Childhood's gone

Skateboards, bikes and bubblegum.
Winter snow and summer sun.
Memories, now that childhood's gone.

Various Mornings

The Sun rises fast and then hangs looking down,
on the various mornings of one little town.

On school-children dragged unwilling from bed,
by mothers all rushing to get their kids fed,
before chasing them off to the school down the road,
or filling the car with it's chattering load
and driving in packs to the distant high school,
for today it's their turn to drive the car pool
and then, as they wave goodbye to the nippers,
they find that they've come all this way in their slippers.
   On the late office worker who runs for the bus
if he doesn't make it there'll be a big fuss
who gets to the office all wringing with sweat
and finds that his boss hasn't made it in yet.
   On the stay at home shirker who's pulling a sickie
while fit as a fiddle, just taking the mickey,
and staying in bed to watch daytime telly,
with Trisha and Gabby and that Lorraine Kelly.
   On the home coming worker, from nocturnal toil
who sits down and waits for the kettle to boil,
for a relaxing mug that is sweetened and brown,
that ushers in sleep through the noise of the town.
   On ancient and elderly, silver haired seniors,
babes and their minders and toddlers and juniors,
unemployed fathers and stay at home mothers,
cleaners and plumbers and gardeners and others.
And over all this, the sun looking down
on the various mornings of one little town

Ashes or Dust

I would rather be ashes than dust
I would much rather wear out than rust
I'll burn out in glory and my whole life's story
will be that "you can" means "you must".

Can't

The sky is ripped by scarlet flames of sound
and purple shadows puddle on the ground
Alone I'm lost inside a darkling dream
I block my ears but can't block out the scream

The Scream by Edvard Munch.

Is the subject screaming or trying to block out the scream...

White Chocolate Paradox

you are so awfully pretty
with eyes like a new moon shining
and we are alone together
with our single hearts combining
we both brighten up the dark clouds
with our solid silver lining
and white chocolate is the taste that
is this paradox defining

T-Shirt

I was puzzling out the slogan
that was printed on her T-shirt
half concealed by hair and handbag
when so suddenly my head hurt
for my girlfriend had just hit me
as a punishment for staring
although I was only looking
at the words the girl was wearing
which were more than slightly cryptic
and were causing me confusion
but my harmless concentration
had just earned me a contusion
so my lesson for today is
that a message on a T-shirt
should be glanced at really quickly
and that staring makes your head hurt

A Hundred years

We've sat here for a hundred years
a hundred years all turned to stone
together hand in hand my dears
We've sat here for a hundred years
A century has come and gone
but love it never disappears
We've sat here for a hundred years
a hundred years all turned to stone

Ask me for a demo

He's got 'ask me for a demo' on his T-shirt
and he has a little script he has to say
But he's getting very tired and his feet hurt
from hanging round the shopping mall all day

He will try to catch your eye for just a moment
and a moment's all he's got to set his hook
for he knows that all his arguments most cogent
won't mean a thing if you don't stop and look

So the trick to be successful in your shopping
is to ignore the very presence of that man
for if you and he connect you'll end up stopping
and your shopping schedule will go down the pan

Being a mum is hard, mum

Am I doing this right Mum, am I doing this right
a dozen times a day I ask, am I doing this right
I don't know how you did it mum
but I turned out all right
Being a mum is hard mum, am I doing this right

My neighbour's kids are clean mum, my neighbour's kids are clean
whatever time of day it is their kids are always clean
but mine are always grubby
and their shoes will never gleam
Being a mum is hard mum, when your neighbour's kids are clean

My home is never neat mum, my home is never neat
I tidy up and I put away but this stuff has got me beat
we've got more stuff than storage space
and it's piled up on the seat
Being a mum is hard mum, when your home is never neat

I don't know why I ask mum, I don't know why I ask
It may be 'cause I worry that I'm not up to this task
and I know the dead can't answer
but you're still the one I ask
Being a mum is hard mum, when you've got no-one to ask

Silver Linings

All idylls fail, all arches fall
all human effort comes to nought
For every winner you must call
a loser in each battle fought
Each silver lining has a cloud
Each bright side shows the other dark
and ev'ry optimism avowed
reminds us that life can be stark
And yet through all this doom and gloom
we raise our heads and carry on
For tho' it's dark now in this room
at other times the sun has shone
And sure the sun is shining now
in other rooms, on other men
and all we have to do is go
to where the sun will shine again.

Not Here

Last night like every night before
I dreamed of sea and sky and shore
of walking barefoot on the sand
of holding your hand in my hand
as gentle breezes stir your hair
while I my true love do declare.

You always answer yes my dear
then I wake up and you're not here.

Without

I want but cannot have
I see but cannot touch
the joy I find in friendship hurts my heart so much

My world cannot be whole
without you by my side
but half a world is better than no world, I know, I've tried.

American Gothic

Grant Wood - "American Gothic" - 1930


Decently darkly dressed
With his Sunday go to meetin' coat over weekday workin' pants
Got the land in his blood and dirt in his nails
But his boots are clean
Clean as his conscience in this Bible bound land
Clean as the tools that he holds in his hand

Not old but he looks it
Time's plough marks his face like his plough marks the land
And the honest sun tans his skin like hide
But his eyes are bright
And they look on the world through steel rims and glass
They look on the world and watch the years pass

And the years pass
And his still beautiful, dutiful, stand by him for life, wife
Who lives in the here and the now and the real
Occasionally looks away
And she can't help but wonder what might have been
'cause she never saw this in her little girl dream