Surrounded

19/04/2021 - Poem a Day Compilation



I am surrounded by the pressure

To be more than I am

And sometimes I don’t know

How I’m supposed to deal with that



The pressure isn’t from anywhere else

But inside my own mind

And I argue with myself endlessly

About what I should be doing



I wish I had the confidence

To achieve what I tell myself I should

Maybe one day I will

But today is not that day

No Matter Where

18/04/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



Written in the early hours of Sunday, just after midnight,

whilst watching the funeral of Prince Philip,

Duke of Edinburgh, formerly Prince of Greece and Denmark.



Though laid to rest

In solemn ceremony

Replete with tears

Fallen on sunken cheeks

Of old comrades

Known for so many years

And from bright eyes

Of grandchildren

Who had not enough time

All standing as one

In grief

A family in mourning

Not now any greater

Nor lesser

Than any other in such sorrow

You will be remembered

By those who held you

In high esteem

And in their arms

No matter where they may lay their head

The Cellar Door

17/04/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



We don’t have a cellar door

But I’ve always wanted one

A door to a place I can hide away

When the working day is done



A comfy world tucked away

Where reality gets shut out

And words can tumble from my mind

In quiet murmurs, not a shout



A wall full of bookshelves

And a desk for me to write

Where the troubles of the working day

Are kept far from sight



Maybe one day I’ll get my cellar door

And the stairs and cellar, too

To create a little sanctuary

That I can share with you

The Inescapable Truth

16/04/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



Everyone discovers

Their own

Inescapable truth

That defines

Who or

What or

Where and

It can

Break them

Make them

Or maybe

Forsake them

But always

Is there

Following them

Through life

Through troubles

Through ecstasy

Through trials

And tribulations

And all

That comes

With them

Drawing Breath

15/04/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



Conscious of the air passing my lips

As I breathe in and out

Sucking in the cold, still air

Of the breaking dawn

Letting out the warmth from my lungs

Seeing my breath plume out in front of me

My hands stuffed deep into pockets

In an effort to stop my fingertips turning blue

And my feet shuffling on the spot

The lambswool lining of my boots toasty

Against the low, rolling fog not yet burnt off

By the suns warming rays

Outcast

14/04/2021 - Poem a Day Compilation



I’ve never fitted in

Even as a child

I’ve walked my own path

And sung my own song



I didn’t get invited to parties

Or asked out on dates

I don’t go to staff functions

And I rarely go out



I hate the idea of small talk

It makes me nauseous to the core

Sending my anxiety sky high

And draining every ounce of energy



I don’t do well in crowds

With the press of people all around

Unrestrained and unpredictable

It’s all too much for me



Other people’s emotional needs

Are like a flood inside my mind

Their pain seeping into my pores

Like an invisible toxic wave



I’d rather hang out with your pet dog

Or curled up with your cats and birds

Than spend time in the company

Of the same person for all the day



It’s not that I don’t like people

They just drain me of my strength

Making it difficult to continue

With the rest of my life



I embrace my inner hermit

And just hope others understand

That when I’ve had enough of people

It’s not a personal slight



It has seen me painted as an outcast

Someone who doesn’t want to join in

But want and need are two different beasts

That often pull in opposing directions



I want to be the life of the party

I want to be little miss socialite

I want to be everyone’s best buddy

But I need to keep the world at bay

Whale Song

13/04/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



Have you heard the whale song

Drifting on the currents

Calling out a mournful tune

To the far reaches of the ocean?



Have you heard the bat screech

Echoing off its surrounds

As it flies deftly amongst the trees

In search of bugs on the wing?



Have you heard the lion roaring

As it protects its pride

From young pretenders

Who might start a leadership brawl?



Have you heard the cattle lowing

As they stare up at the moon

Wishing they could leap so high

And not be grounded by reality?



Have you heard the monkeys scream

From treetops threatened by destruction,

The noise of chainsaws and woodchippers

Almost too much for these primates?



Have you heard the wolf howl

Long and loud into the night,

Through woods and valleys

They stalk for their prey?



Have you heard the donkeys braying

From fields and paddocks far and wide

Their work not yet done today

To make our lives easier?



Have you heard the cicada chirp

After so long underground

Escaping to call and breed

And to die within weeks?



Have you heard the pig snort,

It’s joy at vegetable scraps

Undeniable and heart-warming

As it tucks into the swill?



Have you heard the kangaroo chortle

As it bounds merrily over red rocks

And fences meant to contain them

But have no hope of doing so?



Have you heard the elephant trumpet

As it crashes through the trees

That fall and snap like twigs underfoot

And the pack moves ever onwards?



Have you heard the toad croaking

It’s baleful plea to be loved

And seen as elegantly beautiful

As its amphibious cousins are?



Have you heard the raven caw,

Black as the night,

Rooted in the stories of the dark

And creating magic with every sound?



Have you heard the bee buzz

As it flits from flower to flower,

Laden with pollen to help regenerate

The wild and untamed meadows?



Have you heard the owl hoot

With its haunting cry carrying

From barn to barn

As it searches for mice?



Have you heard the hyena laughing,

Cackling with excitement

Over the thrill of the chase

As they race across the savannah?



Have you heard the magpie chatter

While it sits on high remarking

On all the lovely heads below

And which one it will dive bomb next?



Have you heard the lambs bleat

Calling for their mothers

Wanting attention and milk

As they frolic between the haystacks?



Have you heard the pigeon coo

From roof tops and window sills

As they eye off statues And unsuspecting pedestrians?

Watching Over You

12/04/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



As I stand here

Watching over you

Watching you sleep

The rise and fall of your tiny chest

I wonder what the future holds

For you

For me

For the both of us together

The fun and games as a family

The outings to the beach

Or boating on the river

Creating memories that last a lifetime

In moments that are gone too soon

But I’m also filled with a fear

That I’m not good enough

That I might fail you

And I don’t know how to deal

With the overwhelming dread

That leads me to contemplate

Whether I should be here

Standing over you

Whether it wouldn’t be better

If it were someone else

Watching over you

What If

11/04/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



What if we choose to be kind?

To give of ourselves

Our time and our energy

To support those around us



What if we choose to give thanks?

For the things that others do for us

For help that we receive

And for the privilege that we have



What if we choose to stay positive?

Even in the face of obstacles

That threaten to derail us

And spread love to our neighbours



What if we choose to embrace humanity?

If we lifted up those who lift others,

If we celebrated family and community,

If we look past our differences



What if …

Wonderland

10/04/2021 - Poem a Day Compilation



Oh, to be Alice

Falling down the rabbit hole

Escaping from day-to-day life

Into a world of fantasy



Or maybe to be Dorothy,

Spirited away to Oz

Only to find out

There’s no place like home

Rush

09/04/2021 - Poem a Day Compilation



Somethings don’t deserve your patience

They must be seized

– Like the day –

Taken in hand and moulded

Before the clay dries



        So, rush



Headlong into the snow

To make those angel wings



Onwards into battle

To take the enemy by surprise



And tumble head over heels

In love with life



        Rush, now



Before those legs grow weary

And cannot carry you

Over the hills and far away

To where daydreams escape

From minds lost to the notion

That life is for the living

The Last Image

08/04/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



If I’d known this would be

The last image I’d take of you,

Would I have made the effort

To take another picture?



It’s quite a nice picture:

You’re sitting on a bench

Hair flowing in the breeze

Half a smile on your face



You never really liked it:

The lighting wasn’t flattering

And you didn’t fancy that top

With that particular shirt



Now it’s all I have:

A moment in time

Frozen forever but

Captured in the blink of an eye



So, I don’t think I would

Take another picture of you

Because that’s the real you

And the one I keep in my heart

Peculiar

07/04/2021 - Poem a Day Compilation



I’m peculiarly peculiar

A strange sort of soul

Wonderfully weird

And erratically eccentric



I’m up and down

And round about

Inside out

And back to front



I’m eager and willing

And avoid at all costs

Yes, no and maybe

All rolled into one



I’m sinner and saint

The good and the bad

The lover and hater

And entirely apathetic



I’m high and so low

Flat as a tack

Up and about

And down in the dumps



I’m full of confidence

Drowning in doubt

Creating and destroying

All in one breath



I’m your very best friend

Your absolute worst enemy

Your greatest fan

And ready to tear you down



I’m the ultimate human

Inexplicable alien

Familiar animal

And supernatural pixie



I’m the stories you read,

Late at night, under the covers

While you smile and cry

All by yourself



I’m the builder of my world

In all its curiousness,

Its absurdities abundant

And its style strange



I’m peculiarly peculiar

Atypical and abnormal

Odd, unconventional

And perfectly me

Reluctant

06/04/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



I was reluctant to say hello

I didn’t think you’d say it back

You wouldn’t want to be my friend

You were too good for me



I was reluctant to ask you out

I didn’t think you’d say yes

You wouldn’t want to be my boyfriend

You were out of my league



I was reluctant to say yes

I didn’t think you’d really mean it

You wouldn’t want to be my husband

You were way too successful



I was reluctant to let you go

I didn’t think I could

You wouldn’t want to live like this

You were too much for this world

Always Five

05/04/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



When you were little

I wished you’d never age

You’d stay my precious little princess

Forever and a day

But I never meant for it to happen

Especially not like this



The last time I saw you

Your smile flashed across the park

Your pigtails swishing as you ran

My mind occupied with other things

And you climbed the hill

Ready to slip down the slide



It took me a few minutes

To realise you hadn’t come down

I looked around for you

All to no avail

And the search became more frantic

As the minutes themselves slid by



My heart was beating through my chest

Hands shaking uncontrollably

Air struggling to fill my lungs

As I screamed your name

And fellow parents joined the search

But coming up empty



The police were called

They arrived sirens blaring

To take over the haphazard search

And co-ordinate the organisation

Of checkpoints and interviews

As I broke into a million pieces



As every hour passed, I cried

Tears staining my face

Salt stinging my eyes

The heartache and fear within me

Tearing me apart

From the inside out



Divers scoured the bay

From the mangroves at the shore

To the depths of the ferry channel

Extending the search

Yet still finding no sign of you

Or any clue of where you’d gone



Your face was plastered across the TV

Every network running the story

Of a little girl lost,

Missing, taken

Somewhere out in the world

Away from her grieving mother



My life was turned upside down

As hours turned into days

And days turned into weeks

And still no sign of you

As if you’d disappeared into thin air

Like the angel that you are

 

Strangers blamed me

Their anonymous notes

Shoved viciously into the letterbox

Asking me how I could hurt you

And that I should burn in hell

For something I could never do



The posters with your picture

Stay on every telegraph pole

Replaced within a day

Should they fall or be blown away

Or torn down by unfeeling monsters

Who will never understand



Somewhere you are out there

And I hope you remember me

But as the years drag by

I feel I might be just a dream you have

That haunts you as you sleep

And you don’t know why



I try to imagine what you look like

As the birthdays come and go

And now that you’d be an adult

The fear that I wouldn’t know you

If I passed you in the street

Fills my heart with dread



What music are you into?

Do you still love to read?

There are so many things I want to know

But will never get the chance

Because someone stole you from me

And I fear I’ll never get you back



So, while you’re turning twenty today

I can’t see you that way

My precious little princess

All grown without me there

A life lived that I’ll never know

Because to me you’re always five.

The Night Watchman

04/04/2021 - Poem a Day Compilation



Standing at the crease

Way before I should

Holding the fort for those

Who should have come before



Facing the oncoming attack

Tired from the day in the field

My fresh legs ready to run

But not getting ahead of myself



Defence is the name of the game

Making sure I don’t fall cheaply

Just making it through to the close of play

Playing the team game



I can only dream of innings

Like Gillespie in Bangladesh

Knocking out a double century

Before a lack of partners ended it all



For now I stand my ground

Staring down my foes

Protecting my wicket

With all that I have

Cantankerous (Sometimes I think)

03/04/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



Sometimes I think you’re crotchety

An old man sitting in your chair

Annoyed at the world around you

And taking it out on all of us



Sometimes I think you’re just stubborn

Set in your ways since forever

Unable to change how you live or love

And unwilling to make any compromise



Sometimes I think you’re bloody-minded

Deliberately setting yourself at odds

With the rest of the family

Who only want you to be happy



Sometimes I think you’re ill-natured

From a life too hard to comprehend

And I wouldn’t surprise me in the least

If it played on your mind all too often



Sometimes I think you’re being testy

And it takes little to set you off

Your temper quick to irritate

And you’re becoming increasingly impatient



Sometimes I think you’re simply cranky

Grumbling about all of life’s woes

How nothing ever seems to be easy

And life is one struggle after another



Sometimes I think you’re grumpy

And grouchy and gruff and aggrieved

The whole world seems to be against you

Even if that’s in your own mind



Sometimes I think that you’re crabby

A surly curl to your top lip

Snapping and overly combative

Over even the most minor of things



Sometimes I think you’re temperamental

Prone to bouts of unreasonableness

With your quarrelsome nature overriding

All the good that hides deep inside



Sometimes I think you’re petulant

Like a child who can’t get their way

Arrogantly insisting everyone fall in line

Like a boorish sergeant-major



Sometimes I think you’re obnoxious

Acting out in spite against all who care

Making for many a prickly encounter

When it could have been so very different



Sometimes I think you’re cantankerous

But I know that’s not all that you are

And I must summon all my strength

To make it out from the cloud around you

Discarded

02/04/2021 - Poem a Day Compilation



You threw me away

As if I meant nothing

The days, weeks, months

We had spent

Discarded as rubbish on the tip



I cannot see it

Any other way

That feeling of uselessness

Overwhelming me

And weighing down my soul



You did not want my love,

My heart overflowing,

Anything else I could offer

Rejected all at once

With no thought for me at all



But you should not keep me

Out of obligation

Or to save me

From the world inside my mind

At your expense

Fools

01/04/2021 - Poem a Day Compilation



What fools before me

That cannot see

Beyond the end

Of their own bank account

To a world of wonder

That passes them by

In pursuit of more

Of what they already have

When what is out there

Is far more enriching

Than the accumulation of things

That are no more permanent

Than the memories formed

In the experiencing of moments

The joy of the discovery

The power of the unknown

But they would deprive

Themselves and their own

Of something money can’t buy

All for the desire

Of fool’s gold

When it rains

31/03/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



I stand outside

The rain falls

Crashing down

On barren soil

Parched too long

Thirsty for more

Cracked and open

Drinking its fill

Dark waters flowing

Over dusty red plains

To oceans full

Along ancient courses

Where people build

Unsuitable houses

For landscapes old

And disasters new

Where lives are shattered

By that rain

As it falls at once

And crashes still

Then flows and seeps

Until barren soil

Is left once more

Ever Since

30/03/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



Before the light

Before the dark

Before the everlasting love



After the world

After the stars

After the universe flickers and dies



While I breath

While I mourn

While I bear this unspeakable sorrow



Ever since you

Ever since then

Ever since all meaning was lost

The Market

29/03/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



The closed sign hangs on the door

The market has shut up for good

It’s wares no longer wanted

And custom long since gone



The heart itself lies empty

The windows boarded up

No future here can be seen

A vacant, empty lot