Competition Winner - September 2012
Flight - Yasmin Mariess

As well I might, consider flight,
for I have wings, not feet.
For who needs feet to fly?
Legs that were once strong still there,
now in the confines of my chair.
I am unstoppable, the heart beats strong
It is the will that pushes on.
And upwards, to fly unfettered, free...
Hear me shout "I am still ME!"

Yasmin Mariess

Speaking in the QUIETUDE - Aindre Reece-Sheerin

Spontaneous verse inspired by my dear friend Darren Betts on a wet Sunday Morning in the Channel Islands.

Speaking in the QUIETUDE - Aindre Reece-Sheerin

Silence and Stillness, Speak to me in volumes
Volumes I cannot quantify nor would I try
The softness of the Autumn rain
Seems to ease my worries and strain

The gentle Mumble of distant thunder
No cars, No tractors; Just nature herself
Speaking in the quietude
Caring for the Planet

These silences and Stillness move me
Carry me off to a place only few can visit
Only some have the insight to open the door
Only some can see the way to forevermore

There is the odd flash of lightening now
Like a symphony, the trees rustle and the brambles bend
Now comes the downpour, and gentle tapping of doors
As the air moves from room to room

A translucent light as opposed to darkness or gloom
Birds hold their shelter, Cats find a shed
The roses though, breathe as if they have room
The season nearly over but still with some blossoms red

I look within as the clouds now wiz past
I look forward to tomorrow
Knowing the rain will not last
Bigger flashes now as to crescendo we go
Timpani and Boom call from out of the gloom
Lighting up even the darkest of rooms

As the rain pours and someone in bed still gently snores
The cacophony of rain, and thunder and light
Have helped me look inward to find that chink of light
To realise, my cares and my woes, will one day melt away, as will all the spring snows.

Aindre Reece-Sheerin

Close My Eyes - Tony Robert

Close my eyes see your face
Reach for you, just empty space
Nothing that side of the bed
Empty pillow without your head

Dream you’re there holding me tight
Snuggled up to me in the night
Think I feel your lovely touch
Perhaps I’m hoping a bit too much

Love so much for it to be true
Want so much to be with you
Start to feel you slipping away
No matter what I do or say

Suddenly awake looking round the place
Feel the tears rolling down my face
Realise it’s just a very bad dream
Try to make sense of what it means

Where do we go from here?
Decisions that I really fear
Hope we can ride out the storm
That your love will keep me warm

Love for us to grow old together
To be with you forever and ever
To love, to care, to cherish you
That’s all I really want to do.

Tony Robert

Passing Strangers - Katherine Svensson

I drove past you.
You wore a brown leather jacket.
A skeleton covered in skin;
Cheeks and eyes and body concave.
Life being sucked out of you from within.

What cancer would take your life?
I do not know.
You made me think about you for a while,
As I drove past you,
On my way home.

Katherine Svensson

Who Regulates The Regulator? - Lester Queripel

Who regulates the regulator?
Who audits the auditor?
Who facilitates the facilitator?
Who adjudicates the adjudicator?
Who supervises the supervisor?
Who oversees the expert?
Who trained the first one?
Where did they get their knowledge from?
Who taught the first teacher?
Who ordained the first preacher?
Who set the very first test?
Who gave them authority to rule over ‘the rest?’
Who qualified the person who qualified the first surgeon?
They must have set their own standard of qualification!
They must have set their own procedures of operation!
They must have set their own rules of regulation!
Which brings me back to my first question.
Who regulates the regulator?

Lester Queripel

Not So Clever After All - Lester Queripel & Fred Williamson

People who pretend to be clever aren’t really clever at all.
Really clever people will make you feel ten feet tall.
So beware of people who try to make you feel small.
What is so clever about trying to impress?
All these people really do is leave you in distress.
They criticise and ridicule.
Try to make you look a fool.
The way they treat people is downright cruel.
So beware of people who try to make you feel small.
Really clever people will make you feel ten feet tall.

Lester Queripel & Fred Williamson

Farewell my Friend - Jenny Hamon

Image By Jenny Hamon

Farewell my Friend - Jenny Hamon

My Chestnut mare is moving on
Going to pastures new.
I know she will be happy
And is the right thing to do.

She lived with me for many years
And was my trusty friend
But now the time has come to move on
And our relationship will end.

Her life will be fulfilling
There’s space for her to roam.
She also will have company
To share in her new home.

Although the miles divide us
I know it’s for her sake,
And I always will remember her
Each morning when I wake.

P.S.

But when the winter arrives
And the rain is falling too
I’ll be inside cosy and warm.
No mucking out to do!

Jenny Hamon

Rain – A Short Poem About Loss - Kate Lee

Rain falls softly, gently
like leaves from the trees.

Inside you take a shower in your own private rain
hoping that soon the sun will shine again.

Kate Lee

Comfort Vessel - Kate Lee

If I could capture the beautiful essence of our friendship
I would pour it into a terracotta vessel and keep it safely there,
So that when I was alone and in need of comfort
I could gently release the cork stopper
And bathe in the glorious perfume of contented familiarity.

Kate Lee

In My Dreams - Lester Queripel

In my dreams, I dream of stars in endless midnight skies.
I dream of a world where people don’t tell lies.
I dream of a world where the earth never dies.
In my dreams I dream of money being used as an energy.
Being used to help set people free.
Free from tyranny and slavery.
In my dreams I dream of unity.
I dream of people helping one another.
In my dreams I dream in colour.
I dream of sunsets and rainbows, waterfalls and streams, all sorts of beautiful things, in my dreams.
In my dreams, I dream of a world where people really care, and simply wouldn’t dare, pollute the rivers, or the air.
There are no hungry mouths to feed, there is no greed.
In my dreams I can see the sea so clear.
Everything we cherish is held dear.
In my dreams I can hear music and feel the harmony.
We all sing in the same key.
We all dance and we all join hands, our hearts full of joy all over these lands.
I wonder if I will live to see, my dreams become a reality?
I certainly hope so.
If you like, I’ll let you know.

Lester Queripel

Autumn - Jenny Hamon

Now the wind arrives and my garden so neat
Is strewn with a myriad of leaves at my feet.
The colours changed to reds and gold
As another season begins to unfold.

The Autumn days bring golden hues
Of leaves and trees, and heavy dews.
The world seems tinged with a golden glow
As if painted by someone in the know.

It happens on us suddenly
After still sunny days and azure sea
The Autumn winds decide to arrive
And remind us the seasons are alive.

We dig out our woollies to keep out the chill
These long dark evenings are a bitter pill.
Tender plants give up their annual fight
Against cooler days and lack of light.

Enjoy these days because all too soon
The world moves into another moon
When winter rears it’s cold dark head
And on from Autumn we are led.

Each season brings its’ unique time
And we must embrace each changing sign.
Enjoy each season as the world moves on
As all too soon it will be gone.

Jenny Hamon

I Wouldn’t Like To Be In My Shoes - Lester Queripel

I’m sure I’ll drive myself crazy one of these days
I’ve simply overloaded my system
I realise I am disposable
I can throw myself away anytime
And that’s the bottom line
That’s the ace up my sleeve
Although I know I flatter to deceive
But do I choose to lead this life or does it choose to lead me?
Sometimes I can’t see the wood for the tree
My paranoia may just be the death of me
I am before the executioner down on one knee
I am forever on the brink
Maybe I am the missing link
I have more than one war waging within
All of these wars I simply have to win
But the orders are often misinterpreted
And the bullets are often misplaced
The planes are often without fuel
And that is a downright disgrace
But at least I still have voices in my head
So I can’t be dead
One of these days and it won’t be long
You’ll look for me baby and I’ll be gone
I think that’s how the song went
It was a blues
I’ll tell you something else
I wouldn’t like to be in my shoes

Lester Queripel

Battle Ensues - Valandra Bolan

I feel you
waiting, watching
ready to catch me when I fall

I know you are there
waiting to envelop me
grip me tight and not let me go

I could run from you
but I dont have the strength
you are stronger than I ever could be

I want to fight you
I need you to go now
repeating my mantra
tomorrow is another day

the tunnel light fades
your arms embrace me
a strong hold
I am yours yet again

Valandra Bolan

Magnetised - Lester Queripel

Your body heat when you walked in.
It sent shivers trembling all over my skin.
The way you look, the way you talk.
The way you move baby when you walk.
I was really lost like a moth to the flame.
I just couldn’t believe it when you whispered my name.
You were talking to me with your eyes.
Falling for you, I was magnetised.

Magnetised.
I was magnetised.
Magnetised.
I was magnetised.

It wasn’t my fault I didn’t stand a chance.
Your body was electric when you started to dance.
Did it really happen or was it a dream?
I just can’t believe what I think I’ve seen.
Now I don’t need to understand.
I just want to stay in this wonderland.
Because you’re talking to me with your eyes.
I’ve fallen for you and now I’m magnetised.

Magnetised.
Yes I’m magnetised.
Magnetised.
Before my eyes.
Simply magnetised

Lester Queripel

I Make No Apologies For My Passion - Lester Queripel

I make no apologies for my passion
My passion is what makes me .....me
My passion is not an item of fashion
A trend to be thrown away
I've had it since the day I was born
I'll have it till my very last day
It won't desert me, or make excuses for my being
It doesn't need to justify what everyone else is seeing
It is what it is
Excitable and creative
Tortured and emotive
It doesn't sit on the fence in a nonchalant way
It lets me know that it's there every single day
So I make no apologies for my passion
I make no apologies for being real
I make no apologies for the way that I feel
The person that you see
Is the real me
That's why I make no apologies for my passion

Lester Queripel

A Day In June - Kathy Figueroa

She got a late start
But put her heart
Into weeding her flowerbed
Down on her knees
She watched bumblebees
Bob and bustle by her head
The comfrey flowers
Had bee charming powers
Lavender blooms were in delicate array
Valerian blossoms, white
Were a stately sight
And the fine fragrance drifted her way
For the flowers to grow
The weeds had to go
But she felt hesitant, just the same
For they were lovely and lush
And the mullein leaves plush
But, if left, they would crowd out the tame
Birds on the wing
Chirped the details of spring
Chipmunks chattered high up in the trees
A joyous spell had been cast
Now that winter had passed
Wild daisies swayed in the breeze
Butterflies floated on air
Without a care
And inspected each beautiful bloom
The sun shone bright
And everywhere light
Dispelled any trace of gloom
She reveled in the flowers
As she passed the hours
Working in her garden, at home
And marveled at the way
That, on this day
All of Nature was like a beautiful poem

Kathy Figueroa

Competition Winner - August 2012
The S.O.S. Man - Jenny Hamon

Poor old man
What a burden he bears
Repairing shoes for people
He peddles his wares.

Cobblers, you say
But not him, just a man
Providing shoes for the poor
As only he can.

He stitches and glues
And repairs what he can
To make shoes to wear
The Save Our Soles man

Jenny Hamon

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