Remember when I was whole,
In tune with time, a vibrant soul.
With every lie and new excuse,
My moral compass coming loose.
Wave on wave erodes my soul,
Until I’m but a gaping hole.
All my riches, hints of fame,
Cannot erase my guilt and shame.
So hellbent on winning the race,
I forgot to leave this world –
a better place.
Family gathered in a circle,
arms crossed and hands clasped together.
Frantically we assemble as the anticipation builds…
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 –
“Happy New Year!”
…and then the room breaks into song,
“Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind…”
Scottish Traditional (Robert Burns) Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne? Chorus For auld lang syne, my jo, for auld lang syne, we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet, for auld lang syne. And surely ye'll be your pint-stowp! and surely I'll be mine! And we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet, for auld lang syne. Chorus We twa hae run about the braes, and pu'd the gowans fine; But we've wander'd mony a weary foot, sin auld lang syne. Chorus We twa hae paidl'd i' the burn, frae morning sun till dine; But seas between us braid hae roar'd sin auld lang syne. Chorus And there's a hand, my trusty fiere! and gie's a hand o' thine! And we'll tak a right gude-willy waught, for auld lang syne. Chorus
Modern Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should old acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne? Chorus For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne. And surely you'll buy your pint cup! and surely I'll buy mine! And we'll take a cup o' kindness yet, for auld lang syne. Chorus We two have run about the hills, and picked the daisies fine; But we've wandered many a weary foot, since auld lang syne. Chorus We two have paddled in the stream, from morning sun till dine; But seas between us broad have roared since auld lang syne. Chorus And there's a hand my trusty friend! And give us a hand o' thine! And we'll take a right good-will draught, for auld lang syne. Chorus
Dulled by the trolley’s rhythm,
I drift through fragmented memories
of past summers in Canada.
Lazy days spent at the lake.
Endless trees, evergreen garlands,
strung between water and blue clear skies.
Sunday snoozing in the back pew.
Choir hymns rippling through
waves of vanilla scented candles.
Those who have flocked here,
Explorers, seeking truths
for which there are no answers.
If ever there was a place to believe!
Even for the briefest of moments
before the colours turn.
Fading through the back window…
Leaving only our ghosts to greet
the chalk white snows of winter.
A weathered and worn windsock,
taut on the peak above.
An unheeded warning
to the hazy milieu below.
––
Conflated is the vapour
that escapes your cruel grasp,
devoid of oxygen we once shared.
Sharp wit and candor weigh ––
heavy like the suffocating
crush induced by the snake’s coil.
––
Panic bells chime within,
beckoning my getaway
before the coming storm, but
I cannot leave her behind.
There is no harmony
for us on the outside.
Only brief glimpses of that
which lies behind the wall.
It is us on the outside
who are in prison.
The soles of our feet
worn raw from toil.
We are the hungry,
The sick and the dying.
The ones kept in darkness.
behind this skyward barrier
Where endless excess
is left to rot away,
before a single grain
ever slip beyond.
Those who attempt escape
share the same fate.
It may seem merciful,
but they never return.
FREEDOM,
beyond the evergreen door,
is in the fleeting moments
before the bitter taste of
gunpowder fills the acrid air.
I was once wild…
Roaming across
vast open plains.
At times hungry, waiting
for my harem’s return.
Sunbaked beneath
Endless captive skies,
I ruled my domain
with absolute authority.
My young apprentice
watching me through light,
distorted in the heat
rising from her scorched skin.
Motionless amongst
the tall grasses
bend to her will in the
slight Saharan breeze.
Not hidden…
For I am aware
of his full intention,
transfer through succession
The next generation,
patient, in youthful impatience,
waiting for the sun to
rise on a new King.
To you, that cages my freedom,
we are not different!
Protecting one’s pride to
precariously hold onto power.
Our moment is fleeting,
the sun rising and setting
on a conclusion as inevitable
as the rhythms of home.
Kingdoms rise and fall, but
Mother’s hands remain steady,
continually reshaping, and
redefining balance.
It is a fool’s errand
to push against her nature,
for her ever-shifting moods
recognize it’s part of nature too.
Once, we were all wild…
This poem was written with a friend from my teenage years in mind. I remember when we were heading out for the evening her father remind her of this lesson. If she found herself in a compromising situation, she held the upper hand and could outrun a guy with his pants wrapped around his ankles.
Be wary of the suitor,
Whose fancy you do tickle.
It’s your virtue he’ll purloin,
Then bolt off like a scoundrel.
He’ll talk sweet ‘n try to woo you,
And beg you for a sample.
If you find yourself in peril,
All caught up in a pickle.
Remember, you’ll outrun him,
Once his pants are ’round the ankle.
Carbon floods the atmosphere,
Blankets the cerulean veil.
Oceans, rainforests exploited,
Industrial Man, tipping the scale.
Smothered and left gasping,
Mother Earth’s lungs begin to fail.
Rush headlong towards extinction,
Forsaken and unable to exhale.
running wild through untamed fields,
aimless notions guiding me
to the edge of an almost still river.
small beneath the pristine sky,
my spirit trusting the azure currents
to carry me to my final destination
somewhere across the silent meadow
a distant smile awaits my arrival,
and the wind calls my name.
I hear the wind call my name,
and I follow…
Driving down the road 🛣️
Minding my own business
When buddy flips me the bird 🦜
I know free verse don’t rhyme
But this guy’s a real turd 💩
With my ego now bruised
My brain explodes 💥
And my senses go blind
What’s this clown’s 🤡
Problem anyway
Step on the gas ⛽
I weave through the rush
My window recessed 🪟
As I pull up to your ride
I start waving my fist 👊
Rhyme a curse at the lady inside
Don’t call the cops 🚓
That’s not meant for you
I got the wrong car 🚗
Mistaken identity I swear
I’m totally raging 🤬
As I punch it again
Blast past a school bus 🚌
This rhyming is insane
I catch a glimpse 👀
As you make the left
I race through the turn 🏎️
And ‘round the bend
Caught in my web 🕸
️The thrill of pursuit gone
What do I do now ❓
I take a deep breath and
In a moment of zen ☯️
My road rage does pass
I rhyme one last time ⌚
And realise, I’m the real ass!
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