24 Poems ~ 24 Hours
Feet before mine wore smooth the towering stairs.
Soles–naked, tethered, aching–dimpled the rock into waves of gray.
Thousands of fingers etched trails along frontier edges, notched secure nooks.
Now, I climb slowly, careful not to look left or right,
afraid I might stumble on the ghosts of travellers before me.
cherish.
In The Black
In the Black, they say, men can go mad,
And reavers find their meals.
But they can’t stop the signal
However hard they try.
He took them out there,
To the furthest rim,
And there made a home
On the good ship Serenity.
Browncoats all round,
And Big Damn Heroes, too.
No-one could take their sky,
Though many would love to try.
But a preacher with a past,
And a brain-washed dancing girl,
A pilot with plastic dinosaurs
And a grease-smeared mechanic lass
Were his shiny crew.
They would get the signal through.
Out in the black
His first mate is still loyal,
And there’s an ambassador
With beauty untold.
And his coat is still brown,
He’ll fly straight and true,
In a Firefly class
Till the day that he’s passed.
Give a reason,
Regardless of season.
Give a quote,
Not something rote.
Tell it true,
What one should do.
Keep it real,
Just how you feel.
A friend in need,
Will thank you, Indeed!
Moving too fast
Tripping off the high
Hoping it can last
Everlasting lullaby
Hoping it can last
The feeling of riding the sky
Take me away
And let me soar
Happiness
Sad nevermore
~.%
Daaaaaddy,
Yes, darling
Tell me a story!
ok, my dear, I will.
About whhhaaaat?
How about the time
I met the potato
fairy?
the whooo?
I said,
the potato fairy.
That’s why I’m the best potato cooker.
Hm. You’re potatoes are really good.
But you’re every food is good.
Yeah, yeah.
But I’m the best potato cooker.
I met the fairy.
He told me so.
Whhaaat? I’ve never heard that one before.
Well, then settle down and sit tight
and I’ll regale you the tale.
When I was a kid
abbbout how old?
Oh, about a little bit older than you
I was cooking in the kitchen
with my lovely little kitten
potatoes in the pan
turnin’ golden and delicious
when a little bitty fairy
came by
whaaaaat did he say?
Oh, I’ll tell you what he said,
“Hey, can I try a fry?”
So I looked at my pan
and said
Sure, I’ve got enough
have a little or a lottle
its up to you.
whaaat did he do?
He took a healthy portion
and he sat out the table
and if you would
believe it,
he ate with a ladle.
whaaat’s a ladle?
well, it’s like a really big spoon.
waait, he ate his potatoes with a spoon
that doesn’t make much sense
a fairy at the kitchen table
had me and the kitten very perplexed
confused!
right!
whaaaat did he look like?
Well, he wore a very large hat
and he was very little,
and very fat
and he had a
mischievous look
in his eyes
but what happened next
I didn’t expect
and it very much
took me by surprise.
so what happened?
Well, he gobbled
and he hobbled
round the table
picking up and
putting down the plate
staring at the taters
with great scrutiny
in front of his face
Then he made a great commotion
and he jumped in wild motion
and I had the crazy notion
he liked the taste
whyyyy do you think that?
well he hooted
and he hollered
and he looked a little bothered
and a little hot under the collar
and he was panting
and sweating up a storm
he looked in my eyes,
and to my surprise
I could see his tears
welling up,
He said,
Son, those the best potatoes
I ever did taste
and I’ve tasted all of em
I’m not young
for I am the potato fairy
and I believe
I can say
I’m the only one.
iiii’ve never heard of a potato fairy.
I hadn’t either, before then.
Welcome, welcome, step right up!
Let us show you treasures to ease your mind and comfort your soul.
Just bring your wallet, or bring your gold
We have all that your loved one would ever need or desire; for that journey into the great unknown.
On your right we have a lovely collection of breathtaking urns;
Intricately carved, masterfully crafted, passionately painted, brazenly bejeweled.
Take a look, take a look; you may want to take one home for the mantel
Just for a spin
On your left we have the most lavish artisanal boxes made of the finest wood;
Skillfully designed, lacquered to perfection, lined with the most luxurious satins, silks and velvets.
Customized to your requests; feel free to touch, feel free to linger
There’s no shame.
We are not the dealers of death
We are just here to ease your pain;
Please pay no mind to what we gain.
In this business of dirt to dirt and dust to dust,
It’s more important to show the world you care enough
To choose the most elaborate soulless vessel to house the remains.
I set the flowers on the ground
I sit down by the flowers
I gently touch the stone
I’m afraid it will crumble
Your new resting place
Your new bed
Your life with me is gone
You are gone
Our house is not the same
Our bed is not warm anymore
Our closet still your clothes
Our bathroom still smells like you
I will always miss you
You will never come back
Our paths will cross in heaven
The Malvern Hills rise suddenly out of the stretching plains of the three counties,
Thirty miles long and humped like a prehistoric beast. They hold my eyes transfixed and bring imaginings to my mind:
One fancies the panoramic view from the back of a fire-breather, swifting over the land and alighting upon his destination.
A beacon burns on the Herefordshire summit to welcome him home with his quarry. But I have not been snatched for food or ransom.
I have been sought- a chosen one, graced with the skill to defend this part of the world from its would-be ruin.
For as long as I am held in the bastion, forged by the Earth’s great fault, the orchard apples will still be the sweetest in all the land.
A by-product of the spirit within me. An energy born of the love for my home- for my familial ties which I would perish to defend, even when, owing to my unnatural longevity, I’m only defending a memory.