Young Love

Every whistle, every breath

Every touch and tiny smile

Every laugh and every prayer

Every sigh in the silence of the night

These days fly past

Like the beads of a necklace

Broken, falling to the ground

To be gathered up, treasured

Or forgotten, trampled in the mud

‘Coz there’s a bend in the road ahead

No tellin’ where it’s gonna lead

No tellin’ which way my feet will wander

In the next chapter of life’s adventures

And yet I know this pain of joy

Something new yet something old

Older than the hills and fields

The flickering ember of youthful love

Blindly through the fog of life

I stumbled with my hands outstretched

Despairing that fate

Waited solitary by my side

And yet your fingers chose

To meet mine, to hold

Tight and lead me out

Onto this sun kissed beach of Hope

My heart whispers words

Words you will never hear

This glow that lights me up inside

Is the touch of your fingers

The kiss of your lips

Flash of Silver In The Pan

I can't sleep and its another night
I find myself going somewhere
I count lamposts and streetlights and cows on the road
As I close my eyes
I expect to see white wooly sheep jumping over a stile


There's this movie playing across my eyelids
It's got everything I wanna forget
I reach out into the shimmering sands of time
And pull out shining strands of memory
Put them into a little something
Close it make it safe and sound
It's got everything I wanna forget
It's got everything I'm leaving behind


I feel myself going somewhere
The wheels are turning, churning up the darkness
There's a salty tang to the air
As it hits my face
We're rolling over this bridge that's gonna
Take me away from us


I take a step
It's time to fall asleep
Time to stop counting white wooly sheep
Jumping over the stile
I swing my hand and see the glitter of silver
In the red shadow of the setting sun
And then it's gone into the deep blue depths
It had everything I wanna forget
It had everything I wanna keep


I look at this white screen
And the message in black
One last time before it's gone
Into the void so black and cold
It's the only time you ever told me
It's the only thing I have of you
It's everything I wanna forget
It's everything I had better not keep


There are days ahead of me
Days I'll spend playing dodgeball in the market
Days I'll be praying for you to win
One vote for you is a vote against me


It's time I broke these bangles
Into pretty sharp shards of red and green
It's time to feel the pain
It's time to let my little dove fly
Fly into the unknown, little one
Don't come back to me
Coz I'm going back into the silence
I'm turning off this light

White Dwarves

Watch the inmates

Doomed to stay in this here

Prison house; counting bars

Watching the shadows lengthen

Across the desolate yard

See the wistful glances

They dart at the sky

And skylark, both;

Freedom and joy both denied them

Watch, as their hunger grows

The world is hard on them

As on all fallen stars

Fate is harder, more pitiless

The punishment most serious

For losing what most

Could never hope to get

Most heartbreaking to see

Is the way they turn inwards

Tearing at each other

Killing for the sake of the Pain

Buried deep in their hearts

For mistakes old and young

Faults real and faults imagined

The last embers of humanity

Consumed in misplaced bestial rage

Watch them fight

Rolling across the yard

In furious embraces locked

Fashioning sport for the watching world

Gladiator-like and self consuming anger

Unheeding jeers and catcalls

Something beyond humiliation and defeat

Come and watch the fallen stars

Anguish paralyses my heart

And yet not my hand

As I strike thee;

O brother of my heard

And trample underfoot, you

Who art my sister

‘Tis a sorry sight

For those as great

As these who Have Been

To descend to the levels

Beneath the watching world

For these bars we’ve put up

Across our minds

Binding ourselves, restraining

Self chastisement for daring to be

A star high above the watching world

Diving into this pain of penance

Atonement for the sake of normalcy

For being born a cut above the rest

Condemned to fail by the whispered curses

Of an envious crown watching with bated breath

Praying even; for the inevitable fall

Pity these shooting stars

Destined to go down fighting

Martyrs to the cause of failure

Pity them, O watching world

Here today, gone tomorrow

A flash in the pan; across the horizon bright

The unforgettable forgotten

Lighting up memories; give

Us a permanent spot

From Hall of Fame to Wall of Shame

And back again

Hate not these fallen hapless stars; jeer

All you like, but beware

Keep awake and watch for the night

When the watchers come back

To watch this watching world

And the stars come shining out again

Night Vigil

My night vigil continues

As I watch the shadows lengthen

Into nothingness; new sounds

From the Nightmaster’s Jukebox

Filter in through the air

Calling for some ritual

Long forgotten by the Day

Guarded by the moth and owl

Keepers of the Secret Way

What wordless magic shimmers

Grey against this black backdrop?

Luring frail and wayward hearts

A net from Forbidden Desires woven

Deeper ecstasies; a new fantasy

The lonely sighs of a Broken Heart

The quiet gasp of laughter

Of the one in Love

Offerings at the Goddess’ sacrificial fire

The fumes from their Sabbath

Fashioned into a heady brew

Bottled Madness and liquid Sanity

Poison and antidote coupled

My night vigil continues

As I watch the stars come out

Pinpricks of Hope

In this vast night of Hate

Avenging angels bent

On a celestial mission for Love

The night rain falls

Stinging droplets upon my face

As I close my eyes

And walk into the pain

They mingle with the tears

Of a hundred hopeless nights

The piercing silence

Of a screaming heart

My fears ride the vast grey clouds

These gremlins from my private world

Children of the night; their feet

Pattering in an endless dance

Around the dying flames of Passion

The winds of Change rustle my hair

Whispering in my ears a message

From afar; speaking of hope and love

For this night will pass

And a new sun dawn;

The magic dissolving

To give way to the Light

The day hides its mysteries

In its enigmatic smile

In clouds across the horizon

My faith in the magic chords

Of the night vigil propels me

Forward, as with new wings spread

Face to face with Destiny

I soar into the future

Leaving the Night behind

Why Say Goodbye

Listen to your heart
Coz sometimes in life 
You gotta keep moving on


Coz it’s often easy to fall through 
To slip into that little trap 
It’s too easy to give up 
And say its all for the best


when the silences stretch longer
It’s too easy to give in to their demand
But sometimes love and friendship 
Just aren’t enough...


Watch the wind blowing
Over the still surface of a glassy lake
Learn from the stern countenance
Of the stone gargoyle that scowls
Disapprovingly from yon cathedral balcony


There’s a little corner in my mind
Fenced off and cared for
But I never go there much
Not if I can help it
Coz some things are best left alone
Coz some things do well by themselves


I opened my window
At midnight yesterday night
I freed this little dove
I watched her fly into the night sky
Carrying my prayer into the unknown


And then, when she was gone
And I was left alone
Alone in the dark
With the ticking of the clock
There was no one to hear
My quiet laugh escape my lips

Sleepless Winter

It's another evening
And me curled up by the fire
The firelight reflected in my eyes
Flickers and wavers
Giving way to strange stories
Which, if you were to look 
Into my eyes, you would see there


My eyes glaze over
A small smile curls my lips
A hundred years pass before my eyes
And the silence is suddenly close
Just at my elbow


Something curled up in my lap
Like a housecat purrs
I stroke it absently and smile
As I look upon things that never were


There's a pain in the centre of my forehead
Where there's a wrinkle coz I frown a lot
My mother thinks its a bad thing
But I really couldn't care less
I'm asleep with my eyes wide open
I'm dead to the world
Even as my hands stroke something
Absently, that lies curled up in my lap


There's something to be said
About these things I see
When I'm awake and yet asleep


A bit of replay here
A bit of fantasy there
A sliver of wistful thinking
And a song long forgotten
A face I've seen many times before
In a game I used to play when I was a child
All mixed up with the tears I shed


My pet curled up in my lap purrs
And snarls at my dreams if they get real bizarre
She'll watch over me all winter
So I can lean back with my glass of pineapple beer
And smile as I sail away
On a wave of breezy imagination

Sleepless Eyes

A wind blows in from somewhere
Fanning the tongues of an old flame
Something stirs under the woodwork
And I turn to look out the window


The night seems to alight upon my window sill
The thinnest strip of wind rushes through my hair
Through this crack in the window
Through this crack left open in my heart


I wish I had the courage to get up
From my vantage point on the couch
This breath of air annoys me
I must either open it to the fullest
Or close it forevver more


The silence reigns supreme
And my fingers against the keys pay obseiance
As I gaze into the darkness
That rushes past me
I think of another pair of sleepless eyes
Gazing back out at me

She Loves You

Standing on the shore
Watching the waves come in 
She cuts a fine figure perched on the rock


The wind is in her hair
The smile is on her lips
She looks like she could kiss the world tonight


Her arms welcome the night
That’s rolling in with the tide
Her laugh accompanies the rays of sunlight
Fading away into the west


I wish I could tell you
What she is thinking
I bet you would kill to know...


I wish I could tell you
That your journey’s over
The thought that’s curving... her lips up...
Is You......

It Lies Beyond

It’s not about the laughter...
It’s not about the pain... 
It’s about what lies beyond
It’s about what lives...


I’ve lived a thousand years
I’ve seen it live and die
I’ve learnt about the fallacies
And what erases time


But what we leave behind
Never really goes away
And what we try to forget
Lives on in all of us, everyday


Watch as the silence ticks
On and on and life goes on
Don’t cry for what you’ve lost
It’ll all come back to you


Reach out...
Let your fingers get burnt
Watch out...
Lest your heart turns cold


Live the life you know
In every single minute
Love the way you live
And don’t bother to turn back


Coz it’s all waiting for you...
Beyond

Dirty Laundry

Give and take
There's a pile of laundry
Left undone
From last month's flirting
I'm gonna be broke 
Before this party's over now...


Yet another 
Day to sigh over
And I'm glad
The worst is yet over
Irksome things like
To get under my skin tonight


I'm gonna be fearsome
Be the princess of far away
It's gonna be tiresome
But I'll get there in the end just
So I can turn another leaf
And begin a chapter anew


Dream big dreams
Like Cinderella 
While soap suds seep
Into clothes in the cellar
Pop goes the bubble and its time 
To wave away my visions
And get on with my laundry

In Love With My Best Friend

Tonight I said goodbye
To a dream I saw again
Something I once knew
A long time ago
In another life

I could go this distance
And yet another one
But why then do I find myself
Coming back around to this
Little town I cherish in my heart

I could do a million times
Better and the world is mine
For the taking so why
Does everything feel incomplete
Without you around to smile
And make me feel so much better

Forgive me for not leaving
Forgive me for wanting to watch
Over you this night
And the next and every single
Minute of forever

Somethings I can't help
So I will let you hide
Somewhere no one can see
Someplace to call our own
Maybe someday I'll take you there

It will be our secret
Our hideout, far away from the distance
That pulls me into the pain
And some nights all I do
Is fall asleep in your arms

These dreams I say goodbye to
Forgive me for turning my back on you
The distance calls and I'm succumbing
To the painless, to the clearing fog
To a future where your smile
Is marked by its absence
Where other dreams spin themselves
Into a web of numb reality

Someday perhaps...
I will be lucky to be in love
With my best friend
All over again...

Your Guardian Angel

Who stands guard over your dreams?

Each time you close your eyes

Not long ere the night folds her cloak

And dissolves into the rays of dawn

Who watches over you in her every thought?

As late at night you roam the city

Immersed in things of small import

Leaving no thought astray for the wings 

That shield you from harm's way

Who dreams of you every night?

And falls asleep in your arms

Who smiles a secret smile at the mere

Mention of your name?

Who attempts to divine from your words?

Your thoughts, your mood, your feelings today

Who is the one that yearns to comfort

You in her arms as you fight for acceptance

Reading from your stubborn brow

The pain of rejection you seek to ignore

The only one allowed to hurt you

She lets false words fall from her lips

See in her eyes a deceptive hate

Lest your heart freeze in pain or fear

For it's the chasm that yawns beneath your feet

That bears the brunt of her fury

The reason why she runs further each time

She feels that distance close

The distance keeps her safer

Protects her from your hurt

And under cover of that aloof mantle

She prays for her heart

And watches over her soulmate

Angel By The Fountain

By this fountain of memories I stand

And watch again as the angel of my heart

Steps forward in a transfigured form

The same girl and yet not the same

I and she are halves to the whole

Where she’s complete, I lack

What I have fulfilled she has not

When she wasn't here; a hole

In my heart, a cavernous nether land

Of sadness and fear

When she came, the pain

Lifted and yet intensified

The tears I shed were for

The time we had left

She’s every beat of my heart

The pulse of my life; the sunlight

That shines in a remote corner of my life

Another day will come around

And I’ll embrace you with tears in my eyes

Another day when as phantoms

Our memories come alive again in us

Memories of a Glass Window

A stream of light through a window of glass
Took my mind flashing back
Breaking all barriers of the fourth dimension
Rushing back to memories where-

Streams of light through glass windows
Fell upon white desks; a blackboard
Glinting off black braids and ponytails
Reflecting merry smiles and gales of laughter
Mingling blank faces and looks of wisdom
The serenity of Enlightenment

A drone on the podium, the monotony
Then broken by the welcome bell...
The familiar sounds of recess

Waking many from a trance
From a futile attempt to fight of the oncoming stupor

Still others, adrenaline pumping, as the Hawk Eye of the teacher turned
In all its wrath; upon form after motionless, breathless form
Lost books and homework not done, the occasional serious misdeed...
A collage of emotions and actions, faces and names
Pranks and punishment, all rolled into one

Sailing on the Wind-- that transcender of Time...
From that so very distant past, now lingering
As memories through my window of glass

The Petunia Experiment

On a young green stalk,
Widening smartly, fresh in the air;
Its ethereal whiteness, the epitome of purity
Swaying in the currents of air...
Air so strong, but gentle around it
As though loath to touch & harm

Beauty that reduces the strongest to bow
The never ending equation nature provokes

The sensitive flower feels the ground tremble
Tremors louder by the moment

A hand stretches out, fingers closing - a vicelike grip
Wrenched from the stalk, its sources of life...
Carried away in a hurry

Yet head up, injured not dead
Whither cometh this source of pride?

Hours later, drained of water, its pretty head droops
Placed on a tile, white mirroring white

Cold unfeeling steel dragged through its petals...
White gown mutilated... privacy violated
The downy fibre rent neatly

Thin green lines along the inside
Radiating rays of the sun... moving outward

Green: the colour of leaves & cash
The ultimate symbols of Life
Against white, all about doves & clouds
For peace & hope

Spread lifeless on the lab table
Senseless to the drops of water
Hydration for the sake of exhibition

Too late to save
they serve to preserve
For the gaze of the teacher... for marks on a card

Thrills & Spills

on Monday, April 28, 2008 at 5:32pm

 

The open window, a sky stretching out
Beyond the limit of the eye, going whether it needs
The birds, so happy, winging far, where they want

The newspapers and mags, all the daily rags
Carry tales of thrills & spills
What draws these men & women
To the rush of adrenaline; to them the mountains & the deep beckon
Heedless of the Time of Reckon

Xtreme sports, surf n snow
Safaris thru forests afar
Sailing through the air, life on a line
Trippin a rope 'cross the Grand Canyon
Running with scissors, wrestling bears
Throwing rocks at the neightbourhood grouch
Dragging crocs around by their tails
Playing footie with a pride of lions

The more adventurous of these, those cavaliers
Marching, unthinking, into marital un-bliss

These all I admire, their adventurous lives
and sit beside my window plotting;
Planning my days, my own adventures
Fuelling my imagination with vivid pictures
Travel guides line my bookshelves, postcards my walls
I dream of frostbite & broken ribs

The Lord hath saith- keep awake & watch
& so too, I say to you
watch for the Day when my name's on the Net
When the feats of the little kid in the wheelchair,-
Sitting by his window; dreaming great dreams
- are known the world over, & till then, adios!