IF WE HAD MET AT A DIFFERENT TIME

If we had met at a different time
I would have asked out Charlie
Charlie the beautiful young brunette
Whose voice alone was sufficient to arouse
Hazel eyes that could mesmerize
And her heady perfume was hypnotic
Just to look at her curves stirred my loins
Those perfectly round buttocks
The swing of her hips
And the movement of her breasts
Charlie the beautiful young brunette
With the impossibly long legs
That could have encircled me
In our passionate embrace
She could so easily have been mine
But I stepped away
And I distanced myself from her beauty
Because she was half my age
And because I was not free
I did the right thing
But I still think of what might have been

BENEATH THE CLOCK

Beneath the clock I’m waiting expectantly
Awaiting my blind date a little nervously
He’s late but I don’t mind, at least not yet
He’ll have a good reason no doubt, I bet
He’s here at last and only an hour late
A good-looking man it was worth the wait
A kiss on the cheek and a smile how terrific
Oh but his breath could stop the traffic
But nobody’s perfect and he has a kind face
And he’s booked a table at an exclusive place
The restaurant looks fine, very expensive
Let’s hope appearances are not deceptive
The food is poor, and the service shambolic
His conversation is dull and monosyllabic
He drinks too excess and slobbers his food
His table manners are nothing short of rude
His drinking is driving me around the bend
I really can’t wait for the evening to end
The bill arrives and I’m asked to pay half
My immediate reply “You’re having a laugh”
He leaps to his feet and explodes with fury
Then falls backwards into the shrubbery
I throw him a look of contempt and disdain
Embarrassed I leave saying “never again”
How could I have known it would go so amiss?
I just can’t believe I shaved my legs for this

EVERYTHING BUT A POSSESSION

My partner and lover
My significant other
My best friend and gal
My confidante and pal
She’s the love of my life
Happily she’s my wife

FATHER

I feel his hand on my shoulder
Reassuringly
When I am unsure of myself
Or hesitant
I see him watch me sagely
When I seek enlightenment
I see him smile with pride
When I succeed
Or with head inclined to comfort
When I fail
He is with me late at night
Watching Bogey and Bacall
I see his reflection on the lake
When I am fishing
And I hear him cheering loudly
Whenever we beat Australia
His smile sustains me
His words engage me
His strength supports me
His compassion inspires me
I shared joy with him
When my children were born
And sorrow when
My mother passed away
He stood behind me
In church on my wedding day
And beside me
At the reception when we toasted
At quiet moments I detect
The fragrance of old spice
Or the acrid tell tale aroma
Of his pipe tobacco
He is with me now
As I write these words
Though he has been dead
For nearly thirty years

AT THE SCHOOL GATE

A leafy suburban avenue
Nice and quiet as a rule
But this peaceful avenue
Leads to a junior school
Alone or in twos and threes
They begin to arrive
Up the road in time
For home time at three oh five
In variety they gather
Mostly mums or minders
Aunts or siblings
And dads in growing numbers
Some arrive on foot
But mostly they have a ride
Some plod wearily
While others proudly stride
An illegally parked parent
Falls foul of the law
And the language matches
From the driver’s door
The throng of adults
Arranged about the gate
Gossip and chat idly
While they stand and wait
The door bursts open
And boisterous kids spill out
Some crane neck to see
While others give a shout
Some appear dishevelled
And others prim and neat
Untucked clothes
And laces flap about their feet
Some run to the gate
Others trudging and lagging
With coats or bags following
Behind them dragging
The children drawn like moths
Towards the light
Amidst the heaving throng
The families reunite
Occasionally one’s dispatched
At a parent’s behest
To retrieve forgotten items,
A lunch box or a vest
Not all the children leave
At home time though
Some stay an hour or two
Before its time to go
Working parents
Unable to find someone to sub
Need to send their children
To after school club
In minutes the disgorging mass
Drifts from the gate
The crowd dispersing
As a stream of cars evacuate
It came like a tornado
Who’s sound assaults the ear
Then once more returned
To peaceful leafy suburbia

NEW LOVE

A New love, young love,
Fresh and in bud,
Exciting, Heart racingly so,
Though uncertain, exciting still
A Breathless love
Full of longing
Eagerness to be together
Reluctance to part

Hand touching hand, Pulse raising
Heart full of love, Head full of doubt
“Do they feel as I?” “Am I just a fool?”
Will our love last?
Will it blossom and grow
Will it bare fruit?
Or wither on the vine

WHERE, WHEN AND HOW?

Where did it go?
The sense of one
Feeling of togetherness
Of mutuality, symbiosis
Thinking each others thoughts
A consciousness shared
Breathing in unison
A single beating heart
Speaking in a single voice

When did it happen?
At what point?
Did we separate?
Torn asunder
Split like an atom
Dissected like conjoined twins
To Breath alone
Stop sharing one heart
Speak for ourselves

How could it be?
When I looked at her with love
A stranger looked back
Independent and solo
Individual and free
Thinking on a different plain
Breathing different air
Heart pulsing with a different beat
Speaking a foreign tongue