Poetry

The Dark

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By Scott Bailey © 2013

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

Image from Pixabay

Originally published in A Spring of Dreams

www.scottandrewbailey.uk

Farewell

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By Scott Bailey © 2006

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

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By Scott Bailey © 2015

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

Image from Pixabay

Following a Hearse

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By Scott Bailey © 2015

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

Feather Crown

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By Scott Bailey © 2006

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.

Goodbye

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By Scott Bailey © 2006

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.
Photo by Jordan Benton on Pexels.com

Dare

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By Scott Bailey © 2016

I don’t dare to dream
Reality is too harsh
To just brush aside

Photo by Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels.com

Conquered

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By Scott Bailey © 2015

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

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By Scott Bailey © 2015

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

Photo by Scott Bailey

www.scottandrewbailey.uk

Little Corner

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By Scott Bailey © 2015

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

Image from Pexels

On the Edge

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By Scott Bailey © 2015

Stand tall on the board
A breeze teases the skin; dive
Slapped by water cold

Photo by Oliver Sju00f6stru00f6m on Pexels.com

The Tree of the Dead

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By Scott Bailey © 2015

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

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Hole

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By Scott Bailey © 2015

A hole in the ground
Still black water reflecting
Meteors above

Image from Pixabay

The Universe

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By Scott Bailey © 2015

Special, general
Einstein’s relativity
Beauty and balance

Image from Pixabay

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Leaves

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By Scott Bailey © 2015

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

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By Scott Bailey © 2015

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

Image from Pixabay

www.scottandrewbailey.uk

Cold

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By Scott Bailey © 2015

Winter is coming
Snow sweeps down from the cold north
Followed by the dead

Image from Pixabay

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Swooping

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By Scott Bailey © 2015

Height, falling, swooping
Skylarks catching air, rainfall
Drowns the fleeing mouse

Skylark
Image from Pixabay

Mare Nostrum

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By Scott Bailey © 2015

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

Image from Pixabay

www.scottandrewbailey.uk

Rescue

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By Scott Bailey © 2015

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

Class

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By Scott Bailey © 2016

The wolf pack is firm
In a superior class
Hunting the weaker

The Ancient Market

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By Scott Bailey © 2015

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

Image from Pixabay

www.scottandrewbailey.uk

Andervyane’s Dream

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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.

Andervayne's Dream

Time Between Times

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By Scott Bailey © 2015

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

Image from Pixabay

www.scottandrewbailey.uk

Holiday Done

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By Scott Bailey © 2015

Driving home
Fun is done
Sleepy heads
Happy ones
Bed beckons
Satisfied sleep
This is the peace
The turmoil
Aims for

Sleeping
Image from Pixabay

Forest Fire

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By Scott Bailey © 2016

Wood cracks with a flash
Sparks dance in the air, falling
Down to cooling ash

Wild Fire
Image from Pixabay

Potential Supernovae

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By Scott Bailey © 2015

Red pulse
Beating hard
One day
Will blow apart
Until then
Keep on spinning
All in its well
Safe for now
For now

Image from Pixabay

Deep Sleep

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By Scott Bailey © 2015

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

Over the Plains

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By Scott Bailey © 2016

A warm summer breeze
Teases scent across the plains
Tight the wolf pack runs

Wolf Pack
Image from Pixabay

Whisky and a West Wing

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By Scott Bailey © 2016

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

Aubade

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By Scott Bailey © 2015

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

Image from Pixabay

Where is My Wine?

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By Scott Bailey © 2015

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

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By Scott Bailey © 2015

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

www.scottandrewbailey.uk

Image from Pixabay

Timeslips

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By Scott Bailey © 2015

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

Image from Pixabay

Starlight

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By Scott Bailey © 2015

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

Image from Pixabay

The Politician, The Voter and the Child

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By Scott Bailey © 2015

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

Milk

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By Scott Bailey © 2016

Renowned Harvey Milk
His life anything but smooth
His legacy shines

Blunt Hammer

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By Scott Bailey © 2013

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

Image from Pixabay

Originally published in A Spring of Dreams

Vampires

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By Scott Bailey © 2014

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

Image from Pixabay

Kids

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By Scott Bailey © 2021

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.
Photo by Arthur Krijgsman on Pexels.com

Circle Of Five

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By Scott Bailey © 2015

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

Photo by Scott Bailey

2020 Vision

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By Scott Bailey © 2020

We saw clearly 
In the year 2020
Saw what was important 
And who was not
Saw who lied
Saw who cared
Greed and corruption 
Laid bare
For all to see
What will we do
With our 2020 vision?

Photo by Markus Winkler on Pexels.com

Power Race

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By Scott Bailey © 2016

The race to power
Is won with fear and fury
While inert we watch

The New God

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By Scott Bailey © 2018

There was
This civilisation
That worshipped
A God
A new God
Not a water god
Nor a sun god
Not a god of the earth at all
But like all gods
Before
This one promised
Safety and security
In return
For absolute
Fealty
When times were hard
Lives were demanded
And lives were given
Though tears were shed
It was accepted
And the God was given a name
To ease the pain
And make the people
Forget
They were enslaved
Made them think
They were a part
Of something bigger
They called this new God
The Economy

Stock Market Graphs
Image from Pixabay

Seemed appropriate for today – after all keeping the schools open demonstrate’s exactly this thinking.

Heavy Hands

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By Scott Bailey © 2014

The blood of a million children
Is heavy in my hands
Slipping through my fingers
Like eternal sands

Not the consequence of acting
But the consequence of not
A stain upon my conscience
And ever-growing blot

So I consume and I create
And so I spend and save
Consumer and producer
But I never gave

The hand that should have proffered
Is stained with guilty red
The reproaching cry from beyond
Of the wasted dead

So my heart is heavy
With echoes of that cry
If you believe of guilt you’re free
Look me in the eye

Image from Pixabay