Poetry

Saturday 17 August 2024

Pier 47

 He didn't know where he was going

Off of pier forty seven

He didn't know if he was

Going to hell or to heaven

But you can't escape your fate

Says the man in the black cape

For sorcery and witchcraft 

Always serve their justice 

on time and never late


They told him he'd have to pay for

What he'd done

Stolen some money, even though he had none

Maybe he was tried for armed robbery

But he was holding a pipe not a smoking gun

He never pulled the trigger on no one

He was innocent of murder

But they sentenced him to life down under

As if he'd stolen thunder

From Zeus

They treated him like prometheus

Bound him in chains, 

that's the truth

Said let your daily life be a torment

For the storm was ever raging in the tea cup 

And you know he had yet to meet the sorcerer


Oh sorcerer you hold up

Your arms

And the lightning strikes your palms

And you can split tree trunks with your power

You can make the bravest men cower

And if you say the word they will die

When your justice falls from the sky


They say we live in a land of justice

And crime will have its just desserts

But what if you had stolen for survival

And you had to live every day 

with your face in the dirt

Wheels

 Street light passion after the rain

When the black water pools

on the road before rolling

Down the drain

All is a mystery and love

Is much the same

Just like an empty street

After the rain


Too many times have I walked out alone

Wishing to be somebody else

Someone warm at home

With a lover, under cover

Or up in the dome

Of stars that are occluded

By the clouds that roam


You were my night sky

You brightened up my day

Sun goddess, sun flower

Burning like hay

Consumed in conflagration

Of the universal wheel

All dharma cycles turning

As you turn your heel

Like a ballerina

Pirouette and gay

I wonder if you're happy

That things turned out

This way


Or are we all just on

different circles of

The turning wheel

Each holds a different angle 

on what we call real

the passion and the suffering

love and pain and strife

joy almost unending

All on the wheel of life


Sometimes the street is busy

Many wheels turning round

Sometimes there's only one

But at least your feet 

don't touch the ground

Friday 16 August 2024

Wolfskin

 oh baby you've been wearing

That sheep's clothing too long

You oughta be knowing

That something is wrong

Come on and put on that wolfskin

Baby, you know it drives me crazy

And I know you're a wolf howling

All night long


Come on you've been prowling

Round my farm too long

Either you want to rob me

Or else you're gonna do me some harm

It isn't difficult to see you have your charms

But when you're wearing that wolfskin clothing

I get goose pimples up my arm


Oh wolfskin, awoo, howling wolf sin

When the wolf's in the camp with you ooh

You better find a new neighbour to prey on

Because I'm not playing that game

Of three card draw no more

You can go and howl round

somebody else's door

In your wolfskin

Thursday 15 August 2024

Two lovers kiss

 Lovers kiss on the street

On the wet street in the night

Two covers miss

their meeting

On the jet heat of the light

In the blowtorch of desire

The blue flame then the white

Burns, turns to a higher

pitch at blackest midnight


Two lovers kiss on the street

In the rain

Two lovers fighting

All the chaos of the reign

Of mad kings and cruel queens

And all who would inflict pain

on them

Yet

Two lovers kiss

True lovers kiss in the street

in the rain

Wednesday 14 August 2024

Throw 'em on the fire

 All those thoughts of yesteryear

Throw 'em on the fire

pain and grief, love and tears

Throw 'em on the fire

Guests unbidden, unwelcome quest

Throw 'em on the fire

Burning honesty, earnest zest

Throw 'em on the fire

All the brands and marks of man

Throw 'em on the fire

Spinning jennies and caravans

Throw 'em on the fire

All the laughter lost and gone

Throw 'em on the fire

Nothing stays that hasn't come

Throw 'em on the fire

I love you, but your shoe

Is still higher than your desire

So take them off and throw 'em on

Yes, throw 'em on the fire

Sunday 11 August 2024

Withy wind

 Withy wind,

Slowly, 

withy wind 

softly

 tightening your grip

all the time


Got to break your

hand

before the death bind

While there's still time

Withy wind


Withy wind

I've been standing still

And haven't seen you

Grow up my legs, my wall

To my windowsill


It's getting like I can hardly see at all

Withy wind

I'm almost blind

Got to get you out of my mind

Break out the jungle of your vine


I cut you down, but you grow back up

I hope I've moved off your plot

 in time

Because either you kill me

Or we both unwind

Oh withy wind

Withy

wind





The breeze returns

 The breeze returns

On hot summer days

Of humid haze

Where cattle graze

And bulls laze

And

The breeze returns


Through trees, down streets

Brushes grasses and hay

Down lanes like tunnels

Over rivers running deep

next to fallow field

Along Corn crop alleyways

And over bald scalped hill tops


The breeze returns 

And we can breathe once again