The Good Ole Days?

Time creeps up on us the older we grow

Bent and wizened like an ancient oak tree,

Grasping the future all those years ago

The golden ole days seem the place to be.

           

A song on the radio from yesteryear

Long summer days drenched in the sun,

Wistful memories and lives without fear

A night out with friends having so much fun.

            Now

What if the past was turned upside down

What if the future was flipped all around?

Would we still yearn for the good ole days

And not look back in a rose tinted haze.

            So

How would we welcome the oncoming past?

            With

Imminent conflicts, other people’s wars

A time long before the smart mobile phone,

No Wi Fi or texting so how would we cope

No long haul travel holidaying at home.

            And

The 1970’s a decade of strikes

Fuelling an era of dissent,

Skyward inflation with many price hikes

Bitter was the winter of discontent.

            But

What if we enjoyed the here and now?

What if looked on with a little less haste,

What if we’re more forgiving to others?

Live for the moment in a calmer place. 

© Copyright Julian Clarke 2016

Cover Girl

Whilst having coffee in a cafe I overheard a converstion between a couple of ladies which inspired the following.

Cover Girl

To pout like a sexy cover girl 
My age says I’m out of luck,
So I bought a course of Botox
I now have the lips of a duck.

To be slim like a cat walk model
Pert breasts, long legs and doe eyes,
My boobs and bum have gone south
That’s something I really despise.

© Julian Clarke 2016

Journal's Entry

Inside a café, from a worn torn place:

Balanced on upturned palm and held high one has to sigh in amazement that even in these anguished times you manage to glide like a ballerina ‘tween your chipped tile topped tables. Perhaps to an imaginary adagio where the tempos set and with lyricism your hips dip to your own metronomes click with not a drop spilt from the glasses full of illusion, using the term illusion lightly as by contrast in distrustful times can so often bring euphoric disillusion. 

To understand the hardship of life here is hard. And so to respectfully observe your selfless poetical grace, your smile and general bonne-amie of which you reserve for all to see; when deep within, like all in this nerve twisting place you must feel that tonight, tomorrow may never come. But to digress and to confess it’s easy to succumb to terrifying thoughts, however, this evening outside the café the sound of the guns have stopped, and since daybreak no bombs have dropped, for now, at least…here’s hoping tonight we can rest tired eyes, hopefully sleep in peace.

© Julian Clarke 2016

Young lady from Diss

A delightful young lady from Diss

A night on the town she did miss

Her boyfriend Jim Tucker

Who was my good mucker

Wanted more than a cuddle and kiss

This delightful young lady from Diss

Would only give Jim Tucker a kiss

Put his hand to her breast

Only to feel a hairy chest

He thought something’s gravely amiss

Jim Tucker was definitely not pleased

With what resembled a carrot and two peas

She said "I think I'm in luck"

Jim said "I don't think so my duck"

As she tried to give his thigh a good squeeze.

©Julian Clarke 2016
Linked to Monday writes
Linked to Poetry Pantry

Man in the moon

This is one that I'm re visiting from 2015, I thought it rather apt as today the moon is about 30,000 miles closer to earth than normal.

***************

The evil witch jealous of our love cursed you to a life on the moon. I caught a glimpse of you while you looked down in the light of its silvery halo. I wanted to hold you one more time and play with your soulful mind. And then you were gone as dark clouds of the night obscured my view of you.

Unshackling the chains of my earthly bonds I climbed the tallest tree. The lunar light back lit the cloud showing off its silvery lining. I heard you cry from way up high, a silvery thread has come lose, catch it as the cloud sails by.

Nearer and nearer drifted the cloud as the thread unravelled to the ground. But to my dismay the dark witch of the night started sewing with all her might. A gust of wind blew the cloud away as the dark witch made her final stitch. I could see a tear in the corner of your eye as you slowly came back into view. I sat in the top of the old oak tree my heart aching, Oh what can I do.

From the bough of the old oak a deep voice spoke, you once saved me from the woodman’s axe. To you, my dues I shall pay now climb onto my broad green leaf. A little unsure I held on tight as the night sky kept changing hues. With a shiver of his trunk the old oak said, good luck and fare thee well.

How the wind blue and carried me away. Up and up, swirling around right up to the stars I flew. You reached out and took my hand and pulled me into the white light of the silvery moon.

We skipped and danced upon the dusty ground, and then I looked and found I was alone. I crawled to the edge and saw you on the leaf floating all the way back down to home. To break the curse you had to return to earth and seek the white witch who dwells in the Spring Lands. For only she could break the spell and send the evil curse down to the depths of hell.

But meanwhile on a bright night if you look to the skies in June, you may just see a rugged face. For now; I am the man in the moon.

©Julian Clarke 2015


(to be continued with part 2 at a later date)

Flloyd

Tugging on a

memory of hope

living a lie smoking

too much dope

became paranoid

gave it a name

called it Flloyd.

Flloyd was alive

out to get me said he

worked for M.I. 5;

in my solitary cell

called it despair

no one comes

no one cares;

memories
 of hope

fade bit by bit

in a sneering way
I heard him say

Just get over it.

Hey Flloyd

I’m not letting

you out to play

but I roll a spliff

pull some tokes

Flloyd knocks on

the door of my mind

giggle and laugh right

in his face....yo, Flloyd

try and be nice today.

© Julian Clarke 2016

Samhain

To walk through summer’s final veil between the fractures of our worlds as shrouds of autumn mists escape the dawn; now is the time to tread lightly on dew soaked land to merry meet natures guardian hand for she will guide us to a gate, and by her Hazel portal I will wait in stillness of mind. Slowly, anticipation creeps deep within for to feel the door will soon ajar when once again I’ll pause in her tide as she brings your light to my side, to touch my soul… once again to be my guide.

*Tide as in period of time / season.

©Julian Clarke 2016

Emotional Insanity

Incarcerated by limitations of one’s own ideas, tormented the composer flapped the manuscript about as though swatting lazy summer flies; candle wax dripped as shadows cast danced upon the ceiling. It was not the symphonic sound as notes fell from stave to ground the music maker wished to hear; a crotchet, in fear, lay amidst the quavers, and the rests, of course semibreves heaved a sigh and discordant silence fell across the room, quiet, still . . . the old composer climbed upon the wooden second floor window sill.

Not the fall from bed to floor that woke me, but the shout of Eureka! outside my bedroom window, and there prancing like the devil himself the composer skipped in circles waving the manuscript as though fanning imaginary flames. Eyes agog I watched him reel as he fell to kneel and kissed the dirt with exclaims, I’ve taken by the girth the birth of an idea in celebration of our mother earth, to compose a piece encapsulating the beauty of her four season. I looked to my unfinished painting of vibrant yellow flowers, oh the insanity of that damn fool composer I thought whilst seeking my reflection in the vanity glass; lightly I touched the bloodied image of my right ear, soon the pain will pass.

© Julian Clarke 2016

October

I have been suffering with writers block these past couple of weeks, and so here's one I wrote from 2014.

The dew soaked grass feels soft as silk
Shrouding the valley floats a ghostly mist,
Just for a breath the sun rests on tree tops
Climbing slowly for a new autumn day.

Golden brown leaves fall from the trees
Dancing in a frenzy swirling around
Foreboding clouds sail on blustery winds
A watery sun hides behind one, it rains.

© Julian Clarke 2014

Guiding Light

Woe was the bleakness in my darkest time
Heart leaden grey in gravity of mourn;
The light in your soul a haven of love
T’was your grace, for I found none from above.

Thou sowed my soul in the garden of hope
Whilst balancing our lives in tenderness,
Lavenders bouquet scents warm summer air
Reminding always of true love thou share.

© Julian Clarke 2016