Thursday 31 October 2013

Enigma of Sleep

Sleep, here I come
My heavy lids falling closed
How I try to deny
The promise of bliss that you provide
Calm and warm, safe from storm
Galleon rolling on gentle seas
Take me down
Take me down
But be gentle to me...

Give me dreams, pleasant in my bed
Paint the walls, vivid pictures
House a theatre in my head
Golden hues, no hidden dues
Out of clues
A world complete, innocent
Take me down
Take me down

But please don't leave me...

We can make it if we try
One day we will touch the sky
Hold me close, my dear
Whisper those words in my ear...

Soft embrace
Heavy breath
Halo hair upon the pillowcase
Faint trembles, a blurring murmur
Stretching out forever
I don't want this night to end
But end it must
Earth to earth
Ashes to ashes
Dust to dust

This our sleep
Cocoon our beliefs
Close our eyes against the night
The one truth
I hold as proof
I promise everything will be right

I cannot fight, cannot deny
That which I cannot see... but
When the morning comes
And I open my eyes
Will you still be there for me?

Friday 25 October 2013

Unfinished

This coldness inside, behind closed eyes
A world hidden in shadows
Frozen in time
This is the mark, on the endless line
Far beyond the reach of our sight
Beggars, we, to the Eternal Pulse
Prisoners to this vault, the Cosmos
Restricted by physics, the demands of our Sun
Of waking and sleeping, of sleeping and dreaming
Our world, an imperfect crystal, roughly hewn

At the core, a single beating heart
Ageless, yet aged
Given a face, wearied, battered with years
Compartmentalised, for the safety of understanding
A lock and chain to arrest our deepest fears

But what if the truth is a lie, our blundering
Meaningless? Do our words, our deeds, do they die
Unfinished?



Sunday 20 October 2013

I Believe

Do I believe in endless summers,
Beaches stretching forever, seamless and gold?
Quiet nights under skies clustered with diamonds
Searching for that perfect soul?
Do I believe in whispered words and holding hands,
Of love's perfection, of THAT spark?
Am I a child of the light, yearning for another
But finding I live my life forever in the dark?

Take from life what you want, they say
Fold life like paper cranes into the shape you choose
Seize the moment; hold it tightly
If you don't play, you neither win nor lose

Yet, when the flame beckons, but wavers
And shadows, more substance than absence of light
Make me want to bury my face in my hands and weep
How do I know which choice for me... is right?

Friday 18 October 2013

The Debt of Conscience

Never before have the hills seemed so steep
The sun too bright in the sky,
The thrills too cheap
Never have I wanted to slow down
As much as I want to slow down now,
Never has a smile felt so much like a frown

Got one finger on the button one finger on the pulse
And one on the trigger
Can you tell me true from false?
Got a man inside my head telling me to jump
Over fourteen storeys high
Am I scared enough?

Got a vest of plastic strapped to my chest
Got the switch-blade in my pocket
Got a real need to impress
Forty thousand voices crying to be heard
Got no need for absolution
When G-d is just a word

And now, ye faithful pilgrims,
Let's see what you've become when you
Turn your back on humanity
And babble with the Flood
Is there going to be a saviour along the
Supposed Golden Path?
A winged angel with benevolent grace
To cushion the aftermath?

Lo, the valley of the shadow does not look fearsome
In the burning light of day
Nor the eternal sulfurous burning of Hades
For those tempted to wander astray

But, oh, but...
Oh, why?
Do you hesitate right before the end?
Is the man before you really the enemy,
Or is he really your friend?

Saturday 12 October 2013

Swan Song

Take these words, for what they're worth
Pathetic in the light of day
Play my strings, puppet that I am
In skies smudged black and grey

Take my blood, my precious life
As if it's yours to give away
Scatter my thoughts like so many seeds
That seems to be your way

But hold on tight, do not let go
Forever is a long time to stay
Chain me to your side, uncaring
For fear that I might stray...

Say those words, you've been holding back
Your eyes dance to a new rhyme
Beguiling master, with silver tongue
Plying untruths with bitter lies

Here is my blood, this holy tincture
Crimson rose blossoms on porcelain stained
Now that you've denied me, blighted me
I have a new game to play

Stop your screaming, use your words
Don't close your eyes, you don't deserve
Censorship to this act, committed coldly
A cheap thrill, outré, surely? More likely perverse

Why are YOU crying?
This won't take me very long
And you will be free again, to do as you want
And this shall be my swan song...

Adieu.


Friday 11 October 2013

The Last Night on Earth

This is the moment when the clock stops
And time freezes
Where our last words linger like spider webs
Caught on errant breezes
This is the moment when our hearts
Stop beating
And when we realise the time we're given
Is just fleeting

If this is to be the end, let the end be swift
A closing of our eyes
Soft sighs
Anything but this

This is the moment when the clock stops
The countdown begins
Where we're all together, for thick and for thin
Regardless of our sins
This is the moment when we are brothers and sisters
Braving the wind
The moment when our leaders sell our souls
And enemies now become kin

If this is to be the end, in one moment, a blink
If we are to die
In a rising tide
If this is our final thought to think...

Then hold me as the waves crash around us
As the sky is torn asunder
From the flaming fingers falling from the sky
As the mighty Hand of God punches towards heaven
And we're left to wonder why

Did negotiations fail, or was there a hidden agenda?
If our extinction is imminent
And not just words tooled to frighten, hurtful propaganda?
Can we, you and I, as the darkness encumbers
Share one final embrace on this beach head
Before we each embrace eternal slumber?

Thursday 10 October 2013

Eulogy of a dream

Into the breach, bereft of words
Cloud bursts dark and grey
Of endless dreams, of dreams, disillusion
My mind is stripped away

Of all the thoughts I held so dear
This candle I once held for you
See it splutter and bend in the cold wind
Where once I believed my dreams were true

Now I hold onto nothing,
This cruel twist of fate, anon
The bed of roses gathers dagger thorns
My heart becomes a stone

Time may not be my enemy,
But is certainly no friend
One final glance over my burning shoulders
Before I greet the end

Once I held onto my dreams
Hoping that they'd come true
Only upon waking, the cold, grey morning
Knowing I'm nothing to you

Of all the thoughts I held so dear
This candle once burned for you
My folly conjures nightmares now
Where once I believed my dreams were true

Sunday 6 October 2013

Success

Her eyes are cliché blue
The deepest depths of the clearest swimming pool
Oceans with golden sand
Beckoning you from where you stand
You can't help but be allured
You can't wonder if that smile is insured
How much, pray tell, to buy such a pretty face?
Erotic eyes, how far to fall from grace?

Fifteen pounds, they say, the camera will take
Airbrush the rest, for success's sake
They'd dress a mop in the newest dress
Let the fools with the money do the rest

Success
For a limited time only
You don't need talent
Just a shitload of money
A pretty face, maybe a tattoo
Nothing is sacred, nothing is taboo

Let me fit you into the image we want
Something androgynous, pale and gaunt
Mass produced, with an attitude to boot
Tailor made for disaffected youth

Success
A million dollar prize
A sky dive without a parachute
A demented roller coaster ride
And all you have to do is watch your back
And hope like fuck the carriage stays on the tracks

Let it rain

Light the candle, chase the dark away
Greet the morning
Just a few hours away
Golden auras in the eastern sky
Teardrop clouds threatening to cry
Let it rain
Let it rain on me

She woke up, kissed the dream goodbye
Dark flowing hair on her pillow
Her voice but a sigh
Hear the angels of a heart beat
The memory retreats
Let it rain
Let it rain on me



Wednesday 2 October 2013

A Moment

Oh, the dappled sky, in crimson and silver
Hanging over me
The first star burning
Do I dare wish, in secret, knowing and longing?
Hopeless, this fancy is fleeting
The moon, an ugly fingernail, scratches across the chalkboard
Of the darkening sky
Somewhere, a dog howls
The train shuffles by, busy
I close my eyes

The moment has passed.