Man with a plan There's always A man with a plan Or a golden handshake An electric mind And emotional earthquake Ups and downs Leaders and clowns The river of lifeNot the oasis of calm We'd like it to be More a raging torrent Or tsunami So learn to swim Swim hard, and...

The Party Winter morningCold and crispyEven in mourningMemories of youAre with me Stocky blond boyIn the African sunBrothers, fishing, shootingHaving fun Very much yourselfYet lovedPopular beyond compareAlways a laugh – and often a partyWhen you were there The seeds...

Garden Guardian In the quiet GreenI seek my pardonListening for whispersOf the Garden Guardian Bursting with BlossomsFlirtatious freshnessEmerald, sapphireAnd lime No place for stagnationIn this oasisOf mine Stillness, howeverBrings acid regretFor the gaunt,...

Cottage Squat and whiteSerene in the Evening lightGauzy chiffonWrapped aroundMidnight blue starry skiesAbound CottageTo you and meA solid place of Sanctuary Retreat, by any other nameAlways there Always the same Cottage Still point in aChanging, turning worldWhere our...

The school gate You wereNever late to meet meAt the school gate In my struggle for normalityYou were always thereFor meA wonderfully solidHuman Oak tree Eldest brotherFather-figureMentor andFriend And I knowWhen the final bell ringsYou will meet me thereOnce again But...

Magoebaskloof Moon   Magoebaskloof moon, Magoebaskloof moonIs it too soon? Would you run from the roomOr swoon,Under a Magoebaskloof moon? Stars and passionShining brightAs we sitEnsconced in night Upfront and personalNot remoteNo Zoom Under aMagoebaskloof moon...

Colours In the blueAnd greyOf yesterdayThe kaleidoscope ofForgotten fashionsThe purple stormsOf remembered passions Blushing magentaSparkling whiteThe bridal gloryOf the Magnolia treeBrings my yesterdaysBack to me The coloursSo brightNow that I'm olderFresh and...

The Blue Don't see the barrageSee the blueThe golden CrossIn front of you Don't hear the screamingHear the songOf integrityThat's never wrong Step by stepYou walk through lifeA tightrope and watershedOne side, happinessThe other, strife Heartburn and...

Garden of Grace Plunging her handsInto rich, dark soilHonesty of earthNo troubles embroil Staring into clear waterWho is reflected?Woman – or girl? The girl who, running scaredHid her face?Or the world-weary womanFinding solace inThis peaceful place? Walls which glow...

Questioning Love If Shakespeare said, ‘Love is…The ever-fixed mark, that alters not when italteration finds’,Then how tight is the web that I’m afraid I windAbout this love, this sacred heartThis beating, fragile bird of love? This blind devotion, unquestioning...

Homesick Sometimes when trouble like a cloud descendsI feel your warmth and love wash over meI am buoyed up by hope andDrown in tenderness and caring ThenThe tide recedes(As tides and men’s affections are wont to do)And I am marooned A lonely emotional sailorOn the...

Birdsong Listen to the sound of birdsongA cool blue bullet of soundIn the pool of garden silence,Pouring peace onto the troubled torment ofYour soul This is the call from Nature, orGod if you willReminding one of tranquillity andThe need toBe still

Pieces of Me If I keepAll the bitsOf meWill you value them? If I keepAll the pieces,Treasured by me, andBy my motherWould you love them? If I submit myselfTo youA willing sacrificeWill you shelter me, in love OrDash meTo fragmentsOn the altar of your angry discontent?...

Laird of the Land The LairdOf the landSees the lieOf the landHears the sighOf the landHolds the fateOf the landIn his hand The LairdOf the landLooks out atThe lakeThinking of hisLast mistake Longing forHer curves, her smilesLoving touchBelying herGuile Lost in...

Envoy Continents and oceansThings betterLeft unsaid SophisticationTriumphed overHonesty ShootingArrows into my dreamsAndThorns into my head Trying hardto soothe the painErase the pastAnd start again Alas howeverIn my mindEchoing laughterFar behind As for erasing from...

The Current I’ve takenThe currentBeen seducedBy its inexorable pull Up, down, underAcross the oceansWhich rip us asunder In the twilightIn the undertowIn the rip tideWhere do you go? Where are you now?Was it all just a game? OrDo you alsoClose your eyesOpen your...

Man of mystery International man of mysteryNew ImpressionistsWe've got history True-blue eyesFriendly faceYou travelled farYou won the race DealsTo be doneContinents exploredHearts lost - and won Now in middle yearsI findFew friendsWhoStill touch my mind Yet now and...

Conquistador Running downA sea-wet shoreWarm smileThat speaks ofMore Eyes beguileWarm embraceBreathless raceTo touch that face Syrup-sweetScented airBurgeoning blossomSensual siestaHeart beats loudAt the fiery fiesta Then Smokey silence-filledRegretAnd fiestaNo more...

Into The Light SwirlingTwirlingStarsIn midnight blue BlueYour eyes, your visionFor you, VincentThe knifeYour earYour heartYour life For onewho saw everythingWas there reallyNothingAnyone(Including Theo, including God, including you)Could do? Every ageHas its outsiders...

Steel Town Girl Razor-sharp windOn the riverMakes her shiverSteely gazeIron-grey hazeNobody’s pearlShe’s a steel town girl Shining eyesA strong embraceIn a different placeAt lastSomeone’s pearlShe’s a steel town girl Metal still guards her heartTensile strengthBut the...

Battlement Red Autumnal redBattlement greyAll that's calmHas gone today Red in your eyesRed in my headRed for dangerRed in the bed No more RapunzelIn the sunset hourBut BodacieaStruggling to regainHer power Remembering A greyEuropean dayCastle battlementsGold and red...

Hall of the Mountain Kings Hall of the Mountain KingsWhere we gather to ponderImportant thingsWarm our soulsBy its eternal fireDream of allTo which we aspire Wreathed inMist and mountain greenHallowed hallWhere you've always beenArriving a pilgrimAnd leaving aQueen...

Bookends The 'bookend'On whom I dependHas gone. And with him,The sun. Dawn brings onlyDevastating clarityThat he isNo moreWith me. LeavingEchoes, memoriesDoors to the pastAjarBut alas,No GPSAnd no radar Latter-day ColumbusI've fallenOff the worldOff the map Wondering...

Changing My Mind Bird call fallsIntoMy mind WaterfallWashing awayThe pain and dirtOfYesterday Drumbeat-insistentIs the callTo changeTo run farFrom it all Yet as I yearnFor my new startI cannot forgetAboutMyHeart In seeking peaceI am surprised to findTheKeyTo it allIs...

Exile In the womb of AfricaReality lies before herFugitive from fury and fearVictim of a vicious year! People small and nature vastWhat does it takeTo erase the past?Fight or flight, go or stayFrantic to find a better way Exile's such a bitter placeStruggles take the...

Sanctuary Raven and aqua of theButterfly’s wingKaleidoscope colourIn everything A hilltop havenAbove the crashing seas of lifeSanctuary for world-weary pilgrimsBeset by strife Velvet-green grassAnd lengthening shadowsRainfall and sunlightBrilliant rose-gold...

Full Circle You shot the lights outNow you don’t knowWhat you’re aboutAll that was ‘in’ is now ‘out’! Slumbering heartNeeds a kickstartThere’s someone behindThat half-open doorSomeone you knewSo well before They’re laughingAnd freeFun and relaxedDraw people closerAnd...

Lockdown Lowdown Locked downIn townBig frownStill scared of clowns! Birds flyIn blue skiesTheir sweet songsSoothe our sighs Gaia the GreatMother Nature, if you willHas lashed backWith a bitter pill Tired of ourAbuse and neglectShe flexed her musclesIn a devastating...

Castles In The Air SunlitCumulo-Nimbus cloudsThree dimensionalCastles-in-the air ofGolden hueSculpted to perfectionAgainst a backdrop ofCerulean blue I'm so ground downAnd so earthboundYet here above meA majestic reminderOf sailing the skiesIn flight I capture the...

Broadway Oaks Whispering Oaks At Broadway tower Endless green beauty Burns bright here Wordsworth’s green and pleasant land A wonderful place I’ll go to when I can Ancient peace Balm to old hurts Chance and destiny Showing me All is not lost Youth (of sorts) And...

Stratford Stratford heatwaveShakespearean enclaveI’ve come here toSpend timeBut open upThis heart of mineI must do, to save myselfOr maybeSomeone else? Shared humourLaughing eyesRiver AvonTells no liesChance encounterMulberry tree dancer Midnight streetsEcho with...

Ode to Africa Midnight blue Starry night canopy Woodsmoke and owls' calls Washing over me Ancient forest in moonlit relief Time made you Africa But time is a thief Continent of conflict Rivers of smiles Seismic dissonance Africa beguiles! In silence Peace walks with...

Somebody's Daughter The Year of the CatAnd love by the waterBut she's stillSomebody's wifeAndSomebody's daughter Jet-fuelledEarly morningsForeign airportsIgnoring all warnings Ignoring all the painLife brought herStill somebody's wifeAndSomebody's daughter Running to...

Undercover Anarchist Anarchy runs in my veinsLike water down the window panesI feel rebellious when it rainsRunning to defendTill the world's end Smashing glassBurning grassContinents crackFaces, tooBut no anarchy or rebellionWill tame the stallionBring the horse to...

Don’t Ask Why Don’t askWhyThe time will passKiss you fast, and leaveA lover’s tapestryOf doubts andLies to weave Don’t askWhyYou still know the smileAnd mesmerisedDiveInto a pair of very blue eyes Don’t askWhyPandemic-rivenYou now wear a maskBut with a face like...

Calibration CalibrationI’ve missedThat station Saw the balanceAs I swung pastLike in John Mellencamp’s song Well thanksFor the warning JohnBut it still went wrong! CalibrationAndRecalibration Can’t resetBit by bitOr by degreesToo many I’s and not enough we’s So...

Sky-blue Saboteur Sky-blue skies Reminiscent of your eyes Endless and smooth As your lies Why oh why? Her heartfelt cry Quiet moments In the sun And back to that time She endlessly runs Faithless infidel And yet still Misty memory photoshops out The sharpest edges And...

Floating Ophelia Floating OpheliaWhat’s aboveAnd what’s beneath her? Floating OpheliaHeart beating like theWings of a doveWhat else could drown herBut love? Floating OpheliaLet’s hear the requiemFor herEchoes and memoriesOf a live livedIn degrees Of hopeOf daringOf...

The Things I know The things I knowAbout youAnd cannot forgetAlthough I’ve triedCan’t seem to – yet All your charmAnd all your wilesCulminating in empty smiles An enjoyable mealOnce consumedSoon forgottenWhen you leave the room Transient heart-thiefI’ve turned overMy...

Hashtag Hags Hashtag hags Have signature bags Perfect brows Always look ‘wow’ Always look ‘now’ Hashtag hags Glossy nails Shiny smiles Glowing faces Going places Hashtag hags Hems are short Tempers too They’re posting About me Hashtagging you Drunk on opinion Narrow...

The Shadow Men The Shadow Men Are here again Don’t-know-where And Don’t-know-when Their faces I never see Yet they’re horribly familiar to me The Shadow Men Are here again Behind closed doors I hear their roars They’re all about Heartache, fear and shame A drought of...

The Awakening The fire is outThe anvil is brokenMy heart is bleedingIt’s been cracked open Burnt embersCharred, discardedBut the heart remembersLightening remindersFlash a warningTelepathic arrowsMemories stormingBe gone! Let me claim my peaceAnother wayTo live my...

Heart and Head England’s dreaming green Inside my head You looked into my heart But you never said Roses and poses Poseur For you, my heart bled But look where it’s led Tree-tall tranquillity Because finally In middle years I’ve learnt to think not just with my heart...

Travelling Blues I got no thanks In Gadansk Felt like an eejit In Egypt Escaped to Florida Ran down corridors Looked up the who's who To find you In the deserts of Namibia I wrote a poem to you Felt fire in the Outback On the Russia Steppes I ran amok And went...

Fireproof When the cut and thrust Of the day is done And I’m walking alone As if it were my last sunset Thinking about the people I’ve met   Heroes and villains Lies and truth One thing’s for sure I’m not fireproof   When the cut and thrust Of the day is done And I’m...

Water People like plantsNeed water to growBut once moreOver the water you go Oceans which separateContinent and heartMind and handJoined so fastThe minute you land Water to sootheWater to calmCool this raging fire down Beautiful riverWhere soon now we'll meetWalk and...

Mountain Garden Moonlit garden A green-stepped sonata Playing for Those who were here before And those who'll be here after Bone-white tree Lightening-struck sentinel Over gauzy-blue African views It stands guard One feels instinctively That leaving here is hard...

Wimbledon Skyline The jumble of roofs And Summer sky Backdrop as we talk Consolation as we say goodbye Echoes in the golden sky Rapunzel Rapunzel Sentinel in her tower Glowing girl In the sunset hour Strange how Something from nothing grows A blade of grass A wild red...

Lavender You watched as I walked Lady in red To pick lavender from the garden While we spoke of the future Sowing seeds of dreams To keep in our heads Strategy your currency Words with feeling, mine Heaven-sent this connection Lover If we keep the faith And walk the...

Purple Rain Wistful wisteria Weeps purple-petal rain Seems like we just met But now Nothing is the same Purple lavender Cotswold hills Golden stone Summer skies of blue Broadway Tower Feel the power Others will meet there now But it won’t be me and you Queue falling...

Hothouse Daffodil Golden and green With the bearing of a queen Ms Hothouse Daffodil No more waiting For if he will No wallflower She claims her power Dressing up in her bower Modern Rapunzel Escaping the tower For a knight on the town No more feeling down No more fear...

Backyard Valentine Mistaken faithBroken beliefCorrosive companionsSo where's her new leaf? Vexed and in vainShe suffers her painThe path to peaceA bridge too far As he always saidWe've all got scars Shirley ValentineIn the back gardenWill she ever getHer pardon?...

The Warning Bright pools of Clear-sky, clever blue Stranger danger Who are you? Mountains and plains Reflected in your eyes But I don't want to Say more goodbyes Two rivers that meet Two paths that cross Confluence and dichotomy If I let you in You could mean all this...

The Rose Staring at your portrait People say Just like your mother In your own way But I can never hope to be The charismatic Queen Of all I see Which you were Missing is a balmless pain Thoughts of your early end Again and again It took away so much you see My best...

Buffalo Blue Chiffon haze End of the day Rhinos graze Feel the peace And the power of Africa's blue hour Mother and calf Nothing by half Zero or hero The jackals shout Brazen buffalo Running roan Elephants once again Call this place home Feast for the eyes What a...

Survival SurvivalOf a heartbreak waveSo tidalHuge effort to swimCan't be idle Killer currentI didn't seeBlinded by passionFor you and me Bitter tasteRepent at leisureRash decisionsMade in haste Burnt toastCharred remainsOf what I lovedThe most