POEMS
Love me all the time
Dec 2018, London
Don’t make time to love me
Another ‘to do’ on your list
That’s not love
Love breathes life
into the coldest of places.
It rises high above the everyday
Each turn a new adventure
Full of warmth and joy
Love finds its mirror
In numberless places
Across a crowded room
In the arms of a lover
In the comforting arm of a friend
It picks us up when we fall
It brings sunshine and rain
It breaks our hearts in two
And puts them back together again
It’s happy
It’s sad
It’s everything
Love is life
Love is death
Love is timeless
So don’t make time to love me
Love me all the time
Daddy's Girl
London, December 2018
You were born of love
The kind that never dies
In your face
I see his eyes
The same eyes that waited to greet you
That couldn’t wait to see your smile
That watched as you took your first steps
That took an inch and gave a mile.
Your fingers, like his, are long and creative
Their touch delicate yet strong
Making the ordinary extraordinary
Creating beauty the whole day long.
You have his way with people
Enchanting them with your ease and grace
The sun, the moon, the stars and the skies
All shine brightly from your face.
You have his fire
His passion, his joy and his fun
Never giving up
Until you’ve won.
You have his heart
His soul and his mind
He is you and you are he
Both of you stars, of the rarest kind.
A few of my favourite things
London, Nov 2018
I wouldn’t want a world of perpetual summers
I’d miss the snow and the falling leaves and the fresh green grass
Endless days seem like a dream
But I’d miss the night’s stars and quiet
and I’d miss the sunrise and sunset
When the moon meets the sun
Sun, moon, earth
all three dance the eternal dance
to music both known and unknown
Much as I love black and white films
I love my world in full colour
a black and white rainbow just wouldn’t be the same
Cities are vibrant, exciting and new
Full of people with something to do
New York, London, Paris or Rome
playground, apartment, office and home
They can be noisy and crowded and blue
with pauses for thought too few
The open plains of Africa
The rush of Niagara
The deep of the ocean
The wonder of the mountains
Fresh tracks on virgin snow
being free with nothing to do
the warm touch of loved ones
parties with friends
reading and writing
love
These are a few
of my favourite things
IF THERE ARE ANY
London November 2018
God, if there is one, is not always good
Angels, if there are any, are not always good
Rebels, if there are any, are not always bad
The Devil, if there is one, is not always bad
My god is not God
My god is not Mammon
My god is not religious
My god is free
SNOW
London 2018
Falling, drifting, floating
Shimmering in the sun
Whizzing, whirling, spinning
Your crystals one by one
Crowning the highest mountain
Stilling the coldest sea
So warm in your cool blanket
So generous and free
You cast your spell
As you dance from up above
Beguiling all you land on
Dusting with your love
SPARKLING LIDA
London - Aug 2018
Your sparkle came into all of our lives
right from the very beginning.
We’d wake up and laugh into those smiling eyes,
Eyes that told such beautiful lies, such wondrous truths.
A Roman candle, you sparkled with life,
so elegant and glamorous.
So chic and yet so nice.
Truly nice.
You played with us and filled us with fun.
You fed our fantasies, supported our dreams.
We made them real in your dresses and shoes.
The excitement of teetering on heels,
playing grown-ups,
all giggles and squeals.
We’d eat dinner together in that lovely dining room.
Plates overflowing, wine glasses clinking, stories being told.
We knew not to ask,
or we’d miss out on gold.
After dinner you’d patiently sit
watching our endless shows.
Your cheers gave us courage,
your delight, whistles and bows.
Lida, you were and are an inspiration,
You and your adventurous friends.
Self-assured in your worlds,
perfectly balanced and poised.
Always there in heart and soul.
Your strength, gentle as a dove,
moving freely through space and time,
a bottomless sea of love.
You’ve left us better than you found us,
Simply by being around us.
Tonight as I look to the skies,
I’ll search for the new star, just born.
Your knowing smile will find me,
and sprinkle its sparkle till ‘morn.
AGAIN
London 2017
Again
Breaking news
Not again!
Again
The rhythm of our lives
Frozen in time
Where now?
How many?
Oh God!
Watch and cry
Ignore and die
Silent witness
Unfathomable waste
We live on
Again
Not again.
AS I LAY HERE
Chamonix 2008
As I lay here in my bed
I think of all the words you’ve said
I see your eyes so clear and blue
I feel your heart so close and true
I miss you when you’re not here
My mind grows black and red with fear
I want your arms around me now
I need your strength to show me how
To live my life another way
A way that’s clear
Not dull and grey.
Meet me in my dreams tonight
And put an end to all this fright
Keep me safe and hold me tight
Help me make it through the night.
FATHER
London 2010
KERI
Zante 2017
Blue skies
uninterrupted
Blue sea
beckoning me
White sails
distant dreams
White light
a bird takes flight
Green leaves
Hot summer breeze
Green towel
drying in the sun
Red earth
giving birth
Red wine
another time
Yellow sun
warm and tender
Yellow moon
Come back soon
NOW I KNOW
Kiev 1994
Before I came
I knew not why
and yet I knew there was a reason
Beneath a blue Ukrainian sky
I found chestnuts
not yet in season
I crossed the Dniepr
I crossed the bridge
One life became another
My brother, my father,
My friend and my soul,
Much more than simply a lover
Before I came
I knew not why
And yet I knew there was a reason
Now I’m here
And now I know,
It’s you who are my reason.
BREATHING
London 2017
Breathing in life
and yet we fail,
to fill the empty void inside.
Breathing out dust
the nothingness
grows far and wide.
And as the boat comes to the shore
we travel on
and look for more.
Father
London 2010
Father, who were you before I came to be?
Who were you when you were free?
Living in that far off place,
member of another race.
Fishing and swimming in summer’s haze,
skiing or skating on winter’s days.
Riding your horse, taking care of your deer,
you lived for a while without knowing fear.
What did they look like, those faceless men,
who drove you out and forced you then
to live like animals in a cage,
what did you do to calm your rage?
They stole your parents, and your youth,
using weapons of hate, their minds uncouth.
You grew up fast, how long would it last?
The world had turned red
and millions were dead.
When the turmoil finally ended,
whatever remained was carefully mended,
You would have returned,
but the maps had been burned,
new borders constructed,
your country destructed.
Photographer and jazz musician,
you adjusted to your new position.
Dancing and singing, you learned to cope,
your dreams of old now held some hope.
Laughter came back into your life,
no longer alone, you now had a wife.
One day I’ll fly like you,
up in the skies so clear and blue.
One day it’ll all come true,
that dream of yours,
now my dream too.
Another Day in Paradise
Dorset, 1993
I see fields of blue
and skies of green,
the sun is red,
know what I mean?
Another day in paradise
another day of heat in ice.
The birds are swimming
over flying fish.
The house is empty.
The rooms are full.
The castle rocks,
yet the twig holds strong.
Another day in the garden of Eden.
Breathing in water,
breathing out dust.
The cupboard spills over with people,
all hiding from sunshine and pain.
Upside down and inside out.
The day is night, the night is night.
As the dogs begin to fly,
a wooden doll lies down to cry.
Another day in paradise.
Another day in the heat of the ice.