Saturday, 30 June 2018

The brittle bones, the fallacy.
Two telephones, buried at sea.
The lifted flag, the lost milk teeth
the paper bag and what's underneath.

A web you weave to catch bad dreams.
A heart on a sleeve, ripping the seams.
A secret past and secret scars.
Driving fast into a wall of stars.

A lighthouse beam, a lullaby.
A polished gleam, a butterfly.
The poetry that I never wrote. .
A symphony and an old love note.

A hymnal page, the sinking sands,
the critical age and the handstands.
The endless fight to conquer fears
Put world to right but no one hears.

A halcyon day, a rumour mill,
The buds of May, the walk uphill.
The watchmakers, the tides of time
The undertaker and the victimless crime.

A cracking spine, a cool pillow
The borderline, the black echo.
The language no one can understand.
The clenching fist, a holding hand.

A lone scarecrow, the warm weather
An open window, a bird's feather.
The telephone line, a pair of shoes,
Look for a sign among the cryptic clues.

A climbing frame, the ace of hearts,
the misplaced blame, a sum of parts.
A train station, the empty seats.
A publication by the king of the beats.

The stepping stones, the wooden style,
The distant moans, the gap-toothed smile.
The rule of thirds, and the quiet place.
The unsaid words to find in your face.

The ballet shoes, the broken string.
The lost marbles, or wedding ring.
A fire escape, a creaking door
A cassette tape and the sound of war.

A poltergeist, a crucifix.
A jewellery heist and pick up sticks.
A panic attack and a perfect plan
that leads right back to where it began.

The atomic clock, the dream seahorse
A rusty lock, an obstacle course.
A penny tossed, found on the street.
A fortune lost to the vast concrete.

An empire falls, a city grows.
A stranger calls, a TV glows.
A cigarette, a creased street map
A risky bet and a dripping tap.

A whiskey slur, a suicide.
The days a blur, the nervous bride.
A nightingale, a fireman's pole.
A lucky pencil and a last minute goal

A daisy chain, a pharmacy
A growing pain, a bleeding knee.
The looking glass, a game of chess.
An all day pass and a cotton dress

An inhaler, a mountaineers grave
A suit tailor, an underground rave.
A man's best friend, a Masters degree,
a pardon to mend, and a dictionary.

The bitten nails, the guitar chords,
the fairy tales, the hospital wards.
A Greek tragedy, a lucky break
A dead body dragged from the lake.

The thunder claps, the perfect ten,
the afternoon naps of way back when.
The foolish gold, the treasure chest.
The winter cold, the Sunday best

The ecstasy, the forget-me nots.
The peace treaty, the polka dots.
A makeshift phone, a string and can.
The long way home for the homeless man.

The paper planes, the splashing tears.
The picture frames, the Brighton piers.
The message I heard so long ago
and don't remember a word but somehow know.

The railway tracks, the acid rain.
The jumping jacks, the weathervane.
Something too bad to ever tell.
Just as sad as horses on a carousel.

The sunlight spills, the Richter Scale,
the wind that fills and pulls the sail.
A time capsule that no one found.
The deadly duel, the speed of sound.

The wishing well, the final scene
The kitchen hell, the quarantine.
A new currency, the falling leaves
The conspiracy no one believes.

A helter-skelter, a crocodile
The summer swelter, the final mile
The clever pun, the lost balloon
The eclipsed sun, the honey moon.

The one mistake, the highland fling
the homesick ache, the birds that sing
A twin sister and a toboggan sled
An orchestra on the ocean bed

A promised doom, one of his cons
The same perfume, the ghost of swans
The spindrift dancing on the beach
The mermaids drift singing each to each.

The static shock, the red yo yo
the city block, a grand piano..
The daffodils, the way night falls,
the yellow pills and the lecture halls.

The time you chase, the lips you kiss
That remembered place that you miss.
The words that fail, the fairy dust,.
The hold grail and the wanderlust.

A circus clown, a thirsty flower
A quiet town, an old bell tower.
The dinner guests, the soliloquy,
the cuckoo's nests and the library.

The human brain, the therapist,
a hurricane, the bucket list.
The one sentence that is true.
The repentance and you're good as new.

The story told, the war drum
The broken mould, the tunnel's hum.
A pledge we made when the sky was clear
Some people fade but I'm still right here.

The topmost shelf, the ruins of Rome.
The Divided Self, the nowhere home.
The huge tree roots, the ego death,
the muddy boots and the stolen breath.

A time to grieve, a crystal ball.
The make-believe, the wake up call.
These new delights with violent ends.
The city sights and the childhood friends.

The astronaut, the song you hate.
An afterthought, a big debate.
The work that's praised for it's content.
The voice that's raised in argument.

The cradle songs, the wrecking ball.
The righted wrongs, the Berlin wall.
 An open throat, the saltwater
The swaying vote and a problem daughter.

The rolling stone, the loneliness.
A large trombone, an awful mess.
Dropping the plates, I hear them clatter.
Everything breaks so what does it matter?

The copper wire, the candy floss.
A forest fire, a massive loss.
The dream that stays by a sapphire lagoon.
The hope better days are coming soon.

The censorship, the whitest lies,
A synthetic hip, the Nobel prize.
The democrat versus the fanatic.
A sleeping bat hanging in the attic.

The handshake deal, the paranoid.
The Achilles heel, the asteroid.
The paper route, the superstition.
Forbidden fruit and a premonition.

The golden ratio, the parted sea.
The status quo, the etymology.
The traffic jams, the hide-and-seek.
The anagrams and the doublespeak.

The artifact, the coat of arms.
The signed contract, the lucky charms.
A rattled cage, a pitted peach.
The golden age and freedom of speech.

The hummingbird, the same routine.
The spoken word, the guillotine.
The wisdom tooth, the family tree.
The absolute truth and hyperbole.

The politics, the chewing gum.
The River Styx, the rule of thumb.
The little hours travelling in boxcars.
Keeping flowers inside old jam jars.

The purgatory, the barrier reef.
The allegory, the comic relief.
The chalk outline, the golden fleece.
A valentine and a masterpiece.

A flowerbed, a show of respect.
The figurehead, the retrospect.
A skyscraper and a rocking chair.
The newspaper and the serenity prayer.

The altitude, the winds of change.
The solitude, the mountain range.
Ear to the ground, story in the soil.
A merry-go-round and a mortal coil.

The silver screen, the alphabet.
The submarine, the safety net.
The vocabulary and Desolation Row.
The cemetery and the devil you know.

A message in Morse Code, an inglenook.
The less travelled road, the holy book.
The unconscious mind, the master race.
The moment you find it and it looks like grace.

The nom de plume , the Sistine Chapel.
The waiting room, the poison apple.
A sleepy yawn, an amphetamine.
The break of dawn and a tambourine.

The hierarchy, the boarding school.
The patriarchy, the swimming pool.
Mother's day. a cup of tea.
Feng shui and reality TV.

The improvisation, the summer heat.
A murmuration, a skipped heartbeat.
A kind stranger, a Swiss army knife.
The threat of danger and the meaning of life.

A hangover, a Suffragette.
A four leaf clover, a pirouette.
An election campaign, a case of frostbite.
A line of cocaine and the gentle twilight.

The curiosity, the Edelweiss.
The velocity, the paradise.
A weather forecast, your own keepsake.
An iconoclast and a little earthquake.

The new president, the bourgeoisie.
The long lament, the life philosophy.
The past connection you try to forget.
Making a collection of all your regret.

The curtain call, the dismissed case.
There wherewithal, the hiding place.
A skeleton key and exponential growth.
An insanity plea and a sacred oath.

A heart transplant, a turning screw.
A confidante, a dream come true.
A Gothic arch and a motorcade.
A funeral march and a masquerade.

The work of fiction, the vertigo.
The drug addiction, the mistletoe.
Modern jazz and a chromosome.
Alcatraz and a broken home.

A paperweight, an intrusive thought.
A blind date, a contact sport.
An archetype, rules of etiquette.
A tobacco pipe and a marionette.

A weeping willow, a fountain pen.
The fashion show, the three wise men.
A pantomime, a master of disguise.
Organised crime and wandering eyes.

The innovation, the give and take.
A hallucination, a birthday cake.
A careless blunder and a a turn of phrase.
Dare to wonder what is in a gaze.

The sad violin, the laughing gas.
The original sin, the fresh cut grass.
A watcher of game shows, a hit and run.
All the dominoes falling one by one.

 An accident, a research grant.
A circus tent, a nuclear plant.
The call to action and Murphy's law.
A chain reaction and a tragic flaw.

The third dimension, the tectonic plates.
The best intention, the direst straits.
The cover girl and the taciturn.
The precious pearl, the point of no return.

The hunting season, the olive branch
The voice of reason, the avalanche.
A sycamore and a nervous tic.
A prisoner of war and a walking stick.

The speech in sign, the tired feet.
The closing line, the bittersweet.
A small goodbye, a tale to tell,
The always why and a last farewell.



The Knowledge Fallacy

I wait for my backbone to pick me up, skin as thin as petals.
I wait because it will be clearer once all this dust settles.
Time goes by and I can see the spots that once were blind.
Time goes by and I feel I can understand more of my mind.
I think I'm getting wiser but perhaps I'm just getting old.
I feel like it's been twenty lifetimes but so much is yet untold.
Yet if I talk with conviction don't believe a word that I say.
Really, I know nothing at all anyway.

Some people see a house of God, others walls and a roof.
Some aren't persuaded by Einstein, others claim to have proof.
Having faith that there do exist that which you can't feel or see
must bring comfort, but it never felt comfortable to me.
When our beliefs are wrong- textbooks and papers on heuristics
and research into judgement fallacies all backed up with statistics.
We put our trust in numbers but we invented the scale.
We picked out the measures, deciding where evidence will fail.
I'd tell you to shun the idea of proof but don't listen to what I say-
Really, I know nothing at all anyway.

Life experiences take on a shape, always changing as you grew.
You poured into the mould and now that shape is shaped like you.
You've seen enough of living and had the use of your free will
you're sure you know your every fault, idiosyncrasy, fear and skill.
There come moments of epiphany, and they feel so profound
I think I see completely but when those breakthroughs come around
Life throws a curve-ball, something unseen, so I have to say-
Really, I know nothing at all anyway.

Can't ever be certain, can't ever know if it's fact or fiction.
You can't ever seem to know enough to make a good prediction
about what is going to happen and how you might react.
All you can do is remember it and make your own kind of fact.
When so much is chaos there's only one thing we can choose-
will the past will inform the present or become yesterdays news?
With nothing to prove it can feel liberating just to say
Really, I know nothing at all anyway.

Dear You

The musician hides behind the microphone.
An admission of shyness or sleepless and
he was the birds, all fluttering in flight-
finally a safe place in the world; freedom;
forgiveness; the future that you found
in your wishful thinking. That part is easy.
It's not an aching radio or wondering,
worrying who controls lines of questioning
about the nature of things; or falling
back in time or into an old loop, a song
you don't like; or people always getting hurt.
Dear Birds- Dear You- Do you know me?
I wouldn't want to assume. I'll only end up
in a darkroom with all the underexposed
and overexposed images I made up like
metaphors. Do you see right through me?
Somehow, you keep my mind on what heals
and what's realised and what fits- because
my body for the first time fits perfectly here.
Dear Musician Behind The Microphone-
I see you. You keep singing and, smiling,
I sink the boat, and we are breathing in
river water. You are a song between stars;
all the birds; my safe place in the world.

Contents

Inside my head- the broken faucets, the drawings
penned by clumsy hands, a poem I might write,
admission of failure, things never stopping,
a series or sequence, a set of rules, it was too late.
Sorry I wasn't at your party. History and distance
between experience and uncertain other parts,
dimmed by nights that are constantly refolding 
and the fear that nothing survives. Inevitable,
like shyness or shame or falling asleep.
This has nothing to do with happiness.
There will always be another set of rules.
History can rewrite itself as often as it repeats
and the old dull pain, stitched to our boots,
just as it had to come from somewhere, like
old tree roots, has to lead to an end elsewhere.
When I ran out of lullabies I learnt the story
of what the night is thinking, learnt the sorry
that is empty- we're doing this to ourselves.
Forgiveness. Harp strings. Broken faucets.
Birds fluttering. Clumsy poems. Almost on time.
A familiar laugh- I also found inside my head.
I always knew it wasn't all fear and failure
and wanting and worrying, but I guess I forgot.

Poetry forms example

A while ago I made my own poetry form that was a poem that could be read left to right, line by line, as any other poem would be, but within it were three other poems, to be read down in the three columns. When I wrote it, each column had a different meaning, and eventually I made it so that the two furthest columns were opposing each other with regards to the poetic content while the middle column was balancing and finding a middle ground in its meaning- you can see it here: Mirror(Me) poem
Since then I have tried to replicate the poetic form but have never been able to work out anything that carried the same meaning and relevance found in where that meaning was to be read on the page. Yesterday I was listening to some songs and used them as starting points to try and at least use the basic poetic form- the poem that can be read left to right, line by line, as usual, but can also be divided into separate poems in the downwards spaced columns as it's written. These very short attempts by no means have parts within them that offset their other component parts, but they can be read as four separate poems, with separate meanings. I'll keep trying but I think the mirror poem was probably a lucky one. 



I am not the only traveller who has not repaid his debt