All or Nothing

07/09/2020 -  Poem a Day Compilation



When we met

I gave you my smile –

It shone like diamonds

Lighting the room around me.



When we fell in love

I gave myself to you

And all that it entails

Without fear or hesitation.



When we married

I gave you my heart

To safeguard forever

As if it were your own.



When our child was born

I gave you my body

With my tiger stripes

And tired eyes.



When you left

You gave me nothing

You took the best of me

But now I start again without you.



When I found myself

I gave myself permission

To live again, to love again,

And be all that I can be.

Dear Reader

06/09/2020 -  Poem a Day Compilation



Dear Reader,



If I might have your attention

For a mere moment in time,

I have something important

That I must impart to you.



A writer’s job is not an easy one,

It is filled with dread and uncertainty

But is also the most fulfilling,

Bringing joy and a sense of success.



For myself, I do not write for money,

I do not write for fame and fortune.

I write because feeds my soul

And sets my spirit free.



I can communicate with my inner self

And discuss the world around me;

I pour out emotions onto the page

And am filled to the brim again.



There is no right way to write,

No perfect set of instructions.

There’s no time of day that one must use

Nor a style to which you must stick.



Be a novelist or write comic books;

Be a screenwriter or be a poet;

Be whatever writer you want to be

Or be all of them if you so choose.



Whatever you do, dear reader,

Just enjoy what is before you,

For it is a work of art, and heart,

Of which there will never be another like it.

Lucky Guess

05/09/2020 -  Poem a Day Compilation



Our first date was to a fancy restaurant.

I arrived before you and took the liberty

Of ordering a drink for you

        “Espresso Martini? How did you know?”

“Lucky guess,” I replied with a grin.



For our second date, I suggested a movie.

They were showing classics at the local cinema

And this week it was Labyrinth.

        “My favourite. How did you know?”

“Lucky guess,” I replied with a smile.



On our third date, I bought you flowers

From a stand in the park,

Red carnations tied with a bow.

        “My birth flower. How did you know?”

“Lucky guess,” I replied with a laugh.



During the fourth date, I dared propose

With a ring of gold studded with garnets,

And I wondered, out loud for all to hear,

“How did I end up with a woman like you?”

        “Just lucky, I guess,” you replied with a wink.

Basket Case

04/09/2020 -  Poem a Day Compilation



        I’M not crazy.



Your head tilted on a curious angle,

A look of befuddlement washing over you,

No one said you were but

Strange that’s where your mind went.



        I’m NOT crazy.



There was anger in your eyes and, also,

An abject terror at the thought

That anyone might think you weren’t

In full control of your mental faculties.



        I’m not CRAZY.



You physically recoiled at the word

As it came spitting out of your mouth

As if trying to escape a body

It definitely didn’t belong inside.



        I’M NOT CRAZY.



You stood with such force that

The chair you’d been sitting in,

Seemingly in comfort,

Skidded back across the floor and toppled.



        I’m not crazy.



The silence was filled with resignation

And sadness at a battle not fought,

Let alone been close to winning,

As shoulders slumped forward and tears fell.

Up and Down the Stairs I Go

03/09/2020 -  Poem a Day Compilation



Up and down the stairs I go

With my bag of books in tow

From the bookshop to my door

Anticipating what’s in store

With Titus O’Reily’s sardonic style

And Darren Naish’s prehistoric crocodile.



I love the feel of a book in my hands

That can transport me to foreign lands

Or set my soul all a quiver

With words that trigger a nervous shiver –

Behold Jennifer Gunter’s intimate read

Or let Roald Dahl your imagination feed.



With all the pages I do turn

Soaking in what there is to learn,

From classics older than my gran

To the science of where life began,

I love the unknown of Stephen King

And the poetic musing of Rudyard Kipling.



Each cover that I do espy

Makes me want to prod and pry

Through words a plenty on each page

With knowledge forthright and sage

We travel through the stars with Alice Gorman

Or the history that Greg Jenner has form in.



I’ll sit for hours, absorbed in the detail;

To hold my attention, they cannot fail.

Come one and all, and read with me

(Like Alice under that magical tree)

The jaunty phrase of William Shakespeare

Or George Orwell’s words that strike such fear.



Whether words of facts or those of fiction

I do not have sufficient diction

To express the love I have for books

Despite the odd and confused looks

I often get when reading Geoffrey Chaucer

Or CG Jung’s words about a flying saucer.



Words can lift, amaze and brighten.

They can sadden, dismay and frighten.

There’s no limit to how we should feel

When those pages we begin to peel.

Perhaps, admire the talent of Henry Fraser

Or see HG Wells as a trail blazer.



There too many names to mention

Without causing a little tension

For leaving out an author justified

And I do not wish to comes across as snide

I must draw a line with Thomas Pynchon

And leave May Gibbs the name to finish on.

How to Drive Me Wild

02/09/2020 -  Poem a Day Compilation



Some people get a kick

Out of kinks and other things

That happen in the bedroom

Or outside on the swings.



But if you really want to know

How to drive a woman wild

You need to do just a couple of things

And your request will be duly filed.



Learn to cook a delicious breakfast

Or be able to clean a house;

Make laundry your priority

And don’t be such a louse.



Tell me that you love me

At any time of day

And listen without interruption

To every word I say.



See, it’s not so very hard, you know,

To get the woman you desire:

Just be perfect in every single way

And your love life won’t be so dire.



But if you can’t achieve perfection

A good and loving heart will do,

Be the man you always dreamed you’d be

And ecstasy will surely ensue.

Maybe They Had a Reason

01/09/2020 -  Poem a Day Compilation



Maybe they had a reason

Maybe they had a rhyme

Maybe they just didn’t think

And now they’re doing time



Their bad boy look was fake

Their gangster vibe a fraud

Their criminal credentials long expired –

It was more than they could afford



They’ve got no one else to blame

They’ve got to take it on the chin

They’ve got 25 to life to ponder

Why they threw their future in the bin



There’s a monotony in their future

There’s a shadow over their past

There’s an emptiness in their here and now –

Who knows how long it will last?



They could’ve been so much more

They could’ve used the brains in their head

They could’ve made something of themselves

But they may as well be dead



The gates that keep them locked inside

The walls that imprison them here

The guards that keep the peace each shift –

All feed a hate and terrible fear.



They wanted to be the big man

They wanted to be top dog

They wanted to be something they weren’t

Now they’re a name on a log



Someone tells them when to eat each day

Someone tells them what to do

Someone tells them who they’re bunking with

But they don’t dare say boo



They’re the small fish in a big pond

They’re just trying to stay alive

They’re in over their heads

And trouble could add five



Their lawyer did the best he could

Their record was less than sublime

Their life of freedom was at an end

The punishment fitted their crime



No one could dispute the facts

No one would disagree with the truth

No one fought the justice system

Because they screwed up their youth



Once they’re on the inside

Once reality settles in

Once the cold light of day shines down

They see the consequences of their sin



Maybe they had a reason

Maybe they had a rhyme

Maybe that doesn’t matter now

Because now they’re doing time