My Favorite Tree - Writer's workshop...

we came upon the village green
our old chestnut no long'r seen
where is our tree we so adore
our childhood tree we see no more

her branches held us way up high
she kept us safe as we reached the sky
silently she'd watch us play away
until dusk fell at the end of day

sometimes on a hot summer day
we often tired and abandoned play
we'd lay beneath her shimmering leaves
mindless of how we'll one day grieve

she graced us with her autumn colours
her beautiful leaves were like no others
we gathered conkers and climbed w' grace
a vacant patch now marks her place

this fine lady the subject of sonnets
100 years she'd graced our hamlet
there she stood still as time flew by
her death made you want to cry

what happened to our favorite tree
the tree that we no longer see
like all good things they fade and die
but on she lives in our mind's eye

The Door Opens...

Foot steps quietly creep up the stairs
body stiffens wondering who's there
closer and louder i hear the sounds
body paralyzed but the heart pounds

screaming out but no one hears
silent screams just add to my fear
i can't move as much as i try
deafening - louder - am i to die?

stay calm, relax and lay still
i must be sound asleep i feel
i will the deafening steps to cease
only waking will i find peace

peace alas i fail to find
the din reverberates in my mind
attempted moves only fill my head
with closer louder steps instead

my lungs are heavy legs are lead
is this what it feels like to be dead
my eyes search the foreboding night
what is it that's giving me this fright


the door opens and i glare
i feel the omnipresence right there
time stands still as i implore
cease stop please! no more

release me from this fear and pain
i want a world where i can move again
my eyes open and i see the light
the door opens and lets out the night


what is that spectre that visits me
that comes and goes repeatedly
i read about sleep paralysis
that's my "ghost" was  the analysis



The Nightmare - Henry Fuseli
Oil on canvas

Peaceful Moment

I reached the top of the segment where the trail flattened out before me. Specs of blue and yellow danced about a sea of green greeting me as I caught my breath from my first climb.

Yet it was not this breath-taking view of above and beyond that caught my gaze... but a golden gleam of orange illuminated by the warm early spring sun that captured my glance and warmed my thoughts.

My what a splendid sight of this jewel glowing so bright! Her dance gave me a feeling of warmth inside... Shimmering and bobbing up and down with pride, as if in praise of my every stride. I pause for while to admire her show. I exclaim, "Oh California poppy! You raise my spirit so! You are the sign of spring!"  She nodded her head in agreement as the soft warm breeze brushed her petals.

 She softened and embraced me with her beauty and glow. I resumed my own dance along the trail embracing my encounter with a moment of peace.

Tap Your Toe

Tap Your Toe

Tap your toe to make the bus nearer
make the waiter come quicker
for time to move faster

Tapping your toe to a beat is a musical feat
Tapping your toe to the meter of a rhyme
All helps a little to pass the time

So long as you tap in time to the beat,
You'll create the sound of musical feet.

Old Times

She never asked for a band of gold
Big house, two kids and life old
She'd rather die young and agile
Than old and cold feeling fragile

Sitting still with memories past
Just waiting for the next task
Getting out the sodding chair
Life's become such a nightmare

Able bodied in a strange land
Waking again is hard to stand
When will this nonsense end?
How much longer can she pretend?

Here we go again, another day
Bus is late again says the display
Hello Mrs Brown how are you
Hips ache as usual, shoulder too

To the doctors for a checkup
Another x-ray, what the fuck
Aching knees and back brittle
She pours a drink alas not little

She swallows a little from her glass
Memories unfold of a love long past
A tear trickles down her cheek
If he could only hear her speak

But speak she may he'll never hear
He's long gone over a year my dear
She listens for him hard at night
And tries to feel him hold her tight

But when she finally falls asleep
Into her dreams he quietly creeps
They talk and dance the night away
But in the morning he never stays

She wakes alone with a start
Damn let it be real she imparts
Who is this lady old as can be
Is she my fear deep in me

Montmartre Antique Shop Window, Paris

The Beast - An Ode to Mount Tam

They quietly approached her at the crack of dawn
As she slumbers through this dark wet morn
Lightly footed they go a creeping
Careful not to disturb her sleeping

Will she fight so much today
Or will they keep her ire at bay..
Their legs a'trembling brows dripping in sweat
Alert and skittish trying to not fret

Ignoring the pounding in their chests
Approaching slowly is always best
They look up in awe at her dark face
Knowing to treat her with respect and grace

Silently cautiously they lunge up the stairs
Nervously climbing towards her lair.
Confusing them with awkward turns
Watching them check their way with concern

Taming the beast is such a feat
Many who try end in defeat
She shrouds herself in the sea mist
Teasing strangers with tricky turns and twists

The locals know the beast well
It's only strangers to whom she gives hell
She lays in wait for her opponents
Surprising them with heart-stopping moments

Chests start to loosen and they feel on track..
Dancing around obstacles along her back..
They're feeling strong and full of grace
They enter a trance with their quicker pace

But then in the middle of feeling great
They start to sense her full of hate
Her cold damp breath they suddenly feel
Cooling their skin to a deathly chill

Along the hackles of her long dark back
They start feeling her spit and crack
Pressing on aware of her hidden dangers
She heaves and bellows at these strangers

Showered with spit and deafened by wails
Relentlessly they continue climbing her trails
Breathing heavier legs a'cramping
Counting up the miles trampen'd

Holding on to her rearing contours
Sweating wondering what they're here for
Taming the beast is the usual reply
Love and respect for her grow by the miles

She offers them a brief reprieve
And they wonder if they've put her at ease
She calms a little with quiet warm breaths
Allowing them to continue on with their quest

She often pauses for a short while
That apparently is her usual style
Oh they're beginning to know her well!
This cunning but beautiful beast from hell

As the morning sun reveals her beauty
They finish like soldiers after a tour of duty
She calmly watches them descend her side
Licking them graciously with warmth and pride

Green and majestic is her dominant profile
They miss her turn away and her they'll-be-back smile
She patiently watches across the bay and sea
Waiting for more runners lured by her beauty

A Perfect Storm

Dusk is falling quietly outside
As lovers bond tightly inside  
Uninterrupted by the outside wonder
Moaning to the tune of rumbling thunder

They're vaguely aware of the pouring rain
Drops trickling down the window pane
Completely engaged and unaware
Those outside tears may soon be theirs

Amid the gently rolling thunder
tongues explore each others wonder
Synapses fire tingles of delight
Triggered by kisses and gently bites

He diligently indulges upon her wetness
As she writhes trembling and breathless
She glistens more with each caress
Feeling sensations words fail to express

She gasps with oh such sweet delight
As she feels her body about to take flight
She arches her back to raise her mound
He's pleased to discovers what he has found

Lightening illuminating  with gentle flickers
His tongue dancing upon her so much quicker
Sounds of her moaning fill the air
Bringing waves of ecstacy into their lair

His tongue entices her with sensuous kisses
His forbidden muse tastes so delicious
She is aching for his throbbing hardness
Feeling him stiffen in the darkness

He moves up beside her gasping for air
And draws her nearer gently pulling her hair
His tongue knows what her neck desires
Her response sends their bodies on fire

She gently moves herself above him
And guides him gently to fill her within
Rocking back and forth at her leisure
She indulges by watching his pleasure

After being deep inside for a while
He looks upon her with a knowing smile
He rolls her over just in time
And thrusts her deeply with love sublime

She squeezes him tightly to his delight
As he thrusts harder with all his might
He feels her pulsating under him
Upon which he explodes deep within

Kissing deeply teasing with tongues
Both at peace for moments to come
Slowly drifting into timeless space
She wakes eager for more to taste

Her hand reaches down and gently plays
Lightly teasing him in a blissful haze
She hears a gasp and feels him stiffen
Her tongue sees him begin to glisten

Oh my she's so hungry to taste
As she fills her mouth with gentle grace
Tantalizing and teasing him with her tongue
Turned on again as she feels him succumb

He arches his back to raise his hips
But he's firmly held down by her grip
Her tongue glides slowly along his shaft
She's deeply aroused by erotic gasps

She so enjoys this forbidden fruit
But oh so yearns the expelled loot
Tasting the juices with long loving licks
Caressing his thighs with her finger tips

She feels him writhe and sigh beneath
Oh such tension about to release
She tightens her grip that commands his load
She hears his cry as he slowly explodes

She contines to taste as his thighs quiver
The unnoticed chill makes them shiver
Beneath the blankets they embrace
They're bodies mold with such grace.

In each other's arms their minds wander
As they slowly drift with the distant thunder
Forbidden love is such a pleasure
A perfect storm that lasts forever