The future's imminent (it’s not in our hands) - Julian Clarke

The brass key turns tightening the spring
How the second hand races, chasing dates
Evenly stitching together the edges of time:

Facing its face, no smile, no frown
Unzipping the seconds into minutes
Tormenting, teasing, running late
Unperturbed silently setting the day;
Relentlessly sweeping round and round
Each hand turning towards the future:

If the clock work were to stop, no tick-tock
Suspended in time the hands would wait.

Ingeniously, somehow they will always turn
Magically pointing to impending events
Mocking us, they will never age . . .
In time zones across the lands these hands
Never stuffed in pockets in perpetual motion
Engraving the past and sealing the present.
Now the digits twist in time, one understands
The future's imminent: it’s not in our hands.

Julian Clarke

Moth - Trudie Shannon

The sun is shining, the street, people thronged
And all hurrying.
So much business, so much stress and pressure,
So much to do, so little time to 'be'
That the light of this beautiful day
Seems somehow, to be missing.
Suddenly a splash of orange flutters by my head.
I see a night moth, its wings each bearing an open eye
Its head a lion's mane.
It saunters in its flight between bobbing heads,
Pitches between toddlers’ feet
Touches lightly, silk dresses and slick suits
Alights, albeit briefly upon the bare arm
Of a dozing drunk
Then soars up again, not like an eagle
Reaching for the sky
But somewhat erratically clumsily
Crashing against shop windows.
Like the drunk, lost and wandering.

Trudie Shannon

Service Charge - Lyndon Queripel

"Can I put that on account?"
I asked as I winked my eye
"On account? What account?"
I heard the salesman cry
"On account I have no money."
Was my quick-witted reply
As I started up my engine
And smiling, waved goodbye.

Lyndon Queripel

In My Dreams - Lester Queripel

Today's poem is a "Golden Oldie" and was originally published here in September 2012

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

Saved - Tony Bradley

If I hadn't met you, I'd be a different me
probably dead, or living in a hostelry,
in prison for robbery, or assault, or worse
or with three old companions, cardboard, hunger and thirst.

If I hadn't met you, I wouldn't be here
the cuts were deep, the damage severe
the real me was squashed, gnarled and twisted
and it only changed , because you existed.

Everyone owes me, and someone's gonna pay
for the pain and neglect, I suffered each day
I'm ready for trouble, I'm going to blow,
a self-destruct lever just waiting to go.

But one day you smiled at me, even though you were shy
a beautiful sunlight filled my dark dismal sky
an angel came to me, on that special day
all my demons and bitterness just floated away

Tony Bradley