The arch of day bends to heavenly light 
Past the wanderous eye of a child 
To the chill of flesh grown out 

Our chance begs to come alive 
Though years gone hold us to
Frozen choices made in time past 

Dreams of a youth so eloquently felt 
Swept under roots of rotting self 
The sweet curse of time rolled

His greying wings flake 
Above blistered air 
To send him  
Into peace that settles 
Up there 

With a slight tilt 
Direction sets 
Momentum holds 
Without sound 
He descends 

An ordinary bird 
Of the common park 
Proudly patrols
These parts 
Of his sky 

To watch 
Passing land 
For what might 
Risk 
His place

Of importance 
Statue 
And the coming of his 
Proudest 
Time 

He will fly 
To protect 
Love 
And care 
The December sky 

Sweet petals erupt in my ear 
Drums that softly rattle and
Rustle my quickening soul 

Angelic high notes 
Composed from the throats of children 
Too young to know beauty 

Open water now frozen 
Surrounds their home 
Under attack

Yet beneath warm shrubs
Small birds I cannot name 
Sing

Their hearts bleed joy 
From their lips 
A chilling chirp 

A moment  
Everlasting in 
Song 

For no one 
And 
Everyone  

But no
one is
here

I am marinated by 
Whispers from a God
I can only hear 
Upon the crushing of hope 
And breaking truths 

A meat vehicle 
Your flesh to enact 
A vision I do not see 
Cannot see without 
Your echoing sound 

What am I 
My skin is split 
To obey  
Come what may 
Come my way 

Where does this spiralling soul 
Meet it’s end 
I beg you to 
Tell me or I’ll 
Cast off 

Break from your steer 
Be free of your fist 
I will outlast 
I will
Run 

To what? 
To you? 
To the life you made?
To the ideals I now must now define?
To the emptiness?

I am meat 
Your vehicle 
Whether I choose to or not 
I am  
Yours

From the gallows she bubbles 
Creatures and features
Of the mutty water 
God only knows 
How such pleasure 
Erupts from her wickedness

Beneath the surface 
Sacrifices are made 
To feed her trunk 
The gerth that needs filling 
Night or day 
Hope or pray 

Carcus and thinning skin 
Rot, green and brown 
Float down 
To a bellowing end 
The inevitability of fate 
Her system of governance 

On and on
Turning dark into drink 
That spawns her 
It repeats 
Taking life 
Giving life

For upon her reluctant out stretched arms, Bluetits rest
Toads hide in her darkened pockets 
Herons perch on her weary head 
And Spiders crawl on her bulging base 
All this 
Her sacrifice 

A heart does rest 
Beneath layers of crumpled leafs 
But it remains asleep and forgotten 
For her dark rhythmn 
And deathly cycle 
Is all she’ll ever know 

The colour of pain 
Blood
Red and black spilt 
Upon naked canvas 

No 
The days of suffering
Do not touch me 
Here  

My flesh is clean  
It rests 
In minds and memories 
Plagued 

I do not seep from skin 
Nor does an aching heart 
Pierce blue from 
A chest 

This pain lives in spirit 
When it bleeds 
It leaves no residue 
No evidence 

No colour 
Only knowledge 
That it was there 
Once 

Only a witness 
Who felt it 
Come and
Go  

S and W 
Bookend a no 
And keep it from 
Escaping 

Winter is falling  
Upon hills forgotten 
Now transformed  
Ramps of my dreams 

Ben returns  
To this moment 
For his feast 
For he has been starved 

Puffing as I play  
With giddy feelings 
Banished 
From a serious life 

The thickening snow 
Disguises  
My uncontrolled 
Explosion 

I just look mad 
And overgrown 
Free 
Running 

I’ve grown so far away
From this 
The boy who ran and played
Till fingers fell numb 

So I’ll wait  
Till the light fades
And pretend 
For a little longer 

Don’t leave  
My glimpse  
Of a younger time 
In the glistening white

May I rest here
And soak in your breath 
Down to warm my
Inside  
 
May I rest my hand 
Into your clutch 
And let my heart flutter
Tonight 

May I rest now 
In this sheltered place 
Of red and glass 
And heat

May I rest in peace 
Where this all began 
Take me back to that 
Winter light

I can hear the clock ticking 
Under these cotton sheets 
I am warm 
As the storm arrives 

The ticking darts in and out 
Like a fairy 
And as it builds
It deafens 

Echoing around my mind 
Like the swirling winds 
That bellow 
From outside 

But inside 
I am taken over
By a clock intent 
On rattling me 

It is crazing me out 
This fucking crick crack noise 
I’m at my end
Striking out  

Then calm 
Submerged in the sound 
Somehow the anger collapses it 
And sounds pass over my head 

Like a passing boat 
To the fish swimming beneath 
The sounds muffle 
In endless space 

A peace
After all that 
I am present 
Under these warm sheets

Slipping through my fingers like butter 
Down onto the crystal dish 
Friends  
My chance of a civilised life 

Why do I forget 
To love proactively 
Why are relationships like these  
Such a test of heart 

I withhold my need for others 
I cradle me 
Without care to cradle those 
I could befriend 

To die bereft of friendship
To have walked this earth alone 
Is to have experienced man’s modernity 
My unnecessary way 

What i’d do 
To break free of my compulsion 
To love  
To give