In response to Scott’s Daily Prompt, Through the window
Blue and yellow flashes
Many shades of tan and brown
Black deep with sheens of rainbows
And a brazen red singer
Finally, the black and yellow friend.
The visitors to the table today
Ordinary
Normal
Steadfast
Boring
Nah!
That doesn’t make any money
Excite them
Stimulate them
Make them play
Make them pay
Milk them
Like the cattle they are
I yearn
For ordinary
In response to Scott’s Daily Prompt, Ode to a playground
There are live in graves
Where I used to play
Cramped houses
Looking all proud and clean
Destined to become slums
All dumped on
The orchards of my childhood
The woods where I played
Dreams flying away
In an excess of real life
The stars just don’t care
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
In response to Scott’s Daily Prompt, Sliced Bread
Ten thousand songs
In the palm of my hand
I dreamed of always having music
In my ears
I was in love
And I wanted the object of my love
Near me always
Now I have
The iPod, The smartphone
For the music alone
Is the best thing
Since sliced bread
Today’s tragedy
Is the damn acceptance of
Bloody league tables!
In response to Scott’s Daily Prompt, Musical
Music gives us
Emotion without consequence
Exploration without responsibility
Imagination without boundaries
It is the perfect space
To reflect our
Perfect selves
In response to Scott’s Daily Prompt, Dearly Departed
Here I lie A dreamer Who fell in love with the ephemeral And never Made those dreams Concrete
Is knowing when to fight
And when to absorb the blow
Today was absorption
Tomorrow…
In response to Scott’s Daily Prompt, Ready, set go!
Go!
They say, write
Don’t think
Just write
But for me
That defeats the purpose
I write because I can’t talk
At least I can’t talk eloquently
I cannot frame my argument
Or my thoughts
In the best way
Only when I have walked away
I write
So I can think
So I can find the best words
To say what I
Immersed in purple
Drifting in a swirling cloud
Sparkles in the distance
In the deeper swirls
And somewhere
Deeper
Beats the pulse
Of the roaring
Burning heart
In response to Scott’s Daily Prompt, Shipwrecked
I am shipwrecked
I sailed a sea of honesty and regret
I did not see the storm coming
So here I am
On an island
No resource or escape
And the horizon
Is endless
There once was a time
When the crackle of vinyl
Was the path to love
A shout from the earth
Twisting rivers of fire
Cascade to the sea
In response to Scott’s Daily Prompt, Sweet 16
When I was just sixteen
I wanted to change the world
Bring peace, fix all the problems
By twenty one I knew that was not to be
Instead, I would leave a legacy
Something by which the future would remember me
By thirty, the world was down and dirty
I was fighting for my place
By forty I was planning for those to come
By fifty I was fearing the legacy we were leaving
Now
I only crave peace
Dusk murmurations
Like a ballet in the sky
Whirling evening swirls
Ordered by some hidden sign
Steeling for the long flight home
In response to Scott’s Daily Prompt, Breaking the law
I have lived in fear of breaking the rules
While the party of fools
Partied
Why
Did I fear
Adhere
Keep clear
When the pattern has grown grey and tired
When the plaid is threadbare and thin
Break out the paint and the brushes
And graffiti the fucking walls!
In response to Scott’s Daily Prompt, Apply yourself
Run up and down the scales
Patience they say is the key
To be a master of music
Run up and down the scales
Run up and down the scales
Repetition and I don’t agree
It’s just not how I learn
Run up and down the scales
Run up and down the scales
I like to hop, skip and soar
Produce something bad and improve
Run up and down the scales
Run up and down the scales
It’s still not a tune
Not even pleasant to the ear
Run up and down the scales
Run up and down the scales
When will my guitar gently weep?
When will the crowd cry for more!
Run up and down the scales
Run up and down the scales
I think you are getting my point
Patience. Patience is the key.
Run up and…. sod this! It’s brain surgery for me.
Abstract
That seems to be the government’s plan
Absent
And
Subtracting
Taking away
From those who need it most
With a complete lack or guilt
Or morals
In response to Scott’s Daily Prompt, free association.
The rain on the soil Leads us to the homeward road Where roots are deepest
In response to Scott’s Daily Prompt, In a crisis
Vacillate, hesitate That would be me In a crisis I know But I would not be alone We should be thankful For the impetuous In a crisis In these days They are a pain
I ruminate on my future
I have grown weary
My skills and senses
Blunted
A plough driven too long
I must change
Or something must change
Nervous
I must arise again
Be alive again
Feed!
In response to Scott’s Daily Prompt, Toot your horn
A tenuous connection but that’s how my mind works.
Knowledge is nothing To admit your ignorance That is true wisdom
Around the towering icon
The overgrown child
The mad fool with power
They swarmed
Bringing their stings
And their anger
Buzzing at last!
On the sidelines
Stood the keepers
Ready with their smoke
Ready to reap their honey
In response to Scott’s Daily Prompt, Polite Company
Polite company
Will not let you grow
It will smother you
With comfort
Only the harshest critics
Will allow you
To find the best seeds
To sow
The kingfisher marks
The day with a drip, drip, then
Flashing, splashing colour.
In response to Scott’s Daily Prompt, Ripped from the headlines
The headline on the BBC news website was.
Channel migrants: Thirty rescued as man dies off French coast.
He was running from fear
From death itself
But
Died alone and cold
In the sea
Because we did not want him
We wanted to be left
To dine in peace
On our cheese and wine
I cannot believe this! If anyone were to stop them, this mob of hungry hunters raging through the forest, then nobody would believe the explanation.
The people of the village, the county planners, the farmers, the surveyors, the members of the RSPB, all are hunting in the night. They are hunting the Green Wizard.
What will they do when they catch him? The question fills me with fear.
What will he do?
I feel responsible. It was my decision. I weighed up all the considerations and reached the verdict.
Whatever choice I made would be opposed. The conservationists urged me to leave the forest alone. Those who favoured progress wanted the forest managed and great tracts of it grubbed out for profit.
I should be used to this. I was brought up in the country and we learned to live with threats.
And I had made this kind of decision for years now. I was used to angry crowds. How could they know that I felt their anger and pain? I always found the best compromise.
Unfortunately, this often hurt the countryside.
What had gone wrong this time?
The Green Wizard, that was what. Ever since I set eyes on him I have sailed seas of madness and now dragged the entire community with me.
Last night I saw him. I was wandering in the evening light near the edges of the forest trying to make my decision. I wasn’t sure that this old forest would benefit or even survive having its heart grubbed out. But the village that nestled twinkling below the forest needed fresh hope. The industry this would bring might make a crucial difference.
Then I saw it! A green light bobbing between the trees. At first, I thought it was a firework for it had that bright magical quality. It was an artificial green like the glass baubles of a Christmas tree. It drew my heart towards it.
I walked in, my fear disappearing as I entered the solace and safety of the trees.
Darkness fell completely as the sun sank but the green light bobbed before me and led the way.
It must be a willow-the-wisp I half told myself but its beauty was far too potent to resist.
I came to a clearing and then I saw that the light was a flame flickering on top of a staff held by an old man. He was dressed in a green robe that shone as bright as the flame, with the same entrancing shade. He looked the way that all wizards look in storybooks. Wide-brimmed, pointed hat, long beard.
Only his beard was green. He was the Green Wizard.
He beckoned me towards him but when I got a few feet he held up his hand and I felt a force block me. I felt the full potential of his strength in that strange touch. He could have crushed me with a thought.
“The forest must not die.”
His voice was deep and strong, trusty as oak and full of command!
I nodded.
“There is life here,” he went on, “that is beyond the comprehension of your people. It is vital to the power of the earth in ways you cannot understand. It will not lie idle any longer. If you threaten, it will react.”
“Who are you?” my voice a scared noise in the sudden immensity and darkness of this forest.
“I am the life of this forest! I am the power of the earth!”
I nodded again.
“An agreement is reached!” he boomed. “If you break your bond your life will be forfeit.”
Suddenly something moved in the leaves. I whirled around and a fox bolted across the clearing. All around the clearing the bushes suddenly rustled and shook with life. I spun trying to see what made the noises. There was nothing.
It stopped. The only sound was my panting breath.
It was dark. The Green Wizard was gone.
I thought I had imagined him but I saw a flicker of green, like a warning, away in the trees.
I knew then what I had to do. I had made a bargain. My life was forfeit if I did not make the right decision now.
All my doubts of mad hallucinations disappeared then. The Green Wizard was real.
The next day those concerned gathered at the village hall and listened to my decision. It went badly. Not surprising.
I had some support. The conservationists were pleased with the verdict. Their precious forest would be left to its natural state.
But most of those gathered were businessmen and farmers whose livelihoods were at stake. They were not going to let some upstart in a suit take that away.
I lost my nerve. I couldn’t meet their arguments. Every reason I put forward for the conservation of the forest they pulled to pieces. I cursed the Green Wizard for abandoning me to this. Where was he now that I was fighting his battle?
Finally, I had nothing left. I declared that the forest would be saved. They would not relent. They wanted to know why I had made this decision when I had no argument to support it. They pushed and pushed me until I could stand it no longer.
I told them about the Green Wizard. I warned them of the danger.
The whole hall was silenced. Even my supporters looked at me, trying to fathom out the madness that appeared to have seized me.
Finally one of the farmers said it.
“He’s mad! Or on drugs!”
I bowed my head. Where was this going to lead?
“This is a farce!” said another voice but then everyone suddenly gasped and fell silent again.
I looked up.
There hovering in front of me was a small globe of bright green light!
I stared at it. What did it mean? It was obviously from the Wizard. It was his shade of green, vivid, unforgettable, alluring and dangerous like something was burning that should never have been set alight.
“Is this some sort of gimmick!?” said one of the farmers.
The globe of light rushed straight at him and knocked him off his feet in a shower of sparks. Then it stayed where it was, where it had hit him.
The farmer slid back across the floor and hit his head against the far wall with a crack. Blood flowed immediately. People rushed to his aid. Others turned to me.
“If he’s dead you had better pray that the police get here quick before we’re finished with you!”
They all suddenly looked ugly. I feared for my life and wondered if this is what the green Wizard had meant. Had I failed some kind of test? Had I been chosen to champion the forest and failed?
“Look!” A young girl was standing by the window pointing up to the forest. People stared out and piled from the hall. I followed.
There, high on the hill, the whole forest was alight from within with the strange green glow.
“It’s the Green Wizard,” I said.
“More likely some new age travellers who don’t want their peace disturbed by the idea of having to pay their way like the rest of us.”
At that point, the green globe suddenly shot out of the window, through the glass without breaking it. At impossible speed, it shot into the heart of the forest.
By now people were muttering things about ghosts and UFO’s but the main core of farmers and businessmen were having none of it. They decided to go and find out for themselves.
I followed the frenzied crowd that raced up the hill to the entrance of the forest. I felt drawn, whether by them or the forest I don’t know.
At the entrance stood the Wizard. Tall and menacing but only I had felt the touch of his power.
“Do not touch this forest,” he said but he sounded somehow weary.
“Who the hell are you?” someone called out.
“He’s the Green Wizard,” I replied feebly but was ignored.
“You can’t tell us what to do with our forest!” someone else yelled at the figure.
“We don’t need freaks like you dossing on our land.”
“If you want to remove me then you will have to catch me!” he sneered. With that, he turned and disappeared quickly into the trees. The flame of his staff was still visible.
With a yell the villagers set after him. they became a pack of hungry wolves after their prey. Their eyes burned with fury.
I yelled after them, warning them not to go. They did not listen. Helpless I followed in their wake.
They crashed through the trees and the undergrowth picking up sticks and waving them as they went.
And even now as I follow them I find it hard to believe.
I fear the outcome of this but I am not sure who I fear for most. This horde is wild and out of control. If they catch him I would not be surprised if they tore him limb from limb with their bare hands.
But I have felt the power of the Green Wizard.
Suddenly we are before him. There he stands. Like an old man, weary with the chase, leaning on his staff in the middle of the clearing.
The mob grab him. Their fury somewhat dampened by his appearance but not quenched. They bind him. The rope is tight around his arms but he does not struggle. As the villagers dance around him like demented witches he holds my gaze with an accusing stare.
The dancing goes on and on like a frenzy but slowly people drop. They sit and lie on the ground, tired by the night’s activity. Despite the Wizard’s relentless stare I too sink to the ground. Around me, people are falling asleep and I find I cannot resist the need to join them.
I awake to find myself choking. Something has hold of my throat and is strangling me. I can’t breathe.
All around me are bodies. All held by tree roots or thorny vines! Some struggle feebly for others it is too late. Many are being dragged into the earth by the irresistible power of trees.
The Green Wizard stands watching the process with a blank expression. His ropes lay on the ground, snapped and frayed.
He turns his back on me, not even deigning to notice my dying breath.
I tried. I did try.
The End
In response to Scott’s Daily Prompt, Clean Slate
Rain washes the slates Grey sheen shines in the sunlight Ready for the moss
We swing from lack of
Parlay to way too much talk
Blessing or a curse?
In response to Scott’s Daily Prompt, Take Two
Slightly cheating from the prompt guidance – these two pictures were taken yesterday. The first was a quick snap of our garage. We are in the process of clearing it. It was completely full of rubbish – including two big sofa’s. We need to start using it for what it intended and parking our car there.
The second picture I took as I caught sight and our hall wall. We have just rearranged the picture frames there and put up a clock. I was struck by the arrangement when looking from above.
The thing that connects the two? – Well see the poem below the images.
Time
Transforms
Order
To chaos
Utility
To waste
Decor
To ruins
Let the wind blow me
On the course of its desire
The ocean’s freedom
In response to Scott’s Daily Prompt, This is Your Life
It is quality
Not ticks on a bucket list
That will reckon us
Sparrow, sparrow in my way.
Briefly tell your tale today.
Tell me if my love is dead.
Do I waste the tears I shed?
Briefly, now I’ll tell my tale.
Pray your courage does not fail.
You do not waste the tears you shed.
Alas I say, your love is dead.
A sharp, cold sword did spill her blood.
She tried to stem an angry flood.
But peace that day she could not win.
So fearful war will begin.
Thank you bird for being true.
Nothing’s left for me to do.
To take up arms and pursue strife.
Slay the spoilers of my life.
I bid you, sir, think awhile.
Turn from this dark path so vile.
Listen to my humble song.
Step not where your lover’s gone.
Just a simple bird am I
But far above this land I fly.
And see its beauty spread below.
See ahead, where you might go.
Lay down your sword with forgiving heart.
Do not tear your land apart.
Still your rage and vengeance cease.
Follow rather a path of peace.
Humble bird I hear your song.
But my love is dead and gone.
So I raise my sword today.
And will make those killers pay.
The enemies that broke my heart.
And now have torn the land apart.
Upon their heads is all this blood.
For I must release the flood.
Then sir, I shall shed a tear.
For the future I do not fear.
Yet for now I swiftly go.
To make way for the crow.
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
In response to Scott’s Daily Prompt, 32 Flavours
32 Flavours
Mmm
What to try, what to try
They have mint choc chip, my favourite
But I always have that
Everyone’s telling me to try some new
Expand my horizons
I want to try rum and raisin.
But the buzz on the street is asparagus and chilli!
The kids want that new take on raspberry ripple
But it’s so expensive
Still
I feel bad, all their friends have had it
How can I deny them this?
But really my heart is set on vanilla
What to try, what to try
Time’s up!
What ifs hang on
Like poisoned barbs
Even in the face of reality
All reason tells you
Let them go
Rip them from the flesh
Yet deep they go
Sharp their points
Beyond the anaesthetic
Of mere words
So rise up
From the river
Of doubt
Rip that flesh and bleed
Step on the shore of tomorrow
Healing first needs hurt
In response to Scott’s Daily Prompt, 1984
We are being watched
Because we craved attention
Saught out fame
And paid
With our privacy
I hesitate
Vacillate
Dissemble
Hold back
Yet the words I need
To express to you
Are bursting
In me
They need freedom.
I
I
OK
Here goes
Um.
Where did you go?
In response to Scott’s Daily Prompt, Teacher’s Pet
This is dedicated to Mr Marsh – wherever he may be – who used to teach like this. He also turned me on to Stephen R Donaldson so I am doubly grateful. One of very few good teachers in my school.
Teach the solution
And the solution will be forgotten
Teach how to solve
And solutions will be found
For life
Maybe
The danger we face
The sheer wall of darkness
Will quicken the protest
Flesh the resistance
Hasten the day
The snowballing
Of the revolution
In response to Scott’s Daily Prompt, Helpless
Let go of what you can't control
They say
But what if it controls you
And won’t let go
And who are they
Anyway?
The ancient secret
Burns in our hearts and our blood
Obscured by sharp lies
If you really want to know the secret check out Mankind Limited
In response to Scott’s Daily Prompt, My Favourite
I miss you
My favourite
Those times
Oh, those times we spent!
In the twilight hours
The world between worlds
When the world beyond
Was no more
No more cares
No more worries
Now
My life is one long slog
One long fight
Back to find
My favourite
Peace and Quiet
You say center
We say centre
You say color
We say colour
We are different
Guess that means
You will build a wall against us
Ban us
Make war on us
One day
I think I have broken my toe
But I am just too tired to know
Stubbed it on a childproof gate
Too tired to see it until too late
But the pain and the weariness melt away
Into warmth when you hear them say
Dadda and they give you a smile
That gives you the strength for the next mile
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
In response to Scott’s Daily Prompt, Quote Me
A little explanation need for this one. The quote I always come back to is one from Frank Herbert’s Dune.
The only constant is change
I come back to this when times are tough, to remind me – nothing is forever. Even the hard times will end. But also to keep perspective – I always try and think – will I care about what I am worrying about in 10 years time. If not – it’s not worth the stress now! (I know that’s easier said than done.)
With that quote in mind here is a quick Haiku inspired by it.
Even the mountains Are impermanent giants The wise realise
“It was just a bit of fun”
To the broken hearts and home
“I meant no offence”
To the victims of riot and guns
“I was just following my dreams”
To the crushing weight of debt
“I will never do it again”
To the frightened wife and child
“I was trying to save some cash”
To the shattered future lost
“I thought I knew best”
To the chances that are gone
“My intentions were good”
To the consequences of action
Let’s kick it into touch
Bucket lists!
Resolutions!
Traditions.
All they are really for
Is to transform you
Into the perfect consumer
Leeching away
All of you.
In response to Scott’s Daily Prompt, Kick It
Resolutions
Made again
Broken again
Closure?
Endings?
Realise
Instead
Endings are beginnings
We should not
Resolve
But
Revolve
In response to Scott’s Daily Prompt, Resolved
Scott Andrew Bailey - Author 