Encased

Parachuted into Wirral
Strange, new place
I lean on the window sill
Of this room where I am encased
Trapped, cabin fever
There's so much out there to see
But I lift the receiver
To call home, they will comfort me

Frozen in time

The clock hand clutched the number 12
It didn't let go
Time stood still
As did I

These blue flames under my brow
Are quenched by heavy tired lids
But anger and rage consume me
And I can't find the trigger
Which controls this mood

My hunger for food is faded
I hunt for memories of who I was
Digesting and assimilating
My new surroundings, my new home
But I don't even feel at home
In this mind, or in this body

I know your face from somewhere
It's like looking in a mirror
You call me "mum"
And stroke my hand
But I need you to be my mum

Then you leave and blow a kiss
It drifts across the room
With the heavy scent of disinfectant
My soft, bland dinner arrives
And thick beige tea
Which will remain untouched and solitary
Like I am now

And I look for that trigger again

Werewolf

The curtain of darkness ruffled as it fell
Leaving a glimpse of perfect pearly circle
The night air hugged you like a black cloak
You felt no cold; your blood flowed fast
Your eyes burned from brown to red hot
Anger and rage scorched everything

Your muscles rippled and shook
You look down at your feet
Which will soon tread much heavier
You stroke your smooth skin
And take your last human breath
As pearly daggers grow in your gums

Bursting at the seams
A fabric pile left by your paws
The last of human normality
Your jaws crave a bloody fight
And just then, you wonder
If you'll ever wear these rags again

One of many Limericks I wrote as a child

There once was a girl called Estelle
Who picked a pretty bluebell
She found to her disgrace
It exploded in her face
And now she's not a bit well

Night on the tiles

I'm determined to write
Something trivial
Something light
I've written enough
About the Emerald Isle
Or unrequited love
So now I'll write
About a night on the tiles

Trains and taxis

Full o' girls with fake tans

Tripping over their maxis

And guys with beer cans

Like Carling, not Cains

Kids try to look cool

Roaming around Liverpool
Downing daiquiris
And probably E's
At Mathew Street's bars
With suffocating heat
Shoes mopping the floor
Hours of beats and bass
And tequila tastes
We head for the door
To Heebie jeebies
ID at the ready
Avoiding the 'sleazies'
Then Alma de Cuba
Dancing the hula
Alpha males
By the alter rail
Belly dancers and shakers
Hungry eyes and glances
Looking for takers
Looking for kisses
Or just someone hot
Until he got caught
By his misses
Next time I'll just snooze
with whiskey and lime
Soakin up the blues
And takin it slow
...At Mello Mello

Each bite

Each bite
Quietly controlling
This internal fight

A war you can never win
Divided by own thoughts
And self-convicting of sin

Fearful of fat on your hips
Your identity is placed
In what passes your lips

Carbs, fat and protein
Mentally categorised
Consequences unforeseen

Scouring labels for calories
Each day less and less
Pushing the boundaries

A feeling of achievement
Drowning, you're dragged
By a caressing current

No longer alone you'll fight
In Jesus, identity is found
His yoke is easy and burden light

To you he will bind
Feeding new strength
And a renewing of mind

Rows

Rows of soft white beds
To each life owes
A healing promise
To those we'll miss
Laid in bedclothes
Doctors are not foes
But may not succeed
With the kiss of life
We compose ourselves
Reciting creeds
And words we'll tell
Our heroes
If they awake
From their doze
But now only heartache
And old happy photos
Rows of beds, soft and white
Which we don't want to see
We've said goodnight
And now we try to make
Each day
As good as can be

The last time I walked barefoot...

The last time I walked barefoot
My feet sunk happily into the sand
My head was infused with the scent
Of the market spices and wandering incense
I floated on the salty water
My skin saturated with a red sun blush
Splashing sounds
Joyful jeers
Drifted across the gentle breeze
Freedom
Until I get home through the locked door
And walk barefoot on my sandy beige carpet

I am from...

I am from a land of barricaded hearts and homes

I am from a city which has cried a river

I am from a land where the mountains stand tall in the mist

While the people hang their heads under their peaks

I am from a land where self-righteous spires pierce society

I am from a land of green fields brimming with goodness

I am from a land where friendly has a new meaning

Where even the painted city walls say Welcome

I am from Belfast...

Tears

I will not give you my tears
They are mine
They only fall like rain on the broken roads of my mind
'Our' journey there is lonely and winding

This road is slippery and all the signs say the same thing
....danger
My mind won't be moved by your metamorphosing moods
I will not run on empty while I piece together your car crash logic
I will turn these wheels around and head for the next destination

Dieu de beauté

Dieu de beauté

La joie me fait sauter

Tu nous fais comme des lumières

Comme un ballon dans l'atmosphère

Visible aux yeux de tous

Une sourire, les problèmes dessous

C'est ça que Jésus peut faire

C'est ça que j'ai choisi

C'est ça que je préfère

Depuis je suis née

Tu contrôle ma destinée

Ma vie - tu as illuminée

Tick tock

Time passes

Days fade
Chores in masses
Through, I wade

Time passes
Dreams, deluded
Young lass's
Hopes muted

Time passes
Earth destroyed
Rosy glasses
Must avoid

Time passes
Onward, upward
Greener grasses
Soaring bird

Comfort you ignite

Golden malty liquid

The delight you create

As I unscrew the lid
Your aroma permeates

Sinking into dark vaults

Murky, earthy

Triple distilled and single malts

And bourbons not so worthy

A brimful of Bushmills
Or the floating famous grouse

Over the glass it spills

As I relax in the house

Peaty bogs

Crackling logs

Smokey, orange, light

This comfort you ignite

Haiku - Fearful Friesian

Black and white attire
Convict of the abattoir
Alone on death row

Haiku - Home

Home equals haven
Cosy feet propped up, resting
Hot Whiskey in hand

Haiku - Hungry

This famine tastes bittersweet
You left me hungry
For the next time we will meet

Bras de glace

Tu es comme le soleil de minuit
Tu me tiens dans tes bras de glace

Tu es l'hiver merveilleux
Je suis tirée vers toi
Comme l'effet de la lune sur les ondes

Mais quand le jour se lève...
Tu as disparu

La Lune Si Belle

Quand la lune si belle

Apparaît  dans le ciel

C'est ma chance

pour silence

Le monde dort

il fait sombre dehors

La terre a perdue sa chaleur

Mais je reste dans ta présence

J'écoute à tes mots

Tu me fais forte

La majesté de mon Dieu

Reigne toujours

La paix en tes yeux

Elle calme mon coeur

Mon Dieu si beau

sans sang et sans peau

Je ne peux pas te voir

Avec foi je peux croire

Sans toi mon Dieu

Je suis perdue

Belfast as a young woman

Your parents' minds were dark and their ways controlling
Like Black Mountain towering over Belfast
But your eyes are bright, bonfires alight

Your new roads, the blemishless arms and legs
Have no tattoo murals or scars
Like your parents' blackened, burnt pavements
You don't understand why they can't heal

Your sweet perfume fills the wind and envelopes the hills
No more the odours of your past,
The factories, the breweries
The blood or the gunpowder

At the foot of the River Lagan
Your new pair of sparkley shoes you show off
The odyssey and waterfront hall
Your new found nightlife

You party all night
Your heart free and open
No security checks now
You let anyone in

The waves of your dark hair bob up and down
As you dance and ebb
And watch the men who pass by

But each day or night without fail
Your tears fall down
And wash this city with rain

Your dreams and deep thoughts are locked away in your heart
Like jewels in the city's mansions
Your body and mind are divided like your people

You still feel empty inside
Knowing you've got a long way to go
Before you feel peace