The Stone that the Builders Rejected

Scattered stones in an old quarry All the good stuff has been taken Hacked out, hauled away Leaving the scraps, the offcuts The good-for-nothing leftovers Not fit for purpose Yet the builders’ rejects Are lifted up and dusted off Shaped and polished and made ready To become cornerstones of new creations A new builder sees…

Compass

Ever used a compass Finding your way by the trembling point of a tiny needle That you can barely see Or you could be lost Wandering aimlessly in the wilderness No food, no water, no hope Life doesn’t come with a map Leaving you in the desert without guidance (Why isn’t there a map?) You…

Ladder to the Sky

It started as a dream The ladder made real Climbing so high Ascending to the sky The ladder from earth To the throne of God Angels wait to take your hand And help you make the journey step by step Earth is in darkness War and strife and suffering But still the ladder waits as…

Problems of a Ghost Writer

The ghosts of writers past haunt me They speak in my mind They flow through my fingers Shakespeare wrote a new sonnet last night Though he objected to the keyboard And demanded pen and paper I don’t think they really understand I can’t go out and say Well, I was speaking to Steinbeck the other…

Hierarchy

We’re all equal, the people shout Buzz and wave their banners about Sure, says the spider with a toothy grin My parlour is open, come right in We’re all the same, the people say No one can take our freedom away Sure, says the boss who tries not to gloat Do as I say or…

Gaslight

I don’t think you’re remembering right That’s not what happened between us last night You’ve misunderstood everything I’ve ever said I don’t understand how I fill you with dread. Let me explain just where you went wrong Let me show you you’ve got it all wrong You are confused and have lost your way Trust…

Laughing Emojis

They scoff and sneer at everything Suffering and pain Elicits an asinine grin Cries for help Lead to laughing faces Suggesting how to make things better Is apparently hilarious When did it become trendy To think only of yourself It’s nothing new, of course But never so blatant as now When did it turn into…

Only Yesterday

It seems like only yesterday You were complaining  I never come to visit Not often enough I would remind you When I last visited But you would not remember (or that’s what you said) It seems like only yesterday You were saying How hard it was to be old How no one cared, no one…

They Create Beauty

A murmuration of starlings covers the sky A thousand small souls wheeling in synchronised flight One mind, one heart They dance for themselves, they dance for love, They dance for the sheer enjoyment of their fleeting art They write their story in the air Exuberant words that only God can read Each bird in tandem…

Silver Arrow

With silver arrows the Hunter hunts The monster in the night The Hunter is blessed by the Gods of the Hunt Her weapons consecrated to protect the peace Silver arrows, sacred and true To slay the beast and save the people It cannot be harmed with sword or spear or knife Its magic is stronger…