I almost succumbed;
They said life’s best things are free,
And I believed them.< />
I count down the days –
Suspended animation
Until your return.
I cry a river
I weep for times that are past
Oceans of mem’ries
I cry in the night
As shadows from the future
Pulsate through my id.
I don't need sunshine
I have enough inner light
Kindled by your love.
I fooled my shadow;
It disappeared in the sun...
Now I live in peace.
I gave you my heart;
You used it and returned it...
Bruised, stained and shop-soiled.
I hoped for success;
Failure dogged my every step;
I hopped, skipped, and jumped.
I looked, and I saw
Mirror image of my soul;
Shining in your eyes.
I paint my own world;
Using the Nature’s palette
To mix my own hues.
I pull down the blinds;
Memories tweak the curtains –
I try to forget.
I realise now
Happiness is relative
That's why I'm content!
I smell the darkness
A scent of dank loneliness –
Heaps of rotting leaves.
I think in haikus
And dream in Technicolor;
Free-flights of fancy!
I want you to know
You are the light of my life
Till the end of time.
I wanted no more
Than to be left all alone
With Sorrow and Pain
Icicle so bright;
An inverted, frozen cone –
Cold, unfeeling spike.
Icing sugar trees
Branches covered in hoar frost
Let me thaw your heart
Inclement weather
Thunder rumble, lightning flash;
Where's my umbrella?
Idioms and proverbs –
Distilled ancestral knowledge...
Recycled wisdom.
If I had known then.
What I have just found out now
I’d behave the same.
If I were a tree
I'd want someone to hug me
And help me grow tall.
If you try too hard
Coherent thoughts will vanish...
Spontaneity’s lost.
Illusions galore
A cat thinks it’s a tiger
And a worm, a snake.
I’m feeling peckish;
My Great White Shark pet wants a snack...
Two tuna steaks, please!
I’m trying to teach
Some new tricks to an old dog;
A partial success.
Imagination
Flying on the wings of love
You make me feel good
Immutable facts -
Fire burns, water quenches...
Undisputed truths.
In a fields of wheat
Poppies dancing in the wind;
They don’t know they’re weeds.
In a white landscape
Mountain lion in the snow,
Waiting for The Thaw.
In an ideal world
The wolf and the lamb are friends;
Will it ever be?
In eternity,
Grey lava and black basalt
Erode into sand
In my life’s palette
Cyan and yellow make green –
Mint, lime, moss, jade, pea...
In search of karma
Going up hills and down dales;
On a fool’s errand.
In silence we wish
For better times tomorrow
Hope springs eternal
In the murky depths,
Tiny organisms thrive –
Despite pollution.
In the path of life
Some dreams are better than truth...
For no one hurts you.
In the shady holt
Safe, deep inside her burrow,
Mole blinks and awakes.
In the thunderstorm
The fat cat sat on the mat
Feigning nonchalance.
In turbulent thoughts
Hope tries to win over fear;
Perennial battle!
Infinity tempts my soul
Eternity does not last
Empty space beckons
Ink dries up so fast
But your words they brand my soul
Making lasting scars
Inscrutable face;
Heaven knows what you're thinking
I certainly don't!
Insincere laughter
Is the first indication
Friendships have gone sour.
Insomnia strikes
After watching countless sheep
Jump over hedges!
Insurmountable
Rock solid and sheer cliff face
Will glaciers thaw you?
Into the calm sea
The boy lobs pebbles to make
Concentric circles
It takes a lifetime
To build castles in the air…
Then they tumble down.
It’s a blatant fact;
The truth is ever-changing...
Obvious enigma.
It's boring to walk
Along the straight and narrow;
Unless it's with you!
I’ve put all my eggs
In one enormous basket-
I guard it keenly!
Jays sometime jay-walk
Not all sheep are sheepish;
Some fish are fishy.
Jealousy chokes hope.
Silence eradicates love.
Apathy stifles life.
Jealousy? Envy?
Probably both together...
When friendships go sour.
Juicy explosions
Crimson pomegranate seeds
Burst between my teeth.
Jumping up and down,
Learning to do somersaults
On her trampoline.
Keep your fingers crossed,
Jump the cracks in the pavement –
What silly notions!
Kiss me with your eyes;
Hold me with your bated breath,
And talk with your chi.
Knowing what to do
And actually doing it
Are a world apart.
Ladder to success
Each rung costs blood, sweat and tears:
I won’t be climbing!
Ladybird so cute
Gauzy yellow wings beneath
Black-speckled crimson.
Lamb stew on the hob -
Lasagna in the oven...
Sorbet for dessert!
Lamplight shows the way
Along the path to my home
Where my hearth and heart both are
Laughter can be false
Happiness is transient
Tears are here and now.
Laughter in my heart
Like a helium-filled balloon –
The tears come later.
Laughter, or else tears
A gamut of emotion
Flit across my heart.
Laundry on the line
Dancing madly in the breeze
Not free – they’re pegged down!
Learn to be patient.
One acorn makes a forest –
Given enough time.
Learning how to walk,
Toddler falls down often -
Yet soon he can run!
Leaves are a carpet
Slipstream of my emotions
Dewdrops on cobwebs
Lessons from Nature...
Watch ants struggling with their load...
For the common good.
Let me be your hope
Let me fill your life with love;
I’ll grow old with you.
Lethal beauty hunts;
Arrow in the cold fall air...
Do fish ponder death?
Letters left unsent
Promises left unspoken
Dreams left unfulfilled.
Liars ply untruths
Baiting lures with shining words
Hoping you’ll believe.
Liberty costs blood
Freedom claims a hefty price;
Is lunch ever free?
Lies put on a mask
Truth blushes and hides her face
One of them’s a fraud.
Life gives you lemons;
Be sour or make lemonade,
You pick your option!
Life gives you lemons –
You either make lemonade,
Or become sour!
Life in the fast lane
For the tortoise and the snail
Is not worth the stress.
Life is a ball game;
When it sends you a curved ball,
Make sure to bat it!
Life is a bar-code.
Lots of lines; all mean something...
Inexplicable!
Life is a cascade
It takes your breath away, or
Purifies your soul.
Life is a corner
Of the street or of a room;
According to choice.
Life is a cycle;
Flowers bloom, and then wither...
Leaving seeds for more.
Life is a circle
No beginning and no end -
Embracing a void.
Life is a drawbridge
You can shut everyone out –
Or allow access!
Life is a fir cone
Showing a hard exterior...
That love breaks open.
Life is a gamble
Dice are cast and lots are drawn;
Winner takes it all!
Life is a journey;
Bad signposts and bumpy roads
Drive you up the wall.
Life is a moonbeam
Contrasting with the darkness –
Lighting up your path.
Life is a mountain;
Rope, climbing shoes and warm clothes...
Equal importance.
Life is a peanut
Crunchy inside the shell, or
Smooth peanut butter.
Life is a quarry
Remember that though you dig,
Nothing’s set in stone.
Life is a slow dance;
Alone or with a partner –
Take it as it comes.
Life is a spiral
Whether it leads up or down
Is yours to decide.
Life is a journey
Riddled with many pit stops –
Make time to use them!
Life is a masked ball;
You have to face the music
Of perfect strangers.
Life is a mountain.
Sheer cliffs; dead drops; an ice-cap;
But no lush valley.
Life is a playground
Winning on the roundabout…
Just makes you dizzy.
Life is an acorn
Kernels nestled in wood cloaks
Squirrels' winter stocks.
Life is for living
Don't save your kisses because
They'll all go to waste.
Life is highs and lows
From flip-flops to stilettos;
According to mood.
Life is so precious
The irony of it all
Is not knowing it!
Life’s a delusion;
On the surface all’s perfect–
But below’s rotten.
Life's a fairytale;
And one day you'll wake up
To the bleakest truth.
Life’s made of extremes –
When the buddy system fails,
Find strength in yourself.
Like drifting snowflakes
Your kisses caress my face
Gentle as a breeze
Like ducks to water,
Our souls have melded as one
You and I, all time.
Like unravelled wool
Life is so complicated
Not one end in sight.
Limericks are fun
Epics make good reading too;
But haiku’s the best.
Lions are the mane thing;
Monk seals lead a sheltered life;
Bees are… the bee’s knees!
Lion mauls the deer
Blackbird swoops down on the worm –
Survival’s struggles.
Lions roam the plains;
Birds sing, thinking they are free -
Cross-hairs will mark them.
Listen to the bells
They peal and toll my story
The sound of my soul
Live life as it comes –
Don’t regret what is now past...
You can’t undo it.
Live your life now
Yesterday will not re-wind;
Tomorrow’s distant!
Loneliness is bleak
The alternative is worse...
Pharisees in masks.
Look at the mountains
Standing so high and mighty...
Yet rain erodes them.
Look before you leap;
One jump on a trampoline
Will make you crave more.
Look for the bright side
When the night claims the ocean
The Medusas shine
Look into my eyes –
A moment of distraction!
Touch me with slow hands.
Look into my eyes
Some words must never be said
But you can feel them.
Looking-glass visions;
Who am I? Who will I be?
The future beckons.
Lost in a sandstorm
Undulating sand-dune sea…
A map is useless.
Love is a marble
Hard glass encases a core
That’s unreachable.
Love is an onion;
Each layer that you explore,
Brings the core closer.
Love is an onion
It’s got several layers –
And it makes you cry!
Love's on hold today;
Fractious child cries his heart out,
Aching to be hugged.
Love is a blanket;
It will give security...
But it may smother.
Love is a fire;
Stray too close, and it burns you;
Say safe; feel its warmth.
Love is a statue.
When it stands, it’s lifeless...
If it moves, it’s false.
Love is an alloy;
As elusive as mercury,
But precious as gold.
Love like a shadow
Following my every move
When will I be free?
Love was born today
Silvern and golden kisses
Together is now.
Make someone’s day;
A random act of kindness-
A slice of rainbow!
Making my way home –
Footfalls crunching on gravel;
Echoing my grief.
Measure for measure;
The long and the short of it...
Through thick and thin.
Meeting new people
Along internet highways –
Some become "real" friends.
Milk and honey days,
Nectar and ambrosia nights...
Manna memories!
Mirror on the wall
Reflecting hopes, thoughts and dreams
All unrealised.
Mirror on the wall
Remembers my first wrinkle –
Reflecting sunshine.
Mist all around me
Bleakness meets my unshed tears
Time cannot heal me
Mist in the dawning
And shadows in the gloaming -
Sunshine in between!
Misty crystal ball
Cloudy visions of futures
That might never be.
Model behaviour...
She smiles for the camera;
But her heart's broken.
Moments spent with you,
When time ceases to exist...
Worth more than jewels.
Monday morning blues
Seem to last all week, these days;
I’m down in the dumps.
Monochrome vistas
Memories will fade so fast
Unless they're renewed
Much water has flowed
Made up of rain, sweat and tears...
It’s now time to rest.
Music to my ears
Are conversations with friends
Although we don't talk
My child, what ails you?
Why are you tense and morose?
I’ll dry your heart’s tears.
My circle of friends,
As I travel life’s by-ways
Enjoy the ride, too!
My idea of time
Is at odds with that of those
Owned by a wrist-watch!
My life is a dream
Intangible images
That evade my grasp.
My light has gone out
Life has so much more to give me –
But I don’t want it.
My mind’s a gypsy;
My home is not my castle;
My soul’s a nomad.
My muse has left me...
Pencil poised upon pages
That remain empty.
My soul is wrung dry
Bereft of all emotion
My tears are frozen.
My soul... your carpet
You wiped your feet and left me
With my shattered dreams.
My thoughts disperse like
Clouds scudding across the sky
Ethereal froth
Nature abhors vacuums –
So why did she leave me here,
With my empty heart?
Never conforming
I swim against the current;
Fish out of water.
Never once believe
Rumour, gossip and tattle –
The devil’s radios.
No man's an island
Just holler if you need me;
And I'll be right there.
No one notices
When you weep in a downpour –
If you need help, ask!
No rains for parched earth;
But monsoons flood and destroy;
Both quirks of nature.
No rose without thorns
Except when it's of plastic
But then there's no scent!
No warmth in icebergs;
No tears fall in a vacuum...
No shadows at noon.
Noises in the night;
Is it mice scurrying by...
Or stifled crying?
Nothing can faze me;
Calm and peace suffuse my life,
Because I have faith.
Ocean on the floor –
Washing machine flowed over –
Disaster movie!
Oil the wheels of love
Do not let it get jammed up;
Or it might suffocate.
Old wedding album;
Yellow photos, edges curled...
Dead protagonists!
Older, not wiser
Drifting with blinkers through life;
Not heeding advice.
On an artist’s palette
Red and yellow make orange –
Life’s not that simple
On my way back home
Rain falls; the sun fades away...
Just like life, really...
Once, here were glaciers;
Rivers flowing towards sea...
Today, a desert.
One crow brings sorrow
Two bring joy, or so they say;
But I see hundreds!
Open up your heart -
Swift strokes on a keyboard tell
What quills used to do.
Orange sky at dusk
Smell of skin warmed by the sun
Sand between my toes.
Oranges, lemons;
Tangerines and grapefruit too...
Squeezed, then thrown away.
Our souls are entwined
Our futures are united
I feel snug – and smug!
Oyster in the sea
When asked what the world is like
Says, “Just like me!”
Oyster so perfect...
Nurturing a milky pearl;
Hidden, in the sea.
Pacing to and fro,
The man frets for the future;
His wife’s just had twins!
Pacing to and fro
Wishing life was much simpler...
Restless leg syndrome?
Pansies so humble;
Subtle scent yet fills the room,
And overwhelms me.
Past, present, future;
Together, eternity...
Concentric circles.
Patience is a gift
To be used judiciously
To nurture others
Peacock struts his stuff;
Oyster is a gem to know;
Zebra wears jim-jams!
Pearls would be wasted
If they’re served up with pig-swill;
The world’s their oyster!
Pebbles become sand
Glaciers melt into oceans
But love enhances
Pebbles start out rough
Adversity makes them smooth –
What about their souls?
Pencil poised to write
Thoughts tumbling in a vortex...
Funnelled to the page.
Pencil scribbles thoughts
Time erases them in droves –
Unless etched in souls.
Pencil writes my thoughts
The eraser tries its best
To make me forget
Penguin in a tux
Pretty pink flamingo struts...
Seashore dusk party!
Perfumes from Persia
And silks from Siam do not
Impress me at all.
Perspective changes
When I’m back on solid ground –
Double-decker bus!
Photographs galore
Is this fame eternal, or
Flavour of the month?
Picture the future;
Acorns grow into oak trees,
But Man just grows… old!
Pictures don’t need words,
Just as words don’t need pictures;
Both can tell stories.
Pictures in albums;
Carefree days of childhoods past,
Never forgotten.
Pictures of ruin –
Rubble homes and decayed trees;
Once a proud city.
Pictures on the wall –
Explosions of brave colour;
Thoughts wrought in painting.
Pigs root for truffles;
Squirrels scurry after nuts –
Both seek sustenance.
Pink is a colour,
So soft and ever graceful...
Suffusion of warmth.
Pink, mauve and lilac –
Colours of the sunset sky...
Tears on my palette.
Playing cat's cradle;
Getting tangled in the string...
Tenuous lifeline.
Playing hide and seek
Emotions are kept hidden
But the truth will out
Please draw the curtains
On that past part of my life
I need tomorrow.
Pleasure flies away
The doom of doubt surrounds me
Darkness returns anon
Pleasures of the soul
Love that stalls all reasoning
For eternity.
Plucking at petals...
He loves me, he loves me not;
Who cares, anyway?
Poetic licence
Deus ex machina too;
Both tools of the trade.
Poets construct odes
And carpenters, furniture.
Both build with beauty.
Polaroid snapshots
Images frozen in time
Ghosts caught on paper
Porcupine quills and
Armadillo’s bony plates...
Both suits of armour.
Precious as the dew
Each teardrop speaks a volume
Of unspoken thoughts.
Promise me today;
I don’t care for tomorrow;
What I need is now.
Psychedelic light...
Aurora borealis,
Or laser light-play?
Puma stands alert;
Dormouse sleeps his life away;
March hare doesn’t care!
Question in your eyes
But why do you find it hard
To ask it outright?
Inspirational Quotes
