Category: Poetry

Choices…

On By jovisgoesIn PoetryLeave a comment

He was at the end of the line
His wall had been reached
Palliative care was only stopping his whine
It was now high time to practice
— that which he had always preached.

They’d tried of course, many times
There had been operations galore
He was now so covered in ugly scars
That his so often cut chest
— was all puckered and sore.

He decided no more
And consulted his list
Of the things before death he would do
And he noticed he’d put another parachute jump
— that somehow he seemed to have missed.

He gathered his pain
And went to the club
He arranged a jump fairly quick
Then he thought about life and he thought about death
— and he sensed that the timing was slick

On the day of the jump in unbelievable pain
He decided he’d not pull the cord
But it made him feel like he was a quitter
So he did
— and he floated down to the sward.

He may of course now just die in his sleep
Or get run down by a car or a bus
But his choice was to get on with life as it was
Sod the rest
— he couldn’t stand the fuss.

©Joe Wilson – Choices…2015

It is who we are…

On By jovisgoesIn PoetryLeave a comment

In moving through our hope-filled lives
A fork so oft presents itself
And choices made, we set to strive
Determined, we abandon stealth.

And crashing forward at pell-mell
Pride takes hold, we sometimes fall
Yet as time rings the final bell
Our friends, we hope, may then recall.

That we were loved, that’s all we pray
And not forgot like some old book
As we loved them and life each day
In all the things we undertook.

Thus in the library far beyond
We’ll sit and gather our friends around
And to life’s question we will respond
By words and friendship we are bound.

©Joe Wilson – It is who we are…2015

In dark shadow…

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Dark shadow! For I would hide in thee
And keep thy black ink mantle
Thou art the key to safe for me
You guide me without candle
Till I emerge in yonder place
As safe I reach my front-door handle.

But in the thunderous windswept nights
Whence thou seems blacker still
I travel through thee filled with fright
And think that thee would do me ill
And thus I rush and tarry nay
To pass thee by in haste
I travel now on lighted way
And keep thy shadowed ink at bay.

©Joe Wilson – In dark shadow…2015

(In the style of Edgar Allan Poe after re-reading ‘To the River’ 1829)

A knight’s tale…

On By jovisgoesIn PoetryLeave a comment

Dark-medieval-knight

So grey the day that matched his thoughts
And dark the mantle of his blackened soul
For such was he, a knight of sorts
Now under pay and King’s control.

It wasn’t once this way back then
His lovely wife, and children, two
But Slayers came with many men
Entire families by sword they slew.

For days he sat by those three graves
He wept inside and nothing said
And such as this oft times depraves
He so believed his soul was dead.

Dressed by his squire in armour, black
And brought to him his fine sharp blade
A vow he made to strike them back
His silent calm left men afraid.

And so to King he took his skill
With others for Slayers he searched
So often went they for the kill
To dark his soul unerringly lurched.

And so he stands in Slayer’s camp
And foul his mood and ire
For in his left hand is the head
Of he who turned life dire.

The head he tossed into Hell’s pit
They stood and watched it burn
But only guilt his heart did fit
His family never to return.

Each time he fought he longed for
The blade that would set him free
But such was the gift from his Angel
That his death seemed never to be.

And so he fought bravely every day
More killing and slaughter he wrought
His mood wouldn’t lighten his squire would say
Till the solace of death that he sought.

©Joe Wilson – A knight’s tale…2015

Unconditional love…

On By jovisgoesIn Children, Love, painLeave a comment

Children weep over parent’s misfortune
But often say nothing of their own pain
And parents wrapped up in their own sad torture
Miss the hurt their kids feel once again.

If only we let ourselves see from their view
Perhaps we’d all better understand
If we just took that extra moment or two
Sometimes they just want a hand.

There’s no greater love than that of a child
But often, they feel over-awed
We don’t really need any book that’s compiled
To see they want love and accord.

The man in you will know this is true
The woman, of course she will know
It depends entirely on your point of view
But I like to see all children glow.

©Joe Wilson – Unconditional love…2015

We fall despite ourselves…

On By jovisgoesIn Life, Love, romanceLeave a comment

He never knew he’d fallen in love
Love was always for others he thought
Thought he liked a very nice girl once
Once even asking her out sometime
Sometime sadly, it never came.

Came the realisation crashing in on him
Him feeling a fool for showing he cared
Cared enough he realised one time
Time that was precious and slipping away
Away from him daily as lonely he stayed.

Stayed on that shelf that singles inhabit
Inhabit the space where lonely sets in
In to his soul and all through his actions
Actions that he always had in control
Control his watchword but for one time…then.

Then something happened that changed him forever
Forever, for he met the one in his dreams
Dreams you can never believe in the real world
World is a place though where strange things are true
True they became…when I met with you.

©Joe Wilson – We fall despite ourselves…2015

Locks…(loosely in the style of Ogden Nash)

On By jovisgoesIn PoetryLeave a comment

All shopping comes to an impassable stop
As locks are locked on the door of the shop
And what we wanted to buy today
We probably don’t need anyway.

We gather our bits, and our pieces too
And dive in the car, that’s me and you
The kids will dive straight into the back
I suppose I should check before hitting the track.

Back to the house from whence we came
Ah! I see it, it looks the same
But then next door looks like it too
Except for a missing number two.

But then, their house is number four
Why would they want a two on the door
It would surely be a foolish task
I must remember one day to ask.

Our number two has been missing for days
But we know our house, and to it, the ways
Yet for a new number we went out and shopped
And late as always, by locks we were stopped
Though I don’t think we’ll bother to try again
As next month we’re moving to number ten.

©Joe Wilson – Locks…2015

The last two lines are added for fun
Only there to extend the pun
I know they stretch a simple quatrain
But as Nash might say, they shall remain.

A desperate note to Mr Cameron…

On By jovisgoesIn PoetryLeave a comment

On the boring tills each day
Monotony drives her mad
But seeing folk buying fewer things
Makes her feel so sad.

While I work at the scrapyard
It’s dirty and the hours are long
But I was never going to be a surgeon
Although I’m immensely strong.

But, between us, we’re poor with children
Nonetheless, we give to God our thanks
That relief will be there to help us
At one of your local food banks.

The number of people using food banks to feed themselves and their families has gone from 40,000 a year under Labour to over 350,000 in the last six months alone.

Well done Dave, I guess it’ll be more of the same for the foreseeable future.

©Joe Wilson – A desperate note to Mr Cameron…2015

Ezra’s final conversation…

On By jovisgoesIn Belief, Death, Faith, PoetryLeave a comment

Ezra cried out,
‘Lord, where art thou in my hour of need?’

Silence prevailed.

‘Lord, canst thou give unto me no succour?’

Silence prevailed.

Ezra in desperate straits
His future in the hand of Fates
Tries and fails to escape their claws
For evil is there chosen course.

Ezra cried out,
‘Lord, why dost thou make my life so hard?’

Silence prevailed.

‘Lord, why am I so tested?’

Silence.

Ezra fights against his foe
The pride that he has come to know
He fights against with all his might
And wins, and moves his sin from sight.

Ezra cried out,
‘Lord, thou truly art a sly old thing.’

Silence prevailed.

‘Lord, I hear thy angels sing.’

‘Lord, thou hast helped me yet again.’

Silence.

Ezra smiled.
Ezra slept.

©Joe Wilson – Ezra’s final conversation…2015

Yet another old memory…

On By jovisgoesIn Childhood, Family, Life, LoveLeave a comment

Her perfume lingered in my nostrils
It reminded me of days long since gone
Of Mother making us treacle tart
And the way the sun always shone.

It didn’t of course, it was just childhood
And we like to think back to the good
Things like the sun always shining
And Mother’s delicious pud.

People then, had no central heating
In winter with fires, the house was cold still
And the water we took up to bed would freeze
Through the night on the windowsill.

Mother’s love was of course, unconditional
As was Dad’s till the day he died
And Mum dabbed on ‘Lily of the Valley’
As she stood by his coffin and cried.

So now, when a lady walks past me
Who is wearing that scent from those years
She’ll probably be a lady of advancing age
Who’s experienced those times and some tears.

And I will drift back to my childhood
But I’ll push out the parts that are bad
As I think of the fun and the love that I felt
I’ve no desire to look back and be sad.

©Joe Wilson – Yet another old memory…2015