Hope is such a tender fragile flower

When all seems lost we nurture every hour

Until the frost of winter covers all

And the petals wither fade to fall

Yet faiths the rising of the sun

Upon the blossom yet to come

Trust is such a blooded thorn held clasp

Yet to the rose we’re drawn to clasp

When left alone the beauty lasts

Upon the moments as they pass

As faiths the rising of the sun

Upon the blossom yet to come

Truth is change as Bluebells gently ring

Bringing memories of how its always been

I hear them softly on the wind

As Spring eternal calls again

And loves a Snowdrop in the dawn

That grows for you and I as one

And faiths the rising of the sun

Upon the blossom yet to come.

With Thyme in her pocket

A chaplet of Violet

A sprig of the Goat Weed

Worn in her hair

A pinch of the Bay

To open the way

A Bluebell ring heralding

Faery ring fair

To dance in her Catkin gown

Spider spun lace

Mossy her shoes

A smile on her face

From dawn until dusk

And dusk until dawn

At mid night and mid day

A kiss for us all.

Flits within the corner eye

And disappears not to be spied

You search in vain your search it hides

It’s grin you feel to your surprise

It’s hard to catch or rationalize

The glimpse of nothings there

A boggart be its name for sure

It came in through your open door

And likes your cupboard under stair

And there it’s homely cluttered lair

And when you’re all and fast asleep

Out it slither tiptoe creeps

To muddle up your gentle dreams

And loiters till you wake

You rise at morning rubbing eyes

There’s something here or there you cry

A laughing sure you heard no lie

A feeling you can’t shake

All day it hovers just behind

The back of somewhere in your mind

You’re sure you must be somehow blind

To what or isn’t there

This elemental darkened sprite

Doesn’t like the sun bright light

And feeling better in the garden

Courage grows and senses harden

Then a twinkling glint idea

I’ll tidy out my under stairs

And later in the darkling eve

You find the boggarts taken leave.

He stood most naked in the high street

Upon a pedestal they placed him

Over looking passers by

The statue of the naked guy

Some one sprayed him with rude words

Others dressed him in girls clothes

And one night when all alone

Someone took part of him home

He must have seen wars come and go

Naked stood against the foe

But wear he meddle no not one

For how would someone pin one on

They fixed him up from time to time

The statue of the naked guy

Some passers by would ‘vert their eyes

Not me I’d wink I’m sure he tried

And then they took him clean away

A few complaints I’m told they say

I couldn’t bare it took his place

At once arrested in disgrace

I asked the policeman why but why

I am the ghost of the naked guy

He didn’t seem to find this funny

I went to court it cost me money

And now a sign there in his place

A simple notice Vacant Space

For sale this empty pedestal

Please apply to prudes at council.

                             ’Neath the rain.

As the skies turn blue to grey

The wind swept clounds bring the rain

And as the empty street there prevail

She’le be walking neath the rain.

To wash the tears away she wept

The broken heart she always kept

On every path she ever stept

Hollow sorrows memories left to her. 

With the shadows chasing round her heart

Like a crown of thorns worn in the dark

On the nights when shadows black her spark

 So the flame dies every time they part.

And the screaming rages of the sea

The crashing waves that curse her endlessly

Have cast her tattered life torn misery

 As she drowns in every passing memory.

Ardent raise the sticks to crack so beat the drum and blow the horn,

arm the fiddle shrill the whistle squire a shout around they go.

Raise a jug behold the Morris raise a jug and sport a jig,

raise a jug for sun and moon kiss ‘pon the earth their lovers bed.

From the blossom to the ripe fruit Teazers dance and on we go,

from the fruit until the first shoot of the leaf from tree does show. 

Raise a jug behold the Morris raise a jug and sport a jig,

raise a jug for sun and moon kiss ‘pon the earth their lovers bed.

Tatters bright and spin the seasons Bavain grin a dance his own,

round and through the set he weavers fooling all with what fools know.

Raise a jug behold the Morris raise a jug and sport a jig,

raise a jug for sun and moon kiss ‘pon the earth their lovers bed.

Obby Oss a prance a gambol rearing up and bows down low,

Plough Jack sword a thrust pentangle maiden smile the Green man grows.

Raise a jug behold the Morris raise a jug and sport a jig,

raise a jug for sun and moon kiss ‘pon the earth their lovers bed.

Felt you fly dusty wings feather my skies, sang to me winters past why do you hide, when it seems spring we have found, are our fears or our tears holding us down. Reply I heard whispered a bluebell sigh, she lay her soft head down petals to cry, so as the blue skies are seen to wear cloud, neath the shadow of a willow I lay me down. Felt you fly dusty wings feather my sky, sang to me winters past why do we hide. Reply I heard calling the song of a swan, she turned unto spirit, sang and was gone. So as the blue skies are seen to ware cloud, neath the shadow of a willow I lay me down. Yet it seems spring we have found, are our fears or our tears holding us down. Reply I have grown as Ivy entwined, bound to a memory never to find, of spring you sing to me heart filled with love, from high in the willow tree as a solitary dove. 

Just below the surface when I look in to the landscape of myself there is a sadness and tears that seem to burble up as a spring at the bottom of a lost and lonely hill.

Although it is bright and sunlit here, I only seem to feel the scene as moonlit deep within a winters night.

I glance about; there are rocks that bare from the side of the hill, moss and lichens adorn them, and between them grows the occasional fern and other little plants whose names I do not know, and always the velvet grass that seems so wonderfully blanketed over this small obscure valley.

The trees stand tall upon the hilltop, they are not in leaf, they are at rest it seems even though I seem not.

The ever sorrow filled spring water trickles quite aimlessly after it has risen until further down a ways it becomes a sort of shallow puddle, then whisperingly is channelled in to a narrow stream. Here there are small fish that dart about in the cold water seeking food, seeking safety, and seeking to welcome another spring, to mate, and to pass on their precious lives.

I haven’t seen a bird here, but I have heard them some ways off singing almost gently from the highest tree tips as if they do not wish to disturb this place, this lost sad little valley of my heart, my soul, in the very essence of my being.

She has appeared here though, just once or twice I have made her out within the mists that gently gather at the far end of the valley. I do not call out to her, as that would be crass I feel; yet I do wish to go to her but I do not. I know she sees me there, pondering and wondering within the scene and waiting perhaps respectfully for the sadness to pass.

Perhaps she is the promise of the spring dreaming within her winter sisters realms, or perhaps she is not, I do not know.

Sometimes when I am not even here I long to embrace her and for her to comfort me, then for her to take my hand and for us to drift on down the stream in a new found togetherness. I gaze as we travel through summer around the rivers meanders and as our river broadens and nears its destination all becomes autumnal with golden leaves escorting us on the river as we flow, and this I believe.

Where the waters do meet the sea we are within a winters realm again, and with the meeting of the waters to complete us we shall leave our final footprints on the strangeness of snow along the beach.

A man goes in to a charity shop and he lingers for a moment just within the entrance to assess the lay out. He is relieved to find that he will be the only customer. A wise and slightly scary little old lady behind the counter says in a confidential tone that there is a very nice barely worn pair of size 8 white ladies three inch high heeled shoes and that they are just down there on the left dear. The man is most surprised and says a slightly embarrassed thank you and goes to find them; they are just delightful to a very special place that is within him. He tries them on, as there is no one but the confidential little old lady to see. They are a little tight yet he reasons there is always a compromise to make in everything. He buys the shoes for five pounds, thanks the little old lady very much and goes home most elated.

Another customer comes in to the shop. She is an old lady too. “Come in for a warm dear,” says the little old lady, and adds, “The heater is just here dear.” The frail old lady comes to stand beside the heater and presently begins a rather rambling conversation about her now deceased husband, her daughter in Lincolnshire, the rationing during the second world war, and some things about a programme she saw on the telly just last night about the teenagers of the day and how it shouldn’t be allowed, there was no teenagers in her day, just children or grown ups in her day. The wise and little old lady listens respectfully and after a little while the frail old lady goes about her way.

 As she leaves a young mother with a rather fretful child comes in, soon the child has quietened down and is brandishing a slightly broken yet brightly coloured plastic toy and a teddy bear whilst the young mum finds a rather too shorter skirt she really likes the look of with a good label too. She pays for the toys and skirt and just before she leaves the little old lady says, “Just hold on a moment dear,” and disappears in to the back room of the shop. She comes back shortly with a potty, it is not new yet neither is it too unpleasantly marked or even much scratched. She offers it to the young mum but the young mum says she hasn’t any more money till next Monday or until her ex ever decides to pay the money back he owes her. The little old lady puts the potty in a carrier bag and gives it to the young mum anyway saying, “its alright dear, you can always bring in something another day if you like.” The young lady says that she will have a bit of a sort through at home soon, and from the back to the front of her mind comes the fact that she does have rather a lot of her ex boyfriends junk cluttering up her flat.

A little while later a most dishevelled young man comes in to the shop. The little old lady locks the till surreptitiously and takes hold of a tin of air freshener beneath the counter. She says to the dishevelled lad. “Now then young man your not going to be a bother in here for me are you, you can have a warm, and I can spare you a cup of tea if you like, I have a flask just here, no sugar though, sorry.” The young man who was beaten by his intermittent alcoholic father for years, ignored and finely slung out by his un-caring mother, and now for the last six weeks homeless with a new yet sadly not exciting drug habit, agrees then sips his tea quietly in front of the heater for quite some time. At length the little old lady goes to the mens rack and brings him a mans rather worn large long woollen over coat. She hands it to the youth but he mutters he doesn’t have any money or nuffing, the little old lady just smiles and says, “Put it on dear, it’s cold out there now isn’t it.” He accepts it gratefully and in his heart he knows it will be just what he needs for a cold night on a bench in the park, but his mind tells him that it may also be good for shoplifting too. On his way out the little old lady says, “be good now won’t you dear” and he mumbles that he’ll try.

 After he has gone the little old lady locks the door for lunch, she has a quick spray about with the air freshener and settles down for her sandwiches with just one cup of tea again today, and a little while knitting.

At two o clock she re opens the shop and shortly a young lady with her most evidently not impressed boy friend come in to the shop. She is looking for an outfit for a fancy dress party and starts flicking through the womans rack doing her best to ignore her boy friend as he points at things sniggering and making daft comments but after a few minutes he wanders off to look through the cds. It does not take him long to find a rather rare cd single by a band he likes. He notices that the cd singles and the cd albums seem to be priced the same at a pound each. He mentions this to the little old lady adding, “this should be cheaper see cos it’s just a single.” The little old lady comes over to look and taking it from him says. “Oh heavens how did that get in there? it is supposed to be up here.” And with that she places it on a higher shelf labelled at five pounds each and says to him, “ we have a very helpful young lad that comes in on Wednesdays that helps us no end with these things you know.”  The young man swears under his breath, and tells his girlfriend he’s going to wait outside for her.

He has begun a journey to discover that he should keep his flaming big mouth shut in future although he does not realise it. The young lady presently buys some eighties cut off trousers, a white fake fur jacket and a tacky plastic jewelled embellished handbag. She pays for the items and puts her change in the donation box on the counter saying, “sorry ‘bout ‘im, ‘ees alright when you get to know ‘im really.”  The little old lady can not imagine who would ever wish to do so in the first place but only smiles and says “that’s alright dear, we get all sorts in here you know.”

 Or  they  said I said………….                                                               

A whole group of people came to me one day and said“You must employ us all”,“Why”, I said,“Because we can do lots of things for you and everybody else,” they said, “What sort of things” I said, “Well lots and lots, we can run the whole country for you and everybody else” they said, “Why” I said, “So that you and everybody else can be free to do other things,” they said, “Oh” I said,” but I quite like doing what I am doing now”, “No”, they said “ you must employ us all not only for yourself, but everybody else as well, everyone is doing it you know”; “ I don’t think I will bother” I said “but thank you all the same, best of luck with it all, I hope it goes well for you”, “ We are sorry” they said “but if you don’t employ us we will have to take you away”, “Why” said I alarmed, “Because it would be unfair for everybody else who does employ us” they said, “ Oh”, I said again “well I don’t really want to be taken away and I don’t really want to be an unfair person to everybody else, and even where I to run and hide I don’t wish to spend my life running and hiding from you, you really seem to have me over a barrel,” “ Oh no “ they said “, its for your own good really, and everybody else’s “, “So how do I employ you?” I enquired, “ Well you vote for those who’s ideas you like the best so you do have a choice in it all, but you must employ all of us for the sake of balance and you do all this by voting and then giving us some of your weekly earnings” they said, “But I don’t really have any “ I said “mostly I get by alright by trading things I grow make or create “ I said “but I suppose I could pay you in the odd bit of seasonal crop and I could sing you a song or two if you would like, would that do”? I asked, “No” they stated as one, “we only take cash”. “Oh” I said, “ I don’t have any of that I am afraid, what can I do”, “don’t worry,” they said, “you must get a job”, “Oh” I said, “Its for the greater good really” they said, Not really I thought but said nothing and then asked, “so what do you all do then if you don’t mind me asking”, “ We discus all the things that need to be done for everyone in our country as a whole, the whole world is doing it you know”, Oh great I thought despondently but they pressed on, “We shall administer the needs for the country as a whole, you know, health and law and order, and defence, and trade”, “Oh” I said “but you know if I am poorly I go to the old woman and trade with her for herbs, mostly this seems to work alright so I feel ok for health and as for law were ok too, most people can trade something, its not often if at all someone round here is bad, if they are they soon move away as no one will trade with them and we do defend ourselves if we really have to, and as for your idea of trade I am really not so sure”, “Arh” they exclaimed, “we can sense your going to be a bother to us, you can’t go around saying all those sorts of things you know”, “What” I said, “why”? I said, “It would upset everyone to hear your not joining in on everybody’s behalf, it’s for the whole country you know” they said “and your country needs you,” “So”, I said at length,  “I can’t trade without money, some of which I must give to you when I didn’t need it in the first place, I can’t go to the woman for health unless I give her money and some of which she must give to you, and I Can’t defend myself because I pay you to defend me and everybody else and I can’t say anything about it all because it would upset everyone to hear I was being so selfish when at a moments notice I would go to the aid of someone poorly and take them to the old woman, feed them what I could if they where hungry, and defend them if they needed defending”, They where quirt for quite some time and then said ”you can either work with us, for us, or against us and be locked away”, “Is there really nothing else”, I said, “Well”, they said,” there’s always religion for your sort you know,” “What” I said, “What’s that about then”?                                                                                                                                                              “You know” they said,” God”, “Who”? I said, “Blasphemy” they yelled, Oh no I thought, I’ve upset them again.“ So” I said as they carried me away “ you have stripped me of my self worth, removed my sense of purpose and robbed me of my time and efforts, or at the very least force these compromises upon me before I can be truly myself”. “ You really are being most simple you know,” they said, “Yes” I said, “I thought the best things about life for everybody where supposed to be”.