Balance - Diane Scantlebury

In her head’s the sound of waves,
As they lash relentlessly 
Against the land,
Each spitting their foam
Onto the beach,
To dribble between the grains of sand,

And across the blank canvas of that sand,
A single track
Of footsteps become imprinted,
There to be eroded
On the next tide,
Their existence lost or barely hinted,

In her head’s the sound of trees,
As buffeted by the wind
Their leaves dance and rustle,
While birds cling to the swaying platforms
Of the branches,
A brief respite as on their forages they hustle,

And from within the shelter of those leaves,
The tiny aviators face their daily challenge,
Then hurl themselves headlong
Towards the sand,
Where survival or death 
Hang in the balance.

Diane Scantlebury

It Just Took Once - Tony Gardner

We met at a party, we laughed at the same things
We drank the same drinks and we got on just fine

I'd just lost an old love, she'd just done the same thing
We felt good together and stayed close 'til the light

Of a big, new, old morning awakened our tired eyes
Yawning, embarrassed, sober we realised

There is nothing to build on from a tipsy one-nighter
The best thing we could do was just to move on

But something kept niggling, I called up the number
She had written in case there'd been words left unsaid

Some magic was drawing us closely together
Some higher power far wiser than we

Where we are heading for no one can tell us
We're happy to follow where ever we're led

We both are grown up and no longer childish
But we both agree, Fairy Tales are not dead.

Tony Gardner

Stumbling Through - Tony Gardner

Looking at me, you may think 'He's OK'
Doing just fine, walking down his own way.
I suppose that maybe partly it's true
But for most of my life, I'm just stumbling through
Through feelings of confidence, feelings of worth
Of making the most of my short time on Earth
What I morally owe, what I'm entitled to
In this crazy minefield, I'm just stumbling through.
Through times of despair, disappointment and woe
Through happiness I never dreamed I could know
Through dull days and bright days, I always knew
Through all of my life I'd be just stumbling through
Should I do this or that or try something new
I'm just doing my best and stumbling on through.

Tony Gardner

Throw the Dice - Lester Qureipel and Fred Williamson

Is this paradise, limbo or hell?
I am running rings around the carousel
I am so confused, I simply cannot tell
Am I laying where I fell?
Are my ears ringing or is that the bell?
I do not want to wait to get to heaven
To get my reward
I want be knighted, not fall on my sword
I want rebirth here on earth
For all it is worth
Not to wait till I am six foot under the turf
I want a life of merriment and mirth
I want to be tossed in the surf
Maybe that is all I am worth
Pushing up the daisies, under the feet of ladies
Walking all over me, in their satin and lace
Kicking sand in my face
Talking about the weather,
Strutting together
Give me a taste of the feast
Give me a day at least
One day in paradise
I will throw the dice
Will my number be up
Come on, lady luck.

Lester Qureipel and Fred Williamson