Lament

if we continue on this path

we will all die

without ever having lived

better to live

fully alive

one single moment

than to live a long life

half-dead like a zombie

Lament for Lizzy lyrics

Chorus -

Oh Lizzy

must you leave so soon

Oh Lizzy dearest

you've never (even) seen the yellow moon

V1

Oh my love, my love

can't you stay

oh my heart breaks to see you this way

please just another day

V2

I was working down the pit

came home caked in dust

thought you would be fine by now

for in God we had trust

Middle 8 -

The soul it hurts so much

oh hold me dear

I feel my legs give way

our baby's gone my dear

I cannot feel your desperate clutch

I feel my life give way

I feel her life fade away

oh hold me dear, our baby's gone

our darling baby's gone

V3

Oh my dearest

oh my Lizzy, littlest one

please please please don't go

feel the warmth of the midday sun

V4

Everything's dark Lizzy

we, dressed in black, you boxed in white

singing hymns, the priest tries to give hope

but this day is eternal night

Final Chorus

Oh Lizzy dearest

you who never saw the silver moon

Oh Lizzy

must you leave us so soon

Oh Lizzy dearest

miner's girl, mother's grief

Oh Lizzy our Liz

surely life is brief

Oh Lizzy

you had to leave so soon

We hold you in our broken hearts

when we watch the yellow moon

See you in Heaven my girl

see you in Heaven my girl

etc - fade out

Old World

 the world's just the same

as it always was

things dying

things being born

humans thinking they're God's gift

to the universe

 when they're really just another speck

in the long run

there is no long run

no run

no concept of long

in the long run

there just is

and the old world

is born and dies a trillion times

that's the framework

within which

we each must live a sane life

that requires a modicum of effort.

New World

a new world was born today

no life forms

just molten rocks

and spewing lava

and an atmosphere forming

still to settle

what a peaceful place

what a miracle of creativity

Stuck unstuck

Sometimes, like now,

when you're loaded with the cold

and your head doesn't seem to have been put on right

your mind gets stuck in neutral

unable to coherently think about anything

and thus nothing gets done

except the simplest

 of things

like writing a poem

Interruption

 an interruption

I have to attend to

means

this poem

is not the one

I would otherwise have written

Christmas at Union Street lyrics

little footsteps on the stairs

half past six who really cares

stocking in our hands, Santa's been

inside sweets and a tangerine

1960s Christmas time

on Union Street was our home

What's in the big room, we can't wait

getting in a frantic state

mum comes down, or maybe dad

"it's way too early" he's real mad

--

The doors is open, Christmas tree

but we're not looking there

it's the pile of presents round the room

like a massive free toy fair

Chorus

Middle eight - days like these so long ago

ten of us intent on play

how I wish we'd do it again

brothers, sisters, Christmas Day

Verse

Comic annuals, Beano, Dandy

LPs Beatles and The Who

Books on legends, myths, and dragons

Fantastic toys, so much to do

Last Verse

Fifty sixty years ago

Loved ones gone, sadly missed

Memories of golden times

the joy when we were kids

Picasso's dove of peace

I've seen it on a million posters

seen it online on a screen

Would like to see it spread worldwide

its message so serene 

Trigger happy lyrics

the hand moves twitching to the weapon

a nervous fear is in control

he heard a sound, potential danger

gunslingers always on patrol

the fastest gun, caresses holster

always scared it won't be there

an anxious tremor on his fingers

without it he'd be in despair

forgotten how to live the old way

walkin carefree down the street

enjoyin coffee in the sunshine

smilin at everyone you meet

those days are gone now, trigger happy

trigger happy every day

where's the peace of mind you once had

gone to nothin slipped away

the peace of mind we all once had

it's gone to nothin, slipped away

trigger happy slipped away

trigger happy

peace of mind has slipped away

Hidden

you there, crying, lying

in your dark secret grieving space

dust, dirt, decay

wooden resting unresting place

everything around you crumbling away

how I'd love to seep six feet under

and with you, for a time, stay

he kept you in a secure cell

unable to bear your gaunt face

but what I don't know is

did he lock you up for all time all space

until time no longer existed

or did he in the dead of night, go to that place

carefully open the door

and unable to help himself

in that raw zone

dare to remember you

and embrace

ashes to ashes

do we ever live above the surface

or are we fated to ever dwell

in the lairs of those who went before us

lyric Irish Voyage

so who was Daniel Murphy

and why did he come here

experience of famine

or else he felt it near

and why choose the coast of Ayrshire

instead of the USA

and what would be the welcome

when he set foot on the bay

Oh Danny boy

you took a risk, son

asylum seekers drown for less

and a lifetime mining underground

hardly looks now like success

but opportunity and danger

are in the eyes of those who see

and compared to starving back home

looks like success to me

a flood of fearful migrants

crossing choppy seas

leave behind their families

praying on their knees

go back to where you came from

you're not welcome here

drowning or starvation

it's not our problem dear

you're lazy and your stupid

like all your kind o'er there

if you'd only make an effort

you'd make a life so fair

so don't come here wi problems

or fairy tales of woe

ye were smart enough to come here

now be smart enough to go

Oh Danny boy

your risk paid off

the mines of Ayrshire didn't take you 

you died at Kilwinning age 77

and the troubles didn't break you

your grandson who knew you

gave birth to my dear mum

she married another emigre

a wartime Polish one

So here's to Daniel Murphy

and all who reach these shores

let's welcome not reject them

and show them open doors

same old

on social media

same old same old

on the news

same old same old

on the telly

same old same old

in the business world

same old same old

I go outside

everything's new

different

changed

fresh

Strange life some folk live

it's a strange life some folk live

a strange world they inhabit

me I lie to sit in the quiet

listening out for the occasional soft sound

some folk thrive on arguments

until the fighting begins

me I like to look out the window

hoping to see soft light rain

some folk want excitement

even though it hurts

me I can live fully without doing anything

but enjoying my breaths and sips of water

Four become one

V1

I sit and watch them play around

laughing and acting like clowns

and yet from nowhere, some way, somehow

a miracle is created

V2

they argue, disagree, get fed up

interrupt each other, d'ya fancy a cup?

there's no way they could be making this up

and yet a miracle's created

CHORUS

when four become one

love's work is done

when four come together

the results

the results last forever

and ever

and ever 

and ever (fade away)

V3

they wake up in the morning at different times

yawn their heads off and make up their minds

will they appear and work or leave it behind

and yet the miracle's created

lyric sun is shining

 sun is shining

through my window

brightens up the winter sky

it's cold outside there's no denying

but in my heart it's warm and dry

nature blows a fierce wind through me

summer's gone and lost in time

still I stand take the tempest

winter is a friend of mine

winter is a dear old friend

the cold reminds us of the days

when summer sun beams down upon us

so love the snow and love the rays

Haze

through the haze

the glimpse of a view

blue like the sky in summer

mirage or real I cannot say

through my dreams

the possibility of truth

grey like the fog

the promise of clearer days

through a life

the realisation of all

a blur of startling colours

reality no more

lyric it's showtime

 it's show time

show them what you've got

don't give it a thought

just wow them one more time

it's show time

let it all come out

let it twist and shout

give them a good time

it's all we gotta do

give them something new

get it on the stage

you'll make it all the rage

it's show time

help people dance and sing

and let their voices ring

watch them have a great time

it's showtime

let the words all flow

create it on the go

yes everything is showtime

For the heartbroken parents

What am I to say to you

whose fate took you at one moment

from hope to devastation

when my path took me from devastation to joy?

We dwell in the same silence

you who suffer so much

and I who also suffer but from other causes

and still I hope we share love of life

and a sense of its precious nature

and its temporary gift.

This, adapted from a poem I wrote in commemoration

of a Polish family with several children

all of whom died in the labour camp

where my father and his family were imprisoned

the father died too

leaving the mother bereft of all she loved most

When the warm snow fell we all wept

tiny angels, they floated down to us

kissing our eyes

melting on our faces

trickling softly down our cheeks

little tears on soft infant skin

snow is warm to us,

we who are with you

as but angel ghosts

souls rise as one

to meet the comforting clouds

where we thaw

as we await you.

One out of ten

In the test

he got one out of ten

but the one

was the miracle of life.

Having got the one

and the love and care he needed

he attained the other nine.

An Idea

An idea

to not have ideas

to feel the relief of no ideas

to have no idea about ideas

I Paint for You

I paint for you

clumsily

badly some would say

no matter

the colours press onto paper

and dry there

abstract?

impressionist?

no matter

I paint for you

and you

and for me

dried there

colours

on paper

pointless?

meaningless?

no matter

It's for you.

Needles and Pins

the human world tingles

as it listens to the wild wind outside itself

fears of cold and damp

cause needles and pins

to spread throughout the body.

Everything is calm in the multiverse

but chaotic in the hearts of our wayward species

Thumbs

clumsy looking,

thumbs.

in the wrong position

not lined up alongside

the other fingers

clunky and stubby

lacking elegance.

Of what use are thumbs

say the fingers of the world?

Fingers

the fingers move

words emerge

thoughts arise

flow commences

life perceived

fingers pause

thoughts dry up

flow freezes

life rises

into sunlight

where clouds linger

until its dark

then fingers drop

softly towards the ground

Maybe

I have a friend

who's ill

he may not recover

maybe I won't hear from him again

Here, Now, and Eternity

There are things

like a nice cup of green tea

that are definitely in the Here and Now category

but there are things

like the mysterious flow

that sit as Eternity.

it is better to be in Eternal flow

than petty now

but it is possible to bridge the chasm

to make the trivial experience Now,

Eternal

Numbers

it's always about numbers

you can pledge lifelong love

utopia for all

you shall go to the ball

but in the end

the king, he's in his counting house

and his treasurer is checking the numbers

we all bow to the numbers

Done

done

what was needed, done

dusted

done

and dusted

perfection in its own way

perfection in the only way

imperfect as it is

Gem

gemlike she appears

then disappears

gem to me

lost to me

gem to me

treasured by me

gemlike

spirit

not material

gem

Circus

The circus is in town

the clowns here in force

the showmen show off their muscles

the high wire walkers scare the audience

It's not my circus

I didn't even want them here

The monkeys are running around

seeking attention

Not my monkeys

but they're making the audience

whoop and holler with their antics

the circus will leave town

and we'll clear up the mess

leaving behind nothing but stale memories

all the performers will go back to where they came

all the local adjoiners

will go back to their own shows

the Cadzow Burn will flow as it ever did

and with some luck we can get back to peace and quiet

and a focus on the task at hand

which is to just do what needs done

Fresh air

fresh air comes clean in through the window

bringing hope and peace

the revival of the day

the space to live

After Larkin

They fuck you up

the rich and rulers

they may not mean to but they do

the give you what you just don't need

and steal the best, that's meant for you

War Reflection

The suffering of the soldiers

in these senseless mad campaigns

is always matched in me

by civilians lost, and mothers' pains

it says a lot about us

that war goes on today

the ultimate absurdity

this game that humans play

no one wants it to continue

but on and on it goes

it's like an endless cancer

just peckings for the crows

and in the end, win or lose

things are worse then than before

and we the people get to work

on what we can restore

and so I think, seeing such strife

what a pointless, wretched, waste of life

A Day is a Poem

This is my poem for the start of the day

to celebrate existence as this, my unique way

the day is an illusion but it works for me

it's night time elsewhere for all the world to see

I look out my window and the fir branches blow

I observe my breathing to feel the universe flow

Celebrate your existence, you are a unique way

and be a new poem at the start of each day

Day of the Dead

Every day

is day of the dead

the dead inside us

the dead we don't know

the dead we know but don't know are dead

the dead whose music we loved

the dead whose acting we loved

the dead who are yet to die

the dead who are yet to be you and I, dead

A Place I Know

Existence is a place I know

I visit it often

It never disappoints

It always fills my cup

Unlike some other places I know

Unseen

I write of things unseen

but felt

of things never felt

but known

of things never known

but enacted

that's what I write about,

the plain unvarnished invisible truth

that all people experience

but blinker it from their awareness

so they can live in ignorance of reality

Nothing

Let me tell you about nothing

It is rich

it is fresh

it is full of all the matters

Night and Day

What is it of the day you do not like?

Preferring shadows of the dark in dead of night.

I cannot understand your deep addiction

for all those things that fuel your heart's affliction

Where you see grim I see the light of love

where you imagine death I see the pure white dove

Reincarnation

I have been here before

as a man waiting for execution

a pilgrim never to reach his destination

a stumbler who fell

It's the same every time we're reborn

the liar hoping folk would believe him

the lover seeking love but only getting sex

the priest who wants faith but only attains doubt

a one legged man without his crutch

It's the same every time we're reborn

but if the man stops before his execution

the pilgrim looks closely wherever he is on his journey

the stumbler in the moment before the fall

the liar when the words arise from his brain

the lover before he undresses

the priest who accepts all doubt in true faith

the one legged man standing tall

It's a miracle of momentary magic

here for all eternity

captured in universal liberation

and we are all perfect in this world

Everybody's Busy

Everybody's busy

but no one's doing anything

everyone's talking

but no one's saying anything

everyone's a politician

but no one's taking action

it's a strange world

reality is not permitted to enter

and no one is allowed to go there

you have to sneak out without permission

otherwise they'd lock you up for trying

to sneak out

you have to slip back in

further and further back

until you come to a tiny black dot

that's it

reality

the whole universe

a tiny black dot

but it's so expansive

because we are so small

The Pessimists

We are the future bathed in darkness

the terror after dawn

we are the fear that strangles hope

and we're the blundering endless woe

A Poor Way to Live

The way we live

is a poor way to live

we have substituted virtual for real

entertainment for experience

excitement for peace of mind

multimedia data for wisdom

We can reject it

and refind the rich way to live

Three Worlds

Each of us

resides

in three worlds

simultaneously

the solid world

of here and now

we ignore it

in favour of

The floating world

of shallow enjoyment

where we escape real life

but this is in reality

the drowned world

where we are all dead

though the heart still beats

and the lungs still work

Mindfill

Whle the human world in panic

strives to change its ways

to avert climate disaster

on its kind

it fails to see

that behind all the landfill

that besmirches this Earth

is a relentlessly overflowing

mindfill

Suppose

Suppose I dream all day

and work all night

does that make any difference

to the flow of the multiverse?

Say I stopped climate change

ended war

stopped extinctions.

does that make any difference

to the flow of the multiverse?

But there is a multiverse

within each cell

and everything we do makes a difference

to that micro-multiverse.

And we are just single-celled organisms at heart

but we are multiverses too

so cultivate and protect at all times

and enjoy the flow of the multiverse

The Future of Culture

 The future is tech and science, genetics, AI, and automation

and that's to the good of all overall

but without culture, arts, music, poetry, stories

it would be a cold, dry paradise

fill the gap

fill the gap

between now and tomorrow

between the moment and eternity

between here and infinity

yes and beyond

grey skies

grey skies, majestic

encompass the Earth below

and make all things strong

the cracked pot

my daughter's kitten did it

knocked over the garden pot

causing it to crack into five bits

on the paved path

I took it home

mixed up some gold epoxy

and put it back together again

a bit messy

with some obvious bits

that don't fit right

but it functions

and its scars look pretty

at some angles

a sip

a sip

of green tea

is perfect homage

to all existence

and all time

a light fog

 a light fog

descended while I slept

and I awoke to a soft veil

not shutting out the world

but making it less sharp

more dreamlike

our thoughts are like this

our emotions too

fogs over reality

so that what we see

is not what is there

and what we think

is not what we are

Like a machine?

The day appears

when we wake up

puts its finest fog on for my delight

as the morning warms up

so the fog evaporates

leaving normality

in all its uniqueness

we are so like a machine

this me-meets-my-world thing

a darling machine

that knows no bounds

and no end to its beauty

Like a Machine

Like a machine

it turns

like a machine

it churns out things

but unlike a machine

what it churns out

differs each time

Words

Words have no meaning,

meaning

that their meaning is meaningless

unless they mean meaninglness

in which case the meaning is meaningful

The Late Mr. G

 The late Mr. G

were it up to me

I'd take him to task

but I daren't ask

He hasn't been well

so it's not for me to tell

him that it's his turn

and he shouldn't spurn

this communion we share

which takes us somewhere

beyond the two of us

to somewhere wondrous

but if it should die

I'll bid it good bye

and give thanks to G

for sharing with me

his unique creations

and fascinations

for me to reply to

or at least try to

So I let my impatience burn

allowing him time, time for his turn.

Existence

existence is a paradigm

through which we understand

nothing

How Long Does A Day Last?

How long does a day last?

As long as a lifetime?

Longer?

How long does the wind blow?

Gone in a moment's swish

Quieter too.

Here I am Not

Here I am not

not, knot, tied to none

I is is not

The universe turns on a proton

vanishes, returns

smaller than an electron

I am all of this and more

more than all that is

yet not even existing

but just imagined dust

The Letter

Writing words that make no sense

he finishes off the letter

paints the envelope with an abstract landscape

and posts it to a named individual

in a foreign land

near a cold sea.

This is Love he says to himself

This is love in a fold of paper

in a collage of colour

where words that make no sense

and images that only vaguely resemble

Earth, Sea, Sky

is more than sufficient

for the impossible task

of expressing feelings

that are beyond sense.

I Breathe in Deeply

I breathe in deeply

and feel joy

I am at peace

The Saviour Appears

The saviour appears

and it's me

how very strange

I Cup the Green Tea - 3S

I cup the green tea

a ritual

made in Heaven

Buddha Three-Step

What the Buddha Taught

a hard path

serene results 

Judge Dee Three-Step

In the Judge Dee book

criminals

almost finished

Toast Three-Step

Toast and jam eaten

what a treat

feast for a king

Magpie Three-Step

magpie on the grass

a fine friend

black and white, green

Doing

do you control your activities

or do your activities control you?

Existence

Existence

does not exist

except as a concept

in your head

Food Paradox

More people die

from eating too much food

than for too little

Blinds open

I open the blinds

life resumes

the blue tit at the nut feeder

Creation and The End

The world begins

and ends

with a cup of green tea

Hanging out the Washing

Hanging out the washing

is as important

as finding a cure for cancer

The Day Begins

The day begins

well no, it doesn't

there is always day

before we wake

and after we go to sleep

when there is night

there is also day

we are just an atom

in infinity

our perceptions

an atom's view

of the infinite

Scotland Needs Koans

Scotland needs koans

It has religions

it has politics

it has ideologies

it has identities

it has fanatics

it has bigots

it has issues galore

and beauty galore

but it doesn't have koans

and Scotland needs koans.

This is a koan.

Work on it, Scotland

Holy Communion

Early morning

I have communion with green tea

I connect with all

Mind Moments

There are always moments

moments with others

where eyes and ears

and sometimes touch and smell and taste

are all engaged

moments alone

where eyes and ears

and touch and smell and taste

are all engaged

but in a different way

than with others

and there are moments

mind moments

moments when the mind

conjures up imaginary worlds

not real but like real

often too too realistic

dream worlds of love and hate

lust and peace

great evil and great kindness

moments there

then gone

gone moments

gone forever

Stuff

Wow!

Stuff

More stuff

always stuff

pouring out of LinkedIn

Facebook

Twitter

Twisted

Fatuous

Libelous

Stuff

we could do without

Stuff

we should do without

In place of Stuff?

Non-stuff

Quiet

rest

peace

no more stuff

In This World

In this world

you can get lost

in so many different ways

It's hard to remember who you are

when you are lost in those ways

Caught up in trivia

mired in a funny film

hellbent on purpose

in a search for meaning

that doesn't exist

Thank God then for the sages of old

to whom all this was foretold

that we would all be drifting

through a war of idiocy

and that we should accept it all

without rancour or fanaticism

leave to Fate that which is Fate's

and it's all Fate's

enjoy the ride

put up with the bumps

and don't ever believe your deepest thoughts

It is time

it is time

time to go

time to go home

time to know home

time to have no home

time to have no one to be home

time to not be

time to not know

In Sorrow

They live in sorrow

now and tomorrow

and forever after

they, without laughter

though laugh, they do

a pretence for you

In secret pain

again and again

they live with such grief

and with no belief

they see it all through

just for me, and for you

but in their quiet breath

they long for sweet death

to come as their friend

and make it all end

there they'll find release

and know they're at peace

Expectation

I sit here expecting.

Expecting what?

Expecting nothing.

I wait and then it turns up.

Nothing.

Nothing?

I'm disappointed.

I was expecting something better.

Today He Wrote Nothing (For Daniil Kharms, Russian Poet and Short Story Writer)

 February 3, 1942

Daniil Kharms was full of charms

so they let him die a death

he wasn't absurd

wouldn't have liked the word

to describe his type of breath

the psychiatric ward

for this literary lord

was in a prison hospital

all those who went there

received little real care

which generally does belittle

The NKVD

Have a remarkable CV

when it comes to destroying lives

whether farmers or writers

police or fire fighters

even both husbands and wives

So the day before this

Kharms died in his cell

today he wrote nothing

tomorrow as well.

forever now he will write nothing

and nothing

and nothing again

until his nothingness fills every book in this world.

Craving

Everybody in their own way

it seems

crave recognition

praise

not just from time to time

but all the time

especially artists

and entertainers

comedians more than any

desperate

they feed on laughs

applause

knowing nods of the head

and if the craving isn't satisfied

they tumble into a void

a scary, lonely place

fearing worthless

is their real name

worthless

useless

nothing special

they wake up

in a dread sweat

fearing truth

will find them

Reality TV

reality is tv

Springwatch

Pointless

why go outside

when you can experience everything

sitting at the telly?

In the Bin

in the bin

is an avant-garde novel

it's where it belongs

it made no sense

I threw it out

in self-defence

without a doubt

it's hard enough

to make real sense

of anything

that's much less dense

than that strange book

hence it's new home

in the bin

in the bin

Walking on water

we don't drown

we float

drowning is a result of not floating

we can walk on water

if we have faith

in the water

in the walk

in the walker

knowing there is no walker

walk

water

faith

Boat Trip

sink or swim

let's stay afloat

as long as we can

we may not make it to the other shore

never been this way before

so far out to sea

but this way lies work

and work earns enough

to feed a hungry man

maybe enough to send some back

across the North Channel

Wexford feels a long way away

Stranraer a million miles in the dark

of this journey

may the boat stay afloat

in these rough seas

and may we find refuge

and a journey's end

Thisnthat

That was that

and this is this

and they're not the same

though born from the same womb

what was born is plain to see

but may not be so readily understood

this turns out to be different from that

thisnthat

who'd have thought

they'd turn out like that?

and so it ends

and so it goes on

Existence

I don't exist

existence exists

but doesn't know it exists

I am a part of existence

like the mountains

and the pebbles

but they don't exist either

except as temporary arrangements

of the singular existence

New Scientist Mash (most of the following words are taken directly from New Scientist editions 8 & 15 May 2021)

predestined universe, know thyself

finally make sense

the secret to success

countries at risk

billionaires battle for the moon

what we know so far

is it really all in your mind?

it's not just carbon

we should be worried about

your brain's amazing ability

to create new senses -

isn't time decimal?

the quantum world isn't random

the world isn't random quantum

the quantum isn't random world

the random world isn't quantum.

the brain

is a system

that bankrupts language

Path

the path is narrow

winds this wait and that

no one walking my way

no one coming back

winter snow pervades the scene

spring rain brings its sheen

summer warmth and greenery

autumn's golden finery

each step then a life of its own

the path goes on forever

though it seems solid and true

it flows more like a river

the last step taken on our own

no companion there to share

then once beyond, it fades away

till nothing but the echo stays

of a footstep, and the dream

that once we walked upon a path

Until

until you put it intae first gear

nothin will happen

but once you do put it intae first gear

you start movin

an when you start movin

you don't know where yer goin

an if you don't know where yer goin

you don't know where you'll end up

an that's the whole point

don't you see?

it's the not knowin where yer goin

an the surprise at where ye end up

that's the whole point

En Passant

telly

green tea

laptop

cat sleeping on the carpet

its owner lying beside it

green tea

a breather

Strange World

Zen, a strange word

in a strange world

deadly wars going on at present

Zen is quiet to these events

beyond them?

indifferent?

wiser than those who rush to find answers?

In Artland

the Gods ponder

what to do with their errant humans

Families of refugees

attempt normality

Zen hovers

around

under

burrows right into the microscopic centre

of all of our pain

ignores it

and hopes this works

as a cure

for all our woes

knowing it won't

and yet it does

What's Wrong

something not Right

what's wrong?

something

we can't express

just not right

out there

in here

inside

something sorely out of kilter

something at the heart

of the heart

of the heart

of the heart

something cancerous

Death Becomes Us

we wear it well, death

it suits our demeanour

our culture

our lifelong actions

we are, at extremes,

remarkable

and

unbearable

ingenious

and

barbaric beyond tears

death makes space for new talents

lays waste to the violent

death becomes us

without it

we would be

a living death

an endless grief

Concern for my friend

my friend, the writer

thinker

is unwell

maybe more so

than he thinks

I have found few people

with whom

I feel a deep bond

he is one

and I am concerned

he may not last too long

and I would miss his presence

in my life

More Noise

in the void

comes noise

noise from outside

noise from within

stick and stones

create stillness

in the void

noise evaporates

in the stillness

find a space

to be space

to know space

to recover space

Noise

can you go with noise

would it be better if I spelled it

with a Y?

Would that be cooler for your coolness

hipper for your hips?

I guess not

so let's go with your noise

and my silence

and let's see who is louder

in the long run

Because

justify this

and justify that

and justify everything

that comes from your trap

this is because

that is because

everything's because

everything's

the way I see it

wordless would be better

worthless has its worth

in this world or words and worthiness

but better to be

just be

because

there is

ultimately

no cause to follow

Evening Stroll

half-past nine

evening

moon

gull

bat

a blackbird's song

All Possible

They experimented with truth and lies

alibis

children's cries

lullabies

I prefer small truths

Babe Ruths

Spooky Tooths

local uncouths

McCartney

When Paul McCartney dies

who will be left

from my childhood

"Do you want to know a secret?"

first song I remember

I whispered those words into a friend's ear

in the playground

at St Mary's in Auchengramont Road.

There were entrances at Windmill Road

and Cadzow Street as well.

How evocative the street names

of my McCartney childhood.

She Loves You, yeah yeah yeah

played in my home seemingly endlessly

ooooh

We Yellow Submarined down in the backgarden

and learned to sing Let it Be as if it were a hymn

I bought McCartney III

his voice vulnerable

his musicality untouchable

his empathy tangible

Almost sixty years I have known this man

and learned what love is and could be

and what it is to experiment in life

and what it is to be unafraid

to write for kids and places

and just to see what it sounded like

if you did it this way

instead of that

and what it is to remain human

despite superhuman fame

and adulation

and criticism

and snide remarks

and what it is to know monarchs and geniuses

and what it is to be a genius

yet still remain soft to the touch

of a human hand

Vinyl

Trying to express

what can't be expressed

still they express

something else instead

maybe something better

than what they intended

the world moves in mysterious ways

it's good to see which way it spins

otherwise you'll just end up dizzy

your life will be flat not fizzy

instead of quiet you'll get dins

that's how the record plays

what we all intend

is something better

than what we get instead;

we cannot express

what music expresses

vinyl pressed impressed.

Let the music play

Decaying

I'm decaying

you too

however young you are

stuff falling off

flaking away

cells and hair

brain cells too

stuff you're made of

what was once smooth

is now rough

what once protected

now hurts

what was once present is gone

so we decay

the loss returns to the pot

and something else is born

not us

our time has gone

but of us

decay, let it come

Decay's OK

decay's OK

so I say

if I may

we all decay

come what may

it's OK

kept at bay

no more hay

endless stay

endless stay

is not OK

so decay

let us pray

for decay

Fill the gap

a gap

quick

fill it

we mustn't have gaps

Gaps are where insights appear

we mustn't have insights

insights show us

the gaps in our lives

so fill it

quick -

no gaps please

Sloppy Poet

sloppy poet strews the words

with abandon onto the page

ignoring grammar,

clashing styles

doesn't understand metre

has no sense of rhythm

disdains editing

the shambles is complete

puts it out there

reviewers ignore

academics despise

nobody reads it

nobody cares

Serious Poet

serious poet plants the words

with greatest care

etching that tone

to contrast with this,

perfects the metre

underplays the rhythm

takes ninety edits

makes it complete

puts it out there

reviewers acclaim

academics applaud

but nobody reads it

it doesn't connect

Gardening Gloves - haiku

I take my gloves off,

put them back in my fleece top.

job done. grass cut. peace

Lying Mind

my mind is lying to me again.

it says I need a chocolate biscuit

when I know my body needs a piece of fruit.

What a horrible thing to know,

that your own most powerful machine

is constantly plotting against

your physical and mental wellbeing.

Tomorrow

if tomorrow brings

only further hopes

for tomorrow

then what's the point

in tomorrow?

Shouldn't we just abolish it?

The Best Thing

the best thing we can do

is to not do anything

the best thing to be

is just to be

the best way to bring peace

is to be at peace

the best way to end war

is to stop being at war with yourself

Be and do

be and do

do and be

don't just do

don't just be

do what is good

do what is fun

be what you are

when you are what you are

be and do

do and be

or as the old rock n rollers sang

doo-be-doo-be-doo-be-doo-be-doo

Different Expectations

 He wants peace

she wants a helper

He wants to create

she wants the dishes done and done properly

and put away in the right place

He wants to write poetry

She wants enough money

to not have to look at her bank account

to check if there's enough in it

to buy that nice, ordinary not too expensive dress

He wants peace

Fatigue

Fatigue finds its way into every crevice

clouds the mind

weakens the body

we try to fight it

doesn't work

we try to soldier on

we lose the battle

then fatigue leaves us

as mysteriously as it came

taking all its unwanted effects with it

as it goes to who knows where

The Sciences

physics is how the universe works

chemistry is what it's made of

biology is how it turns into life

biology is magic

it makes turning lead into gold

like flipping a double-headed coin

and getting heads

biology is flipping a double-headed coin

and getting tails

that's how good science is

I am the dog

I am the dog

that never barks

that has no bite

that no one knows

I am the ancestor of the dog that I am

I am the future of the dog that is not yet

Momentary Pleasure

Life is good

but grapes are better

Endings

It always ends,

the end

the end ends

and then the beginning begins

what matters is to know

you are ending

and beginning

always

Beginnings

everything

goes back

to the beginning

but it's a different beginning

Extraordinary Lines

extraordinary lines

scar the desert floor

sending signals to the future

extraordinary lines

that send signals to the heart

that beats inside the heart

extraordinary lines

that are invisible

to the hurried eye

Silence as Art

Poetry cannot touch silence

as expression

of what matters

But as I cannot quite accomplish silence

I write poems

Come Sweet Death

Come sweet death

when you will

you'll find no opposition from me

it's not from weariness of life

that I say this

but the reverse

I so love life

that I will not hog it for myself

Life is good

therefore death

which is part of life

is equally good

So come sweet death when you will

I look forward to getting acquainted with you

Fun Fun Fun

My idea

of having fun

is not to have fun

My idea of not having fun

is fun

fun is not fun

not fun is fun

So it goes

The impulse pulses

thoughts begin to produce thoughts

thoughts of thoughts

feelings about feelings

it's time to stop

and yet...

My Father at his Worst and Best

Dad didn't suffer fools gladly

and unfortunately

he thought most people fools

Dad suffered more

than any person I've known

but didn't visit his suffering

upon others

Grief

I grieve for no one

How can I grieve

when they were given life?

How can I grieve

when there is still life in me?

How can I grieve

when all about me is alive?

Fine Lines

There's a fine line

between naivety

and optimism

but there is a line

There's a fine line

between absurdism

and cynicism

but the line matters

There's a fine line

between life

and death

but a much wider line

between being alive

and knowing you're alive

My Grandmother

Fate wasn't kind to her

love had been blind to her

The Stra'ven Road, nothin special - a haiku series

doon the Stra'ven Road

distant mountains high wi snow

as a take ma walk

the Stra'ven Road, long,

links me straight to Hamilton

where ma parents lived

I used to cycle

back home up the Stra'ven Road

knee's too knackered now

When the big freeze came

Aw the cars stuck, at angles

on the Stra'ven Road

when a die, the hearse

to Bent Cemet'ry will go

doon the Stra'ven Road

An' then Stra'ven Road

will never see me again

my travel days gone

not war and peace

the absence of war

is not peace

peace is joy in silence

the absence of war

is simply the absence of war 

Tango of a would-be pacifist

It takes two to tango

but only one

to start a war

without consent

there is no dance

but there can still be war

without consent

what are we to do

who do not want the dance of war

when the other dancer insists?

Climbing the stairs

She, child-woman

confident but tentative

holding her dress up with one hand

so she doesn't trip over the hem

the other hand, the left, outstretched

feeling the way

in the half-light

brushing the cold castle stone

as she walks to her destiny

not knowing she is immortal already

Decisive

I'm here

so I may as well

and I did

Flow

the world is melting

slushing down from Ben Nevis

a cold swim today

Snowbound

Its whiteness seduces

all but the hardest soul.

I sit, entranced,

know I'm lucky to be alive.

Oh to be a child again

on a day like this.

Purpose

After the conference I asked him

how he found himself in that role.  

It's not my job to do this, he said.

I just do it, like I breathe

like my heart beats.

it's got nothing to do with me.

but when it comes out

I think it wasteful and stupid

not to do something with it.

Put it this way.

If you have a garden

and in it wild strawberries grow.

You'd be daft not to eat them

just because you didn't grow them.

and you'd be a bit mean not to share them

as there's more growing than you can eat by yourself.

I hadn't a clue what he meant

but nonetheless it sort of seemed to make sense.

Lost and Found

you can get lost online

the net is so full of mazes

and traps

you can get lost in the woods

nature is so brimming

with density of life

you can get lost in the mind

thoughts dazzle and dismay

until you can't see straight

you can find a way

you can find the way

you can realise

there is no online

no nature

no mind

just this

and it is free and easy

Tunnel Vision

There may be light at the end of the tunnel

but there may be no light

indeed, there may be no tunnel

except in our warped vision

no tunnel

therefore no light needed

perhaps we are already all the light we need

Inauguration Tao

Joe Biden became President today

I watched, transfixed

my small self cheering the return to decency, normality, sense

Then the old man, Chuang, whispered in my ear

"Who knows what's good or bad in this world?"

Without Trump, perhaps no Biden

Without Obama, perhaps no Trump

Without Hitler, perhaps no Churchill

Without Stalin, no me

Without famine, no me

Who knows?

No one except Fate

and Fate has no tongue to tell what it knows

rainbow ribbons

as rainbow ribbons slipped from her hair

and multi-speckled gems lit the eternal sky

we smiled at the universe

hoped for endless peace

and drank cool clear water till the dawn came

and the dawn did come

Impact

impact, effect

which direction, who knows?

but try to flow my actions and words

in the river of goodness

hard to assess

impact

but better to risk error

than stepping out

of the flow

and just watching the river flow by

without you

Basho's Frog

Basho's frog goes pop.

I read it in an old book.

No frog. No Basho!

Of the Night

the night falls fast

winter here

darkness engulfs nature

animals go to sleep

others hunt

the time of life

the time of death

its beauty entices

and brings fear.