Poetry

A little change of pace from my normal ranting and raving blog entry today. Some weekend reading for you to hopefully enjoy. Best read with a cup of tea I think. Nymph of the Woods Sitting as I love to do, watching nature fresh and new, Bright new buds of flushing blooms, tiny little red …

Where Were You Where were you when Kennedy died? Can you remember when the shot got fired? I was a kid just six years old. But I remember, I remember Oswald. I remember the place, I remember the time, I remember something was lost. Where were you when Elvis left? The king is dead the …

One of my favourite early 19th century Australian poets is Henry Lawson. Here’s a taste of why. Faces In The Street by Henry Lawson They lie, the men who tell us, for reasons of their own, That want is here a stranger, and that misery’s unknown; For where the nearest suburb and the city proper …

The Beautiful Bird Many years ago, I set my eyes on the most Beautiful Bird I had ever seen. She was dazzling in her beauty and  song. I was entranced, and from that moment on, I was to devote my life to the wonder of this creature. She was wild, but was caged so tightly, …

In a complete change of tempo for my blog today, I would like to introduce you to one of my extra favourite poets. And naturally with one of my favourite poems of AB ‘Banjo’ Patterson. In the latter years of the 19th century Australia was fortunate to have two great poets. Patterson and Henry Lawson. …

Poetry is a form of writing I enjoy as it has the unique ability to be able to capture movement, feeling, emotion, senses and sensitivity. Although all forms of writing can convey these of course, poetry concentrates the essence of its message and elevates it through metre, rhyme and rhythm. One of my favourite poems …

Places   I’d like to tell you of the places I’ve been. I’ve been to London to visit the Queen. When I arrived she wasn’t home. I think it’s because I forgot to phone. I went to Memphis to see the King. When I got there he wasn’t in. Someone said the King was dead. …

The Dreamer and the Siren The Siren – Part One The Dreamer was awoken, By words never spoken, Just the font of fate embellishing his screen. And his mind began to open, To the sense of new emotion, He relaxed and felt it touch him, pure and clean. A Siren in the corner, Aloof, but …

Hello Friend  Credit my account with your friendship, And I will return your change with a smile. For I know we’ll neither overdraw, Once we have stood the test a while. A friendship is always growing, From its early first sown seed. And with the gentle art of caring, It will grow at a steady …

I thought I might share one of my favourite poems with you today. If you’ve ever heard Rod McKuen recite this, you’ll know how wonderfully touching it is. He is truly one of my all time favourite poets, and was so lucky to have met him once briefly when I was young. Enjoy. A Cat …

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A little more poetry today. A Time To Be Me How much of life is ours to make? Do we make our own mistakes? Or do we live to others rules? And work through life with borrowed tools. Do we own our lives we lead? Are we just here to simply breed? And fill our …

Just a Happy Normal Life  A simple wish it is true, and often said with much ado, But what is this that we all seek, and find so hard to live. The wish of very simple folk, and the not so simple too, To share a happy normal life with a partner who is true. …

Fear The taste of reality in the land of dreams, opens my eyes to fear unseen. The fear of change, of all that I know, to catch hold of a dream and never let go. My time has come for my love to be sealed, I now must make haste to all that I feel. …

Shadows Shadows meander through the sunshine of my mind – all the time. Casting doubt, despair and grief on daily wonders – how unkind. Twisting, turning, bending, pasting darkness on my light – they are mine. Shifting ever deeply on the thoughts that I would wish – sorrow time. Go away and darken somewhere else …

As I decided to introduce you to AB ‘Banjo’ Patterson a couple of days ago, I thought it only right to balance this with a poem from Henry Lawson. The other great Australian poet. For me I cannot separate one from the other. It is not possible to read Patterson without reading Lawson. They balanced …

There is nothing that pumps stronger in the heart of true Australians than the Man From Snowy River. From its origins as a poem written in 1890 to songs and movies, it is the pulse of what it is to be Australian. The fact that the Snowy River was dammed in the 1950s and has …

It really was quite unsociable of Douglas Adams to leave planet Earth in 2001. And without as much as a goodbye either. It was a real pity. There were still so many unanswered question left for him to ponder, dissect, analyze and debunk. He also left without giving me his insights into these unfathomable questions. …

Another taste of poetry. This time on the darker side.       Blackout Why have I always built to destroy, I seem to have done it since I was a boy. Labours of love, I have passionately built, Only to smash them, and wallow in guilt. Build then destroy, Build then destroy, Why have …

Every now and again I like to post a favourite Australian poem. So here we are again with an unusually light hearted verse from the normally dark Henry Lawson.   Mary Called Him Mister by Henry Lawson (1867-1922) They’d parted but a year ago – she thought he’d ne’er come back; She stammered, blushed, held …

Metro, Boulot, Dodo. (Train, Work, Sleep)    The alarm clock rings, Shower and dry. Dress and comb, It’s breakfast time. No time to waste, No time to spare. Quick drink of coffee, And straight out the door. Metro, boulot, dodo, Always on the go-go. Never time to go slow, Always time to go Joe. Metro, …

Banks! I see the gaunt unsmiling face of my neighbour every night, Trudging back from his day at work, struggling with all his might. To make a meek existence, to feed and clothe and house, His much beloved family, and his ever loving spouse. But as I gaze at this tired young man, working out …

Some weeks ago I posted a taste of two of my favourite Australian poets, A.B ‘Banjo’ Patterson and Henry Lawson. So, as I did it once, I thought I would do it again, with one of my all time favourites. The Geebung Polo Club A. B. ‘Banjo’ Patterson It was somewhere up the country, in a …

I wrote this little poem so long ago. Then I wrote an instrumental piece of the same name. Somehow not matching these words at all. Well, that’s me. Flying Often seen as a romantic dream, A wish to escape and fly. To far distant places, Of cities and races, To see and believe our own …

Nineteen Roses  Nineteen roses we planted with care, To bloom in front of our dream. We worked as a team, to plant red, yellow and cream, And nurtured them through their first year. Daily we checked on their health and their needs, And sprayed and pruned and fed. Watered and weeded, and cut blooms as …

Restless Restless is the wind, That blows in my mind, Never knowing from where, Or to. Unceasing indecision, Lost in foggy visions, Dreams that last the night, Morning fright. Stability in confusion, Breathing an illusion, A past haunting, A future daunting. The sound on the breeze, Humming with unease, Shivers in my gut, Pain in …

The Clown Everybody’s happy, I’m everybody’s clown, I always wear my smiling face, even when I’m feeling down. No one sees the tears I shed, every single day, “Make me smile, I’m feeling sad”, all the world does say. And so I make them laugh, and warm them from within, They all think they love …

It has been sometime since I posted some classic Australian poetry. So I thought I would right that wrong with one of my favourites that opens with an unforgettable line that was burned into my memory in my schooldays. I had written him a letter which I had, for want of better I recall my …

Forevermore The Siren – Part Two   His heart missed a beat, As he leapt to his feet, As his Siren appeared at the door. Their eyes met at once, And their hands reached to touch, This was the moment they had both yearned for. For months they had talked, Through their lives they had walked, …

Hope The glimmer of hope in a future unsure, Beckons to me with unceasing allure. Filling my solitude with thoughts so clear Of the love and the life that I hold so dear. The memories linger, of the gentle touch, And the smiling eyes I crave so much. Hands so soft, and a heart so …

Thank you to those who asked for a little more verse on The Vandal. Not wanting to disappoint, here we are with another little bit of rhyme and metre.   ANGEL OF THE STORM Rolling in like anger, Growling from the North, Seeking out to lash, At the innocence of earth. Charging in with power, …

      When someone comes up with a cure for insomnia, they’ll make a fortune. However, until then us night crawlers will continue to be driven mad by the sound of the ticking clock.      

Searching Watching the city crowds hustling by, All rush and scurry, frowns and sighs. Busily filling their days with moans, I wonder how many spend their nights all alone. The crowds I watch and study with wonder, All over the world have left me to ponder. How much loneliness want and despair, Is hidden in …

The Fading of the Siren The Siren – Part Three   In the mists of a new morning, Came a new and sudden dawning, To the Dreamer and the Siren as they played. Their game of metaphors, Was over now because, All fears and defences were allayed. Their trust had grown strong, And now they could …

Just a slight change of media today. Instead of the usual text, I though a reading might be in order. So get ready for something that is very, very black indeed. The Wonderful Certainty of Death Death is so easy, so finite and pure, It has its own wonder and simple allure. Would it take …

My recent post about politicians had me searching my files for a verse I wrote some years ago. I had forgotten that my choice of vocabulary had been so graphic, so be warned before you go on to read this that it does contain some very course language. The image I have selected should also …

A little bit of long forgotten poetry today. Dug out from the past. The Journey I have wandered through my life, Felt the pain of fear and strife, And had tragedies as everybody does. Some times of love and bliss, And at times with one to kiss, But the feeling, of an emptiness never goes. …

Adding once again to the list of poetry on The Vandal. Today a simple little poem about love and hopes for a beautiful future together, but at the same time, the blue that comes with with being apart.

Freedom  Come to me sweetly and share my world, Rest in my arms and escape the cold. Stay with me warmly and feel my heart. And I will think of you when we are apart. I’ll come to you freely and stay of my will, In search of the magic and waiting until, Our hearts …