Art
I live in Auckland. In 2020 I had another solo exhibitions at Crave Café in Kingsland, under the name “Contemplate”; in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. In 2020 I organised an exhibition on climate change called “So much to Lose!”.
Over the years I have experimented with the range of mediums of expression – from oils to acrylics to wax to raw pigments and different supports including canvas, paper, board, and tapa cloth. My style is essentially abstract and unstructured. My aim is to capture the essence of the topic or place, rather than to try and replicate reality. Instead, I try to create an alternative reality that conveys a different message and speaks to the viewer in a different way.
My Paintings
- Catalogue of Paintings - here is a selection of my paintings
A Collection of our Poems
Life’s journey, through the flickering lens of brush strokes, images and sound. Tentative and ephemeral, language and light reach out. Still figures slowly stir. Fluid thoughts find pattern, shape and form. Memories pieced together by slender filaments of place and time. Fleeting moments captured in mime.
Love
TO HEATHER – (1993)
We are lovers, we shout, rant and rave
I simmer you explode and misbehave
Then you settle down and pout
I sulk and look about
You’re the constant through it all
I hear your sensible call
But I’m a stubborn fool
Unresponsive, quiet and cool
So often it’s all the same
You say no-ones to blame
Get over it, no need for a mood
But I still ponder and brood
It soon subsides, ruffled feathers flat
The here, the now, the at
But when it’s all said and done
You’re my “Baby Girl”, the only one
CARE BEAR (1994)
Me’s a cuddly care bear
to keep you warm
when at home
and all alone
Me’s your bestest friend
furry and soft
so hold me tight
every night
Me’s a travel bear
if you like
because when everyone’s away
I always stay.
ELEMENTS OF LOVE – (1994)
Two elements meet
supporting each other
they stand
together but discrete
like love
opposing forces
united and complete.
GOODBYE (1995)
A dark and frosty morning
snow sprinkled ground
icing sugar nice
but under that
hard cold ice
A building stands alone
subdued
radiator warm
keeping out
the waiting storm
A solitary plane
indolently waits
frost-cool
taking on
a load of fuel
A young couple
stand alone
fever hot
root bound plants
in a pot
Arms entwined
a desperate
sleep trance
passionate
they dance
A hand
through the hair
tender touch
so subtle
says so much
An insatiable
deep drink look
selfless stare
self absorbed
emotions bare
A sigh
helpless
terminal tear
wells up
time is here
A final
desperate glance
a backward look
a closing
of a book
Miles high
as if to dare
a distant stare
but on the runway
there’s no-one there
A pathetic
tearful wave
encapsulates
in a second
their fates
Suddenly its white
a cloud
a forlorn call
“my love”
the curtain falls!
THOUGHTS OF YOU – (1996)
The outline of your smile
furrowed but fine
the contours of your lips
lightly creased in line
Auburn hair
reddened but not much
freshly washed
soft to the touch
Eyes sure and deep
reflect an emerald fire
blaze and shimmer
until subdued they tire
Skin smooth to the touch
satin like and fair
dusted with exquisite
gossamer fine hair
Gently etched lines
have started to appear
faint reminders
to me so dear
These are the little things
which vividly come to mind
these are the treasures
of the priceless kind
Unlike millionaires
or covetous kings
who accumulate and count
and value things
I am rich
as all I do
is sit alone
and think of you
A GLANCE – (1997)
Room
Crowd
sight
glance
sip
glance
again
flicker
wait
smile
smile?
Yes
lips
crease
lightly
pursed
look
away
turning
she pivots
glides
away
away!
MOON DEW – (1998)
A gentle drop of dew
Slowly starts to form
Condensed on God’s breath
Kindly and warm
It enters the eternal mighty sea
Where currents ebb and flow
Brittle strands of sunshine
Battered to and fro
For a tiny fragment of time
A diamond shines
Secured it seems
On flimsy fishing nets lines
Facets finite but fine
Lacy seams
Filter the light
Life’s fleeting dreams
And then without a sound
Reflected like a moon
It subsides
So soon, so soon
Even so
Like a gentle drop of dew
There’s nothing as beautiful and precious
As you
CLOUDS THAT CRY – (1999)
A brooding washing line sky
hangs grey clouds out to dry
until mist like rain
the day begins to cry
its energy ebbs away
passing slowly by
The will wanders about
The winds fidget and sigh
The dark night birds
Gather their wings and fly
But memories and love are eternal
Even when life passes
A DECADE’S DREAMS (1999)
One – together, fashioned by the morning sun
Two – awakened, first it’s you
Three – then a little later it’s me
Four – love cast like warm light through a door
Five – flat-out, full and alive
Six – expectations and dreams meld and mix
Seven – joys and sorrows shape and leaven
Eight – two free spirits joined by fate
Nine – your memories merge and become mine
Ten – I love you now and I loved you then!
VALENTINE’S DAY (1999)
It’s Valentine’s Day
And once again I haven’t got a card
Even if frog-like, I try to kiss you
I will probably only make you cry
But even if this message
Is not micro-chip controlled
Remember my Darling
Neither technology nor frogs
Could ever match or construe
The love I have for you!
So, don’t just stand there
Make the most of it
And kiss me too!
MOM – (1999)
You gave me life
within a caul
You loved me so
You’d pick me up
Each time I’d fall
You held my hand
You said my son
You may be small
But you’ve got Viking blood
So stand and walk tall
And when in doubt
You’d hold my hand
And kiss my face
Your love is everything
Your love is all
In silence I lie
Remembering the fullness of life
The endless ways and means
The tangled webs
The recurring themes
Random memories enter the frame
They appear then filter away
So real it seems
The tangled threads
Of archived dreams
The carriage of time
Transports me along
Pillow soft seams
Swept along
On silent streams
THE SYMMETRY OF TWO (2008)
The magnetism of attraction
The virtue of tenderness
The reassurance of support
The primacy of respect
The reverence of equality
The delight of laughter
The reward of trust
The joy of giving
The pleasure of receiving
The value of sympathy
The strength of forgiveness
The warmth of companionship
The eloquence of alignment
The cadence of harmony
The energy of mutual critique
The resonance of understanding
The value of perseverance
The wisdom of patience
The glow of intimacy
The magic of passion
The supremacy of unqualified love
The totality together, of two
LOVE ALIGNED (2009)
This is my token of love to you
Parted, together, yet still two
When you wear it, I say
I loved you every single day
In every sense and every way
You are a fine and precious thing
You are the song I need to sing
With all our elements combined
We are complete in love aligned
LIFELINES (2011)
The mysterious lifelines on our palms
Pathways mingle and merge
Patterned sinews in our arms
Linking our lives
With ancient amulets and charms
LOVE (2010)
Lungs denied air
Art without flair
There is no night without day
Love will find a way
The grass needs rain
Love needs pain
THE SIGN OF LOVE (2010)
Love is a religious sign
Planets in a cluster align
You lie in the centre bright
Warm you radiate and shine
Arms support and hold you tight
Embrace your love and light
TALISMAN IN THE SAND (2010)
Seek not wisdom in long written words
Seek it not in libations and balms
Nor in objects and wealth
Nor in the soft embrace of carnal charms
Look to the turn and curve of driftwood
Fashioned by the watery tongue of time
Sense the grace and mystery of life
In every twist turn and line
Wisdom is eternal
It lies not in mans’ creations
Brutal and grand
But in the ageless beauty
Of this talisman in the sand
MY AIR (2011)
You are my air
Thin and rarefied
Unable to breath
When you’re not there
My arms reach out
They twist and turn
Sinews and tendons strain
Muscles ache and burn
Rhythmically they move
On wings of desire
Reach for the heat
To lift them higher
Loss
THE RAIN AGAIN (1979)
Its been raining for four days now
I can sense it
I can feel it all around
its wet on my pillow
the window’s open wide
I know the reason
You’re on my mind
Its been raining for four weeks now
I can sense it
I can feel it all around
its even wet on the ground
you’re on my thoughts
but I’m biding my time
Its been raining for four months now
I can sense it
I can feel it all around
I can hear a near silent sound
I sit up and listen
but I realise its nothing
Its been raining for four years now
I can sense it
I can feel it all around
I hear a familiar sound
you drift through the window
dressed in a silken gown
I realise I’ve been waiting
four years too long
left with bitter memories
and this lonely song
but I always had a reason
you were on my mind.
A DECADE ON (March 2009 – 10 years on Mom’s Passing)
A long and windy morning’s walk
The dark and restless sea welcomes and waits
The silence of a fading Autumn night
The new day’s uncertain but inviting light
The endless drift of advancing waves
Gently wipe and wash your beautiful face
Misty eyes open and offer the promise of sight
Then melt away and merge in hurried flight
A decade on you reside in splendid peace
Alive you shine in every facet of every wave
A high priestess you preform your daily rite
Golden your gown slender and slight
At peace with time, the universe and God
Gently you touch the stiffening breeze
And farewell the fading night
Your face alive with the advancing light
Mum, your spirit and love is strong
Undimmed and alive a decade on
Souring like a flimsy kite
Alive, vivid and alight
MEMORIES (3 days before my dad died – 8 Nov 2011)
I stood and gazed
Across the graves
Bolton Street Chapel
Stands in state
The motorway lies behind
Suspended in tortured wait
Silent and composed
A cruel and unexpected fate
Sliced apart by the motorway
Alive and loud behind
The mountain rising behind
Brooding in a new coat of green
Where we used to live
High in the clouds and wind
Down the Terrace
The office block I used to know
The foyer quiet, empty
Lifts in readiness wait
The last commuters now late
Surreal but real
Bathed in gaudy florescent light
Absorb the last of the night
The car park stands in decline
The boom lies in limbo down
Memories flooding back
Life, work, life, death
An omen perhaps
Why are we here
Past, present and future tense
Tension and stress today
Why was I here before?
Why am I here now
Who am I
Why am I, I ?
Sugarman (2013)
The music record industry bled you dry
The motor city bent your back
And you never wondered why
The Motown production line
Took its steady toll
And bent your willing spine
They sucked your precious blood
Prospered from your royalties
As you trudged home forgotten through the mud
They scoffed and dug you a hole
But their grimy fingers and derision
Could never reach your soul
At last you have returned home
Your free spirit wanders
With others but still alone
THE UNIVERSE
REFLECTION (1976)
A boat on a quiet night
I row on my own out of sight
I sit, listen and see
just the solitude and me
how I wish it could be!
PINES (1969)
Sitting amongst an army of pines
standing in many a uniform row
all racing for the life-giving sun
from the day they begin to grow
The sun filters through
seamless lines of endless rays
warming the soft floor
as it has done for endless days
The earth is covered and coy
by a multitude of needles brown
to form an infinite carpet
of the aged which had fallen down
Could anything be more idyllic
not very much more I’d say
but is it safe
could it be destroyed in any way?
Certainly, if you listen to distant sounds
guns and startled birds in flight
development is coming
as sure as day follows night.
PLAIN TREES (1968)
Plain trees are wonderful
they’re not just trees
each is an individual
which talks, listens and sees
At night so very silent
waiting for the life giving sun
at night just a silhouette
against the day just done
The new day brings the change
the trees rustle and breathe
and shade the hot earth beneath
perfection only nature can conceive.
NIGHT SKY (1968)
Constellations of twinkling gems
sink deeply
into soft velvet cushions
like a sublime and priceless brooch
in a jewelry box of dreams
IMAGES (1995)
Smooth and flowing lines
surge and wane
a massive beast breaths
quiet and assured
the moon surveys the scene
farewell’s the day that’s been
A surface of fragile silk
alive to the tender touch
swells and extends
to tentatively touch
for a moment moist and keen
a magic mirror few have seen
A vivid living sky
changes colour and hue
first grey then orange
a majestic luminous pink
glows and reaches out
warmth transfuses all about
But soon the moist gives way
to drier mounds
textured but soft
they lie and wait
shimmer, preen and pout
ageless beauty without doubt
Then living growth
first feeble fragments
then deep seated and bold
reach upwards and soar
to touch the heavens above
with the wings of a dove
They rustle and wave
a whistling shiver
all in unison
they talk to the stars
fine fingers in a glove
stroke them with love.
NIGHT (1968)
The silent moon glides by
it strikes the waiting cloud
the light rays try
to conceal secrets in a shroud
The night and silent trees
a beautiful sleeping world
wrapped up and warm in a quilt
cushion soft and burled
then a flurry and a cry
as a swarm of fruit bats fly by
to share my night
as I sit under my very own sky
I’m so at peace
its mine to share this night
silent and solid dark
but soothed by the moonlight.
The universe is mine tonight
the midnight hour passed
the lights doused
almost to the last
For the moon is at work
As it sows its magic spread
with nimble fingers
and gossamer thin thread
Then it hides in a haze
with a strange golden glow
suspended in my sky
against the ceaseless ebb and flow
Another world lies out there
regardless of how it may seem
but, this world is for now
a real and tangible dream.
SEASONS (1982)
A group of trees
plush and full
against a changing sky
move about
in single file
The waning sun
dips down low
birds above
wend their way
on home
A tender wind
warms each limb
but not for long
for summer’s life
leads to fall
A silent signal sounds
as floating leaves
swing and sway
they strike the ground
and lay about
Now gaunt and grey
pencil-like fingers reach
into the winter sky
waiting to spread
frozen fingers and fly.
MAGIC (1997)
The fleeting moment a creator’s hand touches you and a spark bridges the gap between dream and reality, igniting invisible hairs on your neck – Zap!
ESTUARY (2007)
The tiring land steadies and sets its shoulder to the sea
The fluid sky measures the wind and lee
The leavened sea pushes in towards the expectant shore
The gentle wind sprinkles dust through an open door
Shards of sand reach out from fertile land
Ice cooling balm caresses its hands
Whilst hardened and encrusted lips
Are painted with Midas sand
Golden limbs reach into the deep
Awakened, sleepy moistened eyes
Reflect and silently weep
The dawn stirs from its sleep
The land, the sea
What must be must be
THE ENDLESS SKY
MORNING (1977)
Like a sentry posted at my desk
I glance through my steel rimmed window
at a magnificent sky
with a blue that changes from light to dark
with streaks of cloud
that shield the wakening day
This blue, no mind could create
not mixed and placed on canvas
and just could not be done
so solitary and fleeting
as the sun shatters its hues
and sends it fading into day
until the morning comes again
and God’s palette holds sway
MIRRORS IN THE SKY (1982)
Planets spin and turn in space
seasons change
days move to night apace
hands move across my face
Settled in my airline seat
alone, in thought
suspended in a southern sky
puffs of pastry white ebb by
Mirrors of sun on the sea
curve into the misty void
below, swells heave and flow
up here – soft and slow
We jolt and disappear into grey
then suddenly emerge
sun beckoning in a westward way
into time’s advancing day
Philosophers say
if we look into the sky
we see God
I say, that may or may not be so
but what I know
when I gaze into the distant blue
I simply feel a love for life
and you
ICE SKY (1993)
From misty grey to blue
wisps wander by
below, granite and ice
an endless day – no night
just layers of light
The sea silent
flat to a fault
lifeless, prone
like a giant carpet
uniform and true
melded yarn-like blue
Then the land emerges
fingers in the sky
solid, silent
dusted lightly
with icing sugar snow
just visible below
Suddenly the sea is invaded
with monoliths of moving ice
then they congeal
an ivory-white field
all life concealed
Suddenly again complete grey
envelopes in a flash
then fades
only to again close the gate
then open again
a breathless vista lain
From cotton wool
to misty waves
from open skies
to sun-drenched eyes
a massive patch-work quilt
that someone, some day, built?
CARPET LIGHT – (1994)
A shaggy carpet sky
unfolds before the eye
then yields
to a layered pastry dye
and then to indigo blue
a canopy up high
HOUSE OF GODS – (1994)
Cathedrals of cloud
stand
against
shifting shards
of porous light
palpable
proud
pristine,
passing!
THE WALL (1995)
Ancient stones and rocks
molded by unseen hands
many millennia ago
piled high
wait uneasily
A proud
but brittle show
for now secure
all elements at bay
this flawless day
Rising up
uncertain
hard yet soft
into the mighty
moving sky
Pock-marked skin
and craggy face
testify too clear
to the lashes
of cruel time
The vanity of stone
to stand so proud
and erect
so foolish
enlarged by pride
Against this stone
fastened fast
a parasitic growth
luxuriates
in naked need
Rising greedily up
to nourishment
from the gifts
of the mighty
limitless sky
Loins gnarled and hard
merge with its host
painted on a single sheet
with a single savage stroke
In temporary truce
united
in a common quest
to withstand the ravages
of the hand of time
A garlanded fist
clenched hard in triumph
defiant
against the mighty
patient sky
DUSK (ZIMBABWE) (1999)
Just as night leads to day
Sunlight edges into grey
Hard edges blur and lose their bite
Returning geese move across sheets of night
Slowly, primary colours lose their nerve
They falter, fade and lose their verve
The spirits furtively turn the page
Dark velvet curtains cross the stage
TIME
TELL ME IS THERE STILL TIME? (1970)
Stark stands a wizened tree
on sterile sands of white
black against a molten moon
groping fingers reach into the sky
the winds shift
and bear the fateful seeds of time
and whispers of better things to come
with a groan she bends
but quietens soon
and stands
and waits!
LATE NIGHT (1975)
Gazing through a glassy gap
as the night lies waiting
freeway lights still shine
but the world is asleep
This is my time
just the universe and I
All alone she lets me think
or work
or stare
through the darkness
towards the flickering lights
that die when day arrives
and makes the world
surge and throng
and break the spell
But, as the night must pass
so too must the day
FAR HORIZONS – (1999)
Once upon a time there was a place
Set high upon a hill
Which looked out across the sea
Way across the sea
Until eternity
And in this place
Lived a priceless princess
Who gazed out across the Sea
And saw beauty
Beauty in the deep lines
Of the endless sea
And she gave precious life
It thrived around her
And with that life she loved
She gave love without condition
Love without demand
And she gave and gazed
Until the far horizon
One day said
Its time to come
And sleep in my warm embrace
For I gave you life
And I too have loved like you
But your time has come
So be at peace
Come and rest and sleep
Let me kiss the tears
Away from your tired eyes
Come my love
TIME
The co-ordinated migration of war-birds in flocks
The predictable motion of hands of clocks
The dull thud of the meshed cogs of locks
The love of fingers weaving stitches in socks;
Waiting
CLICK CLOCK
Hands of clocks
Wings of flocks
Cogs of locks
Stitches of socks
Crows of cocks
Ticks of tocks
Tick toc said the clock
Click clock said the lock
Slip slop said the sock
Ship shop said the dock
Ship shape said the jock
Hard work said the rock
Ah so said the wok
TAPESTRIES IN TIME (2010)
Billy Joel sang a song – Zanzibar
I heard its call
Then time took its steady toll,
Zanzibar slid slowly into the endless sands of time
Then one day, unexpectedly, I heard the call again
I traveled back to Zanzibar, but only in my mind
There it was vivid and alive
And then again it slowly slipped away
And just like before it re-emerged, in Tofino
Its cords threaded memories through time Zanzibar was alive
Past, present and future aligned
Dreams and time moments flicker on and merge with mists
And memories cast upon dream catchers
Held to the winter wind
They shimmer and smile
Then slip away again
But the thread, while unseen, like a spider’s web remains
to draw me back, perhaps, one day?
TREES – (1996)
Rows of trees
in patient wait
stand around
for a cooling breeze
A gentle breeze
begins to swell
and touch the fingers
of the stirring trees
A ray of light
struggles through
faltering and doomed
against advancing night
the infant night
dark fingers flight
gradually absorb
the faltering light
A glow of burnished gold
settles on the trees
a final show
before dark’s steel hold
Such vaunted hold
must stand and wait
for the receding
proud but sinking gold
Then its still and dark
leaves and bark
a constant space
silent and stark
So silent and stark
now fully reclined
sliding into fitful sleep
in deepening dark
But then a defiant ray
a flush and full moon
puffs out its chest
a sentry til day
A silent wait til day
patient trees in line
caressed by a loving
moon struck ray
DREAMS
NIGHTMARE (1977)
I had a dream last night
it seemed to last so long
at the time it seemed eternal
apologies if the sequence is wrong
Like most dreams it was disjointed
events had no meaning or form
first I was alive then not
next I was dead then I was born
I went on a weird journey
we passed through a bleak city
we knew of a shortcut, underground
though unwise we hoped for pity
We travelled down stairs
and entered a subway
we then began to run
to reach the light of day
My friend pulled away from me
I tried to keep up with him
but I fell back further each step
I couldn’t co-ordinate my limbs
It seemed to last an eternity
but I reached the other side
I stumbled up a stairway
and my eyes opened wide
I was not back on the street
but in a ballroom during the War
I was somewhat underdressed
heads turned as I crept to the door
I escaped and tried to blend in
I spoke to a gold striped Navy man
he was a bit indifferent
so I made a plan
I took my leave
– and then a relapse
my mind was no-where again
I was awakening – perhaps?
DREAM WEAVER
In silence a flicker on the verge
Memories mingle and merge
Motion and matter and mingled means
Tangled webs suspend eternal themes
Random memories enter the frame
Seemingly dissimilar but the same
Sepia like shadow-land never as it seems
The tangled threads of archived dreams
NIGHT
INTO THE SUNLIGHT (ZIMBABWE) (1999)
Out of the darkness
Emerging from the night
Out of the shadows
Stepping into the light
Blinding the sight
Darkness and blight
FLIGHT
The mystery of morning
The mastery of night
The brooding storm clouds
The misery of might
The march of day
The magic of sight
The brooding shadows
Put to the sword and to flight
AFRICAN CYCLE
Howling wind
Starlit night
Rain soaked cloud
Flawless sky
Merciless sun
Fragrant moon
Scented earth
Lilting breeze
DAY TO NIGHT (2010)
The final vestiges of the dying day
Reach out their arms and quietly pray
Scattering ash and embers along the way
Primeval incantations have their say
HUMAN NATURE
SIN CITY BLUES (1976)
The sun comes up
city hums
scene unfolds
benches and bums
curtains draw
turgid air slides in
sweaty sheets
nights in sin
screaming kids, hurried men
coffee cold
clock ticks on
the milk is old
doors crash closed
hasten to the street
crowded bus is late
can’t find a seat
sweaty pits and tits
pensioners moan
driver curses
the engines groan
late for work
what the hell
what’s the future
who can tell
this is man
happy, living free
housed in Sin City
built for you and me
SMUGGLERS INN (1978)
Music throbs
the crowd gyrates
fills the floor
dance and shout
Manager enters the club
looks about and smiles
good night tonight
lets have a drink
The curtain’s up
the stripper young and coy
no doubt a virgin
she’s so sweet
Innocent young girls
dressed in white
discard their gear
to disinterested stares
Yes Folks!
come to the Inn
there’s value for all
come on in
A fan wheels about
stuck to the roof
it cuts the smoke
and cuts again
Down at the Inn
on the other side of town
the patrons are visiting
from day to day
Dark black walls
dim red lights
reflect off the heavy air
that hangs about
An honest joint this is
value for all
plenty of chaste women
to take you home
The barman so honest
he never stole a dime
the waiter’s just the same
working all the time
A range of males observe
chuckle and drink
all out for a clean night
in a nice decent joint
Brass bar rails lie low
pushed to the floor
by a million nameless soles
on as many blameless nights
The beast at the door
a female she says
others are not so sure
takes the cash
Yes Folks!
come to the Inn
there’s value for all
come on in
DE CAT WID DE TAT (1997)
He saunters in
jet black
hair slicked back
so cool
“who’s dat”?
its de cat
de cat wid de tat
A quick preen
he reviews the scene
a practised scan
eyes deadpan
“who’s zat”
I just told you man
it’s de cat wid de tat
The music starts
he starts to sway
then a little spray
looking round
a handshake and a pat
he biffs his hat
de cat wid de tat
But he’s not here to dance
he needs a drink
and some time to think
he moves to the bar
“gimme the usual mate
and don’t ask what’s that
you silly pratt!”
Buurp! “That’s goood!”
mmm let me see
now I needs some food
hey waiter
I want to order
a big fat
juicy rat
The joint is quite
hushed
furtive glances
distracted dances
a massive belly-on
collapso splat
he falls on the mat
Ah! That’s great
life’s so good
let the drums roll
gimme an encore
rat ta tat
for the one and only
cat wid de tat!
But, then a curse
“off there – dam it Cat!”
A shove – “wake up!”
Oh dear – time to move
the borders are home – drat
but I suppose it is their flat
These people
will never know
what it is to live
with a legend
the one and only
cat
de cat wid a tat!
A THOUSAND TEARS (1994)
The land of a thousand smiles
come to paradise across the sea
come and partake they said
in a paradise made for you and me
Crystal waters, golden white sand
jungles, rivers and elephant rides
enjoy the sites and fun
without even touching the sides
Like a large reptile
with a silky smooth sheen
but its underbelly rough and scared
hidden from all and unseen
Behind the carefully made facade
and the slightly drawn smile
are tales of sadness and sorrow
of bitterness and bile
I met a vile American
Randy was his name
an obvious wig hid his bald patch
but not his obvious shame
His companion was a young man
at least half his age
his secretary and assistant
living in his gilded cage
I suppose while Randy had his way
his companion improved his lot
and when you’ve got nothing
you don’t tend to ask why or what
But all the same
this sad arrangement left a bitter taste
of exploitation and greed
of a young spirit laid to waste
And it was only one of many
across this land so fair
as countless millions of mothers
mourn a landscape laid bare
Both girls and boys are needed
to feed the voracious appetite
of parlours, pubs and clubs
that function day and night
Flashing lights, g strings and smiles
function in their tantalising task
they capture attention
without revealing what’s behind the mask
If you look into those sad young eyes
you might see what’s left of a soul
that little bit left
beyond the mechanical movements of the role
But you may need to search deep
because the light may be very dim
about to be extinguished
not from without but within
For every thousand smiles you see
lie a thousand broken dreams
and for every broken dream
lies a thousand silent screams
As the hunger for young flesh grows
the ages of the victims decrease
the feeding frenzy spirals
quite unable to rest leave alone cease
Is this the price of progress
is this the way to go
the answer is written in the dust
in tears it reads – “No”
SAM (1994)
I’m Sam
Sam the man
that’s me
Sam I am
Sam the man
listen up
here’s a plan
you sit there
and I’ll jump on you
if I can
Now, you kneel
and I go wham
and drive you
round and round
like a lorry van
what’s next?
a furry lamb
a piglet pink
lets get the cushions
and make a dam
yes, yes, lets read
Desperate Dan
Peter Rabbit
No! I know what I like
Lets read Peter Pan
I know its late
and like a clam
your eyes are closing
so goodnight
its to bed I am
I’m a tired wee tike
I’m Sam I am
I’ve had a busy day
the time has come
for the sandman
So, I’ll say goodnight
Me, Sam
Sam they say
Sam I am
Sam the man
WORLD
SOUTH AFRICA (1975)
Time tumbles
the heaven rumbles
the Whites bumble
The Blacks are humble
but they mumble
Apartheid stumbles
The Whites bumble
the Heaven rumbles
Time tumbles
TOMORROW (1978)
South Africa I cry for you
for you are blind
you reject the truth
and don’t seem to mind
You’ve lorded power
refused to share
you’ve blundered on
accepted each dare
But now the worm has turned
discontent around
so you try and crush it
drive it underground
the scene is set
the faces stark
the curtain rises
the stage is dark
The play’s called “Tomorrow”
the villains called fate
the audience is silent
don’t leave it too late
SOUTH BEACH (1978)
I went to the beach today
the dirty city beach
thought I would take a break
from the books and nights awake
But the sand was black
the sea was brown
the bodies white
the fish were off the bite
bellies and breasts covered the sand
unconditioned frames of city man
a tattoo on a hand read – “hate”
I wondered is this our fate
and is it already too late?
TEL AVIV – (1998)
Its morning on Tel Aviv beach
a clamour for umbrellas and beds
the suntan lotion flows
onto countless bellies and heads
The macho-mechanical lifeguard
applies his seemly salami tights
ready to tackle the mindless
and precocious kids on Lilo’s fights
The browned beach-being
lathers up her orange-peel thighs
I should have avoided
that dessert last night, she sighs
A veritable feast awaits
creaking boulder holders
ample well fed flesh
crayfish backs and shoulders
The sun-dried regular
butters up her marshmallow butt
then rolls over to assist her man
do his much loved gut
The Coppertone anointed glow
of feral fur-clad backs
and flimsy pain defying
body splitting slacks
The endless parade passing by
from delectable girl figures
to thunder-thighs and bellies
accompanied by inevitable sniggers
The girl in Gucci shoes
with a high-heel swagger
determined but doomed
she ends in a soft sand stagger
The tight limbed stunner
does her best G-string glide
oblivious to the latent seeds
of impending cellulite slide
The 18 carat woman watches
as the stunner is fawned
if I had legs like that she thinks
I’d sell them or get them pawned
The army leave lads
strut their cocky stuff
fine tuned antennae out
they sweep the beach for fluff
The board-walk bimboy glides
an oiled steroidal stride
sculptured large and firm
bold with futile pride
Two tough guys have a play fight
one slips and pulls a muscle
a final drag on his Camel
stretchered off amidst the hustle
The haphazard piano-key grin
of the wizened ice cream vendor
promising ecstasy on a stick
in thirst-quenching splendour
The sly Shekel short-change shark
smiles as another tourist is had
don’t count your change buddy
too bad, too bad
From the dirty horizon
the tepid sea laps the shore
lathered and loud bathers enter
then more and more
The glorious Mediterranean
white sun-drenched beaches
adorned with scalpelled babes
with bottle-blond bleaches
The salt stained Speedos
the aerosol-spray lycra tights
a simmering patchwork quilt
of endless sounds and sights
The gunboats like lizards laze
binoculars ready they trawl
while on the beach
the lifeguard’s wax and drawl
And so they proclaim
cigarette and cellphone in hand
this is it, we’ve made it
made it to the promised land
Its Saturday, the Sabbath
its Tel Aviv at war
its a beach day
who would want any more?
No-one in their right mind
for this is Tel Aviv
and almost anything goes
as they say, se la vie
The contended tinkle of chains
the confident costume-jewelled Jew
latter day crusaders
amongst the infidel, so few
But, somehow there’s a feeling
that under the shallow calm
there lies a certain sense
of impending harm
Maybe if the surface is scratched
an assessment will show
they’re much more Palestinian
than they care to know
LONDON (1996)
A darkening sky
ushers out the day
weary workers
homeward wend their way
Stirring, the animal moves
slowly, joints aching
it peers out
drunk-like awakening
Dressed up grand
with no-where to go
a motley mane-coat
sadly all show
Cardboard caves
at Charing Cross
the human debris
of profit and loss
A huddled mass
contorted shapes
feeble eyes
half-drawn drapes
Waiting
willing or not
languid
waiting for what?
1956 (1996)
Soviet tanks
Danube’s banks
diesel fumes
flesh exhumes
throated roar
half-opened door
futile flight
tortured night
brutal tracks
across bare backs
forty years
corrosive tears
ruthless mask
why – we ask?
IMPERIAL HOTEL – (1997)
Loud speakers drawl and bark
scratchy, intermittent and bleak
of endless wares speak
scooters toot
horns screech
through the morass
scooters shoot
tut tuts splutter and tut
through pools of turgid mud
phlut
bursting busses clamber
creaking human cargo
willed on their way
in blazes of acid soot
by tunes from a seductive
lilting
snake charmer’s flute
veteran Vespas trrg
out the way you! – bee beee
a retort – bee beee
a stately Worsley’s werr
sedate secure
then burr, burr
sorry for the delay
what would you like to drink
Sir?
manicured lawns
marbled halls
ice cool pool
creeper clad walls
buttressed against a chaotic day
standing securely in the way
but barely seen
in the shadows
dark eyes wait
resigned for now
watchful
waiting
in such a fury
of sound
a silent vigil
seeds of change
ferment
an inner cry
no one hears
hidden
behind a veil
of tears
REFLECTIONS
A LIFE, A DAY (1974)
He opened his eyes
through a glassy film of tears and glass he gazed
focused on a square of bricked light
static, staying his gaze remained
an echo, the door, a thump
food
tighten, then relax
the contact lost
sitting, then standing on the floor
moving closer, closer to the wall
glaring through the gap
towards daylight
morning
a new day
they remained, the walls, the wire, the glare
he sighed and turned
his body turned and moved toward the door
he felt his knees bend
two hands clutched a tray
he turned
his body turned toward
a constant companion
a bed
LIFE (1975)
As our finite fingers grope
as we reach for a star
we come back empty handed
and realise its really too far
Is there gold at the end of the rainbow
as all I found was mud
they say there’s love in our heart
all I found was blood
So, man stumbles on
mundane, day to day
with clumsy big feet
getting in the way
High ideals and dreams
discarded for now
what’s the point in worrying
anyhow?
NIL TO NOUGHT (1986)
Yes and how
we stumble on
day by day
for what
will we ever begin to know
Foibles
fools
no, never, not us
but
what then
nobody knows
Nobody cares
really
then why try
when what you try
cannot be attained
Why try and touch
a leaf
which tumbles
to the ground
with an open hand
which searches
through the air
Stay away
let it sway
and fall
that’s the way
it will be
Stand and stare
marvel
but, try no more
its folly my friend
you’ve tried
for nought
I’m sure
DUE NORTH (2011)
A tabular mass, massive, indifferent
ancient and timeless
begins its journey down the frozen styx
silent, contemplative and shy
reflects on the endless passage of time
carved free from its icy chains
waiting quietly in a discarded line
for the beguiling embrace of the rising tide
feels the first sign of tainted briny breath
arms out reached, broad and wide
beckon an invitation to come along
on a mystical carpet ride
to the warm embrace of the sun
the fresh flow of its distant youth
soften the salt parched throat
to quench the insatiable and maddening thirst
of the silent waiting beast
ISLAND STORM (2011)
The compliant tree bent to the left
to accommodate the incessant wind
arms reached out left
in sympathy with the flow
but two limbs kept to the right
strident and firm
sticking to their tune
until angry wind
turned
twisted them up and round
forced them into line
but just as quick
they again pointed to the wind
insistent and proud
twisting in the violent tide
fighting each incoming wave
were they right or wrong?
Do you go with the flow
or lead with your chin
and say no, I must wrestle with the wind
to rely on our backs prostrate
or twist and turn back to face the wind
or rollover and quietly comply?
IMRE NAGY (1996)
Imre Nagy stands alone
on a peaceful ‘Pest’ bridge
gazing west
a soulful sight
so sad
averted head
eyes dead
avoiding
the hated Red star
so sad
But, flowers at his feet
suggest while Nagy’s dead
his killers couldn’t silence
what he did and said
PEELING PAINT – (1999)
A flimsy flake of paint
Fights and heaves
Until finally free it falls
Like brittle autumn leaves
The universe looks on
As it bobs and weaves
Flushed with pride
In finely fashioned sleeves
The universe looks on
And smiles!
THE FACE OF FATE
Silently I gazed into my father’s distant eyes
Lightly brushed with a glaze of lace
morphine nights and days
only to see my own futile face
Fashioned in flimsy tears
Strands strung in time and space
The hand of fate reached out
And brushed passed my face
THE BEAST (2011)
The ironclad beast wades
purposefully
through the primeval stew
twisting suddenly to the side
plunging angrily
lashing out
contemptuous of the icy dark depths
down, twisting
until the salivated jaws
begin to close
to suck the marrow dry
an urgent turn, then up
search for a distant lantern light
then back on course
rhythmically forward
a shiver, a shudder
a rib crushing thud
a shimmy
then, on again
forwards, down, up, side
a roll
rhythm back
self contented sigh
slithering through the dank mass
warm shivers
an ominous groan
a thump, a shrug
suddenly a stagger
a stall
an angry impatient pause
punctuated by grating reptile claws
above any sacred laws
or expectations of the night
loins spread in flight
systematic rhythmic flows
skeletal creaks emit a litany of woes
endless chains of to and froes
dancing a drunken jig
frenetic and fast
but just as quickly deathly slow
sinews shimmer and moan
it awaits a moment
then delivers a sickening blow
Rise, pause, fall, stall
surge, pause, drop, smack
pause, push, haul, back
stutter, tension, tighten the slack
shudder, live rounds then flak
a deft party, a rip a hack
an unexpected backhand whack
and then just as suddenly
silence…….
LOVE (2011)
The maestro unveils a sublime and haunting tune,
Pieced together with passion and precision,
Chanting, he administers to the waiting mass,
Light, God, peace and love,
Light, God, peace and love,
Rhythm and rime painstakingly preserved in folds of time,
Interspersed amongst arcane spells of silence spun in mime,
Releasing a satin white, simmering shape it ascends above,
A pure and pristine message of hope,
An image fashioned by the gentle feathers of a dove,
Light, God, peace and love….
Apprehensive and alone the crowd each gaze above
PEOPLE (2013)
People and the plural peoples
Are either young or old
They die, live and are born
Endlessly searching for solace
They bleed, feel and mourn
Living souls in mortal shells
Held together in finely spun webs
Repeating connections of human cells
Helical lines gesture and sign
Pasts alive in fables and spells
Thought and memories align
Glancing forward and back in time
Received wisdom and memories
Endlessly etched and frozen
In silent gestures and mime
