The wild is calling
Feel the breeze
The scent of trees
The hunt!
Feel the ground
Rise and fall
Feel heart pound
Heed the call
But tomorrow
I will sit again
At my desk
And fear
Mistakes and failure
Do my best
Do the right thing
And the wild will still call
Until
I answer
There
A girl called midnight
A fighter
A lover
A spy
Danced free and deep in the valleys
Beneath a dark starry sky
She hailed from the lands
Of our fathers
With hair as dark as the night
And eyes a grey as the water
Where the bones of her enemies
Lie
No knight would come to her rescue
The dragon she rode upon high
Would burn every dreamy lover
With the glance of a fiery eye
What became of
The girl called midnight
Led by her passion and hate
Some say that still, she is dancing
In the icy heart of the lake
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
Deterrents
Silently waiting
Mighty weapons
Hushed death
Deterring
But who will deter
The stupidity
That made them
Necessary
Deep red
The varnish of old wood
Worn by years
Of rested elbows
And beer mats
As red as the liquid
In the glasses
Rich with age
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
I sit upon my bed alone.
Thinking thoughts of you.
My heart sinks slowly like a stone.
In a pool so blue.
The pain grows greater every day.
Need I make that cut?
Alas, it is the only way.
All other doors are shut.
So take the knife and cut me deep.
I know it must done.
Though this pain will make me weep.
Relief will soon be won.
So now at last I say goodbye.
I need you now no more.
You must believe me, I did try.
My efforts though, were poor.
We could no longer stay as one.
So you were cut away.
It was the only thing to be done.
To take the pain away.
Farewell, my dear appendix.
A deep green canopy
Back-dropped by a swathe of gold
Corn
Swaying in the wind
An overwhelming urge
To dive into that green sea
The climb and swing
And scream
With primal joy
But there is a mountain of time
Between me and that green
Eden
Made of commitments and constraints
Burdens and dependencies
So it dwindles
In my rear window
A deep green canopy
In mist
The traffic slowed
We were all following a hearse
Today
In respectful frustration
I took the time
To look around
At the rivers and fields
That normally
Speed by
We are all following a hearse
Shake!
Awake!
Shake!
Awake!
The sun.
Is up!
Rise up!
Rise up!
Open eyes!
Beneath
Blue skies.
Cast off
Sleep’s reins.
See!
The plains.
No sleep!
Breath deep!
Sun warms.
No storms.
Stretch arms.
Take arms.
Run!
In the sun!
Take bow!
Go!
Take spear!
Disappear!
When
Wind blows.
Lift nose.
And scent
why they sent
for you.
They come!
They run!
See!
The birds.
Speak.
No words.
Watch
them lead.
They
will feed.
Feel
the land.
Trust
your hand.
See
grass sway.
They come
this way.
Feel
the ground.
Hear
the sound.
Thunderous sound.
All around.
A mound
of meat.
Trust
your feet.
Spear
and bow.
Blood
will flow.
With
one voice.
We
rejoice!
And the buffalo pass,
to greener grass.
It’s not fair. He started it, I didn't. He called me names. I had to do it to stop him. How come I get told off? It’s not fair. It’s a shameful waste. What they do to our world today. The forests they cut down, the whales they kill. The fields they destroy, the new roads they build. The way they leave their scars on the world. It’s a shameful waste. It’s a bloody liberty. I will not stand for it! I earned my money fairly. I will spend it pleasantly. I will not stand being ripped off! It’s a bloody liberty. It’s a downright disgrace. The way these youngsters behave. They will not heed my words. They will not do as they are told. I will leave my mark on the world. It’s a downright disgrace. He needs no name on his grave. He was a model man. He stood for what we all stand for. He spoke the words we all speak. He was me and you and all those to come. He needs no name on his grave.
I don’t dare to dream
Reality is too harsh
To just brush aside
Shining silver line
Whirling axes high on the hill
The pride and strength
Of the Saxon’s lands
They had hammered back the sea
Eaten up the road
Crossed the kingdom wide
With deeds of valour bold
Unbeaten and unbowed
How could they know
This would be the day
The kingdom was brought low
Little stone church
Nestled on a hill
Overlooking the sea
Watching over the harbour still
The boats nestled cheek to cheek
And those tossed on the waves
The bell rings out a guiding peal
Above the moss stained graves
And every sailor on the deck
Mouths a silent prayer
The church windows watch their pleas
With a cold and empty stare
The settlement around the church
Huddles to the old stone walls
Strong but cold strange comfort their
As the tolling calls
Older still the hill
Watches the fleeting boats
The flighty homes and towers
Their occupants dust motes
More enduring still
The constant shifting waves
Will eat the hill, huts the boats
Even the very graves
A little corner
A little corner
That is my world
Shrunk in space
My only place
A desk, a keyboard,
a screen
A little corner
Of a room
A little corner
of time
Stolen time
from life’s demands
Time to dream
The keys on the keyboard
are keys
Out of this corner
this cage
Into a wider
free form world
and free dreams
Through the portal
of my mind
The little corner
has no end
It opens up
and expands
forever without end
Stand tall on the board
A breeze teases the skin; dive
Slapped by water cold
Stark black against cold grey skies
Black lightning frozen in time
Towering and immense
Spread over the world
The tree of the dead
On the termination of every branch
Every twig
Hang the skulls
Uncountable, unimaginable
They observe
From their cold black sockets
With their chilling grins
They watch
And judge
The tableau
Of life
A hole in the ground
Still black water reflecting
Meteors above
Special, general
Einstein’s relativity
Beauty and balance
I find myself
Reading a book
A real book
A technical book for sure
But real paper
Real leaves
Turned with relish
With real fingers
Well
Hello old friend
Tales woven over the air
Tales woven in print
Tell you where and how to belong
And to stay there
This is your tribe
This is your way
Here’s your beliefs
The way to behave
But digital lines
Weave different tales
Social arising
Communities felt
So ancient tellers
Beware of the light
Too fast to contain
With old fashioned lies
Winter is coming
Snow sweeps down from the cold north
Followed by the dead
Height, falling, swooping
Skylarks catching air, rainfall
Drowns the fleeing mouse
Mare Nostrum
We don’t support it
They said
So it is gone
In other words
Let them die
Stopping people dying
Might encourage them to live
And after all
What are they
But the victims of war
And rape and torture
Who wants them cluttering up the place?
A fitting epitaph
Perhaps
For the West
From butterflies in spiders webs
To wandering dogs down country roads
These are just some of the deeds
Of rescue
She has done
And of course
She rescued my heart
From certain single life
And ensconced it in
A loving family home
The wolf pack is firm
In a superior class
Hunting the weaker
There is an ancient market square
Where we all spend our lives
And round and round the stalls we pass
Consuming precious time
The gates are closed to hold us in
While hawkers hawk their wares
Criers cry of doom beyond
The solid steadfast walls
In their towers high above
Lords and ladies gaze
Down upon the writhing mass
And counting out their pay
Where’s the farmer in his field
Where the traveller strange
Where’s the road beyond the gates
Or the key to let us out
So on and on forevermore
We circle round the square
In trenches deep from shambling feet
Beneath the icy stare
This is the longest and by far the most complex of the works here. The main bulk of the poem follows a very strict format (the Prologue and Epilogue are purposefully outside this format and there is meaning in that too). Part of that format informs the inclusion of much of the symbolism within and the allegory of the tale. The challenge here was to create a story within all these constraints.
This is the half-light
The magic time
Deep blue light
Fresh born stars
Tales weaving
In expectant air
Firelight dimming
Shadows creep
Tales weaving
Dreams conceived
Past is close
The dead draw near
To hear
Tales weaving
With living breath
Driving home
Fun is done
Sleepy heads
Happy ones
Bed beckons
Satisfied sleep
This is the peace
The turmoil
Aims for
Wood cracks with a flash
Sparks dance in the air, falling
Down to cooling ash
Five syllables here
But seven on the next line
A breakdown of thought
Red pulse
Beating hard
One day
Will blow apart
Until then
Keep on spinning
All in its well
Safe for now
For now
Trees on the horizon
Fingers accusing the sunset
Shimmering waters deep
The soul of man divided
A fear that never speaks
Darkness encroaches deep
Thunder in the morning
Lightning cracks on high
Rolling sound so deep
Division rends asunder
Lands that had known peace
Now their daughters sleep
A warm summer breeze
Teases scent across the plains
Tight the wolf pack runs
All around me
The walls of my life
Are tumbling down
In slow mo
I am watching
In slow mo
Wondering if
I will survive
Console myself with a
Whisky and a West Wing
Here it comes
The bluster and lies
Sugar coated
Mustard
Wonder which
Turning was wrong
All those choices
Drawing me downward
Further and Further
Darkness beyond
Wonder if
There in an exit
Will it end
If I am still
Silent and still
What use is will
When it is still
I pause at the door
Look down
At the mess on the floor
Think wryly
Don’t trip on my shoes
I don’t want to go
Believe me in that
Some things just cannot be
I hope you find
Happiness one day
I could not say goodbye
I am sorry
The chance was gone
Give the kids
A big hug from me
And cry, if you can
Hate me, if it helps
Feel the shape of the hole
I have blasted
In your heart
And fill it to the brim
And overflowing
With new loves and laughter
The heal and hold
You in his arms
My time is over
I turn away
Compelled
Walking through this door
Unable to refuse the finger of death
My lips are parched
For the wine
Promised on the air
Where is my wine
To dull the pain
Of waiting
Promises undelivered
From on high
So what now?
Carry on and on
Knowing no other roads
No junctions left
My lips are parched
Where
Did I lose my wings
Only for you
Do I shoulder the collar
I pull the plough and furrow
Only for you
Do I labour all day
To bring the bread and water
Only for you
Do I toil my days
Until my limbs are broken
Only for you
Do I endure the whip
The cursing and the shouting
I could roam free
Over hill and dale
Run through deep green grass
And let the wind blow
Through my mane
And drink fresh mountain tarns
I could follow my dreams
Into the clouds
And fly with birds on high
But I curb my dreams
Relent freedoms sweetness
Shrug the reins back on
But only for you
Only for you
Oh, give me time, oh, give me time, give me time in my life
So I can dream and I can find an escape from this strife
So I can soar in the sky where only freedom abounds
Where we can dare to be ourselves and death does not his rounds
But these are dreams that slip away, drained by vampire bites
So we watch every day as they fade like spent candle lights
Sucked away by the days and by the burdens of our lives
Yet in this turmoil of life is where most creation thrives
So, give me time, oh, give me time, give me time in my life
I was born in fire
In the fiercest whitest heart
I was flung in dying throes
Out into the dark
And through the dark I travelled
Over time you cannot dream
You cannot comprehend
The scales of things I’ve seen
The birth of stars from dust
From cold to burning fire
And then to bloated giants
And back to dust again
The start that swirl together
In hordes you will never count
Swallowed into nothing
Never to get out
Bright white young ones burning
Fast and bright and blue
Until they burst with energy
Too bright for me and you
And clouds like angels wings
Or swirling demons eyes
And flighty comets dying
With sparkling icy cries
All this and much much more
I cannot tell you all
Many many of your lives
Would pass before my tale
But now my time is dwindling
Now my tale must die
I have reached my end
I have reached your eye
You work hard
I struggle by
In the dark
You’re a hard-working family
To pay my bills
A silent dark
You deserve more
To keep my job
Shattered by
Respect and remuneration
My family safe
A scream so stark
Higher wage
Bills accrue
A sister torn
More tax
No breaks in sight
A mother too
Security
I am undermined
And then my turn
Here they come
By cheaper crews
To be their tool
To take your jobs
And labour pools
Alone I lived
We try to stop them
Let down by those
My family died
But the law demands
For who we fought a war
Alone I ran
Freedoms we ill afford
Belts pulled tight
Alone to hide
So we must let them in
Doors shut tight
Far away
We need your fear
As our land
Where wars don’t rage
So let us pass
Slips away
Across the sea
Stronger laws
Dreams of the past
Into a cage
And take your cash
Of golden days
And forms and forms
For a better way
Seem far away
And questions long
Altogether now
Every man for himself
And looks of scorn
Watch your backs
Seems the only way
And acts of wrong
Strengthen our national pride
So I must take a stand
Drowning in
Defend our ways
Against the tide
A stinking sea
Our traditions
That seems to me
I cry
Like class division
To rise and rise
No one pities me
And stay an island proud
To drown our island’s pride
No one pities me
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
Killers
Cold and ruthless
Hungry
For blood
Hot vibrant blood
Stepping out
Of dark and mists
Striking
From dark paths
And winding ways
Wearing fear
Like flowing cloaks
Chilling hearts that see
Stilling life
Unseen
Now
They walk by day
Woo us with tragedy
Shake our hands
Enamour us with
Their smiles
Drain us
As we admire their teeth
What am I? A stat? A pawn in political games? The means to fast gains? Am I to be educated? Or protected? Am I a spreader? A killer of the old? Vulnerable? Nobody has asked me. About my heart. My lungs! My emotion! My whole life, Is in the hands of the greedy and corrupt.
One is a mother – caring and fierce
Two is a wife, with perceptions that pierce
Three is a woman, kind and strong
Four is a friend to help me along
Five is the lover, tender and sweet
All are in one perfect – petite
One beautiful and loving wife
The five with whom I will spend my life
Scott Andrew Bailey - Author 