The Language of Clouds Borderless, wind drifters. Across the divide they look Up to the drifting white; The cloud journeys begin, Unhindered by man's obstinance. Undisturbed by man's chaos. Unnoticed by man's violence. Unprepared for the cries below, Carry us with you! We seek only that which you have. Freedom and silence, Anonymity and presence. The clouds spill great saddening raindrops; Yet, it is the safest water they will touch. The rain falls, absorbed In skin that dark

Morning Faces I pass the smiles, I pass the frowns. I pass eyes straight forward, I pass eyes staring forlornly down. I greet the joggers and walkers, I greet the lonely in a world of their own. I greet the silent ones and the talkers, I greet the mums and dads, the children who moan. I note those who are happy, I note those who are sad. I note those who are homeless, I note those who are lost, wild or mad. I see the faces, I see the eyes. I see the questions, I see the whys.

The Haters Where in the world Did you learn to hate? You do it so well. The ascerbic, bilious, Irascible and dispicable. The venoumous, toxic and simply inexplicable Stream of unpleasantness You wilfully pour forth. The shocking, mocking, Undisguisable scorn. Shorn of morals Sensitivity or empathy, Bereft of sympathy. Consciously hurting Wilfully blurting out Diatribes and streams of abuse That sting and burn And reduce the recipient To ashes. Where in the world Did you learn

Bullet Points • You are free to say • Anything at all • Free to stand • First against the wall • You are free to say • Whatever you ought • Free to speak • A bullet for your thoughts • You are free to say • That freedom was sought • In the words that wound • And a bullet for your thoughts _________________________________ With a nod to the genius of George Orwell's 1984 which I reread this year. Whatever is happening in the UK with our divisive politics, Brexit a

Words Ignored. (A pattern) She wove words Intricate and labyrinthine, Laced with meaning. Pattern formed by lips That tumbled letters Like smoke rings. Saddened smiles evaporating Unnoticed and unrequited, Dissipated and broken. And the words fell As her smile receded, To gather unheard. Fallen and swept, Like autumn leaf, Destined to decay. ___________________ A poem for those who are ignored and belittled. We should all listen more. #ignorance #intoler

Intolerance Intolerance is The dwelling place of hatred In the coldest hearts _________________________________ Photograph: Love Locks by the River Mersey, Liverpool. Intolerance has become so much more apparent and prevalent in our society, both online and in the real world. There is no place for intolerance. Embrace difference. Accept the other. We may disagree, but we can still be tolerant and accepting. But most importantly, learn about other people, views,

You're Not From Here You're not from here, An animus sound. Go back where you came from, Hostility found. We speak English here! A sadness profound. We're full, so Release the hounds Of hate, suspicion and mistrust, Take back our lands, our ground. You're not from here, Let the odium sound. _________________________________ The language that surrounds race, migration, ethnicity, religion, immigration, asylum, refugees etc, is increasingly vocal, virulent

Aging (A Poet at 51) And what has aging brought? Beyond the sagged jowl and chin, The eyebrows that flourish unbidden And the final strands of hair, Wisped and threadbare, stubborn And steadfast refusing to leave. And what has aging brought? To accompany the reluctance of The finality of youth And belt buckle loosened And the truth of girth's gain And waisted time. And what has aging brought? Beyond the slowness of step And blurring of sight. The straining of the ear And

Self How do you see yourself? Is it in the filtered deception Of instagrammed perfection? Or the truth that radiates From a mirrored reflection? The virtual, online presentable me Or the true worth and value of reality. For the self is not the same as the selfie. It never is, can or will ever be The real you. ________________________________ Stand and pose, have 30 goes to perfect the perfect photo....or point and shoot, one take, that's me. Like or don't like? The age of

Went Missing (The Refugee) Candle lit and memory burnt, Flames thrown and forgotten words. Lives silenced, voices unheard, Darkness journeys, a hateful world. From shadows lost, unnoticed, unseen, Ruined streets where life had been Vibrant, rich, happy, free. Went missing, carrying only memories. _________________________________ The refugee. Faced with the starkest of decisions. Stay in a conflict torn, war ravaged home, city, country. Where life barely func

Gone Gone Gone, gone, the way of the winds Harshly blown from a wicked sea. Flotsam gathered on sullied beach And weathered faces, beaten, lost. The downtrodden, the forgotten, the left behind. Gone, gone, the intolerance chimes On streets that declare, Be gone! You ain’t one of us! England for the English! The feted few of privilege gained. Gone, gone, no longer the welcomed. No longer a better life of village green No longer the rolling hills, but the brownl

Unsettled Status I have lived here for 30 years. Prove it and allay our fears. But my children are British passport holders. We'll see about that as they get older. My parents came here when I was three. But you are still a foreigner to us you see. I've paid my national insurance, bills and tax. Sorry, we're still sending you back. But my family, my job, my life, my friends. Adios, au revoir, auf wiedersehen, arrivederci, this is where it ends. You can't kick

White Beach And you would stand against the tide resolute, A shrill bitter wind ravaged King Canute. Raging at the waves and armies of gulls Do not land, we're full, we're full! And you would stare at the setting sun, Blinkered and blinded, oh wounded one. Until the only world you saw was dark, Hatred filled skies, an unending task. And you would keep your beach an untainted white, Debris of life, out of mind, out of sight. Flotsam free and forever pure, Welcom

Lifeforms by the Sea Fading shoreline and The evening watchers Mingle with the waves. Expectant for the Final sun colours. Fire flame pulled To a horizon. Extinguished to purpling Orange and crimson, The light coalesces, Seared to retinas. Memories burning pleasant. And the glow Of sea dark, Wraps the lifeforms In happy thoughts. Wave light recedes To abandoned shoreline. The evening watchers Sated and silent, Leave as silhouettes. Lifeforms fading to

Drifting Among Strangers There is silence in the crowd. The hubbub quelled And a stillness found. There is peace in the thousand eyes. And gentleness upon the lips That freeze frame smiles in passing. There is calm in the togetherness. Where heartbeats pulse and life flows A oneness in our presence. There is acceptance and belonging. Yet identity remains a secret, Forever unknown, but acknowledged, welcomed. There are no words, nothing. And the silence is a

Distance Let the distance be but a moment's silence. That fraction between lightning flash and thunder crash. Let the distance be the quickness of a memory. A spark of happiness recalled. Let the distance be the pause between words spoken. A brief respite, a momentary nothingness. Let the distance be the millisecond between heartbeats. An ever present stillness. Let the distance be the flicker of a candle flame. The possibility of darkness, but never extinguished. Let the

Social Kindness? Twitter spat Facebook fight Insta squabble, this can't be right, Or healthy or helpful or productive or nice If all we do is bicker and snarl and insult and smite Those of whom we may disagree Over how to make a decent cup of tea (It's teabag, then water and then the milk) But we rant and shout and curse their ilk Screaming and swearing at those who declare remain! or leave! Dishing virtual verbal (typed) smacks in the mouth to all who displease A

Follow Me Like. Follow. Follow me. Follow follow. Followers new. For a second or two. A hollow support. Unfollowed. Withdrawn. Unliked. Next. _____________________________ What does it say about people who like a post and follow you ... often a few seconds after the post appears. A poem written and considered, not even read...but liked and it garners you a following. But it doesn't. My follower numbers have been stable around 225. Yet everyday I gain 8, 10,

Reality on Love Island I am stranded on Love Island Stuck in a Big Brother House Dreading stepping out into a world Where everyone just screams and shouts Daggers drawn and dagger glares Vote me, like me, camera stares Raging, ranting, fits of jealous pique But acceptance is all they try to seek Those body perfect cocksure ways, Wave after wave of selfie days. Endlessly strutting on a peacocked beach. Oiled up, sweat gleaming, tropical heat The sun bronzed and brain fri

I Have Friends I have friends in hijabs I have friends with beards I have friends who are funny I have friends who are weird I have friends who are Asian, African, American and Australian I have friends who aren't from 'round here', I have friends who are alien. I have friends who speak French, German, Spanish and Hindi. I have friends from Istanbul, Rome, Caracas and Rawalpindi. I have friends who kneel in churches, synagogues and mosques, I have friends who re