Gales

Gales wake demons - those the darkness bring

those that under beds; hide

horrors which in shadowy corners; lurk 

all are woken 

the gales unsettle

beasts of distorted imaginations

gales howl through telegraph wires

fight with trees - their branches stripped

garden fences tossed aside

bang side-gates and doors of sheds

swing the signs of public houses

windows under total attack

will the latch hold tight?

will the panes of glass survive?

there 

lying - rigid

cold

amidst an emotional overload  

amongst the troubled thoughts that those 'wee small hours' bring

as the clocks hands slow to a stop

feeding time to anxious minds

thoughts dragged away to corners dark

blankets which as children protected

now fail to settle a troubled 

adult 

mind - which now

no-longer able to comfort

to reassure 

just drifts away

drifting

drifting 

in 

and out 

of sleep

drifting

drifting...

...until sleepy eyes open 

and the curtains flung wide

to the calm of another day

to see a world still there - and see that now

all is well

(Haiku)

Snappy 'one-liners';

I have heard, are wasted on 

the hard of hearing

I Don't I Never I Haven't

I haven't the balls to juggle

nor to hang-glide 

or to bowl for England

I'll never need a personal assistant 

or a prosthetic leg

I've got plenty - and I don't want a cup of tea thank you!

I'll never be found rifling through someone else's draws

the family won't ever think that I did it

nor catch me standing on the corner of a street in L.A.

rolling a cigarette 

and I'll never have to sleep on the floor of my own office - I haven't got one!

I never fancied the thought of thinking again

I'm never likely get some free tickets to a gig in London

I can't remember when I last went up in the world

I have no knead to make bread

and I'll never bomb out of a forensics degree - but I do have children.

I'll never crave the latest fashion - I don't fancy a kebab

I think they're ruining pubs

and I haven't got the standing to sit down

I haven't prepared a menu for the week - I'm not a discerning food critic

I never wanted to be an astronaut - but I did once turn down a job offer!

Silence

Shears cut hedges

bristles sweep tarmac 

cuttings comply

empty dust bins returned to driveways

wind rustling through autumn trees

a helicopter 

dogs

crows

seagulls 

an old grumbly diesel engine

horses in paddocks

the slap of trainers on concrete

the sound of effort

the drip of sweat from a head-band

the stretch of lycra - relenting 

the chime of an ice-cream van

its engine left running 

children with money burning holes

the silence of a carpark 

a train pulling into the station

voices

doors

whistle 

a train

the barriers 

the cars

...left with the sound of silence 

What a race

Looking out to the garden

two raindrops

race each other

down the glass of the patio doors

on this 

very wet Saturday afternoon 

egged on by the ever strengthening wind

roared on by a crowd

of other raindrops

sat

motionless

transfixed 

watching today's spectacle

the crowd cheer - a photo finish!

I think the one on the right

might have just pipped it - but I'm

not quite sure.

What a race!

From the job that I have

Education spat me out

having taught me very little

and I find myself standing 

in a dark and gloomy bedsit

with a sudden realisation

that I need to waste some money 

on some little green binliners

for the wasted food bin

the bins that we all have

sat on our kitchen window sills

for the food that we have wasted 

the food that we have bought

but the bits we didn't eat

and which I went and paid for

with the cash that I had earnt

from the job that I have

that I didn't really want

the cash that was left

after they took away some tax

and some national insurance 

and a small contribution 

for a pension I'll receive 

more than a life-time away

from this job I didn't want

nor do I think I could improve on

because I have no experience 

or have the wrong qualifications 

with my incomplete degree 

which is putting me in debt 

of monsterous proportions

which I don't think I'll pay back

because the job that I have

doesn't take me to the threashhold

where repayment is required

so they tell me not to worry 

and to keep on studying hard

and to keep on with the job

the job I didn't want

the job I never dreamt of

but the job that I have

but that I never really wanted

but the job that I have

that I never really wanted

the job that I have...

that...

I think I'll go back to bed!