COMMUNAL HEART

Heartless, 

She starts

Her journey

Creating a heart

For herself

With pieces

From each soul

She encounters

She passes,

Leaving broken things 

Behind her

In frantic search

For another piece

To attach to 

A growing heartbeat

A little piece of sadness

A little piece of joy

A little piece of every being

That crossed her unlevelled path

She moves on

Leaving torn things

Behind her

Fearing to look back

At the bloody mess

She labours on

The warm treasure

Pulsing in her arms

A little piece of madness

A little piece of sanity

A little piece of every man

That stopped to ask her name

Soon she has 

A heart of her own

Woven from lives

That touched her soul

Fitting it,

Her chest feels warm

Loving its

Strange occupant

Making it feel at home

But she had been left

All alone

For all those who

Ever mattered

Were just pieces

Of her heart.

MUST WE...

Must we  struggle 

So much to reach a core

Must we wrench our hearts

Out in search of love

Must we bleed 

In rivulets

Down dirt-stained

Faces onto heavy chests

Must we lose this much

Moisture through sweat

And tears

Must we lie here 

Kicking our lean legs

In the stale air

Must we languish 

In waves of horror

Crashing against the rocks 

That line a filthy shore

Must we labour to catch 

A toxic breath

And swallow groans

While letting out

Tiny pockets of

Gas through clenched teeth

Must we, O dear God 

Must we suffer so?

ROUGE DISTRACTION

The apple

Sits atop an old book

 - its yellowed leaves 

Coated with decades of dust

The deep rouge of the fruit

Gives it a classic look 

of perfection

It sits there

Beckoning.

Mirror-surfaced

Red beauty

Looks ready to burst-

Taut with sweetness

Strange hunger draws me

To that scene

I sit

And stare

The seconds pass

A sigh escapes

Reaching out

For the food in sight

I eagerly devour it

Slowly

As the hunger leaves

The apple sits

And stares

HULA-HOOPER

Rings of different colours

Twirl round a tiny body

All in sync

At top speed in

A crazy harmony

The body moves

To guide the hoops

As they dance,

 Circling her frame

The audience applaud

And

Roses are thrown

At the performer's feet

An effortless stunt

They thought they'd seen

A graceful, exciting stunt

But life was her

And the rings her strife

And they all went 

Twirling - crazed.

Her world 

Was a stage

The people

An  audience

And she, 

A hula-hooper

SOME SWEET SOMETHING

Something rises 

From the dust

Wafts into hearts

Mending tears

And sealing cracks

Something emerges

From the ash

Wanders into dreams

Rewriting memories

And wiping off soot

Something opens up 

And pours pure joy 

Upon tired souls

Turning hearts

To doves

The stone 

To wool

Something comes down 

And breathes fresh dew 

Into dry mouths

Splaying rose petals

At our calloused feet

Something

Touches us

Some sweet something 

Raises us

That calm something

Sits with us

And gently whispers

"Peace"

It is that something....

That something...

That keeps me.

SILENCED

Sitting here

In deep thought,

The gentle breeze

Carries a tune

My whole life 

Was sang

In that song

While

Nostalgic tears 

Stung my eyes

I ventured out

Into the sun

And looked up 

Into the sky

With 

Trembling hands,

My tongue 

Stretched out,

I sliced 

That tiny member 

Off

Out with you 

You unbridled thing

Out with you

Now

You have made 

This song

A bitter tune

And made 

This wind

A pain

SHIPWRECK

Raging storm,

Howling sea

The ship is left

Unguarded

The winds hit 

Its bruised sides,

Dangerously 

Tilting

This way,

 And that

It dips 

And rises

Creaks 

And groans,

It hits 

Against

The ocean rocks

The rudder 

Has got

Its moment 

Of glory

Going wild 

With

No captain 

As a guide

The ship 

Will break

Into a thousand

Pieces

Scattered 

In the heart

Of the sea

All will be lost

In the vast 

Deep blue

…

The vessel,

Along

With the rudder.

SANITY HER BANE

Lost
 In a hazy valley,

The poet

Stumbles 

And falls

A familiar abyss

Beckons her

Where 

Some strange love

Was felt

Yet curious much

She yearns to know

What the light 

Has got in store

The possibility 

Of never finding 

Herself

And the waiting

Weakens her`

See, 

The poet is dying

Word after word

Palsied

For days on end

It is her undoing

This quiet she feels

The dam

Stands undisturbed

O break now,

Precious dam

Break now,

And fill this valley up

The poet 

Has lost her

Insanity

And normalcy

Devours her

She's

Stranded

In a daunting

Centre

Longing 

For 

A chance

To breathe.