"After Rain"

in spite of ongoing illness

in spite of emotional pain


here - tonight

after rain

my spirit wrapped in the

cool evening breeze

I now breathe in the green

send out peace

send out love


and on the out breath

I let go

of some of the bitterness

the negative thoughts

negative energy

I release

I release

in spite of the pain

"11.50"

I live in a parallel universe

where it is always ten to twelve,

and the really annoying part

is that the clock,

which stopped weeks - maybe months - ago

is not even silent.

Relentless, and undeterred by lack of battery "life",

the second hand continues

to jog on the spot.

"Pens Don't Work"

The pens never work in this flat.

I am writing these words,

before another one runs out.

No matter how many "freebies" we collect -

or how many packets we buy:

I am forever scribbling

desperately

in notepads,

and on used envelopes.

The pens never work in this flat.

Time to end this poem now -

quit while I'm ahead -

before the ink

"I Never Got The Chocolate Flake"

My mum might even buy me an ice cream.

A 99? Well, okay - I could dream.

Might get stale bread to chuck at birds in lake -

but I never did get the chocolate flake.


You could buy those flakes from any store

far cheaper. Ice cream vans charge so much more.

You have got an ice cream, for heaven's sake.

I never did get the chocolate flake.


But we never buy them, though -

from "any store" that sells them - and, oh -

the disappointment, every time, is difficult to shake.

I've got the ice cream, yes - but not the flake.


When I went to Lorna's house for tea,

you'll never guess what her mum would buy, for Lorna - and for me.

Is it such an unfair comparison to make?

No. Apparently, she always got an ice cream - complete with flake.


A childhood full of Mini Milks, and Funny Feet, and maybe some Arctic Roll.

Occasional mints, both with and without hole.

The pink, white, yellow and cream of Angel Cake -

and even sometimes, an ice cream - but always, minus flake.


Then, one holiday - I was fourteen now -

there was an ice cream van, and this time - wow!

But by then it didn't really make

any difference that I could have had a flake.

I was on a diet -

but my brother clearly enjoyed his ice cream,

and the chocolate flake.

"Innocent Dreams"

Maybe there’s still

Some Winnie the Pooh

In my heart

　

Some birds, flowers, streams

Innocent dreams

　

Buried somewhere

Deep within

My broken heart

"Listening"

Magpie chatter outside my window

Relentless rhythm of the clock

The thud of my heart

The steady beat of sadness

"Sadness Settles"

Sadness settles

like a dying moth,

inside a mind that’s broken.