Vampire lies

Unseen the sparks fly
I feel life
As it grinds me down

I am drained by lies
Vampire eyes
That suck my life dry

There is no laughter
In the dark
No light shed on tears

Melancholic sigh
As I plan
How to say goodbye

I will walk away
From the cries
To a new sunrise

I will feel the light
Warm my face
I will wear a smile

I will give no thought
To the lies
Of those vampire eyes

I reclaim my life
Open my heart
To new horizons

I will close my eyes
Say goodbye
To those vampire lies

Wheels

Hiss of wheels in rain
Quiet streets
With lighted windows

We pass McDonalds
Garish glare
Of red and yellow

Lunch in Morrisons
Menu spouted
From my memory

Groundhog day again
Rinse and repeat
One more yesterday

After lunch with tea
We head out
The usual thing

We walk for a while
In silence
Until you curse out loud

Point at speeding cars
And tell me
It’s just not your day

Stuck in déjà vu
Round and round
Minute by minute

Forty hours a week
With your wheels
On the same old streets

Hamster wheels spinning
To nowhere
Out there in the rain

I need to leap off
To let go
And find my own way

Burning out

My flame is dying
Burning out
Smothered by red tape

My compassion raped
As it falls
Upon deafened ears

My principles stand
Transparent
Displayed to the world

But eyes draw towards
Bank accounts
And stockpiled riches

Empathy replaced
By the greed
Of corporations

My flame is dying
Burning out
Smothered by my tears

 

On nights like this

On nights like this
When I can’t sleep
I sometimes miss
Feeling your breath
Upon my chest

On nights like this
I feel alone
And long for the phone
To release your voice
And set my heart to rest

On nights like this
As the salt of my tears
Flavour my lips
I rip away the walls
Within my breast

And bathe myself
In the well of love
That waits therein
For you
To mount the crest
And drink your fill

On nights like this
I await your kiss
Lie awake like this
Until my heart breaks
Once more

Terry Dobson, 16 August 2015

Helpless

The anger in your eyes
Leaves me paralysed
Like your body

The insults you shout
Shoot through my defences
I feel helpless

Your aggression
Strips my skills
And my will

So I walk
Out of your life
And into mine

That moment

That moment
Between two breaths
When fingers first touch

That moment
Between heartbeats
When lips first meet

That moment
Between thoughts
When realisation hits

That moment
Between you and I
When words matter not

That moment
Between then and now
When I wept

Shadows

Shadow falls
On dappled water
Darkness stretches
Across the weir
Bathe in cool air
As willows whisper
Ancient tales

The earth remembers
And so do trees
As roots delve deep
In history
I lay back
Close my eyes
And listen

The ancestors call
I feel them tug
Upon my roots
I feel their blood
In my veins
I feel their spirits
Upon the land

Their bones now dust
Beneath cathedral stone
Their feet once walked
Beaten paths
Beneath streets now cobbled
Their shadows fall
Upon my home