Tales of Love # 26

THE WEEPING WILLOW TREE

Like the star-crossed lovers,
Romeo and Juliet,
They come from feuding kin
And must hide their love
From those closest to them,
So they meet in secret
Beside the quiet lake
At their secret place
To share a clandestine love
Where the only sounds,
Are of the faintest breeze
Disturbing the lofty tree tops
A gentle lapping of water
Against the bank
And ducks squabbling on the lake
But despite the quiet
They are fearful of discovery
As they embrace hidden from view
Beneath a weeping willow tree,
Its leafy pendulous branches
Trail down into the water
Where, stirred by the gentle breeze
They dip in an out of the water
Like the toes of a reluctant bather.
Despite their fear, the lovers
Kiss in the quiet shade
And feel at once renewed
No words are spoken
Their language is of caress and kiss
Such a tender converse
With limitless vocabulary
And languid pronunciation
Every syllable well employed
And when the final paragraph is reached
They end with perfect punctuation
And bask in its afterglow
Until they must once again stir
From their lovers languor
And sadly tread separate paths
To re-join their warring tribes
Adopting adversarial manners
No knowing looks to be exchanged
No casual brushing past
When for an exquisite moment
A hand might touch a hand
They must remain entrenched
With their warring clans
Until they can once again
Embrace beneath the weeping willow tree

HAIR OF AUBURN

Hair of Auburn
Falls untamed
Over pale flesh
Stark in contrast
Like a crimson rose
Against bridal white

GIGOLO AND GIGOLETTE

Right from the start
He lost his heart
When the gigolo met
His lovely gigolette
And Philandered no more
Now he had his paramour

LOVE WASHED OVER ME

Love washed over me
Arriving at my feet,
Like the lapping of waves
On a lonely beach
But it drifted away
On the ebb tide

LEFT 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
And Soul mate
And even now it hurt
Though the wound
Is an old one
It is still unhealed
Still vivid red, and angry
Time is a great healer
They said to help her
To comfort her
But she thinks they lied

Tales of Love # 25

FORGOTTEN?

I had forgotten her
I had forgotten
The way she looked
With her bright elfin face
And brown soulful eyes
I had forgotten
The sound of her voice
With its sweet honeyed tones
And her infectious laughter
It had been hard
But I had forgotten her

I had forgotten
The smell of her hair
The taste of her lips
The touch of her skin
I had forgotten her completely
She was off my radar
My senses were free of her
Free of her intoxication
Free of her narcotic
It had taken months
Going cold turkey
To cleanse myself, to detox
To shake her from my consciousness
And exorcise her from my soul
But I had forgotten her

I had forgotten her
By changing jobs
Decorating the house
And ridding myself of everything
That reminded me of her
And I was free
My life was once more on an even keel
The stormy seas had been quelled
All was calm and safe
And there was such comfort
In feeling safe
The wounds had healed
Though the scars remained
I had peace of mind
When I could say
I had forgotten her

And I had forgotten her
Until that fateful day
When I found it
Down the side of the sofa
A small pearl button
Such an innocuous item
Evoking such potent memories
Of a violet lamb’s wool sweater
That accentuated her breasts so well
The button was a casualty
Of an intimate encounter
Discarded in our passionate haste
And in that instance of recognition
She was all at once back with me
My senses reawakened
Her scent was in my nostrils
I could feel her lips on mine
Her caress on my cheek
I could hear her infectious laughter
And I saw her sitting beside me
Close enough to touch
And as the wounds reopened
I realised to my dismay that
I had not forgotten her

I had not forgotten her
I had just shut down
Disabled my interface with the world
I hid away in my castle
And pulled up the draw bridge
And created my own world within
I held the button in my fingers
As the drawbridge lowered
And my castle walls fell
And the world flooded in
That little pearl button
Spoke to me in volumes
And I knew I loved her still

HAIR OF MAHOGANY

Hair of Mahogany
Tumbles unchecked
Over freckled skin
In perfect complement
Like forest fronds
In a dappled glade

THE NIGHT OF FIRSTS

I dreamt last night
About our night of firsts
And I saw everything with such clarity
Though it was many years ago
All the sights, sounds, tastes, smells,
And of course, touch
It was such a special night
Our night of firsts
Principally it was our first date
And the first time we held hands
It was as I walked you home
Along the orchard lane
And then of course
Beneath the cherry tree
We shared our first kiss
On that late spring evening
When the air was full of perfume
And we heard the birdsong
As we gazed into each other’s 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 we will walk hand in hand
Along the orchard lane
And kiss once more
Beneath the cherry tree

THE LOVE IN US

The love in me
Touches your heart and soul
And I feel a love divine
The love in you
Touches my heart and soul
And we share a love divine
The love in us
Binds us body and soul
And we bask in a love divine

I FOUND MY ONE TRUE LOVE

I found my one true love
My soulmate and when
I first laid eyes on her
My eyes saw only beauty
And at once I heard music
Where there was clearly none
But I heard it nonetheless
I could tell she heard it too
And she smiled at its significance
So I returned the smile
To my heart’s desire
And then we were caught-up
In an all embracing kiss
And our love is still singing

Tales of Love # 24

BUTTERFLY SUMMER

I remember well, when we were young
And all those long halcyon days
We spent so many joyful hours
Just idling our time away
Down on her dad’s farm.
They were such happy lazy days
Swinging on that old rustic gate
Fishing in the mill pond,
Pooh sticks on the stream
And roaming the countryside
With nothing particular to do
And a world of time to do it in.
They were truly wonderful days
Pleasure filled days, innocent days,
Before the end of childhood
But that was before those amazing weeks
Of that one very special summer,
So many summers ago now,
When she transformed before my eyes,
A little more each day, into something new
Like a butterfly, emerging from its cocoon
Spreading its glorious wings in the sun
Displaying a previously unseen beauty.
A wonderful transformation
When she magically changed
From the cutely naive country girl,
An awkward and ungainly tomboy,
Into an altogether more graceful being
A beautiful young woman,
Though I was fond of the grubby faced girl
With the unruly hair, wispy and uncombed
But fondness paled and I very soon fell in love
With the beautiful butterfly that had replace her
And with the emergence of the butterfly girl
Possessed of all the wondrous beauty
Of the first flower of spring
We trod an unfamiliar path
And left our childish games behind
Taking our first tentative steps towards love,
A love that was a stranger to us, an alien thing
Yet we stepped eagerly into its turbulent sea
And immersed ourselves in its waters
We knew at once that excitement of first love
When joy was all we could see
And all of our thoughts were only for each other
Sweet moments spent in blissful adoration
Until love was burnt deeply on our souls.
Now when we walk the familiar places
Of our distant youth, as we so often do
We can stand in that very spot
Where first I beheld the butterfly
Resplendent in the sunlight
And say to her with heartfelt sincerity
That I love her still

HAIR OF CHESTNUT

Hair of Chestnut
Tumbles unchecked
Over freckled skin
In perfect complement
Like forest fronds
In a dappled glade

I WILL BE WITH YOU ALWAYS

Do not grieve for me
Do not mourn my passing
Just remember me with a smile.
Don’t think of me as gone
Remember what we had
Think of our life as a favourite book
Do not close it and put it on the shelf
Never to be read again
Just because you hate the ending
Start to write the next chapter
Enjoy it like all the others
And don’t be sad
I will be with you always

I will be there when the wild flowers
Dance in the spring meadow
When the summer breeze moves through
A field of ripening wheat
When the morning mist of autumn
Softens the landscape
And when the winter sun
Sparkles and glints on the snow
And I will be by your side
Through your loneliest hours
I will be with you always

I will be there in the dawn
Rising with the sun
You will see me again
When the sun sets at the days end
And in the twilight hours
I will be that gentle breeze
That caress’s your cheek
On a warm summer evening
And I will be that tingle on your skin
As you lie in the quiet hours
I will be with you always

I will be there when you retrace our steps
And when you stand on the lake shore
My reflection will not be on the water
By I am still with you
When you walk in the autumn
Through the golden carpet
I will be in the dancing leaves
And when the snow lays,
Though I will leave no foot prints
I am there for these moments that were ours
I will be with you always

I will be there in the quietness of winter
Among the falling snowflakes
I will be in the dew drops
On the grassy meadow
I will be there in the warm sunlight
Of a summer’s day
I will be with you when the storm
Quickens your heartbeat
And you will feel me on your skin
In the April showers
I will be with you always

I HAVE HELD MY LOVE IN CHECK

I have held my love in check
While watching and waiting,
Cautious from the very start
Withholding romantic feelings,
And playing it safe, until the day
I find a worthy receptive heart

WHY IS IT THAT LOVES TEMPERATE FLAME

Why is it that
Loves temperate flame
Cools the bearer over time
Why is it so sweet
And yet so fleeting
And why does love
Fill a heart with joy
Yet age the lovers
Like a wilting flower

Tales of Love # 23

BEFORE LOVE DIED

We walked together in the spring
When our love was a fresh new thing
The cherry trees were in blossom
And we thought life was awesome
Our hearts were so full we sighed
But that was before love died

In the summer we walked together
In the fine and sunny weather
Through fields of golden corn
When we parted we were forlorn
And felt a burning passion deep inside
But that was before love died

In the autumn we walked abroad
And our hearts were of one accord
We wandered thought the golden gown
And nothing could ever get us down
We felt as one when side by side
But that was before love died

When winters chill fell upon the land
We still walked together hand in hand
We played in the snow like children
Making snow angels again and again
I even asked her to be my bride
But that was before love died

We had walked hand in hand
As a life together we planned
We sat beneath a leafy oak
As of everlasting love we spoke
And we loved, laughed and cried
But that was before love died

Now I walk alone in the familiar places
Where we enjoyed our fond embraces
Where we kissed and spoke of tomorrow
Places that now bring me only sorrow
Her love made me feel alive inside
But that was before love died

HAIR OF JET

Hair of jet
Falls untamed
Over alabaster skin
Stark in contrast
Like a ravens wing
Against fresh snow

I LIE IN THE FIRST LIGHT OF DAWN

I lie in the first light of dawn
Alone, thinking of her,
Wishing her next to me
Feeling her breath
Against my skin
Her breasts
Pressed against my flesh
In the quiet of the new day
Hearing her breathing
I ache for her touch
I long for her soft body
Against mine
In the dawns pale light
And in the darkness
I want her
I want her so much,
But she is gone
She is mine no more
Never again will my hands
Caress her form
Never again will I hear
Her murmur and sigh in pleasure
She is mine no more
My angel of the night
Has left my side
And dwells now
With others of her kind

NEVER BE SORROWED

Never be sorrowed
By love’s compromise
Don’t settle for second best,
You deserve better
So search for the one
Look into their heart
And when they look back
You will know it’s safe
To fall into their loving arms

OUR FIRST MEETING WAS BENEATH

Our first meeting was beneath
A sky of perfect blue
When a shaft of summer sun
Set your copper hair ablaze
Unspoken smiles were exchanged
Followed by silent acknowledgement
And love bloomed like a desert flower
After fall of summer rain

Tales of Love # 22

LOVE LETTERS IN THE LIBRARY

I entered the musty library,
Of the once great house
With its leather upholstered chairs
And oak paneled walls,
Instantly feeling at home,
So I took a seat in a chesterfield beside the fire
And in comfort I began to read
But my chosen reading was not
One of the myriad of leather bound tomes
That filled the oak shelves from floor to ceiling
Nor a rare first edition, of which there were many,
I had my choice of all the classics
With their gold embossed titles
But my selection was a collection of letters
Neatly tied in faded red ribbons
And as I began to read them
They took my breath away
For each beautifully hand written page
Was part of a remarkable love story
About a most extraordinary couple
Whose depth of love was evident
In every eloquent syllable.

As I read on, their love affair
Was revealed to me as a most exceptional love story
For this lovingly devoted couple
Who billed and cooed in copperplate
On every scented page and shared their hearts love
In unguarded detail, had never met
For they had begun to write
In the innocence of childhood
As pen pals, for a project set by School
It was a chore that had to be done
But it didn’t remain burdensome
Yet even though they had never met
Their love was evident, in fact it was palpable
In their intimate personnel correspondence,
No that’s not what it was
Correspondence did not in any form
Convey the true meaning of their substance.
The tangibility was in their Love letters
That’s the only way to say it
The flowery words of an affaire d’amour
Echoed in the calligraphy on every page
Each revealing billet doux
More affectionate, romantic and intimate
Than its passionate predecessor
They billed and cooed on every page
Each lovingly constructed sentence
Heavily laced with innuendo
And dripped with sensual longing,
Subtle yet explicit at the same time
Flavoured with delicious nuances
Flirtatious and lustful
Romantic and affectionate
A love of such perfect purity,
Not for its pureness of thought
But for the absence of any hope of physicality
For their love was star-crossed
She was an invalid, bed ridden
Stricken with polio as a child
While he was a subject of an enemy state
And because their two nations were at war
She couldn’t go to him even if her health permitted
And he was unable to go to her
For fear of capture and imprisonment
So they could never meet, would never meet
And they were content in that fact
For their love transcended the physical
So they made love via their sweet missives
A love that never faded or faltered
In an affair lasting more than forty years
Which only ended with his death

The one and only public acknowledgement
Of the lifelong love affair, was in his will
When he expressed as his dying wish
That her letters, which were so precious
To him and cherished during his life
Should be returned to his love
So that they at least should lie together
She was so broken hearted at the news
That her cherished lover had left the world
She died a week after receiving them
And they could be united at last

HAIR OF AMBER

Hair of Amber
Falls in curls
Over golden skin
In perfect complement
Like ripened corn
In a summer field

JUST A SNAPSHOT

I held a picture of her
Just a snapshot
Dog eared and faded
Posed for posterity
A picture of a young girl
In a summer dress,
A “hand me down” clearly
The pattern faded
On the much altered garment
With a fraying hem
She was a pretty girl
With a face of innocence
Framed by brown tousled hair
A naïve and unaffected girl
Unsure of her beauty
And all the more beautiful because of it
Such a wonderful snapshot
Of a perfect moment
Captured so long ago
On a perfect day
I fell in love with her that day
As my heart melted
Like the snow in spring
I love her still and I’ve loved her
Every day in between.
Tears welled in my eyes
As I looked at that picture
Of naïve innocent beauty
And they fell unchecked
As I remembered
The woman she became
And the love we shared
But then she was taken from me
So all I have left is the snapshot
And all the memories it invokes

A SEA BREEZE BLEW THROUGH OUR HAIR

A sea breeze blew through our hair
As we walked along the shore line
The waves lapped at the sand
And sunlight glinted on the water
It must have been a beautiful scene
But as we walked hand in hand
I confess I had eyes only for you
As we strolled along the beach
While waves lapped at the sand

WHERE THE CROWNS OF ANGELS GLOW

If I am the first of us 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 souls emerge into the light

If I am the first of us to go there
I will await you in lush meadows
Where sweet perfume fills the air

If I go first and leave your company
We will meet again in paradise
And be together for all eternity

If I am the first to go, allay your fears
I will be waiting in the place
Where God has banished 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

True Nature # 11

FOOTSTEPS IN THE FROST

A beautiful winter’s morning
When mist conceals the sunrise,
And nestles between
The frosty shadows of the trees,
And footsteps crunch
Through the crystal patterns
Of the crisp hoar frost

THE HARVEST MOON APPEARS

The harvest moon appears
In an Amethyst sky
The centre piece
Amidst the heavenly array
Of jewelled stars on display
Where such brilliance captivates
With spiritual delight
As you stand in awe
And imagine life
Beyond the stars

IN THE DEPTHS OF PURPLE CLOUDS

In the depths of purple clouds
Soft and temperate as the night
Masks the setting of the sun
And hides the fading of the light

NARWHALE

The narwhale lived year-round
In the Arctic waters around
Greenland, Canada, and Russia
Along with its cousin the Beluga
The narwhale males fished
The waters, and are distinguished
With its long straight helical horn
Like a predatory arctic unicorn

GALES ARE DRIVING WAVES

Gales are driving waves
Against the resilient shore,
And pounding
Them on to the rocks,
While on the edge of the wind
There is distant thunder sounding

SHE WAS A REAL NATURE GIRL

She was a real nature girl
Dancing happily in the meadows
Like a flitting summer sprite
With no thought of cares and woes
As she frolic’s like a lamb all day
Till the lengthening of the shadows

ABOVE THE HORIZON

Above the horizon
The beauty of a sunrise,
Slowly emerges and
Illuminates the sky
And as it spreads into the morn
It burns red on the calm water
As a cool pleasant breeze
Drifts gently across the bay

A Mixed Bag Of Verse # 4

ONCE IN AN AGE OF INNOCENCE

Once in an age of innocence
When the maids were chaste
The body was a temple of love
On which great value was placed
Now the age of innocence is dead
Virtue is sacrificed in haste
Bodies are desecrated at will
And displayed without disgrace

THE FEAST DAY OF SAINT BRIGIT

The feast day of Saint Brigit
Is an Irish National Day
When the Irish people
Celebrate Saint Brigit's Day

ONE SECRET TO A HAPPY LIFE # 1

One secret to a happy life
Is this, more or less
Take every opportunity to
Mind your own business.

HE WANDERED THE STREETS

He wandered the streets
Clothed in tattered rags
And shod in scruffy boots
That didn’t keep out the rain
So he turned to crime
To fill his hollow belly
And then Victorian justice
Clothed him in a ball and chain

FRIENDSHIP TIP

Don’t let a little dispute
Injure a great friendship
Swallow your pride
And quickly make up

THE FEAST DAY OF SAINT ANDREW

The feast day of Saint Andrew
Is Scotland’s National Day
When the Scottish people
Celebrate Saint Andrew's Day

ONE SECRET TO A HAPPY LIFE # 2

One secret to a happy life
Is this and nothing more
Once a year, go somewhere
You’ve never been before.

THE PAINTER AND HIS MODEL

The painter and his model
Were smitten from the very start
And every stroke of his brush
Said “I love you with all my art”

NOT EVEN GOD

Their arrogant confidence
Was unshrinkable
In fact they considered it
To be unthinkable
For the RMS Titanic
Not to be unsinkable

THE FEAST DAY OF SAINT DAVID

The feast day of Saint David
Is Wales’s National Day
When the Welsh people
Celebrate Saint David's Day

ONE SECRET TO A HAPPY LIFE # 3

One secret to a happy life
Is simply this in my view
If you make a lot of money,
And good fortune smiles on you
Use it to use help others
That is wealth's true value

AN ARTIST SHOULD BE ADMIRED

An artist should be admired
Treasured and inspired
And encouraged to create
Art to which we can relate

AFTER SIX LONG YEARS OF BATTLE

After six long years of battle,
Triumph came to the side of light
When the scourge of hostility ended
And Victory in Europe Day began
With joyous revelling and dancing
A new life for the country began
Then as Victory night passed,
And daylight broke through,
The peace dawned anew

THE FEAST DAY OF SAINT COLUMBA

The feast day of Saint Columba
Is an Irish National Day
When the Irish people
Celebrate Saint Columba's Day

LIEUTENANT GENERAL SIR LESLIE JAMES MORSHEAD KCB, KBE, CMG, DSO, ED (18 September 1889 – 26 September 1959)

Australian schoolmaster
Of Cornish stock
Turned reluctant soldier to be
A veteran of the Great War,
Galipoli, Messines, Passchendaele,
Villers-Bretonneux, and Amiens.
After the armistice he was
A peace time businessman
Remaining active in part-time Militia.
Until the Second World War,
When he led the Australian and British troops
At the Siege of Tobruk
And at the Second Battle of El Alamein,
Achieving decisive victories
Over Rommel's Afrika Korps
A strict and demanding officer,
His soldiers affectionately nicknamed him
“Ming the Merciless”,
Later simply “Ming”
After Flash Gordon’s nemesis
He was a remarkable leader
When ordered to hold Tobruk
For 8 weeks and held for 7 months
And it is widely regarded to be the point
That Britain won the war

THE FEAST DAY OF SAINT GEORGE

The feast day of Saint George
Is England’s National Day
When the English people
Celebrate Saint George's Day

ONE OF THE KEYS TO THE SONG OF LIFE

One of the keys to the song of life
Is one of the simple things that please
Such as saying “bless you”
When you hear someone sneeze


WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES IN LIFE

We all make mistakes in life
But the first step is to admit it
When you realize you've made one
Take immediate steps to correct it

LIVE A FULL AND SATISFYING LIFE

Live a full and satisfying life
Make your mark and don’t regret it
But measure your success by what
You had to give up in order to get it