IMPRUDENT HEART

She fell in love
Too easily
Too deeply
Too desperately
Her heart was imprudent
Indiscrete, Impulsive
There was always another target
Of her affections
Some would deplore her
Some would ignore her
Some would use her
Some would abuse her
Her heart was always disrespected
Always unappreciated
Her love was always unwanted
And always unrequited
She just wanted to be happy
But each time
She strove for love
It just got further away
She gave her heart
Too readily
Too easily
Too cheaply

I COULD HAVE LIVED A LIFETIME

I could have lived a lifetime
Sailing the seven seas
One moment in the teeth of a gale
Then becalmed for want of a breeze
I could have charted new waters
Or discovered exotic new lands
Or battled cutthroat pirates
With sword and pistol in my hands
I could have lived a life of adventures
Sleeping beneath the stars
Lived by a strict code of honour
While sporting my duelling scars
All this and more I could have been
If I’d lived an adventurous life
But in truth what greater adventure
Than to lay in the arms of my wife

PRETTY ANGEL

How pretty she was
A fact no one denies
With the face of an angel
And sympathetic eyes
Her soft gentle mouth
Its true nature it belies
For beyond the facade
She was the devil in disguise

How deceiving she was
Behind the angels disguise
Hidden beneath a mask
Were calculating eyes
Her soft gentle mouth
Could speak only lies
And beyond the façade
Lay the angels demise

BETRAYAL

In your dark betrayal, you have destroyed
Everything in my life that mattered
What I thought was solid, is now gone
Because of you our love was shattered
Like a thousand mirrored fragments
Each precious memory now scattered
Reflects back all those moments of deceit
My self respect left torn and tattered

LOOKING AFRESH

Looking afresh in the cold light of day
All at once life isn’t as dark as it appears
When first you left me for another
Leaving me alone after so many years
I was deeply hurt, but now I realize
You’re not worth the salt of my tears

RING IN THE WINDOW

In the window he saw the ring
The perfect one, a beautiful thing
The most perfect symbol for her
At its centre a Ceylon sapphire
A gem to beguile and hypnotise
And match the beauty of her eyes
Then to compliment its glow
Around it sits a diamond halo
Light playing on its heavenly guise
Like the sparkling of her eyes
All set in a stylist platinum band
Which he could picture on her hand
And pictured himself on one knee
So he could say “please marry me”

IN SUNSHINE OR IN SHADOW

In sunshine or in shadow
Your love sets me aglow
In perfect calm or raging storm
Your love keeps me warm
In times of drought or flood
Your passion warms my blood
In summer bright or winter dark
You are always in my heart

WE HAD IT ALL

It was here, in our grasp
We could see it, feel it, touch it
Something steadfast and solid
Reassuring and comforting
A constant, a given
Something infinite and immeasurable

We had it all in our hands
A living breathing thing
That we gave life
Our own creation, our new entity
But we let it escape from our grasp
Slowly slipping through our fingers
Though we tried to recapture it
It was illusive, like trying to net smoke
It evaded our efforts

So now it's gone and nothing remains,
Of that entity that was us
Nothing tangible, nothing physical
Only memories remain

NOTHING LASTS FOREVER

Nothing lasts forever
Nothing is that durable
Nothing is built to stand the test of time
No matter how sound the foundation
It will fall apart

Love is among the list of shoddy structures
Love doesn’t last forever
Even though we wish it would
And we can make the case why it should
And list the justification
“Because I need you”
“I feel so lost without you”
“I don't want to be alone”
No one is listening
There is no ombudsman
To hear your grievance and arbitrate
You have loved and lost

But knowing it won’t last forever
Doesn’t soften the blow
When it comes to an end
It still hurts like hell
And the pain seems to last forever