Tag: poetry

poetry

~ A Damaged Man, But An Honest One ~

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~ A Damaged Man, But An Honest One ~

For the first time ever
I have to think about what I’m writing
I normally just threw words out into the world
With flippant disregard
For what anyone thinks of it
But now I have a girlfriend
And my girlfriend has parents
Who take a strong interest in her affairs
Which naturally includes me….

Her mum is following my blog
So she sees all the things I write
My poems of destruction and darkness
And, I assume, makes opinions of me from them.

Freedom is essential to expression
And what is a writer to do
When he feels self-conscious
And even constricted
About the words he is writing.

The way I see it:
She is probably going to read this poem at some point
But I just have to accept that I’ve started down this path
There’s no turning back
There’s no quelling my voice
No shielding people from the savage truth
That runs rampant in my heart.

I’ve started so I’m going finish
And keep on sharing my words
Bellowing out the secrets of my soul
On this megaphone
Like a crazy preacher
In a city centre square.

Yes, I’m not a straight-edged person
I’m not a poster boy partner
But I am a human-being
Who is in touch with his core
And I speak with total authority
About my experiences.

My life hasn’t been a smooth ride
I’ve been on a turbulent journey
Searching this world for purpose
While finding trouble along the way.

I’ve veered close to death and madness
And broken my heart a few times
But I’ve also found inner peace
And developed a sense of self-understanding
That has inspired me to put my defences down
And open my heart to the world
To share my story.

This is who I am; this is what I do.
I will never hide or edit my feelings
Or write poems to be read out at social events
Or to impress bosses or in-laws.

My words are bloody and uncivilised
They may make some people uncomfortable
And perhaps make them see me in a new light
Not always a favourable one.

But doing this gives me something
That purifies, invigorates
And keeps me living a life
Of personal truth
And freedom.

So here I am:
A damaged man
But an honest one
Who has decided
He’ll keep on writing
And showing his scarred face
While being unashamedly
And unapologetically
Himself.

poetry

~ The Great Dance ~

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~ The Great Dance ~

It comes from somewhere
I know not where
But this voice inside me
Sings some universal spirit
Channelling the cosmos
As I pour words onto pages
And feel the fire of the stars
Burning in my fingertips
While looking around me
Watching the birds fly in a sunset sky

Somehow they, too, are apart of what’s happening
All this nature working together
Like one giant organism
Those sparrow wings fluttering
Those clouds drifting in the sky
Those waves crashing on shorelines

It’s all working together in some complete way
And I surrender myself to this harmony
Knowing it is not me writing anymore
There is no conscious creator
It’s just the universal flow
That causes everything bright and beautiful
Like those immense patterns of colour
Just as that sun begins to hit the horizon
And ignites the sky into a fiery red
While the song of the birds rings out
And I imagine some native tribe singing
Somewhere in some distant land
On the other side of the ocean
Everyone singing in unison
Dancing with their naked feet
Upon this earth.

This is the great law of energy
And accept this poem as person singing
As another ocean wave crashing
As another bird flapping its wings
As another cloud drifting in the sky
And then continue on your own day
And join in the cosmic dance.

You, too, are apart of this.

poetry

~ Starlight Signal ~

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~ Starlight Signal ~

The birds last song of the day sounds out in this suburb
The clouds begin to lose their distinction
Night is coming as the sun sinks below the horizon
And the first star appears in the sky
Taking that leap to be the first one
To shine and let its presence be known.

My life is changing right now
I’m feeling things that are new to me
I’m living in some space that is hazy
Heading over the horizon to a new place
But I realise you are that first star in the sunset sky
Signalling the change
Like a glinting diamond.

I sit back and sip my wine
As more stars become visible
One by one they appear
These burning beauties
Slowly unveiling themselves
Showing me that once the sun sets
And a period of my life ends
There will always be something there
Transforming my world into something else
Something that turns people into dreamers
To contemplate the whole universe
And all the love and beauty in it
And the possibility of what is to come.

poetry

~ End Times ~

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Not a day goes by
Where I don’t think about
Breaking this world apart
I’m sick of seeing these people
Potential shiners of light
Drifting like rain clouds
Through dead streets
Devoid of imagination
Vision and spirit.

They do not see life how it is
On their one ticket to the show
They sit staring at screens
Sticking their heads in the sand
Missing the cosmic magic.

Not a day goes by
Where I don’t want to scream
And let the shriek of my soul
Bellow out across this city
To shaken the windows
Of those who sit in slumber
Stale minds on sofas
Who do not hear the music
That plays outside
In the trees.

How am I going to make it
Another forty or fifty years
Without losing my mind
Having to face these people
And talk to them in their language
It is the language of dead
And I long to be alive.

I won’t accept this lifestyle anymore
Or this government pissing on me
Or the companies pissing on me
As they continually raise their prices
While wages stagnant.

The collapse is coming
That is for sure
And I do not fear it.

Let the whole system fall down, I say
Let it be biblical and messy
I want to see the look in the eyes of everyone
As they see that the life they lived 
Was nothing more than some illusion
Built on shifting sands.

Then they will stand in the wasteland
Where they will be asked to look inside themselves
And see what they are made of
To see what they have left
To see if they saved enough of their soul
To endure the end times.

The glorious end times.

poetry

~ Shackles Rusting ~

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~ Shackles Rusting ~

There are days when you dream of escape
Days when you look up to the grand sky above
And think about breaking out of this jail
To explore the hidden beyond
That lies out of reach
Just like the feeling of completion
That your soul yearns for
In this trivial place.

There are days when you dream of escape
When you think about taking off the mask
Stepping off the stage and throwing open the back door
Out you’ll walk into a new day – natural light finally on your face
No longer the puppet in the artificial place
Pandering to the crowd in some performance.

You’ll let go of everything in your life that doesn’t fulfil you
You’ll take only what you need as you begin your new voyage
Towards the distant lands of some destiny you had forgotten
The sort of place your bones longed to be in when you were a kid.

There are days when you dream of escape
And on those days you feel an importance
For you are feeling something within which is real
A deep cosmic force pulsating through your flesh
That tugs at the strings of the soul
Telling you where you need to go
And what you need to do.

Just like the birds in that sky flying southward
And the fish swimming up stream
You will be in tune with universal nature
Following that ineffable feeling
Hiking your way toward the horizon
And finding the oasis of life
Where you belong standing free
Living your truest life
As your shackles are finally left rusting 
Along the way.

poetry

~ Doubt ~

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~ Doubt ~

Not so sure anymore
Of myself
And everything I thought
To be true.

I guess we all go through this
So sure of everything
Then life blows us away
To a new place
Where we don’t recognise
Much at all.

I search for the sight of something
That speaks to my confused soul
The same thing I’ve always done
On this strange journey of mine.

I don’t know how to do this life too well at all
Plans and positions are not for me
My best efforts are often not enough
And I can’t seem to see things through.

I’m a malfunctioning machine
That shouldn’t have been manufactured
I’m a disorientated pilgrim
Wandering in a desert.

No chance it seems to ever straighten myself out
And have some final clarity about it all.

But still,
Something within demands an answer
And like a lost animal
I crawl forward to it

But I only move in circles
Returning to the same old place
Of tiredness and confusion.

That confusion grows
Life seems like a dream
My eyes look up to the sky
A sad wonder fills my head.

poetry

~ Daft Daydreamer Delusions ~

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~ Daft Daydreamer Delusions ~

Some days I dream about solitude
About becoming some sort of hermit
Residing in a cave of my own making
Meditating for hours each day
Living off the bare essentials
Exploring my inner world.

Some days I dream about going away
To a place where sanity is banished
And all the logic and reason of the world
Is permanently banned.

Some days I dream about holding on
To my character and soul
And not letting this world rearrange me
Just to see how I turn out:
A madman or a poet.

Many men dream of taking chances
And perhaps there is no greater risk
Than following your own inner voice
When it tells you to leave the farm
Of regulated normality.

A part of me yearns to leap
Into that untamed wilderness
But reality stares at me menacingly
Snapping its teeth and licking its lips
Daring me to venture out beyond those fences.

Thoughts of starvation hound me again
So I guess I’ll just keep on doing what I can
Finding my way on this safe farm
Earning money, paying bills
Sitting on sofas and staring into space
The days slowly disappearing
As these daft daydreamer delusions
Drift on through my mind.

poetry

~ Life Through the Veins ~

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~ Life Through The Veins ~

Too often you go through life on autopilot
Not even realising that you aren’t awake
And alert to the beauty around you.

Then one day something shakes you
It isn’t some great epiphany of light
Rather it’s usually something simple
Be it the sight of a bird resting on a branch
A crescent moon resting over a city skyline
Rain droplets running down the window glass
Or a small child running with a natural joy
That you had long forgotten about.

Maybe it’s a certain song
Or a combination of sound and sight
Birds tweeting as the sun rises over the hills
Setting off a morning chorus in your own soul.

At every moment of life, we are ready to awaken again
And see that we are wandering in some work of art
And every moment is full of mystery and magic
And that things aren’t so bad after all.

As the earth twirls in space
As the oxygen fills your lungs
As the stars shimmer in the night sky
And your heart beats in harmony 
With the whole of the universe.

Know that you are alive.

poetry

~ Taking it Easy ~

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~ Taking it Easy ~

Still never had a proper job
Now in my thirties
I think about how I’ve made it to here
Whilst travelling the world and hardly working
And only earning peanuts when I did.

I’ve taken part in paid medical trials
Which has undoubtedly been the main way
I’ve managed to avoid the rat race.

I’ve also lived frugally.
I only ever owned a few clothes at a time
I never drove or even learned to drive
I was careful and stubborn with my money
Apart from on nights-out
When that all went out the window.

I’ve used student loans
Both for my Bachelors
And another one for my Masters
Which I quit after three weeks
To go travelling in Central America.

Actually, when I think about
I haven’t worked more than six months in a year
In the last seven years now.
Quite the achievement,
If I dare say so myself. 

My friend Bryan says I’m a walking insult
To the hard-working people
Who constantly toil in their careers
Chasing promotions and paychecks
Success and social status.

I’ve not cheated the system or anything
I simply made some choices not to play the game
You just don’t need to own your own property
Or drive a nice car
Or have a full wardrobe
Or eat out at fancy restaurants
Or buy your coffee from Starbucks.

Saving for my next backpacking adventure
Taught me to be brutal with my spending
Buying only what I needed to survive
And through this frugal and minimalistic lifestyle
I actually discovered that you didn’t need much
To be happy, at all.

Yes, it’s a cliche, but a true one.
Just sit and meditate.
Breathe in and out.
Keep active.
Eat reasonably well.
Practise your passion.

Slowly you realise that it’s all a big con
Happiness is available to you whenever you allow it
Just let the solitude and silence teach you
And gently remove the veil of illusion
That is pulled over everyone’s eyes.

Yes, it’s hard to go out and get a ‘proper job’
And join the rat race after you learn these things
But once you’re happy being a loser by society’s standards
You simply don’t care about anyone’s opinion.

You just sit back, write your poetry,
Stare at the birds flapping their wings
As they nestle in the trees.
Like you, they know that there’s nothing to chase
Only something to be cherished.

Life is not a problem to be solved
But a reality to be experienced.

Some great philosopher said that
And you know,
As I take another sip of this wine,
I do have to say that I wholeheartedly agree.

Cheers to that.

poetry

~ Right Where I Belong ~

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~ Right Where I Belong ~

Smelling the grass and the flowers
Lying in this field of contentment
There is no rush to be anywhere 
I’m happy to just lie down
And let this life wash over me.

Other things I could be doing
Productive things, they like to say
Well, it all comes back to this anyway
The purpose of being will always be here
As everyone runs toward some illusionary goal.

To be miserable in a mansion
To be depressed with diamonds
To be sick with success
And lonely in the crowd

It’s clear to me that where life is
Is nowhere else but nature
And this joy is found
At the root source
Of everything worth doing.

I grew from the dirt of this earth
Like a flower of circumstance
And it is when I am surrounded
By all of this beauty
That I finally feel in touch
With my true essence

Let my dreams burst
And my thoughts bloom
And my happiness blossom
And please, do not think of me as lost

Like the lone eagle in the sky,

I am right where I belong.