Fireseed

I stand amongst the pillars of flame,
Watching what transpires,
As the blaze rages on,
Beyond my control.
I'm not being burnt,
But I'm watching destruction,
The embers of beauty,
Which flicker with light,
As they drift to the floor.
I never saw how this started,
I only view the now,
My forensic mind assembling,
How disaster came to pass.
And as I watch, detached,
From this structure that burns,
I hope there's enough left,
The shell of something great,
That I may walk amongst it's walls,
When the smoke has cleared away.

Silent Assumptions

It doesn't look like you walk easy,
In your coloured pencil skirt,
And this smattering of awkwardness,
Makes me feel that you might blurt,
Out something inappropriate,
In social situations,
And yet despite these faux pas,
You still get invitations.
You'll have a mind that's bright and sharp,
And perhaps slightly shy,
And don't look like one for bungee jumps,
Or steak and kidney pie.
You might not have a boyfriend,
But the offers surely flow,
Whilst never quite convincing you,
So your chances come, then go.
And now you're moving past me,
In your bright and awkward way,
Lost to me forever more,
As I had nothing to say.

Back In The Narrows

I have ventured back to hell,
Sent here by faceless powers,
Yet this time in control.
Liberated by my view,
I cast eyes over a place,
That before now roared my name.
The sentient threat,
Whose grasp I dodged,
Before I had to run.
But now it's quiet here,
My purpose held aloft,
As an ethereal shield.
I pass through this place unseen,
By the thing I fought before.
And soon, my fleeting view complete,
I will run away once more,
With memories painted fresh,
But banished too,
Of that horror long ago.

Gull

I perch atop a statue,
Or maybe a lamppost,
Screaming my cry,
Yet mostly ignored.
My pinpoint eye,
Tracking all that moves,
And watching for stray sandwiches,
Or crisps,
Or a bin bag I might try to rip.
You may recoil at the thought,
Of my scavenger life,
But notice me!
My upright stance,
I preen, my eyes sharp,
I can slice through the air,
In ways that you can only dream,
I am a proud, majestic creature,
With no use for your pity.
Indeed, I perch atop my statue,
And merrily smirk,
At your humble lives.

The Laughing Duck

Yes, go on, quack at me,
Laugh in the way of ducks,
You know what I'm feeling don't you,
And yet you choose to mock,
Like the Anas that you are.
Of course, it is possible,
That I am merely projecting,
My own darkened feelings,
Onto an innocent duck,
Anthropomorphising his response,
And berating him,
For his lack of duck compassion.
But this is nonsense,
For ducks, whilst noted for their manners,
(Or lack of them),
Know nothing of my troubles,
Or my mood,
But still, it makes me feel better,
To scold a stupid duck,
And I thank the humble Mallard,
For being the unflinching receptacle,
For my mock anger,
That helps to iron out,
The ripples of my mind.

The Dead Man

Once a man came to my house,
And asked to be let in,
He looked wrought with distress,
His face was pale and thin.
I unlocked the door and waved him through,
He sat down and cried,
I watched completely helpless,
My tongue completely tied.
Presently he came around,
He dried his tear stained face,
I asked him what the matter was,
How he’d gotten to this place.

‘I am weak and broken,
My whole heart has been lost,
I’m feeling like an orchid,
Enveloped by cold frost.
I gave my life to find her,
And she threw my life away,
I’m drowning in the gutter,
And that’s where I will stay.
I’m a shadow of myself,
My soul has disappeared,
All I seem to think of,
Are her harsh and painful jeers.
I used to be so happy,
Before life was so stark,
Now I can’t face the daylight,
I only walk the streets when dark.’

I cried a tear for him myself,
And as the sun sank low,
He ate a simple meal with me,
And said that he must go.
As I watched him walk away,
I wondered of his fate,
Asking if he could be saved,
Or if it was too late.
He disappeared in shadows,
Almost fading from existence,
I wondered why he wandered so,
Was death his sole resistance?
Then I realised suddenly,
That this man's soul was used,
He was just an apparition,
He’d been dead since she refused.

Composed 2001