Bubble

With thanks

for bursting this bubble

unexpectedly –

not with a gentle breath,

but with

your sharply clapped hands –

I will take my leave

and walk these shoes

elsewhere.

Leave This House – A Haiku

Leave this house posthaste;

go out and join the people;

there lies salvation.

No Idea – A Haiku

What on earth to do?

I would say do not ask me –

I have no idea

This Particular Thing

This particular thing

is of wrong

age and type,

and is meant to go

somewhere else;

so go somewhere else

and be

safe and bright,

rather than sitting your

goods on the shelf.

Anything Else to Offer

In lieu

of anything else,

here is a thank you;

it is humble,

and does little,

but it is all we have

to offer.

Then Beyond – A Short Story

They sat across the room from each other – at a distance, sure – transcribing for each other their stories, and with each word edged ever-closed.

He noted as she spoke that some of her words were just like his; it was clear, with even just her eyes visible in mask of the fading light, that the same thought crossed her mind as she listened to him – that the tales they told were similar. Places were familiar, and the travel along the path; so too were the sights and the challenge.

His was a little longer than hers, a little older, and as she spoke he realised that when he came to the end of his tale, he would need to stop her from reading any more of hers; stop her from writing. He needed to tell her to save the last few pages for something new; something that would tell a story the way she deserved for it to go – the way his could have, if only, but did not.

They started off the same, with their almost carbon-copy tale, but where he rounded off with thick dark likes, she could write script, or forget words altogether, and draw herself a path off his beaten track, and up that mountain in the distance. Then beyond.

No Ceiling At All

The time has come

to return to your space

or find another,

with smaller walls,

a larger floor

and no ceiling at all.

Even Though Your Feet

If you

are looking for the door

whilst in the centre

of the room,

then you have already

left the building,

even though it seems your feet

are glued to their one

spot.

Look Before

Look before –

and check again,

and think before –

you leap.

The Right Port

They call it

jumping ship;

but if you do it

before the water sets in

it is just

finding the right port

while the ship

still floats.

Captive

Cycles

may be round,

and simply

a soft edge,

but they are vicious,

dizzying,

and holding you captive.

Break Down The Walls

Break the walls down;

there is no use

leaving them standing,

and just because

they are holding up the ceiling

does not mean

they are not also

blocking out the light.

Locked / Bursting at the Seams

Just because

the doors are

closed,

and locked –

staying unopened

– does not mean

you cannot break out –

bring down

the walls,

– when you are

bursting

at the seams.

Burst

When at last it appeared

he might burst

at the seams

there was nothing else

to be done.

Waiting For

And she said

‘What are you waiting for?’

to which he could not say,

but it seemed,

at least,

it was not this,

or that this held nothing

worth his patience.

The Final Grain of Sand

This thing

is an hourglass

which has taken its final turn.

Now,

all that is left

is for the the final

grain

of sand to fall below.

Box

There is a story

of a box,

which was better

left unopened;

and

like that box’s

wave of feelings,

now all this just seems

hopeless.

Before You Lose Count

Are you not tired?

You were only supposed

to count to five,

but you have made it six

at least,

and may forget

upon the seventh

to rest

for a little while,

before you lose count

and have to start this

all over again.

Not Made for Things to Think

The jump

between synapses

may be quicker than a

blink

but these spaces were not made

for whirlwinds

of unending things to think.

Stop Our Pressing

This bouncing silver coil

may well take out

someone’s eye,

if we do not stop our pressing

and just let the spiral be.

When the World

When the world

is ending

there is little else that can

be done,

but to walk into

the sunset

and pretend another day

will come.

Shortly After

And so, shortly after the clock struck four-oh-one on that chilly Friday afternoon, so too did it strike with the alarm of the coming Monday morning, and in so doing took with it the stolen joy of the days betwixt these starkly different markers which at first promised hope, then naught.

Here is a Chance that is Still Good

Here under lights

is a chance

that is,

all at once,

bridge and door –

and cliff;

move along and

open up,

while the lighting

is still good –

or else,

wait for dark and

fall from

and then into.

Others Too

Perhaps to keep a gift

entirely in tight grasp

is an act of selfishness

and a wasteful self-indulgence.

The problem is,

it was proffered just to one

who planned to use

its every fibre,

and only for themselves.

Now it seems the thing

was meant for others;

others too.

Riddle – A Haiku

This is a riddle

I had thought already solv’d,

and yet it is not.

The Time for Poor Advice

This is the time for

poor advice.

For what more is there

to say but

‘The only way to keep going

is to

keep going’

or

‘This too shall pass’.

They are not

strictly lies,

and so

we cannot help but just

forgive them,

and pass them

on and on,

in the hope that they might

become true.

Onward with Hope – A Haiku

Go onward with hope;

it is the only thing here

that is truly free.

Walking in the Woods

Walking in the woods

is a gift of creatures and air,

but the greatest gift

found along those paths,

is to walk when you are there.

Once More for Luck

We could say it once,

or once more

for luck;

we could say it

a thousand times.

And with each time

we would call it

into being,

while practice

makes perfect,

repetition becomes habit,

and belief

becomes truth.

Once more for luck,

and to feel luckier still.

The Night Before Christmas / We Will Meet Once Again

Twas the night before Christmas

and though things were strange

there are pieces of this

which ought ne’er be changed;

loved ones whose hearts

beat with yours ev’ry day,

will play that same song

even from far away.

With songs and with gifts

we will find joy with ease,

and elsewhere looking hard,

in tough times such as these.

And so may you exclaim,

in this time not-quite-right,

we will meet once again,

so, to you, a good night.