Sands Of Time - Ian Duquemin

Life is just a timer… 
Where the sand falls faster every day
Everything surrounding you
Will turn to dust, and drift away 
Every day that passes by
Another day, that now is past 
Nothing in this life, was made to last

And what was young
Will soon be old
And memories, only stories told 
To no one who will even wish to hear
And like the ghosts surrounding you
No matter what you try to do 
Those memories of yours, will disappear 

And every passing day will be 
Another lost, for you and me 
And soon the last will come, without a sign 
With all your dreams that never came
You never had yourself to blame 
As no one ever slowed the sands of time 

The bells will echo on and on
But even those will soon be gone
Silence will descend upon us all 
The timer can't be turned around 
And in the glass a final sound 
One last grain of sand, is yet to fall

So close your eyes, don't be afraid 
Of your mistakes, and choices made 
Life was never yours to understand 
The time you never thought about 
Unknowingly, was running out 
And every day of life was only sand 

Ian Duquemin

Image : Pinterest - Daljeet Kaur

The Lockdown Serpent - Richard Fleming

A place, secure, or so we dreamed,
a place of safety from hurt,
was where we dwelt in innocence
while that external, other world
of chaos seemed so far away.
No single doubt intruded on
our reverie: we were in step
while all the rest had lost their path,
blind stumblers, fools of a kind.

Ours was a paradise like Eden,
where every jigsaw piece could fit,
where nothing might disturb or harm
or sully our tranquility
and there we fell asleep and dreamed.

The day the Serpent came
was just an ordinary day
without a hint of danger.
The creature took us unawares.
All changed.
Whatever framed our world was split
and, in a careless moment, we
awoke to find ourselves 
not free.

Richard Fleming

The Choice..... - Tony Gardner

"Me or the dog, -- you'll have to choose,"
That's what she said today.
"I thought I'd found true love at last,
but that hound is in the way!"
It all was swell, so fine at first
I thought I'd found the Mate
That I could spend forever with
A gorgeous girl called Kate.
I brought her home so she could meet
Another dear to me
My old dog 'Jenn', a furry friend
As faithful as can be.
But they took an instant dislike
To each other right away
And Katie said she'd have to go
She really couldn't stay.
She turned to go then gave a yell
Jenn chased her to the door.
That was that, I guess that we
Won't see her anymore.
I miss my Kate, so sweet although
We didn't get a snog.
But I'm not too broken hearted
I've still got my loyal dog.

Tony Gardner

Image : after Pixabay - Gordon Johnson

This Changed World - Kathy Figueroa

Local businesses falter and fail
One by one stores are put up for sale
The virus tanked our economy
Signs of its impact are plain to see

It’s so different in the downtown core:
Masks worn, long line-ups - unlike before  
Will this pandemic just fade away?
Or is this changed world now here to stay?

Kathy Figueroa

Image : Pixabay - Queven

Dog of the Bay - Diane Scantlebury

Oh to be a little dog running along the bay,
My tiny paws slipping, tripping,
As they upturn shells,
Darting back and forth to dodge the breakers,
Sniffing at stones smothered in seaweed
And curious smells,
Let off the lead to roam and explore,
I’d sniff at lost treasures
And driftwood washed ashore,
Trot over to my oblivious owners,
Having cocked my leg up to leave my mark,
Announce my return with a tail wag
And a loud, cheerful bark!

Diane Scantlebury

Image : Pixabay - Katrina_S

Party Tricks - Oscar Milde

At a party, met a man,
intriguing fellow, very bright,
who told me of his clever plan:
something to do with trapping light
then harnessing it, cleverly,
to create, what, I don’t recall.
It was too technical for me
but he seemed really on the ball
and promised he would let me in
on this to make a lot of dough:
five hundred smackers to begin.
I’d be a fool if I said no.
I paid up front. He smiled and said,
You’re playing with The Big Boys now.
We parted. I went home to bed
to wife and to a late-night row.
The row became a noisy brawl.
She screamed, You spent five hundred quid!
I waited weeks for him to call.
My wife was right, he never did.

Oscar Milde

Image : Pixabay - LillyCantabile

Gilead - Stephen A. Roberts

Is this the dawn of of Atwood’s Gilead?
The USA has gone completely mad
The nation that put Liberty on a pedestal
Has put her up against the wall
Green tears of rain run down her face
As she sees the Constitution debased
As the land of the free fights amongst itsel’
The defeated President won’t say farewell
With him we thought we’d seen it all...
...then he incites the storming of the Capitol
The would-be King of America has no shame
The beacon of democracy has gone up in flames

Stephen A. Roberts

Image : Pixabay - kalhh / Gerd Altmann

Second Hand Blues - Lyndon Queripel

They say that the white man
Just can’t sing the blues
But I’ve got a hole in my pocket
And a hole down in my shoes

Do you judge a book by its cover
Or need to read between the lines
Been double-crossed by your lost lover
Before your heart could see the signs?

It depends on where you heard it
And how you translate fake news
It depends on how you word it
And the language that you use

They say the black man’s burden
Is what the blues is for
But there’s a law for the rich
And another for the poor

Some of our best friends are coloured
They’re easy to recognise
They’ve got the truth in their soul
And it’s reflected in their eyes

Lyndon Queripel

Image : Pixabay - Free-Photos

You Can’t Lock Us Down - Tony Bradley

The air smells fresh,
there’s little exhaust fumes
and listen, to all those birds
It’s only ugly modern life,
that’s bereft,
the artist’s still have their brushes,
and the Poets still have their words.

Tony Bradley
Image : Pixabay - Ngo Minh Tuan