Felicitous, furry felines
Are truly creatures of leisure!
They luxuriate in the house
For blissful hours without measure,
Or frolic out in the garden
In search of elusive treasure.
For the fortunate, carefree cat
Life's a merry quest for pleasure!
Kathy Figueroa
AWOL - Aindre Reece-Sheerin
4 and 6 or thereabouts
time creates a haze and also creates doubts
there never were any fights and few shouts
but lots of silence and many pouts
4 and 6 few questions asked
one scream, just one scream
'I don't want to go back there
not without you
and yet, in time and distance not far
a coward was found and well above par
to give you up and without a fight
the regrets every day but no-one has right
nor dominion, of one over other
the hurt, the leaving
not communicating or not knowing how
the feeling of utter desperation
but being so much older now
the tears, the pain come back again and again
can't go back, would if we could
wonder if we should
knowing now all that has happened
the distain and perhaps rightly so
but is all this justifiably so
is there even contempt
Prayers asked, now in contemplation knowing full well,
we are our own masters and mistresses too
can we ever move forward, the likes of me and you
would you really change the past and me as well
4 and 6 in old money
may have been a price too much to pay
as I live, love and breathe
with a broken heart each day
Aindre Reece-Sheerin
time creates a haze and also creates doubts
there never were any fights and few shouts
but lots of silence and many pouts
4 and 6 few questions asked
one scream, just one scream
'I don't want to go back there
not without you
and yet, in time and distance not far
a coward was found and well above par
to give you up and without a fight
the regrets every day but no-one has right
nor dominion, of one over other
the hurt, the leaving
not communicating or not knowing how
the feeling of utter desperation
but being so much older now
the tears, the pain come back again and again
can't go back, would if we could
wonder if we should
knowing now all that has happened
the distain and perhaps rightly so
but is all this justifiably so
is there even contempt
Prayers asked, now in contemplation knowing full well,
we are our own masters and mistresses too
can we ever move forward, the likes of me and you
would you really change the past and me as well
4 and 6 in old money
may have been a price too much to pay
as I live, love and breathe
with a broken heart each day
Aindre Reece-Sheerin
More - Beyond The Sweet Shop - Stuart Price
What a wonderful world this is, of delicious treats all around,
To find a chocolatier, I simply drive my car into town.
Every whim and desire I can easily satisfy
'Til Billy Bunter of the Beano I come to exemplify !
These delicious cocktails, will they satisfy me forever,
Or be a passing fancy in life's rich endeavour ?
A bonus, a treat, but not my completion,
Whatever the size, the taste or sensation.
So easy to become the victim or our desires,
Corrupting the good, as robbers and liars.
Making pleasure our objective, our unholy goal
To surrender our sanity, our bedevilled soul.
Surely there is better than all of these things ?
Like the awakening sunrise as a nightingale sings.
A delicate breeze and a peacock's feather,
A mother's love for her child, which can go on forever.
Some compassion and kindness for all of mankind
For those big and small, with none left behind.
As rocks become crystals and plants turn to flowers
I catch a glimpse of eternity in these sublime powers.
An order, a logic, to life's divine dance
To know truth we must speak it, for otherwise we can't.
To be stuck in the prison of our minds is a shame,
With joy in our hearts we can all win the game.
Stuart Price
To find a chocolatier, I simply drive my car into town.
Every whim and desire I can easily satisfy
'Til Billy Bunter of the Beano I come to exemplify !
These delicious cocktails, will they satisfy me forever,
Or be a passing fancy in life's rich endeavour ?
A bonus, a treat, but not my completion,
Whatever the size, the taste or sensation.
So easy to become the victim or our desires,
Corrupting the good, as robbers and liars.
Making pleasure our objective, our unholy goal
To surrender our sanity, our bedevilled soul.
Surely there is better than all of these things ?
Like the awakening sunrise as a nightingale sings.
A delicate breeze and a peacock's feather,
A mother's love for her child, which can go on forever.
Some compassion and kindness for all of mankind
For those big and small, with none left behind.
As rocks become crystals and plants turn to flowers
I catch a glimpse of eternity in these sublime powers.
An order, a logic, to life's divine dance
To know truth we must speak it, for otherwise we can't.
To be stuck in the prison of our minds is a shame,
With joy in our hearts we can all win the game.
Stuart Price
Cocktails - Diane Scantlebury
I love the clink
I love the sound
Of cocktails when
They are making
The barman’s wiggle
Makes me giggle
When my cocktail
He is shaking
Cocktails, cocktails, cocktails
Cocktails make me happy
Cocktails make me glad
Cocktails are my salvation
When I am feeling bad
So many flavours
For me to savour
The choice will
Drive me mad
A swizzle stick
Will do the trick
To the best cocktail
I’ve ever had
Cocktails, cocktails, cocktails
Cocktails make me happy
Cocktails make me glad
Cocktails always pick me up
When I am feeling sad
Diane Scantlebury
I love the sound
Of cocktails when
They are making
The barman’s wiggle
Makes me giggle
When my cocktail
He is shaking
Cocktails, cocktails, cocktails
Cocktails make me happy
Cocktails make me glad
Cocktails are my salvation
When I am feeling bad
So many flavours
For me to savour
The choice will
Drive me mad
A swizzle stick
Will do the trick
To the best cocktail
I’ve ever had
Cocktails, cocktails, cocktails
Cocktails make me happy
Cocktails make me glad
Cocktails always pick me up
When I am feeling sad
Diane Scantlebury
As Winter Ends - Diane Scantlebury
As winter ends
And hope ascends
That something new
Will grow
A wish, a dream
A far off scheme
Only God will know
As winter ends
And spirits soar
Although cold chill
Has not yet gone
Bare trees burst into bud
Spring shoots pierce the mud
With a promise of glory to come
Diane Scantlebury
And hope ascends
That something new
Will grow
A wish, a dream
A far off scheme
Only God will know
As winter ends
And spirits soar
Although cold chill
Has not yet gone
Bare trees burst into bud
Spring shoots pierce the mud
With a promise of glory to come
Diane Scantlebury
Competition Winner - February 2013
Alone ~ Three Perspectives - Stephen A. Roberts
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| Image Source: Marcus Buchanan |
The image above is called 'Alone'. It was taken by Marcus Buchanan.
Alone ~ Three Perspectives - Stephen A. Roberts
The Chair
You've brought me down, John,
You've brought me down
to the beach
and left me, your exoskeleton
waiting for the tide
with the clam shells and echinoids
the grit has mucked up my wheels
and their shine has been dulled
by Nature's salt tears
It's alright for you, but
I will be removed
by the beach clearance team
while you and those seashells
float away on the next ebb
The Son
You've brought me down, Dad,
You've brought me down
to the beach
collecting pebbles
you linger over the bigger ones
the sea spray wet on your face
I can see that you're tired Dad
but you can still teach;
let's do photography tricks
some fast motion shots
then I'll fetch the chair
as we've come all this way
empty your pockets Dad
and I will take you home
The Poet
I've brought myself down,
I've brought myself
down to the beach
it's never easy
on your own alone
weighed down
by a coat full of stones
sometimes I'm submerged
in my thoughts;
drifting off until I realise
I've got work to do -
poems don't write themselves
now where did I put
that blasted chair?
Stephen A. Roberts
Only Yesterday - Alan Marquis
To me they are the same, in every perfect way,
those sweet sounds across the bay,
resounding in caves beside surf and foam,
where a boy once played, who called this home.
Here in these caverns, so cool and deep,
the wind outside is calm, still asleep,
as light comes to hold in quivering gleam,
silent sea-weed, swaying in the stream.
Though the boy of old is still in my eye,
his long passed dreams can only sigh,
for those days when he scrambled beside,
and shared unknowingly, a throne with the tide.
Where once his laughter filled these caves,
drifted out, far across those waves,
the boy in his heart must fondly say,
those happy days were really, only yesterday.
Alan Marquis
those sweet sounds across the bay,
resounding in caves beside surf and foam,
where a boy once played, who called this home.
Here in these caverns, so cool and deep,
the wind outside is calm, still asleep,
as light comes to hold in quivering gleam,
silent sea-weed, swaying in the stream.
Though the boy of old is still in my eye,
his long passed dreams can only sigh,
for those days when he scrambled beside,
and shared unknowingly, a throne with the tide.
Where once his laughter filled these caves,
drifted out, far across those waves,
the boy in his heart must fondly say,
those happy days were really, only yesterday.
Alan Marquis
Hasten Spring - Kathy Figueroa
Oh, please hasten, Spring
That Winter may hide itself
Away from your kindly gaze
I long to see the Crocus
And bask in sunny days
Come, fair and temperate breezes!
Let us know your mild ways
For, alas, the snow
Just stays and stays...
Kathy Figueroa
That Winter may hide itself
Away from your kindly gaze
I long to see the Crocus
And bask in sunny days
Come, fair and temperate breezes!
Let us know your mild ways
For, alas, the snow
Just stays and stays...
Kathy Figueroa
Soap Opera - Lyndon Queripel
The T.V is on the blink
I think the cable's lost a link
The picture is going blurred
I can't hear a single word
And the Ariel is in the sink
Lyndon Queripel
I think the cable's lost a link
The picture is going blurred
I can't hear a single word
And the Ariel is in the sink
Lyndon Queripel
Pointless - Diane Scantlebury
Too many harsh words said
Too much acrimony read
Too many bitter tears shed
There’s no turning back
So many hopes dashed
So many promises smashed
So much wreckage crashed
There’s no coming back
Pointless nothing to gain
Heart broken in so much pain
Thoughtlessness to blame
There’s no recovery from that
What’s done cannot be undone
Joy lost no more fun
Futile battle no one has won
Where’s the sense in that?
Diane Scantlebury
Too much acrimony read
Too many bitter tears shed
There’s no turning back
So many hopes dashed
So many promises smashed
So much wreckage crashed
There’s no coming back
Pointless nothing to gain
Heart broken in so much pain
Thoughtlessness to blame
There’s no recovery from that
What’s done cannot be undone
Joy lost no more fun
Futile battle no one has won
Where’s the sense in that?
Diane Scantlebury
Treasure - Diane Scantlebury
If I were a treasure
You found on the beach
You would toss me
Into the sea
You would not recognize
That I was not like the other pebbles
And that you should
Cherish me
You would never see
My value
You would never know
My worth
You would think that pebbles
Are all the same
To be scattered on the earth
One day you will
Regret your loss
And long for the treasure
Which in the sea
You tossed
Your heart will miss
Its light that shone
Too late
Your treasure
Will be gone!
Diane Scantlebury
You found on the beach
You would toss me
Into the sea
You would not recognize
That I was not like the other pebbles
And that you should
Cherish me
You would never see
My value
You would never know
My worth
You would think that pebbles
Are all the same
To be scattered on the earth
One day you will
Regret your loss
And long for the treasure
Which in the sea
You tossed
Your heart will miss
Its light that shone
Too late
Your treasure
Will be gone!
Diane Scantlebury
My Valentine - Jenny Hamon
I love you now, I have to say
Especially on St Valentine’s day
I write this poem from my heart
And know that we will never part.
Although it is a special day
I feel that I just want to say
No matter what the day may be
I’ll feel this way about you and me.
Our love we share as years roll on
Will grow, although our youth has gone
We do not need a special time
To say, ”Please be my Valentine”
Jenny Hamon
Especially on St Valentine’s day
I write this poem from my heart
And know that we will never part.
Although it is a special day
I feel that I just want to say
No matter what the day may be
I’ll feel this way about you and me.
Our love we share as years roll on
Will grow, although our youth has gone
We do not need a special time
To say, ”Please be my Valentine”
Jenny Hamon
Prisoner of Love - Diane Scantlebury
Entrapped in the folds of my duvet
Entangled in a web of sheets
Your hair sprinkled on the pillow
I watch your sleeping profile
Enfold you in my arms
And snuggle
Your back to my chest
Then my back to yours
Soft skin caresses
Time rushes by
Almost half the day has passed
Yet we lay warm and cocooned
Wrapped up in our nest
You are my prisoner of love
You complain but do not struggle
To break free
Free from my gentle circle of hugs
Soft lip kisses
Diane Scantlebury
Entangled in a web of sheets
Your hair sprinkled on the pillow
I watch your sleeping profile
Enfold you in my arms
And snuggle
Your back to my chest
Then my back to yours
Soft skin caresses
Time rushes by
Almost half the day has passed
Yet we lay warm and cocooned
Wrapped up in our nest
You are my prisoner of love
You complain but do not struggle
To break free
Free from my gentle circle of hugs
Soft lip kisses
Diane Scantlebury
Love Is - Lyndon Queripel
What is love ?
Love is
the answer , the truth
the freedom, the promise
it is yours, it is mine
it is hers, it is his
what is love ?
Love is
in your heart, in your mind
in your dreams and memories
in your eyes, in your smile
in your voice, in your kiss
what is love ?
Love is
all you need, all you give
all you take, all you miss
never angry or unkind
never ending, it's all this
what is love ?
Love is.
Lyndon Queripel
Love is
the answer , the truth
the freedom, the promise
it is yours, it is mine
it is hers, it is his
what is love ?
Love is
in your heart, in your mind
in your dreams and memories
in your eyes, in your smile
in your voice, in your kiss
what is love ?
Love is
all you need, all you give
all you take, all you miss
never angry or unkind
never ending, it's all this
what is love ?
Love is.
Lyndon Queripel
The Years Fly By - Tony Robert
I sit and wonder where time goes?
As the years fly by.
Had my best times I suppose
But carry on, I’ll try.
Remember when I was young
And times there seem a-plenty?
Suddenly I’m pushing fifty plus
Wishing I was twenty.
Oh to be young and full of fun
Without a single care
Now I’ve got a job to run
And I’m losing all my hair.
I used to be so slim and fit
With long hair and denim flares
Now I feel like an old git
Struggling up the stairs
Always played a lot of sport
Was as fit as a fiddle
Now my breaths are very short
And I’m expanding round the middle
Best look forward, straight ahead
Keep learning from the past
Better watch out where I tread
Might end up on my arse
Must face up to reality
At least try to be strong
To grow old with some dignity
But inside forever young.
Tony Robert
As the years fly by.
Had my best times I suppose
But carry on, I’ll try.
Remember when I was young
And times there seem a-plenty?
Suddenly I’m pushing fifty plus
Wishing I was twenty.
Oh to be young and full of fun
Without a single care
Now I’ve got a job to run
And I’m losing all my hair.
I used to be so slim and fit
With long hair and denim flares
Now I feel like an old git
Struggling up the stairs
Always played a lot of sport
Was as fit as a fiddle
Now my breaths are very short
And I’m expanding round the middle
Best look forward, straight ahead
Keep learning from the past
Better watch out where I tread
Might end up on my arse
Must face up to reality
At least try to be strong
To grow old with some dignity
But inside forever young.
Tony Robert
5 A Day - Jenny Hamon
5 a day is what they say
We need to keep ourselves healthy
By hard as I try
I cannot lie
I can never eat more than three
The vitamins are good to have in our food
They keep coughs and colds at bay
But I find that the roughage
Knocks out all my stuffing
If I try to eat 5 a day
So who made this idea for us to adhere
Have they tried to stick to the rule?
Cos if they can
Without visiting the pan
They must have the insides of a mule
I will try to eat more fruit and veg
And maybe cut down on the fat
But just an apple a day
Keeps the doctor away
And I’ll be happy with that
Jenny Hamon
We need to keep ourselves healthy
By hard as I try
I cannot lie
I can never eat more than three
The vitamins are good to have in our food
They keep coughs and colds at bay
But I find that the roughage
Knocks out all my stuffing
If I try to eat 5 a day
So who made this idea for us to adhere
Have they tried to stick to the rule?
Cos if they can
Without visiting the pan
They must have the insides of a mule
I will try to eat more fruit and veg
And maybe cut down on the fat
But just an apple a day
Keeps the doctor away
And I’ll be happy with that
Jenny Hamon
Someone Who Knows - Stuart Price
How do we feed all the starving people ?
There must be someone who knows
How to end all wars and greed forever
And where all the money goes.....
How do we house all the Homeless
There must be someone who knows
How to cure all pain, loss and sadness,
And show us where happiness flows......
Where are all the doctors for the sick and needy ?
There must be someone who knows
How to lift the barriers between us and Heaven
There must be SOMEONE who knows.......
Stuart Price
There must be someone who knows
How to end all wars and greed forever
And where all the money goes.....
How do we house all the Homeless
There must be someone who knows
How to cure all pain, loss and sadness,
And show us where happiness flows......
Where are all the doctors for the sick and needy ?
There must be someone who knows
How to lift the barriers between us and Heaven
There must be SOMEONE who knows.......
Stuart Price
Real? - Tony Robert
Nerves a-jumping, heart a-pumping
Why do I feel this way?
Could she be the one for me?
Maybe I’ll know someday
Play it cool, act the fool
Don’t let my feelings show
It’s okay to feel this way
Just don’t let others know
The way I feel is no big deal
It happens everyday
People fall, there’s no rule
To guide us in this way
See pain in her eyes, no surprise
Her hearts been broken in two
She needs to know, I won’t hurt her so,
What do I need to do?
I feel elated, haven’t even dated
But I think that she’s the one
I’m not sure how, to make it happen now
Scare her and she’ll be gone
Take it slow and let her know
The way I really feel
I won’t rush it or try to push it
Could this be for real?
Tony Robert
Why do I feel this way?
Could she be the one for me?
Maybe I’ll know someday
Play it cool, act the fool
Don’t let my feelings show
It’s okay to feel this way
Just don’t let others know
The way I feel is no big deal
It happens everyday
People fall, there’s no rule
To guide us in this way
See pain in her eyes, no surprise
Her hearts been broken in two
She needs to know, I won’t hurt her so,
What do I need to do?
I feel elated, haven’t even dated
But I think that she’s the one
I’m not sure how, to make it happen now
Scare her and she’ll be gone
Take it slow and let her know
The way I really feel
I won’t rush it or try to push it
Could this be for real?
Tony Robert
I’m still here - Tony Robert
Reclining in my comfy chair
Softly dozing without a care
Everyone asks “How are you”
I sometimes smile and I laugh too
Carers come to check I’m okay
Regular visits 3 times a day
People always in and out
“I’m still here” I want to shout
“Have you eaten, been to the loo?”
They want to know everything I do
They sometimes think that I’m not trying
But all this effort is very tiring
I maybe taking a bit too long
But these days I don’t feel so strong
Used to labour all the day
Milking cows, baling hay
Worked from dawn until sunset
Farm works hard, there’s no rest
Loved being in the open air
Fit and healthy with love to share
Raised a family the best I could
Taught them to be honest and good
Now I’m old and not so agile
They can see I’m a little bit fragile
Good old Dad they often say
He made us what we are today
And they seem so very glad
To have a loving, caring Dad
I can’t respond but I hear
And sometimes shed a silent tear
I know how much they care you know
If only I could tell them so
My family are really good to me
It’s the way that it should be
A seed once planted starts to grow
Remember, you reap what you sow.
Tony Robert
Softly dozing without a care
Everyone asks “How are you”
I sometimes smile and I laugh too
Carers come to check I’m okay
Regular visits 3 times a day
People always in and out
“I’m still here” I want to shout
“Have you eaten, been to the loo?”
They want to know everything I do
They sometimes think that I’m not trying
But all this effort is very tiring
I maybe taking a bit too long
But these days I don’t feel so strong
Used to labour all the day
Milking cows, baling hay
Worked from dawn until sunset
Farm works hard, there’s no rest
Loved being in the open air
Fit and healthy with love to share
Raised a family the best I could
Taught them to be honest and good
Now I’m old and not so agile
They can see I’m a little bit fragile
Good old Dad they often say
He made us what we are today
And they seem so very glad
To have a loving, caring Dad
I can’t respond but I hear
And sometimes shed a silent tear
I know how much they care you know
If only I could tell them so
My family are really good to me
It’s the way that it should be
A seed once planted starts to grow
Remember, you reap what you sow.
Tony Robert
Competition Winner - January 2013
Too Hot To Handle - Lyndon Queripel
She was too hot to handle
a real miss deal spitfire
with her flaming lips
and burning with desire
She was too hot to handle
with gazing blazing eyes
her low key smokey voice
rekindling stolen lies
She was too hot to handle
like the devil's daughter
with a scorching soul
dancing across the water
She was too hot to handle
many men have tried
but their blood just boiled
and their passion fried
She was too hot to handle
like a lightning flash
turning hearts to stone
and rash love into ash.
Lyndon Queripel
a real miss deal spitfire
with her flaming lips
and burning with desire
She was too hot to handle
with gazing blazing eyes
her low key smokey voice
rekindling stolen lies
She was too hot to handle
like the devil's daughter
with a scorching soul
dancing across the water
She was too hot to handle
many men have tried
but their blood just boiled
and their passion fried
She was too hot to handle
like a lightning flash
turning hearts to stone
and rash love into ash.
Lyndon Queripel
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