They Watch in Silence

Silent screams fall on deafened ears
Man’s inhumanity to man caught all too easily
In eyes widened at the horror, dried of all tears.
Comes a stage where only mute testimony
Bears witness to fratricide and lust.
Mask’s used through the years
Silver, copper, gold
Age-old patterns etched on frightened faces
Seen against the Holy red
Speak of blood split recently.
Gone are the days of the good and the just.
Keeping company in minor key
Dark Ganesh’s face looks on tranquilly.
Above saints, saddhus, Buddhas lined up
A fragile last defence against the cluttered Khurkuris
Hilts displayed in a threatening legion below.
Life’s pageant spread for all who wish to see
A latticed screen reflects the knot of eternity

A sign of hope caught in timeless photography

The Cheshire Cat at Night

At night when the owl swoops by on velvet wings,
And the bat tumbles around the inky sky,
When the nightjar takes flight with haunting voice,
When all kinds of enchantment fill the night,
And tiny insects on gossamer wings fly,
In that fleeting time when two worlds coincide,
Stealthy and secretive, unaware of the pleasure he brings,
The Cheshire Cat unfettered by imagination's flight,
Walks the warm indigo air leaving me no choice
But to reach out and try and stop the dawn's first light.

The moon's full face rides uncaring overhead,
Stars in school groups cross the midnight sky,
Their tinkling cosmic laughter faintly heard,
Shadows stretch and ease themselves below,
Scampering things and scratching things take flight
The Cheshire Cat moves among them soft and slow,
Trees bend obeisance to their regal feline friend
Arousing dozing wind chimes with gentle sighs
The world asleep does not hear him passing by
But in the dark there is the whisper of things unsaid.

As dawn streaks the morning sky so far away,
Time leaves night behind and ushers in the day,
The night turns unwillingly into a dark turquoise sky
All traces of indigo banished, make haste to pass me by
The creatures of the night swiftly find safe places to hide away
Fallen leaves roused by the morning breeze, try sleepily to fly,
In the East the sun’s blood slowly spreads its stain across the sky
Soft paws reach out to touch those of us who at night come out to play
The Cheshire Cat stretches and yawns, briefly straddling night and day,
Leaving just an enigmatic smile in mid air, he turns and melts away.

Galatea in glass – for Justin

Galatea in glass – for Justin

In the shattered turquoise shards of glass
Encased in images of silent domesticity
Your elfin face stares out wistfully.
Flaxen hair in careful disarray wildly
Echoing those desperate eyes searching
Fixedly for solace in the outer world
An eternal will o’ the wisp your image
Trapped behind reflections of the everyday
Ethereal for all time, the epitome
Of beauty, insubstantial, the longing to be real
Plain for all to see
Every man can hear you call from your
Subtle, mirrored frame – “rescue me”
Galatea in glass for eternity.

The Spanish Girl's Wedding Day

Not that the Sparkling Girl is Spanish,
But, incandescent in purple and blue,
Hair swept up, Andalusian in memory,
There she is – Lucy proud and true.
I didn’t expect the Sparkling Girl to vanish,
But, before my eyes she became someone new,
Fulfilled, statuesque, woman’s eternal grace.
Sum of all things gone before and those not yet in view.

Glad you caught the rainbow
And left behind the rain
Happiness this rich, life in full flow
Is now the Sparkling Girl’s domain.

The house on a windswept azure coastline
Pale blue shutters echoes of the Mediterranean
White walls richly decked in total simplicity
The Sparkling Girl, regal, poised looks Iberian
Glistening, shimmering captured forever in time
Storybook photos, memories etched in the mind
Wonderful child, gift from the Gods, part of the union
This, Spanish Girl, is the old life joyously left behind.

Live the life enchanted
Laugh the shadows away
Happiness, all that you wanted
May it greet you every day.

Sea, sun and resplendent finery delicate
As a dragonfly’s wing, all merge together
Making life’s beauty forever caught in memory
Today, like no other calls and can’t wait.
Blessed by glorious languid African weather
Caught at tide’s slow and secret change
Reach out and hold it – this is your story
Sparkling Girl, Spanish Girl, your happiness forever.
.

Everything's Moving

Everything’s Moving
Kaleidoscope colours, kites in the wind
Tumble down leaves, raindrops on glass
Wind on the water, clouds moving past
People in corridors, cars on the road
Everything’s moving, passing me by
Pause for a moment, see what you find
Nothing and no one, pointless to try.

Rainbows in spring, flowers in bloom,
Tiny ducklings and goslings swimming downstream
Foals in the field, lambs on the hills
Dragonflies run on water, bees hum in the air
Butterflies shed their cocoons, birds leave the nest
Everything’s moving, lost in a dream
Nature’s newborn, launched on life’s quest.

Children’s light laughter, mother’s soft call
New grasses push skywards, leaves dress the tree
Sunrise awakens, dusk eases sunset to sleep
People on picnics, people in parks
Everyone outdoors, out in the sun
Everything’s moving, dancing and free
And I’m out of the circle, out of the fun.

Indigo colours, the velvet of night,
Owl’s soft whisper, Dikkop’s lone cry,
Stars honey-coloured, spin with delight
Secret and stealthy, bats on the wing
Silently, softly night shadows slip by
Everything’s moving, watched by the moon
And me in the night, going nowhere soon.

The Tiger and the Cheshire Cat

Do Tigers purr when well pleased?
And what is it that can be said to please a tiger best?
But the tiger is really just the Cheshire cat in another guise,
Teaser and the Firecat is another subtle Cheshire jest,
Still the tiger stares, the world reflected in clear amber eyes.

Leave behind just an enigmatic grin
What better way to shield oneself from prying eyes?
The memory of the tiger hidden from public gaze
Danger concealed in the marmalade cat’s disguise
Not quite as harmless as everyone says.

Look around and just behind,
Drifting in mid-air just above the wall,
The Cheshire cat’s knowing eyes, a disembodied head
Disconcertingly smiles, reads your mind and knows it all
The Tiger licks its lips, the desire for power well fed.

Forever young is just a state of mind
The Tiger ageless stalks the corridors of thought
Soft footfalls, silken breath and only the Tiger’s shadow seen
Just the Cheshire cat appears when the Tiger is sought
You can find the cat, but the tiger lives in the places between.

Soft, silent, sinuous the Tiger’s stripes
Merge with the marmalade silk of the Firecat’s coat
Master of illusion the Cheshire cat slowly disappears
The echo of laughter swirls in the air as though afloat
On dreams of the Tiger’s strength, legend of yesteryears.

Once you find the place between, where Tiger dwells
Look past the Cheshire cat to find what’s behind the looking glass
In the places between, you’ll watch Life’s rich tapestry unfold
The place between where there is neither future nor past
Life is lived in precious present time, nothing new and nothing old.

Strange how happenstance, synchronicity and serendipity
Can bring the most precious gifts that in life you find
The Cheshire cat, the Firecat and the Tiger arrive unbidden
All for one and one for all, taming the Tiger of the Mind
Was always my quest, in the place between, Tiger and I are hidden.

Nicholas - not at ease but not moving,
unresolved issues put on hold.
Life locked into a welcome limbo
of almost silent companionship.
The bustling plans, the constant movement
in abeyance for just a while.
An empty space in a kaleidoscope of
changing company - a sanctioned opportunity
for no particular activity.
The clock ticks on, winding up or winding down,
heralding plans and people soon to approach.
concentric circles spinning ever closer.
You seem unaware or unwilling
to see how close they’ve come.
I stand and watch you caught in
briefly frozen time
And wonder how I became ensnared in
your magic net.
Nicholas - not at ease, but not moving……yet.

Weathering the storm

Encased in water the car travels homewards
Straining to see, the world is crying for lost innocence
Covering her landscape in torrential tears.
The wind is pushing the car on the road
Buffeting it with bad temper, throwing rain-shards
Against the window, howling through the cracks.
The wipers strain against the weight of water,
Ineffectually flailing against the rain’s insistence,
Birds blown off course reel in the sky,
Trees writhe and cringe under storm’s fury
Thunder claps, lightning crackles and sears
Nature is venting her fury at man’s incompetence
The elements in turmoil, despair at their fate
Ahead a faint glow through the pouring rain
Another lonely traveller out on the road again
Like me silently hoping to weather the worst storm in years.

Water's Song

I would love to be like water
Cloak me in waves, cover me in foam
Toss me up on the beach far from home
Nothing to stop me, nothing comes after
The echo of waves crashing, wind on the sea
The tide rushes in, grabs at the shore
Pulls in her sacrifices, living no more.

I would love to be like water
Abseil the cliffs, crash to the ground
Heedless of heights, lost in the sound
Nothing to stop me, tinkling like laughter
Tumbling down head over heels
Eternally in freefall, total freedom at last
Racing to the future, no fear of the past.

I would love to be like water
Still as a mirror, reflecting the moon
Whispering in the darkness, life’s quiet tune
Nothing to stop me, need ask for no quarter
Silent and secret, cloaked in sky blue
Life force of millions, denizens of the deep
Caressing them softly, lulling them to sleep.

I would love to be like water
Crossing the plains, heading for sea
Dividing the land, giving succour for free
Nothing to stop me, nothing to barter
Taking and giving life to all I encounter
Heading onward and downward inexorably drawn
Perpetually in motion, meeting the sea, losing all form.

I would love to be like water
Running hop-scotch over pebbles, laughing aloud
Embracing the raindrops dropped by a cloud
Nothing to stop me, now I’m rain’s daughter
Calling up to all the clouds in the sky
Feed me, please feed me so I can traverse the land
Spreading my wings of water, enriching the sand.

I would love to be like water
Sky diving from clouds, swing on the rainbow
Rock hard as hail, whisper soft mystery as snow
Nothing to stop me, get faster and faster
Spin in a rain storm, fly on the wind
Dancing and laughing I merge with the stream
Back to the beginning, the rest is now a dream.

outside looking in

Photographs and party dresses,
Friends all fall in line
Queen of the in crowd.
Smooth skin, long blonde tresses
None of that was ever mine.

Self assured, smiling elegance,
Ahead of the game
Never out of place,
You take control of Life’s dance
I can’t say the same.

The ebb and flow of adoration
Surrounds you like white
Pillars of bright light.
Compliments added to your collection
Not for you insult’s vicious bite.

Beauty is never ill at ease
Insecurity is just a word,
You’ve never had to please
Exquisite looks are all one needs
And praise is all that’s heard.

Strange to be an extra in life’s every scene
Life lived in the shadows
Standing in the wings
Accolades and applause only a distant dream
That’s just the way it goes.