Eclectic

poems

Eclectic: Work

I want you back

It was never black or white to the man in the mirror
Or easy as ABC, what our eyes couldn’t see
They shook your body down to the ground
And rumour did you hound
‘Can you feel it’, you said
Michael Jackson is dead
Don’t blame it on the boogie
Though your pain was really bad
If only you’d said beat it what a life you could have had
Do you remember the time?
When your gloved hand signalled more than your decline
Farewell my summer love, your earth song carries on
You’ll always be the thriller, your moonwalk a giant step
Though you paled became frail and never healed the world
Your genius embraced absurd and ‘oh’ how I’ve danced to your every word

More Spam

I’d like to have a chat about Spam

Not the computer type, the poor man’s bacon, pork and ham

Which bits are ham and which bits are pork?

Have you ever tried it as a fritter on the end of your fork?

I believe there’s a musical song based on it but again is that just a ham?

And is me talking about it just Spam?

Sliced thick it’s not for me I like it crispy and fine

I won’t put Daddies on it, Has to be HP at mine

The odd time my mum tried to get Pek past us, as if we wouldn’t have known

There’s only pork in it, no ham so it’s not spam on which we’ve grown

And the computer type if it’s the junk file

Does it mean that I am with all this talk of pork and ham

Poetically a form of Spam??

Assault

Vociferously it evolves, cells divide then multiply
No time to step aside
Eating at the healthy, wayward it’s intent
Taking out the life you’ve learnt
The one for which you’re meant
Leaving just a hollow where memories revolve
Leaving people hurting, your mystery unsolved
Few steps forward halt your tracks
Hope’s eventually, that science cracks your walnut
And saves the family tree

Deserted

Cracked and dried, bone and skull emblem to those who died
Screaming heat an endless defeat
The young fell first for the sake of thirst
The old dried up and withered away
The strong held fast and waited on the drip
That would signal their first sip
Digging into mud clawing earth away
Honing in to instinct to survive another day
When your tap is running which to them would be a flood
And you’re sated, hydrated and not scraping through mud
When you’ve showered, empowered and drained it away
Spare a minute to conserve what you ought a
Spare a minute to be thankful for
WATER

Tunnel Vision

At first I could see you my hopes were quite high
I thought to move swiftly and soon pass you by
Then you breathed darkness, dank air had me trapped
Cobbled walls impeded their dewy arms so bold
I felt so much higher had the floor lost its hold?
Muffled voices around me other people who had dared
To walk in the clasp of a mountain just as unprepared
But just when I thought that my vision had left me for pastures anew
The light at the end of the tunnel came and saved me
And brought back the Phew!

gramps

I’ll remember he made me laugh, his base humour, some of his tales were tall
For years I thought he’d been shot by a German
Turned out to be shrapnel in Burma, if at all
He always seemed proud that in his younger years he’d worn the hackle of the Fusiliers
Talk of his temper flared red like his hair
And yet shed a tear reading words in a card that said you cared
Proud of his children, proud of his wife
She was the love of his life
He loved his grandkids of that I’m sure, no matter what colour football shirt we wore, So
I’m glad we had that conversation,
Before you left for your final destination
You didn’t know the time or date
We didn’t know you couldn’t wait
And then we saw you couldn’t stay
But you fought it tooth and nail as was your way
All beside you not believing then moments later tears and grieving
There’s a light in our hearts that will never dim simply because
We all loved him.

Finito

Upon meeting, studious glances to assess

Common ground we walk is the beginning

Life wraps us in a cocoon,

Circling

The details between us and onward to the epicentre

All at once everything is shared, we are kin

Bound by blood,

Sisters

Until the worm savages the thread

Snapped,

Release falls to grief

Thou has been a thief of my time

Nothing is lost

I have learnt to tread the vanishing path

Boulders crash by

I am oblivious

Bulletproof

Wisdom is captured

I hold it close

Trust is for the honest

Careful, who to entwine with mine,

Time spent

The circle is silent

Broken

BATTEN DOWN

Locked down brings with it a silent air

We frown but all of a sudden we care

The animals roam free

Poaching into humanity, treading their ancient path

We stay behind walls,

Distance is lonely, interacting no longer free

Talking to myself becomes my new normality

Where’s the bolt? Within ourselves?

We learn to move efficient, stealthily and zoom like we have always done

We created a bubble; “Come in it’s just for one”

Images of viral air, it clings to surfaces, touches your face, does it know you’re there?

Looking to people long used, expectant of their chivalry

Clapping like applause appeases their sacrificial activity

Will the values learnt be passed down, hereditary?

Coming close to extinction should be enough you see

To change and better equip your life on earth

And giving your best, and showing your worth

Family,

Family, I had to say it twice to repeat to emphasise

It’s not been nice being distant from those eyes

Talking on a phone, a video call, a messenger can’t disguise

That hugs, touches that empathise and yes just love

Feels different in our lives

I’ll take your acts of kindness, heroism, pure effort and mastery

And lock them down for the future generations who need to see

Because here, right now,

This is history

Flashback and Dance

I’m trying to think what was so good about the 80’s

Was it the music, the fashion or the way we scrunched our hair?

Do you remember we threw it over and held on to a chair?

Shades of flash dance right there!

Backcombed, heavily lacquered, too near a match we’d have gone up like a flare

I mean the music gave us Duran Duran, I loved Dave Gahans depecheee Mode ( swoons)

I danced all round our kitchen though to Michael Jackson and I moonwalked down our road

I mean why did he clench onto his crotch?

I loved all the leg moves and the Owwwwwww’s ( high pitch)

But I wasn’t that keen on that clench thinking back I see no need for it now

I had a phase I tried to smoke them thin Hamlet

I tried a consulate they were like after eights

I soon gave up though; keep chewing on spearmint cos you can’t have bad breath on a first date

Then there was Madonna I had to learn to Vogue and go on Holidaay

I had them gloves in the middle of summer, you know no fingers and they come up halfway

Them ruffled skirts with nets flouncing under and ankle leg warmers an all

It’s a wonder the weight of it didn’t cause me to fall

Later there was Take That. Do you remember them in Pray? One came from Droylsden when he took his top off, I thought I never seen him round our way!!

I loved dancing in nightclubs; I loved the handbags we used to dance round them on the floor

You never see that do you? Anymore

Everyone’s got a tight grip, never lets anything slip

For fear someone will steal their treasured phone

I mean if I was out you couldn’t reach me cos we had no answerphone

I wasn’t home

Would you like to go back?

No, I’m not a fan of that, I’m in my fifties and I’m raring to go

Well I do have rheumatism in this left big toe

I know when it’s going to rain now

My left big toe lets me know!

Dirty Dancing and Patrick Swayze, when I saw it first I went a little bit crazy

I’ve never sat in a corner since

OH MY GOD, I’ve left out Prince, Purple rain and Paula Abdul

Straight Up without these the dance floor would be Dull

There’s too many as I come to the end and there’s Whitney and Chaka Khan

I’ll say it again Chaka, Chaka, Chaka Khan

I’m worn out with this eighties yarn

I can’t let this by without mentioning somebody else’s guy

Was it Jocelyn Brown? And I’ve not even started on The Jam or The Marvellous giddy dancing Wham

Was it the eighties when we sang I am what I am?

There’s some cracking 80’s memory

They do say the best things in life are free

WIND AND WRATH

Let it whirl me, unguide me. Lose my path
Come and hinder me, dance with me, show me its wrath
Edging to wilderness
Blowing the trail
Diagonally facing it, try standing to race with it
Arm raised wards the grainy veil
One foot follows the other heavy stomps
Clouds bounce, puff and blow wind at me in marshmallow chomps
I’m getting there, I’m climbing through
I’m beating my failing desire
The rain joins in I’ve changed my mind
Get me home, cup of tea and a fire!!

Can I just have a moment

I sent a poem to the Stanza
Free to all, you're welcome but I got no answer
I knocked on the door of a magazine
They looked through the glass and then pulled down the screen
I keep sending off to various competition
But the silence is resounding, the same repettion
The publisher- there's some hope there's an email waiting for me
They wanted lots of money
This isn't how its meant to be
Then there's the publishers that never answer and do they even read?
Its a good job I'm not relying on them for the mouths I've got to feed
I've set up a website everyones surfing or so I've heard
I keep posting the link but no ones interested in my word
Its back to the facebook while I keep plugging away
Just a click of a button someone reads it makes my day
Everyone gets their moment I just need a bit of luck
I've been reading them all my life and I'm gonna get there with this book