20/03/2013

A Trick of the Light


I know it's just
A trick of the light
Falling through the window
Across the empty room
To where you sit
On a plastic chair
Playing that tune
But the dust is dancing
To the sound
Tombé
To the floorboards below
And I know
It's a trick of the light
A quirk of the late hour
And the notes
Falling
Where you sit
Playing that tune

13/03/2013

Where it Lies


Pan played a cold tune
When he played for you

In moonlight bathed
And shadows swathed
Your heart is stolen from your sky
Left to languish where it lies
Pan played a cold tune
When he played for you

A game of moves
And quiet clues
To what could be inside your mind
Beyond the reach of measured lines
A sea defence wall
Broken by winter squalls

A morning of fractured light
Dispells your uncertain night
A coat-hanger caught in the door
A pile of clothes on the floor
Startles the same old sames
Into a different frame

In moonlight bathed
And shadows swathed
Your heart is stolen from your sky
Left to languish where it lies
Pan played a cold tune
When he played for you

Pan played a cold tune
When he played for you



01/03/2013

For A Long Time Now


It's a been long time letting go
Sometimes it feels it is all we know
And I'm not sure it's adequate to say
But I've been here from the start
Standing next to you all the way

Sweet heart
Reach out now
Sweet heart
Holding out now
Sweet heart
Reach out now
Because I've been here
All the way

25/02/2013

Base Metal

We were base metal turned to gold
Beautiful hearts to have and to hold
I was a promise written on your skin
You were a poem for me to sing

How could we have known
Too high a price we paid
And love would hold us ransom
Till the end of our days
Beautiful hearts to have and to hold
We were base metal turned to gold

Your eyes find me from the newspage
A hundred years to the very day
That they took you from me
Down to the County jail

Down those dusty lanes
Down those dusty lanes

Tried for a poacher
The story's always the same
Twas only food for the table
Turned to three years without bail

Down those dusty lanes
Down those dusty lanes

You died of a fever
To the freedom of your grave
But your love held me ransom
Till the end of my days

We were base metal turned to gold
Beautiful hearts to have and to hold
I was a promise written on your skin
You were a poem for me to sing

How could we have known
Too high a price we paid
And love would hold us ransom
Till the end of our days
Beautiful hearts to have and to hold
We were base metal turned to gold





Seven more miles to go


Time for a new collection of poems and songs and bits and bobs that I'll be collecting along the way. It seemed to start this year with Snake River (see previous blog, a poem about our local river which isn't called snake river but the timing of writing it coincided with the Chinese New Year [year of the snake] and I can't think of a better title right now than a line from it, Seven More Miles To Go. The photo is from one of mine from the garden. I'm guessing that, as always, journeys will be a theme.




07/02/2013

Snake River


Mist rising from the river
Seven more miles to go
Green light city
Caught up in the flow

As dreams fly, cormorant shape on the clean sky
Who knew this heart would carry me so far from home

I can't sit and wait for you to notice
How far we've travelled from
All those things we took for granted
All those promises undone
A cold night fading into yet another day
I can't wait for you to notice
We're travelling the wrong way

Mist rising from the river
Seven more miles to go
Green light city
Caught up in the flow

As dreams fly, cormorant shape on the clean sky
Who knew this heart would carry me so far from home


07/12/2012

Boxing Day Song


Christmas cards are tangling on silver guilt strings
And the walls are full to dangling with yuletide greetings
The tree is shedding needles into the shag pile
And late presents are being unwrapped
By the children's hopeful eyes

Stars are shining on the little fir tree
And the glitter of frost on the pavement
Shows it’s set to freeze
Cold enough for mince pies and mulled wine
And part of me is praying its cold enough
to snow this time

Credit cards are ringing to the sound of Christmas tills
Shop returns are bringing a whole host of extra bills
Santa’s gone from his grotto, no kids to ply with treats
He’s busy sucking humbugs
And stacking up the half price sweets

Stars are shining on the little fir tree
And the glitter of frost on the pavement
Shows it’s set to freeze
Cold enough for mince pies and mulled wine
And part of me is praying its cold enough
to snow this time

In amongst the wrapping and satsuma peel
Hidden with all the trappings of yesterday's meal
There’s a little glimmer from a hopeful thing
On closer inspection it's a cracker toy
Plastic heart on a silver ring

The bins are full to overflowing so I empty them outside
In the silver moonlight of this boxing night
The stars glint on the plastic heart I hold in my hand
And the pavement glitters
As snowflakes gently land

Stars are shining on the little fir tree
And the glitter of frost on the pavement
Shows it’s set to freeze
Cold enough for mince pies and mulled wine
And part of me is praying its cold enough
to snow this time