Monday 31 December 2012

Does it Offend?

Don't be offended, 
it's just the way I am
fam, I'm hot and I'm cold
one minute 
I'm cripplingly shy 
the next 
I'm foolishly bold
sometimes 
I break into places
yet other times 
I find it hard to look 
up at faces 
I'm changeable 
It's inescapable 
this changeability 
I'm incapable
of staying the same. 
I'm bouncing off walls 
but there are times I remain 
so calm and still inside
like when I'm
meditating under a tree
or running in the rain so free
See it's just me
fam, it's just the way I am- 
so please
don't be offended. 

Goodbye 2012

Goodbye
two thousand and twelve 
with this bitter-sweet departing
let us delve 
a little deeper into our souls 
let us roll
up the scrolls,
of yesterday.
Goodbye old miseries and pain
goodbye troubles I tried to solve 
in vain. 
Goodbye mistakes, 
goodbye wasted days- 
a new year is upon us now,
and somehow, I've got a good feeling-
I look up at my ceiling
it's filled with possibilities. 
Lord, let this year be filled with magic 
and laughter and peace. 
Lord let colours reign and let there be ease
for each and every one of us!

Hula Hoop Girl

You wore hula hoops 
on all your fingers 
and with one hand 
on the steering wheel 
you drove at twilight.
Lost again,
in some anonymous place 
you flicked one off
by accident
a yellow band of potato
it landed somewhere-
the red lights changed to green 
you didn't care, 
you just searched 
the floor of your car
for that one hula hoop.
Honk! Honk!
I love you hula hoop girl-
you plonk!

Saturday 29 December 2012

Elaborate

If I were to elaborate 
perhaps my words
would eradicate
the possibilities 
you stored 
in your head 
trust me, yo 
some
things are best 
left unsaid.

Same Old

I said 'same old' 
I never told 
you what really went on
because you didn't 
really care.
Look, 
I don't need you to 
lend me an ear
I don't need anyone too.
In the last eight years
I've learnt to get through 
shit on my own
I've become a pro at dealing
with trouble alone. 
But thanks, 
whatever.

It's never easy...

Brother, you went back to Ecuador
3am I heard the door, slam shut.
I heard the taxi drive off. 
You never said goodbye-
neither did I. 

Brother, you're going back to Ecuador 
I still deplore, the way you speak to me
as if I'm a waste space, I wish I could erase,
the things you've done in the past 
the things you've said. 
More than that, I wish I could 
forgive and forget.

Brother, you're in Ecuador now
and I'm left wishing somehow 
it had been different this time
but perhaps in time, things will change 
perhaps in time, we'll find a way 
to get along. 

Monday 24 December 2012

Spotless Mind

Did you ever watch that film 
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind? 
I think I was fifteen, so were you. 
We left school early one afternoon
and went to see it at the cinema-
remember you forgot your glasses
you wore glasses back then 
so we sat in the second row
of the empty theatre. 
I don't really know 
where I'm going with this
I guess I was just wondering if
we would be better off
erasing every trace
of a person who occupies
a certain space
in ones mind?

Raincoat and Clogs

Spirit on the train
you wore trousers 
under your thawb 
and a raincoat 
that wouldn't absorb 
the sky's tears.
On your back you wore
a rucksack 
I thought it looked heavy-
I wonder
did your clogs dig 
into the ground
I thank heaven 
everyday
that
you found 
a way to
 still exist 
in a world 
so heavily
shrouded 
in mist.

That Conversation

Dear Stranger-
you probably don't know
who you are.
Let me give you a clue,
we met once by the peace pagoda
at Battersea Park.
You had a strange way about you
but most my friends usually do.
I just wanted to say
honestly, I enjoyed
that conversation we shared
it was long and interesting
and even a bit weird.
Anyway be well
and don't sell
out to the man
I know you don't plan
too. Sometimes it just happens
though don't let it happen to you

Programmed

You smoke a lot
You never eat
If the end of the world came
we'd just keep
walking.
We're like that see,
trees with roots,
deep under
and as the world
is torn asunder
we'd continue going
while others start slowing
I think
it's the way we're
programmed
remember-
we joked
rain-soaked
as we walked
on for miles-
you said
'If the end of the world came
we'd keep on down this same
muddy lane.'

Rise up

See, it's hard for me to explain
all the demons that I'd slain
Back when I was seeking
Back then I gained
so much with each new sacrifice
I would not only suffice
I would rise
up from the ashes
reborn, torn from that dark past
I never thought I'd outlast
those voices that would resound
in this head. They were so loud
I was proud
of myself
for the first time in my life
I felt like I was alive
I felt I finally I undersood
the wise 
and the wise words
I was once taught
by my ancestors, prophets
pilgrims and brethen
See, I fought and conquered
my lower self
-with a quiet stealth-
I fought and I won
But slowly everything I ever
worked for came undone
I tried again and again
to regain what left me,
what once was
but despite all my efforts
I failed to be there
and now I live in fear
that I'll be forever lost
whether or not I give up
everything
again
and
again
and gain nothing
from giving
and giving up
everything
See, only those who have
experienced
that grace, will face
the misery of uncertainty
perhaps till eternity 
surfaces...

Laces

I told you I lost my shoe laces.
You said it was strange-
you had a dream you lost yours too.
Maybe our thoughts are tied together
Maybe our reveries are laced through.

Thursday 20 December 2012

Follow the River

As I follow the river
I try to figure
shit out in my head
I try to figure 
out what led
to this moment in time-
some kind of sublime.
See
lately I've been living
in a dream 
that's not mine
and I can't seem 
to find-
a reason 
a cause
a calling
I know I'm stalling
I know I'm clawing
at 
something 
that's 
slipping 
from my grasp
I try so hard
to clasp
hold of
something 
already
long gone, 
something
I lost 
along 
my way
something
I still crave
See, nowadays
I always come up blank
but as I stand at the 
edge of the river bank 
and watch the waters
slide and glide along
and travel through 
I realise my end too 
like the river to the sea
I will one day 
come to find Thee.

Tuesday 18 December 2012

This Heart

This heart of ice 
won't melt
I felt
-nothing.
I'm sorry for wasting your time
I know you were doing just fine
without me. 
Look-
I'll get out of your way
but before I do just let me say
this;
thank you 
thank you 
for letting me 
be part of you 
world.
See I hurled myself 
into a dangerous place
and if you weren't there
I doubt I could have erased
what had come before 
and what I never foresaw. 
See, without you 
I mightn't have seen 
the beauty in each new day
So let me just say-
thank you.

One

Of the ten thousand people
I met on my journey
you were the only 
one who ever really knew me.
You truly understood 
the depths of my madness.
You truly accepted me
with a certain gladness-
all that I am
all that I was
all that I wanted to be
and this is just one
of the reasons why
I can't forget thee.

Done Trying

You were right about me
in the end I did flee
and not just once or twice
but three
times. 
But I did have a reason
for committing such treason
In fact I had many 
it's just that now
I can't remember 
a single
one.
And I'm done
-trying.

Solitude under the Stars

...as we walked
by the canal at night
I gazed up
at the stars so bright
and I felt like
I was the only being
left in the world
-in this sweet solitude
their magnitude,
their servitude
astonished me
-and their shine
but their light in time
will fade away...

That One Friend

T- my dear friend from the past
I had a dream about you last
night. It was beyond weird
You were there with J
in some anonymous place and
you wore that same dangerous smile
on your face. 
Somedays I wish things would
go back to the way they were
before. 
Back when we were mates
Back when we'd be out adventuring
till late
-bunking off school 
and breaking all the rules.
Funny how things happened
Long ago we used to be friends
but then fate intervened 
and tore us apart
then brought us together again
in the strangest of ways
and then I went away
and you stayed 
and now I don't know where 
you are again.
I understand
that maybe we're not meant 
to be friends
Maybe we're bad for each other
But maybe we're due another 
chance...

Sunday 16 December 2012

Daughter of a Zoo-Keeper

...I dreamt that I was
the daughter
of a zoo-keeper
and this one time
I forgot to feed the shark 
so with his razor-sharp
teeth, he leapt up
from the water 
and bit my arm off-
the tiger scoffed
and the the grizzly bear 
just stared
blankly at me. 
It was the weirdest 
dream 
and when I awoke 
I couldn't seem 
to shake off the feeling
that I had forgotten to redeem
myself for something
that I had done...

Cloud

A cloud- 
golden and not of this world
came bounding towards me
its swirls of glory
moved so gracefully 
across the sky-
it travelled 
at such a speed
I could barely 
concede
it was real.
I held my breathe 
as it passed 
over my head
I wish
it came down low
so
that I could have 
bummed a ride
(I sighed)
upwards 
towards the
kingdom of peace.

Saturday 15 December 2012

Son of a Diplomat

I wonder what life 
must have been-
to go unseen 
to never get bored
to be able to afford
any dream,
any wish
I'd switch 
places with him 
on a day like this
but most days
I'd rather not
See actually
I'm pretty happy
with my lot.

Friday 14 December 2012

Fellowship of Exiles

...we're part of a
fellowship
of exiles
who travelled 
for miles
in search 
of a new life.
You left behind
everyone and everything 
you knew,
in search for something new-
only to realise that
perhaps you drew
the short straw
perhaps her promise
fell through
And now-
here you are
an outlaw
afar

Talk to Me

girl, there was a time
when we would talk about
our worries
our fears,
it scares me 
the darkness that consumes 
the danger that looms
before you now.
I'd like somehow 
to help you
but I can't because 
I'm right there too-
girl, didn't you once say 
that we're one and the same?

Ship in a Storm

This house has become 
a ship in a raging storm
will its furious waves
restore or deform?
Raising flags
and rising voices
heard amidst 
discordant noises-
the sea water 
sprays tears
diffusing 
fervent fears.
The sky darkens
waves crash 
and hearts thrash 
in a rib cage:
the rib cage 
is this dwelling
this home, 
floating on troubled waters
floating on a sea unknown.
I wonder 
will we fall in 
here on the brink-
will we sink 
or will we swim? 

Estranged Brother

To my estranged brother
from another mother-
I heard you came by the shop
but there were a lot
of people around-
too many. 
So you walked on by 
you never stopped to say hi-
I guess I understand why.
But I wonder still 
I wonder
how many connections
have gone ill
in this way
I'd say-
maybe ten thousand
a day...

Silver Thing

It's like I got flashed
by that silver thing 
in Men in Black
and just like that
all I knew
all I believed to be true
disappeared 
without a trace
man, what a waste!

-adrift.

I never say goodbye
and this is the reason why
I float, like a boat
without a sail- I sail
through life
-adrift. 
I drift across an ocean
unknown to me
but at least I know 
it's been decreed 
for me- 
this floating, 
this sailing,
this drifting
and this waiting. 
I hope to find an anchor 
one day, that will anchor 
me to one place...

Thursday 13 December 2012

Dear Friends

Dear friends,
on different ends 
of the same spectrum-
we're losing momentum
we're losing touch 
and as such
I have to ask you:
I have to ask-
dear friends
scattered across 
this big earth
am I worth
saving?

Wednesday 12 December 2012

Someone I once Knew

Broken,
bored and
deeply flawed-
he cuts his wrists
he clenches his fists
he bleeds, 
he bleeds, 
he bleeds. 

Monday 10 December 2012

The Outsider

...he dressed 
like he was from a 
different time
always
benign 
always
gracious
always
inoffensive
always
efficacious...

Glad

I'm glad I don't 
write a journal any more
for it would just be filled
with flaw after flaw
after 
flaw. 

I'm glad I no longer
dwell in my forgotten days.
I'm glad I no longer 
dwell on my rotten old ways.

I'm glad nothing ever lasts
I'm glad memories fade fast
faster now I don't write them down...
Life is not a tape
 to be wound and rewound
I finally found 
myself understanding
what he meant. 

Time to Ditch

Oh man
so here I am 
again,
would you 
believe
its been 
less than 
ten weeks 
and already 
my feet
are beginning
to itch-
is it time
already 
is it time 
to ditch
this job
that's robbed
me of another 
vision. 
Another stupid
decision
Another failed 
mission.
Shit 
why must I always 
flit?
Why can I never 
sit
still?
Will 
I get through 
this time?
Will I find
a way 
to stay 
rooted?
F*** 
I don't want to 
get stuck
and
I can't get 
attached
see
any moment
I'll be snatched
away 
to some other place.
See, I'm too free
but not in the right ways.
See, I'm too free
I'm wasting all my days.
I need grace man,
Man, I really need
the grace, to face
tomorrow...

Sunday 9 December 2012

Sinking Sand

Since I got back 
I've been running 
endless miles 
across a desert 
of quicksand-
silent and swift
I lift 
one foot 
and 
then the other
trying to keep pace.
I run, I run, I run
in such haste  
afraid of sinking 
into the ground.
I run, I run, I run, 
without a sound
and with the 
desert hound 
on my tail 
waiting 
waiting 
waiting 
for me to trip up
waiting
for me to fail 
so he can claim my body 
for his own
and tear it apart 
piece
by 
piece 
by 
piece.
I run, 
I run,
I run...

Thursday 6 December 2012

There is a Way to be Good Again

There is a way 
to be good again
my dear, but I fear
you've lost interest 
in the coming world-
in life beyond 
this dream.
It seems 
you don't care 
any more.

My dear, 
it seems you've 
walked through
another door- 
Come back now
Come back forevermore
Come back now 
Come back before 
'nevermore'
keeps you away
for all eternity.  

Dear, I regret to say lately
you've become a bit of a bore
Dear, I regret to say lately
you've forgotten who you were before
So let me remind you, 
let me give you a tour 
of who you used to be. 
You used to be joyous 
and spirited and free. 
Dear, you used to be happy. 

There is a way to be good again
I read it in a book
I'm sorry I mistook you 
for someone who 
was searching for the truth
I thought I saw something in you-
something true.
I guess I thought you wanted it, 
more that you do.

This war you've waged
against the world 
girl, you'll only end up hurting
yourself. 

Dear there was a time 
when you wanted to be better
than the rest
you wanted to be the best 
human being 
you could be 
a soul that could 
clearly see
beyond the horizon...
There is a way to be good again.  

A Voice

A voice
inside my head
said 
to me
girl, 
who are you 
trying to fool?
don't you think 
it's been long enough?
don't you think 
it's time to give up?
girl, take off your scarf
I heard the voice laugh-
cruel and sharp
it pierced a hole 
right through my heart
stop pretending to be 
holy,
solely for the sake of others...
stop pretending to be
someone you're not-
blot it all out.
I heard the voice shout
girl,
stop lying to yourself!

Perhaps you could 
don a balaclava
instead
the voice said
it might suit, 
start to loot 
this world
become a criminal
become a mute
a non-identity
is hard to find
for every kind
of costume 
carries weighty 
ideas, 
it's not you're fault
that there's no 
default 
way of living
and now
this is the result 
you remain static 
not wanting 
or able 
to move backwards 
or forwards
the conundrum 
of the ascetic who gave 
up the world 
whose certainties soon
began to unfurl
and who slowly 
began to forget
how could you let
this happen?

In Time

If I could go back in time
I would try and find
a way to make it work
you know
it drove me berserk
living that life
living through that strife 
living though that pain 
it drove me near insane
But I'd go back again 
if it meant being 
close to you

Moving On

Lonely secrets
reside in a hidden 
place
they lace
their way into
'moving on.'

Wednesday 5 December 2012

Time Machine

I'd like to build
a time machine
and go back to a time 
when the earth was green-
a time when the
dusty barefoot pilgrim-
would travel
a great
lengthy winding distance
in search of truth
to this life's existence.

Girl

girl, 
I heard you received 
an invitation to sin
 I wonder, 
will you give in 
to him
this time 
or will you find 
the strength of mind 
to resist?

girl, 
desist in speaking 
to the one
who has slowly 
undone
much of what 
you strived to achieve
Do not leave
this path
half-way 
through,
few
have been given 
as many chances 
as the Lord 
has given you. 

girl,
you know this is true-
You know this
so don't persist;
instead resist
his charms- 
get out of harms
way and be stronger 
than your desires 
many of them are liars 
anyway

girl,
please,
don't throw it all away 
for the promise
of another day...

Sunday 2 December 2012

A Dark Place

As I heard the saxophone 
sound and diffuse
 in the crowded
underground
I felt a presence cut the cord
I felt myself drift towards
a dark dark place
without a trace
 will I disappear? 
without a fear 
 will I leave 
this world?

Soon the people 
disperse
and head-first
I dive into the abyss
and everything I ever feared
is adhered to. 

Still I suffer in silence
still this spiritual violence
overcomes me 
over and over 
again and again
torn apart-
scars grace this heart
craters and valleys
fault-lines and dark
cold alleys 

This malaise 
transports me to a frightening place
and brings back memories
of nightmares and fears 
once forgotten. 

Memento Mori
The angel of death whispers to me
quietly in my ear 
and instils within me
a panic, a rising fear
I swear, I'll change 
I'll rearrange my life again
I just need time. 

This malaise
raises questions 
about my spiritual state
I hate 
these pains 
these hidden aches
I fake 
being okay
so I can stay
awake 
for the stakes are too high
for everything to go awry 
once more

To lose focus on living
and to give in
to the pain
again and again
drives me insane
and I sink 
deeper and deeper
I teeter on the edge
as I think 
dark thoughts 
in dark places....

Saturday 1 December 2012

The Way it Happened

The way it happened- 
it happened this way. 
A thousand stolen glances
A thousand missed chances
Did I dream it,
or did you really say
'hey-
 can't you see
you and me 
we're meant to be
together.'