a bipolar scribble … … …
thoughts racing, taking on the whole world so cruel and wide,
‘I’m fine, I say, I just have to decide’,
do i stay in bed again, swirling down a maelstrom of gloom,
or commence in the spring-cleaning of my already spotless room,
ah, decisions decisions,
far too many to divine,
‘I think I’ll scribble endlessly on, because really, really, really, I really am just fine’
✌
🌻
😼
😊
😊😼🌻✌✊
when i leave my ink behind, ever searching for slivers of hope in the shape of a rhyme,
i breathe, i live, feeling sorrow slip through my fingers,
because scribbling for you is where the peace lies, the peace so elusive to find … … …
nothing leaves a heart reeling more than the heart filled with an abundance of feeling
in your eyes #13
clasping onto hope,
fragile strands of sanity dispelling unseen phantoms,
lost amongst the suffocating crowd,
cloaked in your invisible shroud,
fortitude restraining you from crying out loud,
still your fire rages, crackling embers testament to your dignity,
your insolent defiance, ever steely, seeing through the lies,
your quiet strength resting deep,
in your eyes … … …
your light blazed bright,
a comet slicing through the moonless night,
enveloped by your sight, dimming the pangs of my darkening plight,
i found my peace, in the blue open skies,
of your eyes … … …
nestled on a branch,
a solitary bird sings its mournful song,
the branch undulates,
straining to bear the bird’s weight,
offering respite, succour, peace,
just a little,
a little to ensure the tiny bird is at ease … …
burnished by the sun,
petals fade,
as another day is done,
lulled to rest,
assured,
that morning dew shall soon come,
invigorating life, again,
and for a fleeting moment,
banishing all strife
breaths drawn,
echo across fields of green,
a plaintive song,
teasing the grass,
paths once walked,
hand in hand,
now burning highways,
of cold stone, dead concrete,
yearning for bygone days,
walking, together,
on your jacaranda carpeted street
cinnamon kisses,
sprinkled on honeydew lips,
sate the thirst,
of parched desire,
“hold me”, she said,
we have many a mile yet to tread … … …
crushed flowers lay casually strewn,
apathy into warm hearts are hewn,
what is this life so hopelessly out of tune,
tell me before I disappear over the barren dune … … …
remembered oaths,
churned out vows,
spilling into overflowing goblets,
weighed down by heaving plates,
not for me, this plastic charade,
not for me, the passing parade,
for me, the scent of your hair,
for me, you and i,
beneath the swaying of a palm,
in the shadow of the shade
under clouds of despair,
feeling lost,
gasping for air,
clasping onto filaments of hope,
may your strength never forsake you,
may you hold on tight,
fanning the embers of that hope,
may you find solace to live, to breathe,
to cope … … …
Johannesburg May 20 2016
zzZzzzZzZzzz
😼
c l u t t e r
☺🌻✌
in your eyes #11
darkness enfolds night,
suffocating, cold, empty,
i stare, unseeing,
alone, desolate,
till i see,
the light in your eyes
life weaves unseen strands,
wringing pain out of shattered hands,
while dusk settles,
and another lonesome night lands … … …
Many thanks to The New Verse News for publishing my scribble “Migrant”.
http://newversenews.blogspot.co.za/2016/05/the-migrant_53.html?m=1
✌🌻☺
😼✌🌻
for later reading ...
for reading a bit later … I’m relaxing now, you understand I’m sure …
😼✌🌻☺
end of love … … …
shellshocked, the walking wounded, seeking some measure of understanding,
wondering why you had to say goodbye,
then I knew, thinking about why it was that you flew,
it was i whose heart turned cold,
it was i whose stitched feelings turned out untrue … … …
love concedes, through bitter travails,
love recedes, into closeted wardrobes,
love exhausts, lover and loved alike,
but,
love endures, through the years,
traversing valleys of tears,
dispelling untruths,
by exiling paralysing fears … … …
in your eyes, a maelstrom of emotion,
in your eyes, whirlpools of desire,
beckoning, inviting me to plunge, into celestial waters,
in your eyes … … …
✌🌻
ah! sunday ... ... ...
😼😊
in your eyes, i see,
desolation flee,
in your eyes, i know,
is a humanity that shall always flourish, ever grow,
in your eyes, i see, a fiery need, passion ablaze, mirth set free,
in your eyes, is where i wish to be … … …
in your eyes #8
in your eyes,
have i plumbed the depths of truth,
in your eyes,
have i found rejuvenated youth,
in your eyes,
have i seen my future, my now,
in your eyes, that do soothe … … …
in your eyes,
spices swirl, dark chocolates whirl,
awake beside you,
your breath against mine,
waiting, as you sleep,
for your eyelashes to unfurl … … …
in your eyes #6
whittling down reason, drawing out a rhyme,
searching for the truth,
hurtling through time,
in your eyes, i find my answer, my refuge from the incessant rain,
in your eyes, i sail upon the ocean, devoid of pain … … …
lilting, songs rise, from the ashes of torn dreams,
scattered on the waters, of this life’s streams … … …
“i have lost my way”, i said,
she smiled, taking my hand,
“i am still searching”,
“i have found you”, said i,
“and i, you”, she breathed … … …
why do tears fall like rain, stripping the veneer, exposing the pain,
a coldness seeping, grappling, to shield minds, tucked away shielding the sane,
why do tears fall like slicing rain,
a perennial deluge, jabbing, prodding, a thousand miniscule cuts,
weathering bruises, again and again … … …
the rain pelts down,
cleansing barren pathways,
sweeping all detritus of yesterday away,
soaking up the pain,
promising the radiance of the sun,
to emerge,
dispelling the gloominess of today … … …
the shadows lengthen,
across pastures green,
light recedes,
brushed by the breeze,
enveloping all … … …
as we walk this life, encountering generous spirits, amidst many an apathetic soul,
may we cherish the generosity of spirit, by excising the soulless whole … … …
morning flowers,
secluded in the garden,
never knowing why,
morning dew is ever fleeting,
seemingly, always,
destined to disappear,
and dry … … …
my scribble “Old Sof’town'” appears in Vox Poetica …
http://voxpoetica.com/softown/
Many thanks to Vox Poetica for choosing to publish my piece.
Poetry resists Racism!
what is this life, this mincemeater of souls, wherever we flee, the thunder rolls, leaving us parched, hungry and alone, effortlessly turning hearts to stone, chasing humanity away, incarcerated every other day, wearing these skins of shame, for if you don’t play the game, you’ll have to be tame, squeaking your grievances in utter vain, without recourse to slivers of hope, they’ll clamp your mind in a vice grip, just so you don’t cope … but … but if you can hold your own, keeping the flames of consciences burning, it’ll be their backs that’ll be a-turnin’, calling you a loser, a dropout, a vagabond soul, telling you that you’ll never be whole, ah but you know better than that for sure, for what haven’t you had to endure, so stay standing, head upright, and that just might, just probably might, get you through the desolate night … … …
in your eyes, i see,
waters of turquoise,
pearls in the deep,
in your eyes, i drown,
swept by the currents,
banishing my sleep,
in your eyes, i feel,
a yearning for peace,
beyond the tears we weep … … …
leaving the din of this city far behind,
away from the strangling grind,
she asked me “what are you hoping to find?”,
“you, if you don’t mind”
in your eyes,
marmalade swirls,
candyfloss twirls,
draw me ever deeper,
as another day unfurls … … …
in your eyes,
seeing the pain i touch and feel,
in your eyes,
the ache of having to scrape and kneel,
in your eyes,
beholding the fire of your wandering soul,
in your eyes, i see,
the promise of being whole … … …
May your embracing warmth,
be forever by your side,
may you walk the soft beaches of the fates, at the coming in of the tide.
May life shower you with love, laughter, truth, peace, health,
your spirit a wellspring of ceaseless wealth.
May your dreams be boundless soaring through hopeful skies,
the open skies residing,
swirling, bubbling,
in your eyes … … …
in your eyes … … …
1.
As another day recedes,
enveloped under the shawl of night,
allow me to drown,
in your eyes.
Moments fleeting,
fickle hands of time unseeing,
allow me to seek solace,
in your eyes.
The trodden path littered with each shard,
regrets this heart wishes to discard,
so allow me to seek refuge,
in your eyes.
i have walked through twisting boulevards of life,
seeking simple joy, away from desolation, strife,
so allow me to find peace,
in your eyes.
2.
In your eyes,
i find,
the gentleness left behind,
away from superficial smiles,
away from fatigue of the walked mile.
In your eyes,
i feel,
at home at long last,
your love caressing away the restlessness of the past,
stepping out of the shadows to embrace pure contentment,
though a bit player,
in your life’s theatrical cast.
In your eyes,
i touch,
the flame of promise radiating through your loving light,
that is why,
i no longer dread,
the vacuum of encroaching night … … …
walking down pathways strewn with nettles,
swept along alleyways where dust settles,
always seeking respite from the nagging ache,
quarantined for a bit from society so fake,
where all that matters is the cash you rake,
throttling each other for the cents you make … … …
Night creeps slowly in, easing through melted walls,
where random trysts quiver under a silver moon.
Numberless promises, oaths taken,
vows made only to be shattered,
into slivers of trust,
with each sliver swirling down,
into gutters filled with unheard cries.
Keeping your eyes open, wishing you were less pliant,
knowing that history rests on the other side,
where emotions are weapons,
where words are knives,
and soft caresses can wound,
where kisses can suffocate, where every dark shadow conjures up a melody woefully out of tune.
A life in limbo,
walking forward into a past of regrets,
fleeing the now while sipping on a bruised lip, draining foul images,
wiping away lingering doubts,
as you try to shriek,
hearing all nostalgia being snuffed out,
rattled by an exhausted love,
no longer tender whispers, more often than not vile disfiguring shouts.
Enough of self-pity,
to hell with introspection,
be gone idle moments,
mute nights,
tear-stained pillows, banishing it all to the other side,
while reclaiming what you once were deep inside, innocent and true,
naïve as ever,
when starry-eyed you listened,
believed,
all his promises that love would last forever.
Remember who that was, that brave question,
that sure answer,
remember that wide-eyed traveller,
that willing listener,
remember the smiling reflection in the mirror,
once free of pain,
of gloom.
Remember who you were,
to become who you must be,
and avert an imminent fast-approaching doom
serenading the glistening rose,
dew, like a solitary tear falls,
vanishing as dawn palls,
to the lilting sound of rustling leaves,
and melodic birdcalls …
we shall always be many more
we who roast in your designer factories
our brows dripping with our salty sweat
we who may forgive but shall never forget
we shall always be many more
we who reek of cheap moonshine
we who stagger and often stumble
we whose stomachs never cease to rumble
we shall always be many more
we who polish your fine bone china
we whose pay gets docked if one cup is chipped
we who fight your wars, and off to battle get shipped
we shall always be many more
we who clean up after your pretty children
we whose kids are hungry, naked and get swept
into the bowels of desolation, as mothers’ tears are wept
we shall always be many more
we who do your dirty work each day
we who you treat like vermin, foul and rotten
we whose trampled dignity is always forgotten
we shall always be many more
we who will rise up and seize the light of hope
and reclaim what is ours for our daughters and sons
though we will always be in the cross-hairs of your guns
we shall always be many more
and there shall be many more of us still to come
to rid you of your smug arrogance and endless greed
for we too have children whom we have to feed
we shall always be many more
‘and the meek shall inherit the earth’
or something like that though we no longer care
for we shall rise up one day to demand our rightful share
we shall always be many more … … …
( with thanks to Ken Loach’s film ‘Tierra y Libertad’ )
Scribbled Verse 