(A triolet)
Hand in hand we all walk tonight
Mother, Father and loving son
Watching darkness bursting with light
Hand in hand we all walk tonight
Sky flowers blooming burn our sight
This time of year is always fun
Hand in hand we all walk tonight
Mother, Father and loving son
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
A silent sunset
Calm waters ripple slowly
Dark storm clouds gather
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
Trick or treating
With our son
For the first time
Wishing the other
Were here
As the demons cavort
and dance
Gathering their loot
Doing their worst
Other flesh freezes
Starved of food and hope
Is one man’s fun
Another’s murder?
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
A pounding headache
The fruit of today’s labour
Now going to sleep
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
Tiny starbursts
The peak on tiny waves
Deep green over yellow
Swaying weeds
Dappled stones
Dark fish darting
The scent of rich water
And reeds
Time to watch
Relax
The life I crave
Instead
Work, bills, sleep, stress
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
Celebratory
The warming rays of the sun
Making the waves dance
#haiku
Time for the flowers to bloom again
Red
Like blood
That was shed
A century ago
And every day since
One day
They will be white
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
Passing the parcel
Noisy musical statues
Children’s birthday joy
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
He slew the great beast
Whose mother took her revenge
The great Beowulf
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
The King who was
And shall be
Stirs restive in his sleep
Sword in hand
Ready
Who will it smite?
Invaders or haters
Will justice by the sword
Ever be served?
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
The information superhighway
It is a heavyweight
Data, redundancy
Processes
Alerts
Objectification
Frames
Presentations and investors
Response
Time
High availability
Validity
Technical, radical, practical, logical
Balancing load
Stresses
Testing
Testing
Test
Craving
Simplicity
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
Cheese, onions, bread and beer
Like it or hate it
Sharing an experience
Over thousands of years
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
A little more give
And a lot less just taking
More uplifting hands
If we just stop competing
Ivory towers will fall
Bound to serve
The master that we crave
Enduring the pain
Not struggling in the ties
That bind
Taking the punishment
Utter submission
Belittled
Stripped
Of dignity
All for the reward
The release
The coin
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
Hobbit
Brave Brandybuck
Bringing sense to his friends
Finding honour in Rohan’s ranks
Small knight
#cinquain
Passion
Wanes while years pass
Becomes something finer
Matured, refined, rich with wisdom
Mellowed
Do not be fooled by its calmness
Maturity and depth
Do not weaken
Passion
#Cinquain #Butterfly-Cinquain
A silver sylph slips silent through the trees
Spreading silver stardust upon the trees
Disappearing into the deep shadows
Where foxes hunt
Image from Pixabay
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
The darkness where the heart beats fast
The shadows where no moonlight’s cast
The deepest dell of starless nights
Gleaming eyes the only light
The sound of cold and ancient breath
On the breeze the scent of death
A rustle from behind the trees
A snapping twig the blood to freeze
The conflict of the fight or flight
But where to run on icy night?
The frozen legs the burning fear
The certainty of danger near
Imagination births these fears
But even as the presence nears
Pointing out what we must mark
Why do we so fear the dark
Image from Pixabay
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
The dark wide iris
Sparkling bright now, mists over
As it watches time
A warm summer breeze
Teases scent across the plains
Tight the wolf pack runs
Renowned Harvey Milk
His life anything but smooth
His legacy shines
When horror is turned to love
And death has become high romance
Do the forces of the underworld
Practice a jubilant dance
Do vampires laugh with glee
And werewolves lick their fangs
As they open up their gates
With fanfares, bells and clangs
And into their arms they run
The poorly misguided youth
And their heroes welcome them in
With claw and jaw and tooth
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
The day follows night
Repeating the witching hour
Except, the mayfly
#haiku
Red the blood
That flooded the plains
Of the green valleys and hills
Where children still lay
White the bleached bones
Of warriors old
Who died for their lords
Defending high homes
Blue is the blood
Of those who command
With wires of constraint
And tradition’s grey chains
Yellow is the sand
That slips and tumbles in the glass
Sifting through our fingers
Yellowed is the ancient paper
Where ancient text resides
And the finger that glides
Tracing shaky wisdom
Dusty grey pigeon
Battered by the wind
Ruffled feathers, frantic wings
To stay true to course
A struggle
A tall ship sitting silent
In the harbour on
Still calm seas
Regal, proud and ancient
Going nowhere now
A queen strutting her stuff
Colours on parade
While those who earned the medals
Into memory
Slowly fade
Master of words
By words mastered
Many a politician can claim
Those that abuse the power
By which they rose
Will be bitten by the beast they tamed
Such is the reality
We choose to believe
But the truth we know is worse
Where corruption rules
It protects its own
Mostly, the corrupt rule
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
With his faithful tartan cap, its bobble flicking black dust into the air.
Holding in that tousled and already greying hair.
With half hundred weight of coal to deliver down the street.
With his smiling green lorry, tiny windows at his feet.
Walking up the narrow path, a smile upon his face.
Care worn lines deep with dust, crisscrossed like living lace.
Bringing warmth to many homes and our own.
Now the coal has gone but the lines remain beneath silver hair.
Hands hard and black with oil and years of toil and loyal care.
Has no wealth and all wealth one could want within his soft brick walls.
Always ready to respond to our lost and stranded calls.
Tall as a tree and as strong against every withering storm.
A mere spanner in his hands his wonders to perform.
Humble, with every reason to be mighty proud.
With pride these words should be read to all aloud.
Is it too late for
Tears and grief to rise again
I can’t hold them back
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
In an unremarkable flat
Next to a noisy tapas bar
Is where, perhaps, Hawkins might die
Folded in his chair
It will not be remembered
Unlike his remarkable mind
Such are the vagaries of life and death
Both ridiculous and sublime
Read more in A Spring of Dreams
Unknown search terms – ten
Wonder what they were after
That brought them to me
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
In golden age where steel was king
Rich voices of great bards there ring
The rising pride of knights there swells
Around the ring where justice dwells
Behind the throne where power lies
The dark intent deep in his eyes
The ancient druid gathers spells
Around the ring where justice dwells
The jealous son holds his dark ire
Until it rises to a fire
Bells of doom ring their deathly knells
Around the ring where justice dwells
And so the cracks came from within
Mens’ convictions so very thin
Shattered by those doom laden bells
Around the ring where justice dwells
Another spirit lost
Awash in the swell and foam
Anguished over lost love
Anger dealt him the blow
Arising from the sea
Alighting on the air
A bright bird arises
Snoring on my chest
Warmth and love resting at peace
An early night in
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
A single mote
of stardust
sparkles bright
in endless black
drifting
No goal,
no direction
for time
that feels
eternity
Nothing
Cold, cold
Nothing
And then
Attracted to another
Bright shining mote
Joined together
Bound in twisting dance
round and round
and down
What seems forever
togetherness
never apart
again
The other comes
with more attachments
gathering around
A family, a clan
a get together that has no end
a bouncy, rowdy party
as things heat up
And the happening attracts more
and the numbers swell
the dances speed and the steps
multiply with complexity
The place is hotting up
as events coalesce
Then the point of no return
This is the place to be
the single mote has pulled
more that could be dreamed
and the crowds rush in and in
and down
the crowds become a crush
And the heat gives rise to new forms of dance
and new energy as the crowds arise
And then the circle is complete
as the fire starts to burn and the lonely mote
is now the heart
of brand new burning star
Image from Pixabay
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
Giving people health
Appears low priority
Set against profits
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
Corrupt. Wealthy. Safe.
Wallowing in filthy loot
And laughing at us
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
Lost to us, never forgotten
Unusual tides took him away
Carried to peace and to sleep
And even as the dark will swell
Sad, but sad will not prevail
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
My eyes are sensitive to the light
They are filtered
Protected by shades
What about my heart?
My feelings?
No filter please
I am sensitive
I need all the light let in.
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
Porcelain tiles
Cold on my cheek
How did I get here?
When did I fall asleep?
The hatchet in my head
Overpowers the hatchet in my heart
For now
And then it begins again
Golden liquid calls
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
Lines and words and lines
On one screen they mean this
Elsewhere something else
On paper strangely old
Before my eyes
Flashing by
Doing magic
But why
For the small ends
Of small goals
Chipping away at mountains
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
Is it enough?
These words
We gather here
From across the globe
Our thoughts thrumming
Over strands of the web
They gather and agree
Mostly
And we know
What is wrong with the world
What is right
How to behave
And with well picked word
We condemn
Or cajole
the effective ones.
But is it enough?
Just the words.
Yet once upon a time
There was a spell
A magical combination
That set me on this course
Of reason and reason-ability
Maybe it is enough
If someone somewhere
Is moved by our spells
To do the right thing.
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
Swirling, whirling milky clouds of stars
Spiralling down to the black hole
Supermassive hungry dark
Swallowing all it can
Axle of the wheel
Sparkling star arms
Shining cloud
Holds our
Home
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
Worn wooden floor
Distant, ancient scent
Tobacco long gone
Beer, deep red in thick glass
Salt and vinegar crisps
Pickled eggs
Pickled patrons
Warmth and welcome
Long gone like the smoke
One missed
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
Mistakes seep into
Our minds through repetition
Habitual truth’s born
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
Taking my son to my old school
Following the bus I used to take
Still the same number
Basically the same model
The same smell of classrooms
And I wonder
Is this it?
Are we destined
To repeat lives?
It is not enough
I want more
More for my children
Than was there for me
No fear
More doors
No prejudice
More joy in knowledge
Is that too much to ask?
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
Clouds piling up dark
Lightning flashing – sky to ground
Rumbling all around
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
I am a mirror
Distorted
Even cracked
But a reflection still
I share with you my fear
And passion
My fear is blue
Deep dark blue
All sharp angles
Like shark fins
And knives
Fear that turns me
As white as a clown.
Alas, my fear is my passion
My love
I seek it out
To taste the thrill
Of the fear and the chase
And I share it out
While I play my games
with the orphan
the fear
the dark, dark blue
that bears
the sign of the bat
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
No reality.
That’s what attracts them
No history, no baggage
Only dreams of the night
That’s the attraction of the mistresses,
the hookers and the one night stands.
No reality.
Better to live in real love
Than empty dreams
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
Scott Andrew Bailey - Author 