…..
…..
Nursing scorched wings, you angel in disguise,
wondering gypsy with question mark eyes,
wandering homesick no answers, no rest,
and for companions your demons at best.

What a rich,
complicated,
multi faceted,
yin yang,
breathe in breathe out,
unfathomable,
insurmountable,
irrepressible,
contradictory
being you can be being!

And being …

And being …

Projects smoke screens of promises and lies,
defends to the death, then later denies.
Flexible conscience, ethical mare’s nest.
Defensive? Fastest gun in the west!

And in the centre a wise,
silent,
calm,
watchful
I,
that sees it all
and breathes in
and breathes out,
without attachment
to the passing show.

And with detachment the fool becomes wise,
finds what never was lost. What a surprise!
Hidden in full view. Who’d ever have guessed?
Welcome, my angel, be welcome, be my guest.

Who was,
who will be,
and will only

ever …

simply …

be.

…..
…..
What is it not here to tell us, this peacock feather,
but that if, undaunted, we once slipped free of tether
and crept from our crepuscular haunts we might
have the ghost of a chance of a glimpse in the night

of the glimmer of a rainbow surely heaven sent?
In a flash the cloud draped curtains part – Oh, My Lord!
- their parting announcing that we can look forward
to a star packed evening of entertainment.

Awaken, awaken, sadly misdirected mourner.
Rejoice! Infinity patiently awaits you round every next corner,
breathes within your every breath, inhabits your every moment,
gifts you with compassion, understanding, eternal atonement;

until, finally, once again all in the altogether
- whatever, no matter, no why, no whether -
we giggle uninhibitedly, tickling one another
gently, delicately, knowingly, with this peacock feather.

…..
…..
All these old habits
You trot them out thoughtlessly
But what if you don’t?

…..
…..
A pox upon thee, faint hearts!
Let’s guzzle for guzzling’s sake,
go frenziedly embracing change
till cringing in embarrassment,
spurning the facile beeline trod
at ease stuck in the replay loop.

For if not what then? To throttle
new sooth, spontaneity, novelty
and openly resist sweet change;
lie, trussed up in lack of trust;
lackey to each passing whim,
fad, fashion, fancy, folderol?

What’s cool runs hot and cold
Bridges: to build or else to burn?
Extravagance or strict penury?
Advance? Reverse? Tread water?
Now reduce? Sustain? Increase?
Enough, enough, enough already!

You’ve put in your penny’s worth,
accepted the prevailing mad belief
that time marches on, when anyone
can see it frequently limps, hobbles
and just can’t always keep up; or else
races so you have to pant for breath.

But here’s a word in your shell-like.
Grab it by that shy retiring forelock,
brazenly refuse to follow these rules,
led to follow such lead-footed rules.
Why you can even lay down new rules
And break them also, comes a time.

Best learn listen to that quiet voice,
Extraordinarily ordinary in the end.
Content to lie in slumber, limp wimp,
keep your mouth shut and head down.
“Slowly slowly, catchee monkey”. With
a search begun, something will be found.

…..
…..
So many floundering people
Drowning in this rushing river
With half an eye one can’t miss it

Whether standing on the bank
Or down there in the water yourself
And maybe even floundering too?

Seems there are two main reactions
To ignore, avoid, blame (from fear?)
Or to help out from a sense of kinship

Now I’m tempted to go all political here
But some call it a fire across the river
Something of no concern of theirs

While others find their hearts moved
Make every effort they can muster
To save these lost drowning souls

But thinking outside the lockdown
Might there not be a third option?
(If it’s not too dangerously radical)

Rather than trying to rescue them
Mouth to mouth over and over
Might it not be more constructive

To travel upstream and discover
What it was got them – and us – all
Into this situation in the first place?

…..
…..
Feeling again the primordial urge
Stuck as we are in this in between
As we are, we are, we are, we are
In motion, in stasis, in motion

In stasis, in motion, this motion
In between state between states
Moving and yet static, unmoving
Phasing from dimension to dimension

As we, or is it I, or is it we, or is it I
Could, or should, or could, or should
Make, or take, or fake a plan, a plan
To come together, together – joint efforts

Commensurate intentions for it is time
Time to leave all behind, all behind
And look to the future, the future
With renewed energy, lifted spirits

Keep up to speed, slow down speed
Dig deep, dig deep down inside
Take up the torch now, good buddy
The torch that picks up and lights up
The way you are going from now on

A new path of positive intentions
Of plans and coordinated actions
Each day a further prime mission

A mission birthing a new way of living
Shining brighter, ever brighter as we
Lead the way home by example

Come back home

…..
…..
to the thousand questions
only evasive answers
emotion rose quietly

as a thousand times before
and wound gently round her
her life a quaint allusion

her mind read between the lines
and wakened
began to live

was there
alive
in the room

looked up with concealed tears

…..
…..
You will soon realise why this is not to be missed.