The Bookstore

18/03/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



Walking through the doors

There’s an unmistakable smell

Fresh coffee and old books

And just a hint of freshly baked cakes



The chairs are big and comfy

Like grandma’s warm embrace

And the service is friendly

And they’re always up for a chat



Sometimes I go in for breakfast

Bacon, eggs, sausages, tomatoes

A book of poetry with well-worn pages

And a large cappuccino to sip



It’s a good place to people watch

On a sunny weekday morn

The park across the path bustling

With kids before they head to school



When I meet friends for lunch

Chicken salad with sweet chilli sauce

And a cool class of fresh lemonade

Discussing the latest sporting memoir



It’s easy to lose track of time

And before you know it it’s been hours

Though it’s never a problem

To settle in for half the day



On occasion, when I don’t feel like cooking,

I’ll savour a frittata and side salad

And a large pot of peppermint tea

With my favourite Stephen King



It doesn’t matter what time of day or night

It always feels like home

A little shop around the corner

That takes me a world away

St Patrick’s Day

17/03/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



I like St Patrick’s Day

Even though I’m not religious

And it’s not the saintly idea behind the day

That gets me in the spirit

But the fun and frivolity

That comes from celebrating in a secular society

Where old traditions are embraced

For a variety of new reasons



I like St Patrick’s Day

Because of the legendary stories

That surround this man of the cloth

And give him his saintly vibes

Like bearing the cross and the shamrock

In bold reference to the holy trinity

Even though threesomes of deities

Are well known in Irish lore



I like St Patrick’s Day

For celebrating a man bestowed deeds

For which he could not possibly be responsible

Like ridding a nation of its snakes

When no evidence of the slithery specimens

Appears anywhere in Ireland

Despite many a desperate search

Through the fossil record



I like St Patrick’s Day

Because it conjures up such novelties

As leprechauns and all that is green

Despite neither having anything to do

With Ireland’s beloved saint

But it just adds to the joie de vivre

That seems to emanate

From the mere mention of the day



I like St Patrick’s Day

And one day I hope to experience it

In the bustling streets of Dublin

Or the rolling hills of Connemara

Where I can immerse myself in the festivities

And lose myself in nature

Creating my own reverence

Of that ancient saint’s day

Loving you

16/03/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



The recipe for loving you seems simple

First you start with two ingredients

A little estrogen and testosterone

And let them simmer nicely

Then you add a bit of adrenaline

For that bit of kick

Followed by a splash of dopamine

To get the heart going

And just enough serotonin

For those neurotransmitters to soak up

To create a bond that lasts

We’ll throw in some vasopressin

Just to make sure everything sticks

Finally, we’re going to add a pinch of oxytocin

The ingredient responsible for those cuddles

On long, cold, winter nights

And when all those ingredients

Have had the time to mix together

The result is a bubble of love

That can never be repeated

With any other person

In exactly the same way

Loyalties

15/03/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



I could never love another

My passion is unbounded

I live and breathe for the days

And the nights

And the seemingly endless afternoons

Spent in your company

The highs and the lows

The good times and the bad

Being one in the moment

A connection like no other

No question of where I’d rather be

Wild horses couldn’t drag me away

Because this is my life

My childhood

My adolescence

My youth and my adulthood

My world and my being

A space in my heart filled

With the triumphs and the defeats

Of all my years on earth

A loyalty flowing through my veins

That nothing can drain

Imprinted on every fibre of my being

Every neuron

Every cell

My beloved now and always

My loyal Sydney Swans

Glitter

14/03/2021 - Poem a Day Compilation



It gets into everything

Every nook and cranny

You’ll be finding it for weeks

Even though you’ve scrubbed

Every square inch

Of every single surface

But there it is

Glinting in the sunlight

Mocking all your efforts

To rid your life of it

Knowing you never will

An Unlikely Place

13/03/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



I didn’t go looking for inner peace

Or anything like that

I didn’t really think I needed it

Because I was fine



I got through each day

Turned up for all my shifts at work

Did all that was required of me

But was that enough?



When I walked through the doors

To that tiny theatre space

I felt a sense of calm

As I took my back row seat



I was nestled in the corner

The outside world far away

Listening to the act on stage

Telling jokes about the absurdity of life



And as I sat in that small dark corner

I laughed and I cried as I laughed,

Happy tears and sad tears

That stained my cheeks as they ran



As the house lights came on

I wiped my cheeks dry

And gathered up my belongings

Preparing to face the world again



As I watched the crowd disperse

I realised they were completely unaware

Of the transformation that had befallen me

In that hour in the dark



I knew that when the walls closed in

And the world became too much

I could hide in that back corner

The let the dark wrap around me tight

Dragons in the Outfield

12/03/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



He threw pitches like a canon

Strikes by the dozen

Three up, three down

And clean sheets galore



But his turns at bat were not so grand

Swinging at balls

And watching clean hits

Sail straight into the catcher’s mitt



When he did make contact

It wasn’t always fair

Flying foul more oft than not

Or finding a fielding glove



His coach was at a loss

At training the balls would fly

Clearing fielders and fencing

Homers coming every other pitch



So he went to see a psychologist

Who came to see him play

And diagnosed his problem

Almost immediately



A strange fear took over

When facing those blistering balls

And the wise old psychologist

Knew just what to do



She gave him a new persona

A character he could become

The sorcerer of scoring

And it seemed to do the trick



The very next game he got on base

And stole his way around

Getting home to thunderous applause

From his teammates in the dugout



From then on, his stats improved

And his confidence rocketed

The runs came thick and fast

But that home run was elusive



Then one rain soaked, soggy day

With the clay heavy underfoot

The crack of bat on ball was heard

And the infield watched it soar



It was pure magic as he rounded first

And continued onto second

Then third and home soon followed

As the ball cleared the fence



He’d overcome his demons,

The monkey off his back,

And all it had taken was

Defeating the dragons in the outfield