Mind Burps - I, Poet Series, Vol 3

by Anthony North

  To more easily recall things that are dark,

  Bringing out phobias and terrible times,

  Sadness, disillusion, our little crimes;

  The good things seem to fade away,

  Hard to grasp, kept at bay,

  Golden moments that should keep us sane,

  Are behind the queue of things that cause pain,

  Directing us towards trouble and strife,

  Forever deciding how we live life;

  If only we could prize those good times out,

  Life would be better, there is no doubt

  LOVE

  Betrayal ... I'm Cold ... Circles and Circles

  BETRAYAL

  Love is great, we all agree,

  Such feelings between your love and thee;

  But there is more to this thing called love,

  That can rise way above,

  Our ability to always be,

  True and loving, intimately;

  The roving eye for another life,

  Forever bringing trouble and strife;

  Never satisfied with our devotion,

  Going on to create commotion,

  As another is spied with adoration,

  Sating our rabid infatuation;

  The loss it leaves is terrible indeed,

  Fuelling in us an overpowering need,

  To take revenge rather than plead;

  Betrayal, that horrendous

  Destructive

  Unimaginable seed

  I’M COLD

  I’m cold,

  The weather gets in my bones,

  Gone on too long;

  I’m cold,

  The heartbreak gets in my mind,

  Longing for her;

  I’m cold,

  Shivering from within and without,

  Without warmth,

  Without her;

  I’m cold,

  And the icy winds blow,

  The icy thoughts haunt,

  An icy existence without and within,

  Within my world,

  Within my mind;

  I’m cold

  CIRCLES AND CIRCLES

  To fall in love is a mysterious affair,

  The reasons why, we are not aware;

  The passions are deep, and fill us with awe,

  Until they go and are no more;

  And then you meet another true love,

  As if she’s sent from Him above;

  In and out of love we bounce,

  Forever trapped, unable to renounce;

  Yet so many at each hurdle they fell,

  As if action in love is parallel,

  A strange thing

  This love

  Of which we tell

  LIFE

  Pull the Rabbit ... Branches of Life ... Smoke and Mirrors ... Dream Man ... Say It ... About Adulthood ... Recipe of Life ... Individually Me ... Two Takes On Voyeurism ... Miracles ... Growing Pains ... The Gift ... To Tell A Lie ... Childhood Memories ... Grateful ... Courage

  PULL THE RABBIT

  Pull a rabbit from a hat,

  If it won’t come out, it’s too fat;

  That’s the story of our life,

  Putting too much in, leaving trouble and strife;

  We’re pulled from every conceivable direction,

  Behaving like sheep should not be our intention;

  So take a break, pull yourself up,

  Take a drink from your coffee cup;

  We’re not designed to be pushed and pulled,

  It’s a fake mentality by which we’re lulled;

  We’re not magicians, we have no trick,

  To be pulled so much, we must be thick;

  So take no more, you silly folk,

  A quieter life I bespoke,

  For what we have at present

  Is

  No joke

  BRANCHES OF LIFE

  I stand proud and tall,

  Hoping I will not fall;

  All about me I’m full of glee,

  There are so many types of me;

  Soaking up sun, then winds I resist,

  Climate allows me to exist;

  I am part of a bigger whole,

  Providing for others, nourishing their soul;

  My purpose in life is also to grow,

  Replenishing myself so I do glow;

  I branch out in every way,

  My diversity I can always display;

  I’m covered in colours, bright and rife,

  Thriving always – they call it life;

  My centre is solid, supporting it all,

  Inside, my history, for you to recall;

  My roots go deep, without stagnation,

  To it all, they are the foundation;

  Now you may think I am a tree,

  But no, no, no, I must tell thee!

  I am how

  Human society

  Should be

  SMOKE AND MIRRORS

  The mirror stands for all to see,

  But do you look and say ‘that’s me?’

  Do you stare, vainly, as if a joke,

  Not noticing that, around you is smoke?

  What is this ghostly, abstract form,

  That looks so different from the norm?

  It approaches as if from an ethereal lair,

  Forming this, forming that, for you to stare,

  At the nightmares, made real around your life,

  Your treatment of all, from strangers to wife;

  It chokes as it grasps out to you to touch,

  You learn to fear it, Oh! so much;

  This is the illusion of all our pride,

  To the mirror we seem to always confide,

  Our innermost hopes and fears, too,

  For the mirror is fate,

  And the smoke?

  That’s you!

  DREAM MAN

  Close your eyes, drift off to sleep,

  The land of dreams will make you weep;

  Or maybe give you ultimate joy,

  Your dreaming returning you to a boy;

  But who is that who intrudes so true,

  What dreamscapes does he take you to?

  You worry for they reflect real life,

  Through him there is always so much strife;

  Who is this interloper who you don’t know,

  Is he a friend, or maybe a foe;

  He’s your reality, your inner blot,

  The harbinger of what you’ve got,

  For he’s what you think you’re not

  SAY IT

  We have a mouth that says a lot,

  Sometimes we listen, sometimes not;

  Often we say things in vain,

  Usually before engaging brain;

  Words are our most important tool,

  They define between the wise and a fool;

  But words so often mean nothing at all,

  Yet often it is these we recall;

  Soundbites, we call them, and believe, alas;

  It makes you wonder whose really the ass

  ABOUT ADULTHOOD

  We see them walking everywhere, but we never seem to halt or glare,

  Maybe ‘cos they are like you, constantly doing just what YOU do,

  Commuting to work and keeping busy, sometime so fast it makes them dizzy;

  Then there’s play, but not too much, just to let off steam, as such,

  ‘Cos pressure can build upon them all – adult life’s not always a ball;

  They have to use commonsense, otherwise they are quite dense;

  Pressures can build up to a degree, where they simply want to flee,

  From this life that can be so bad. In a way it’s very sad,

  Why we let life go down the pan, just to be the Corporate Man;

  But then at home it’s all worthwhile, family life is less of a trial,

  Surrounded by love of partner and kin, unless you’re silly and begin to sin;

  But maybe the kids can steer us clear, towards a life that is more dear,<
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  Reminding us of memories true, and occasionally releasing the child in you

  RECIPE OF LIFE

  Take a world, lay it out,

  Exist within, free of doubt,

  You’ll need a dash of experience bold,

  A pinch of wonder for things untold,

  A squeeze of a good woman for reasons to live,

  A sprinkle of children for whom to give

  Take a life, live it well,

  Producing memories upon which to dwell,

  You’ll roll out a career to keep you true,

  Bake those bricks, build a house for you,

  Stir interaction of friends galore,

  Digest what they say, never be a bore

  So you’ve taken a world, lived it well,

  Laid out the table, all is swell,

  Now you sit back, you’ve had your fill,

  Hand over to offspring, the world’s their will,

  And hope that they followed the recipe true,

  Full of ingredients of love for you

  INDIVIDUALLY ME

  I am me, you are you, no one else does what we do,

  Yet hold on a minute, be it vane, but don’t we look just the same?

  You’re an individual, so am I, yet so many similarities I can spy,

  So is this ‘me’ thing really true, or is it a way to invent anew,

  What we really think we are, changing models as if a car?

  The reality, I’m afraid, is much more plain, throughout history we’ve been the same,

  The idea that we really are not, is a means to make us buy a lot,

  So we can shape just who we are, wrapping ‘me’ up in a jar,

  A consumer lifestyle is what it’s about, commodities of change are what they tout,

  The individual a manikin of sorts, to be dressed by fashion, its periods short,

  So you’re constantly changing look, to the ad men an open book,

  To keep the world growing like a tree, you’ve got to be you, and I?

  Me

  TWO TAKES ON VOYEURISM

  Poem One

  I’m watching, watching, a macabre scene,

  Blood does flow, my mind obscene,

  Relishing just what’s going on,

  Wishing the process to go along,

  Reaching a crescendo of pain,

  Without hope of any refrain,

  Voyeur? you ask – a strange predilection?

  Or a masochist in the mirror - reflection?

  Poem Two

  I’m watching, watching, watching you,

  All day, all night, it’s what I do,

  Looking for things to give a thrill,

  It’s better than taking a happy pill,

  I exist to do it wherever I desire,

  Observing all that does transpire,

  Cameras bristle from my van,

  Fear me!!!

  I’m the Government Man

  MIRACLES

  I saw a miracle the other day,

  Life in its glory on display,

  The beauty of love all aglow,

  Fate meeting life’s constant flow,

  Heroism of people, battling on,

  Determined living before it’s gone,

  All these things are miracles indeed,

  Changing lives, planting new seed,

  Faith in others always unfurled,

  ‘Cos miracles march on,

  And change the world

  GROWING PAINS

  We sit in judgment as we age, upon our life so far,

  First kiss, first fight, first born, first job, first house, suit and car,

  But no time of life is so raw as when we grew out of youth,

  Laid before us seductively, we investigate as if a sleuth;

  Childhood things are left behind, new desires are on our mind,

  But one thing you can guarantee, we go into it blind,

  Experience is nil, but that doesn’t stop us one jot,

  We want it all, we must feel it now, we want what others have got;

  We call it adolescence, where toys give way to sex,

  And adult ego rises fast, new muscles we need to flex,

  For life is fast, experience dear, and we think it all so cheap,

  It’s the time the body slowly matures,

  But the mind takes the immediate leap?

  THE GIFT

  It begins at birth, that moment of strife,

  Precariously launching your journey through life,

  Experience is your new reward,

  Riches, excitement, what you can afford,

  Thoughts and ideas will bombard your mind,

  Mysteries, adventures, laid out to find

  So pure and marvellous, this wonderful gift,

  Especially if you realise the importance of thrift,

  But so many are ungrateful; don’t get the joke,

  Unreasonable wants they do invoke;

  If only we’d realise it’s a gift, not a right,

  A happier life would be our greatest delight

  TO TELL A LIE

  We’ve all done it, I’m sure it’s so,

  Told a lie to save a blow,

  Or maybe just a little fib,

  So someone can feel oh so glib;

  But once it’s done you’ll do it more,

  Whenever trouble comes to the fore;

  It becomes the natural way,

  As if encoded in DNA;

  Of course we’ll say we certainly don’t,

  But who believes you shan’t or won’t?

  Maybe you, ‘cos here’s a fact,

  Perhaps for bad or just for tact,

  But lying to yourself becomes a pact

  CHILDHOOD MEMORIES

  Autumn

  Falling leaves, wind no pain,

  Arms in air – run, be an aeroplane,

  Chestnuts fall, be enthralled,

  Conkers we play, one and all,

  Nights become dark, time for a lark,

  Play ghosties and ghouls until bed we park

  Winter

  Freezing chill, but we ignore the bite,

  The ground so white, a snowball fight,

  Well below zero that stony ground,

  Slide ’til it’s glass, cuts ‘n’ bruises are found,

  But Christmas is a great respite,

  Turkey, crackers, presents to delight

  Spring

  The first buds of life, we’re filled with delight,

  Race in the sun – usually ends in a fight,

  But it’s a gang of friends, we cause no harm,

  No weapons, no malice – trouble sorted with charm,

  And don’t forget Easter, those eggs to lick,

  And then fill our bellies until we’re sick

  Summer

  No school for an age, just hot scorching days,

  Football and cricket, we always play,

  Sweaty and smelly, get home for tea,

  ‘Can we go out again, mom,’ our nightly plea,

  And finally in bed, too hot to sleep,

  Dreaming of more play – through the window we creep

  Today

  Sat in a hot room surrounded by wires,

  Only through cyberspace do things transpire,

  Worrying about passing those damn tests,

  Think of future career, not being a pest,

  Friends are few, but follow the fad,

  Spending mom and dad’s money – how sad

  GRATEFUL

  I’m grateful to you, one and all,

  No longer can I be so small,

  I’m more than me, I’m in a group,

  Of people who care, in the loop;

  I’m sorry I used to be so dumb,

  Individuality, see, made me glum,

  Thinking I was on my own,

  And to no one did I atone;

  Now I understand life’s more than that,

  A communal table I’m now sat,

  As one with my fellow man,
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  Together to do, for now we can

  COURAGE

  Courage – done by heroes true,

  Not for themselves, but me and you,

  Forget those out for personal gain,

  They’re just on the gravy train;

  Courage is a selfless act,

  Meeting those upon the attack,

  Not simply reacting through fight or flight,

  But going on, with thought, a miraculous sight;

  But courage is also more than this,

  Imbued to always be there, assist,

  Ploughing on determinedly,

  Working, caring, then home for tea,

  Recharging batteries, rising above the crowd

  Meeting life head on, resolute and proud

  HUMOUR

  Odes To the Lion ... Smile at the World ... An Average Day ... A Beautiful World ... Whimsiman ... Focus ... Scratch It ... To Doodle ... A Fantastic Dream ... Engrossed ... Take Away Take Over

  ODES TO THE LION

  Poem One

  Standing proud, it is a lie,

  It lays around, its smile so wry

  Letting the female do all the chores,

  Gorging, then sleeping, head on claws,

  This is how the lion will sin,

  And they say the monkey is our closest kin

  Poem 2

  Aslan is a mighty beast,

  To read about him is a feast,

  Of myth, of heroes eternally true,

  Spiritual destiny of me and you,

  He is the oldest tale yet told,

  As every spiritual myth unfolds,

  Without him life is unbearably cold

  Poem 3

  As a lion I must complain,

  At times our press is quite profane,

  Okay, the odd Christian we may have eaten,

  But in finding food we were often beaten;

  On and on and on you drone,

  Just ‘cos Nero was all skin and bone

  SMILE AT THE WORLD

  We love a smile, we can’t deny,

  Feelings of mirth, it does imply;

  But smiles have a place, this is true,

  In the wrong one, they can certainly spook you;

  Smile all the time, and your motives are in doubt,

  As people feel uncomfortable, within and without;

  Smile when you shouldn’t, show too much teeth,

  Watch out! Those people are in terror, or grief!

  Go with a smile permanently there,

  Watch out for the questioning, quizzical stare,

  For they can think you are so inane,