Staring in to the dark

Another night unable to sleep

Tired of counting endless sheep

Eyes wide open begin to think

Just staring aimlessly unable to blink

 

Dark thoughts pass through me head

As I lie motionless in my lonely cold bed

Sharp pains shooting down from my hip

Reach for the water, I begin to sip

 

Out of bed and go for a walk

Voices in my head begin to talk

Mistakes I’ve made and chances missed

Is this the night I finally get pissed?

 

Over thinking life and how to achieve

If only I had the self confidence to believe

Doubting my ability begins to break through

I need a fresh challenge, something new

 

Tomorrow night the process will be repeated

Until I finally accept that I’ll be defeated

The demons eating away my unconsciousness

The angels unable to believe their selfishness

 

Can nothing break this frame of mind?

This state is fast becoming my nightly grind

The silence broken as a dog begins to bark

And yet I’m still sitting staring into the dark

Media Portrayal

Apparently we should all look exactly the same

As the media’s portrayal of us is rather lame

We’re all meant to have the perfect body and smile

Anyone different is seen as vile

 

As a teenager you should look like a teen band member

If you look any different you’re not even a contender

The fashion apparently is to have your hair styled with wax

Walk with a swagger and have an attitude to the max

 

A teenage girl is not much different from the lads

Dressed inappropriately causing murder with their dads

The media wanting them to be older than they are

All this to look like the latest star

 

What we don’t see is the air brushing in national mags

Or the celebs popping out to smoke their four fags

Hours spent getting the right photograph

Is it all real, you’re having a laugh?

 

The media puts unnecessary pressure on the young of today

It shouldn’t matter if you’re not perfect in every way

What should matter is that you’re an individual true to yourself

You certainly shouldn’t risk your uniqueness or health

The Forgotten Postcard

Sometimes sent from a shore where the sun beats down

Often telling loved ones about the sights all around

Usually share details of the weather and the local cuisine

But unfortunately this card has never been seen

 

It’s now old and dirty with the words faded away

You can vaguely make out what it did once say

It’s sent from a man who signed off love dad

It was never received by the family he had

 

It talks about missing them and he would be home soon

Whistling as always but sadly out of tune

Catching up with stories about the children’s life

But most of all missing his adorable wife

 

The address nearby so a good deed is required

I’ll have to miss work and risk being fired

But something’s happen that are meant to be

I believe if fate it’s that simple you see

 

I nervously walk up the winding gravel path

The door opened by an old lady called Cath

I show her the postcard and she smiles with joy

She begins to tell me the tale of her husband called Roy

 

He worked away often to make the business grow

His family missed him, often feeling low

He was in New York City on nine eleven

He now looks down from the eternal heaven

 

Tears began to stream down Cath’s mature face

She turned to me for an emotional embrace

Cath thanked me for picking it up and didn’t disregard

I’m delighted I found this forgotten postcard

Education

An education doesn’t start or stop in the classroom

The classroom doesn’t need to be a place full of doom

An education is enhanced by visiting a special place

If only just to see the look on the children’s face

 

You can read all the books that inform our mind

And you can hear about the latest scientific find

But there is nothing better than seeing it first hand

And taking a trip that has been risk assessed and planned

 

We need to give more value to real life experiences

Because if we don’t the next generation will only read about this

It’s the simple low cost trips that can have the biggest reward

Even a trip on the train or bus can hit the right chord

 

These trips can change how the child will think

A career decision is teetering on the brink

Please give children life experiences they’ll never forget

Or as a generation we may just regret

A True Angel

I always thought angels were make believe

Something somebody made up

But the day you came into our world

Our lives suddenly lit up

 

We used to laugh so hard together

Tears running down our face

Our lives now a lot emptier

Now you’re not in this place

 

So on this day we share our stories

Remembering great days

We know you’re looking down on us

Through the sunshine rays

 

We’ll try not to be sad and gloomy

But we may shed a single tear

You’re always in our thoughts

At this special time of year

Love by the light of the moon

A dark night under the electric stars

The humming sound of the lonely cars

Street lamps in rows like an airport runway

Tonight I was to see life in a different way

 

Whispering leaves in the swaying trees

Scurrying of ants that nobody sees

House lights dazzling like a disco ball

I suddenly receive the important call

 

A silhouette so perfect on the stony ground

The two of us are the only ones around

A quick glance up and our eyes pour with love

Fitting perfectly together like a hand in a glove

 

Our hands embrace as we stroll down the lane

Neither of us notices the driving rain

Reach our destination departure time soon

We fell in love by the light of the moon

A Lost Community

We’ve all heard the tales on how things were different in the past

That good times like that were not meant to last

The street parties, the togetherness, the tight family bond

Was it all true or are we continuing to be conned?

 

Take an ordinary street like the one I use to lived in

To not know your neighbours would certainly be a sin

You felt safe and secure knowing they would be around

But now you don’t see them or hear a single sound

 

An extended family were your mum and dad’s friends

Calling them aunty and uncle your family never ends

Days out where planned and a convoy would form  

These days this is definitely not the norm

 

If someone needed help people would be there in a flash

Offering what they could even parting with cash

No questions asked, no judgement or assumptions made

The memories live on but the community spirits fade

A Lost Community

 

We’ve all heard the tales on how things were different in the past

That good times like that were not meant to last

The street parties, the togetherness, the tight family bond

Was it all true or are we continuing to be conned?

 

Take an ordinary street like the one I use to lived in

To not know your neighbours would certainly be a sin

You felt safe and secure knowing they would be around

But now you don’t see them or hear a single sound

 

An extended family were your mum and dad’s friends

Calling them aunty and uncle your family never ends

Days out where planned and a convoy would form  

These days this is definitely not the norm

 

If someone needed help people would be there in a flash

Offering what they could even parting with cash

No questions asked, no judgement or assumptions made

The memories live on but the community spirits fade

Betrayed

Betrayed

 

I used to have respect for you

But now you’ve gone and lied

We will never be the same again

Our friendship has certainly died

 

I never thought you’d do it

And stab me in the back

You could have just spoken to me

These human qualities you lack

 

It seemed to have happened before

But these stories I thought were untrue

Honesty is such a lonely word

Lost on someone like you

 

I’ll be polite and professional

A conversation I won’ force

So now I’ll sit back quietly

And let Karma take its course

Looking Down From Above

I walked along the road tonight

A dilemma in my hand

I wanted you next to me

For you would understand

 

Although I always speak to you

Every night in my prayer

It’s not the same as seeing you

Showing me that you care

 

I feel your presence near me

Showing me what is right

Taking me away from the darkness

Guiding me to the light

 

I know you look down on me

I hope I’ve done you proud

Always trying to achieve my goals

Wanting to stand out in the crowd

 

You are the brightest start tonight

Glistening in the moonlit sky

To say I don’t miss you anymore

Would certainly be a lie

 

 

 

If at all possible

My love for you has grown

Through my darkest days

I never feel alone

 

I know you look down now

With nothing but love

Looking down on me peacefully

Looking down from above

A Comic’s Tale

The scariest thing is to stand on stage alone

The audience waiting, the stage your throne

Make them all laugh with a tale about your life

Talk about your friends, your children, your wife

 

The audience the judge and the jury in this case

You’ve got no where to hide as they stare at your face

You engage with audience members on the front row

The laughs better come soon as you’ve got no where else to go

 

The night a success and the audience laughed along

The comments very positive about the finale song

The highs on stage that can never be matched

The lows approaching and have already been dispatched

 

Head from one gig to the next, up and down the road

Your head filled with ideas, a brain overload

An audience’s reaction is what you desperately crave

A battle with the audience you have to be brave