I read in the paper that...Another boy died in the warGunned down by the TalibanHis body riddled with bulletsInside I weepHe was only nineteen, smiling in his dress uniformHe was on his last tourI switched on the news and found out...Another man died in the warBlown up by dissidentsHis truck hit a mineInside I weepHis whole town turned up for the funeral, his widow sobbedClutching on to his young children I listened to th...
Don’t you miss stanzas? I do I do They order you, my words, like soldiers in a game of strategy Separating ideas like Fair trade farmers shoving coffee beans into pilesDon’t you miss poetic devices? I do I do My good pals, onomatopoeia, assonance and allusion They take common words or phrases and imbue them with extraordinary meaningDon’t you miss the simplicity of it all? I do I do Sometimes trying to reinvent the wheel...
Music-lovers stand jam-packed in the arenaSurrounded by my musical family of all creeds, races, and ages Differences discarded like last season’s fashions Jubilation spills forth in grins matched like handbagsto shimmering eyesAirborne snippets of snatched conversation propagate like viruses‘Did you hear?’‘First time in years…’‘Oh My God!’‘Thought they split up…’Grows into a buzzing kaleidoscope of noiseExcitement tinges...
Memories madness tinged Induce within a slight insanity And so I guard daily against the chaos within Pushing the boundaries Shuffling through secrets This conflagaration that is sometimes the chaos within Sometimes a wild charm It draws people like flame Unable to escape from the chaos within Other times rage incandescent This fiery pit of fury The flip sided coin of the chaos within Flitting from idea to idea Trying to...
No one ever sees me at first. I’ve learnt to blend in with the night and to mask my footfalls. It helps me to hunt my victims more effectively. I’m what most psychologists would term a sociopath or psychopath. I’ve never been diagnosed by anyone as I’ve hidden my true nature for so long. I was a text book case resulting from parental abandonment issues, being moved around from home to home, forgotten, ignored and abused.M...
Dipping and turning I try pull free of structureAnd miss and pullI’m still, I’m stillDrowning in meaningDiscarding stanzas like past relationshipsMixing metaphors like cocktails in happy hourOverwhelmed by mediocrityIt’s hard to unlearn, Scary evenAnd now, and now?What to do now?Rhetorical maybe?My goal - One of the greatsThe modern day poetHow to avoid being pretentiousCraving approval in a childlike mannerAnd then, and...
When you grumpily bear that frown And wear your pride like a crown I want to slap you to the ground And hiss and verbally reboundWhen you whine how life is unfair I long to tell you to grow a pair I look at your privileged life Untouched by real tragedy and strifeWhen you fill my inbox with emails Filled with pages of how love always fails I long to tell you to get a grip And not turn love into some fantasy tripLife is ha...
Secrets - All types - Each hiding a layer They cling to me cloyingly Envelop me like viscous fog Embedded deep within like weeds Childhood - My secret world - An escape Covertly cultivating each secret Like a beloved pot plant Developing into habitual privacy from everyone Secretly - I watch quietly - From afar A crush, No! More of a flying fancy Over by tomorrow, probably Fickleness thy definition is me Lover - You long...
disclaimer - I do not own or lay claim to any of the songs mentioned in my story. Nor to any references to characters, movies and shows “I don’t know if I can fix it” he said seriously “But I am going to try my hardest to try get you out of it” He looked off into the distance lost in his thoughts.“Just give me a plan of action or something, Mac!” I begged him hating the fact that I was begging. He turned to face me.“We ne...
As I stand in the unlit darkness Observing the clouds cover the sky which hides the stars and the moon furtively I argue in my mind Is it black or a much more subtle deep velvety purple that appears black? The smoke from my cigarette unfurls into its depths I marvel at its unadorned beauty In the distance I hear the waves crashing against the beach at Selsey They call to me and I long to move towards them I’d sell my soul...
What is it to be South African? Who are we this multiracial nation?Broken down and reformed Tottering around like a child learning to walk Every little thing seems to push us down But we get up and start againTrying to find an identity When all around us people gleefully watch us fail From a past of racial injustice Violence and apathyLooking for hope Within this melting pot of different races Trying to live down the mist...
Information overload Another fucking meeting request??? Ring ring a desk phone goes off nearby 'Throb Throb' goes my head 'Click Clack' goes my neighbour’s keyboard 'Rackity Rack Rack' someone drums their fingers infuriatingly Approaching deadlines tighten around me Need to think Approaching explosion pointStress rising Could use a drink or two...I see you approach me in the window reflection And school my features I want...
Sherry Baker-Smythe had come into my life when I was ten. I was universally hated and bullied at school because my father was a constable. He had arrested most of the fellow pupils' fathers, mothers brothers, uncles (you get the gist).Crime was rampant on the council estate I grew up in. My dad was the only non-dirty/non-bent cop in the neighbourhood. He also did not take shit from anyone. I digress... I was particularly...
Your song came on the radio todayAnd it brought on a rush of melancholyAnd for a second my heart bledBecause that song was you And with it a rush of memories Dylan, King, Bowie, Weller and LennonEvery discussion we had echoes in my mindThe laughter and the meeting of two soulsThose ten records that will haunt you until the day you dieA dual mental life-line in the black mood hours And looking back I can now see clearlyThe...
The Moods of LoveMy poem of love is hard to define - Because what I want of it changes all the timeSometimes I want it to be like a movie or books - Unrealistically romantic, full of clichés and loved filled looks Other times it is a simple hug when I need it the most - The way you know to wait to butter my cold toastSometimes I want it to be passionate and intense - The air seemingly charged and emotionally dense Other t...
