Empty people

All around are empty people trudging through the empty streets focused on their empty business march in step to empty beats of should and ought and how it’s done and every other empty word devoid of meaning, empty echoes empty sounds that go unheard Empty heads that long for filling Empty hearts that want to…

Other people’s problems

It’s an inconvenience mostly sometimes it’s a real joke And at the end of it all we don’t want to hear it don’t want to know shut our eyes and put our fingers in our ears and pretend it isn’t happening   ‘Hey!’ we shout ‘Why don’t you smile? Why don’t you get a life,…

Your next stop – The Twilight Zone (Part 5)

For the fifth and final season of ‘The Twilight Zone’ the format reverted to the original half hour. The series showed no signs of deterioration, continuing to put out excellent stories each week. Unlike many television shows these days, that tend to carry on well past their use-by date, ‘The Twilight Zone’ ended still on…

Your Next Stop – The Twilight Zone (Part 4)

"You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension. A dimension of sound. A dimension of sight. A dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You've just crossed over into the Twilight Zone." So, continuing my journey through the Twilight…

If I were you

If I were you, and you were me things would be different, you see I’d be the one with all the clout and you would be at my mercy   You’d plead with me to change my mind I would savour your pain And pityingly, I would say … no, wait, let’s start again  …

The Knife

I never felt the knife Thin and oh so sharp elegant and shiny sliding in smoothly under the rib cage into my heart   For my own good, you said it’s better this way, you’ll see life is so much better when you’re dead   Knife comes out bright blood contrasting the metal sheen I…

The magic of wishing

When I wrote my poem ‘Make a Wish’ last week, it got me thinking about the different traditions of wish making, and I thought it might be interesting to look at a few of those, including where they happen and their origins, if known. Wishing Trees can be found in many parts of the world.…

My Dream

Everybody’s got an opinion Everybody wants to complain Everybody thinks they know better Everybody’s insane   What’s so hard about talking together What’s so hard about being polite What’s so hard about communication What’s so hard about doing it right   All I ask for is peace and quiet All I ask for is silence…

For the displaced

Lean on me, my friend let me shore up your weakness You seem to be thirsty I will give you a drink When did you eat last there is food here for you And a bed when you’re ready for much-needed rest   Here is a shower to wash away the dirt Clothes? I have…

A Fireburnt country

The world knows that my country is currently being devastated by severe fires, beyond what has been experienced before. Man-made climate change seems responsible – temperatures are getting hotter and hotter, much of the country has been in prolonged drought, so the bush is ready and waiting to burn at a single spark. Millions of…