Pale moon rising

The pale moon rising

I’ll see you again tonight

Our forbidden love

Is the moon our friend

Or a duplicitous sneak

But what do I care?

I'll touch your soft skin

Feel the warmth of your body

So I worry not

But I sense trouble

For a mist clouds your sad eyes

You say not a word

That speaks millions

For this will be the last time

It will be dark soon

Image from www.109.com

My life is an open book

What frivolous days

No inklings of times to come

Being thirteen was good

Then when I met you

Love beat an audible drum

In both of our hearts

Sun, blue sky and you

We ran through the poppy field

Speedy young adults

Our bodies entwined

Like strange gnarled roots of a tree

In time everlasting

Just who would write this

Wind blown, storm tossed, best seller

Are all lives like this?

Apocalyptic

Literary masterpiece

With sad epilogue

Image found at www.thaoski.com

Yearning for home

                                             Nightingale singing

Your love is a nightingale's song                                

That sad caress of hearts desire                           

This touches me wherever I am                              

Whatever I do I will not tire   

           

As I travel so far from home                        

I picture you in all my dreams                                  

As lonely paths I walk at night                                 

My way is lit by your moonbeams               

This yearning will be sure to end                            

In your sweet arms I’ll gladly lay                              

Homeward’s journey soon will make                     

And with our children gladly play    

You’ve warmed me with your fire of love               

I kiss your lips with passions drive

What kind fortune picked me for you

This is all that keeps me alive

Beautiful nightingale sing on

You echo words my love does say

I sadly sleep this night alone

At dawn I’ll take the homeward way

Image found at http://www.debrecensun.hu/culture/2012/05/02/listen-to-the-nightingales-song/

To win your love

Can I conquer you?

What design to win your love

Have you a weakness?

How aloof you are

Such weapon to tend beauty

and crush my spirit

A prickly question

What irk, that thorn in my side

Just where is your smile?

I’ll give you roses

Surely I will scent success

When they touch your heart

A stranger even to herself

                                    Bag Lady by William Cook Hagwood

She’s one of the first to leave                     

Staring up at the bright sky             

As though there might be some sign         

Perhaps guidance from above                   

Or if the weather would hold                        

She had such a fertile mind                        

She had survived against all odds             

Always searching in the streets                  

Begging when they weren’t looking           

And defensive when they were                   

She had a family once                                 

They would not recognize her now             

Other drifters hated her                               

She hated them back “So there!”               

Those needy little bastards                         

She had known another life             

With husband and children too                   

All gone, gone, gone, good riddance

She was better on her own 

A stranger even to herself 

Image found at www.tarotcanada.org

Cards

A long time ago

There were no computer games

But we were not sad

I was so young then

We were short in everything

And it was wartime

But we still had fun

Outside we ran and played free

Indoors, different

So chilly winters

A pack of cards was all

Solo or with friends

Solitaire for one

For two there was Snap

Then Go Fish for more

Soon there was Rummy

When the Old Maid had been found

I loved Clock Patience

With Dad we learned Whist

Then we progressed to Oh Hell

Except at parties

For many people

Called for improvisation

So then Chase the Ace

Playing cards teach us

Winning and losing is fun

Adding social skills

Image from www.the guardian.com

The Woodland Sprite

I met an angel                                                          

May I talk to you of her?                                  

But keep it secret                                                    

Her voice like a song                                              

With hands soft and beautiful                              

I said “speak to me”                                                 

She laughed like a stream                                    

The sound of rippling water                                  

As she smiled at me                                               

“I want to touch you”                                               

Her eyes sparkled like the stars                           

She denied me not                                                 

I tugged at her hand                                                           

She lived in the dark forest                                               

“Come back home with me”                                  

She just shook her head                                       

“I am daughter of the woods                            

He would not approve”                                          

As her hands touched mine                                      

She said "And just who are you                     

Will you come again?"                                            

I said that I would

Day’s later I returned there

But could not find her

I searched all over

Yet I found the woodman’s hut

Abandoned for years

I often go back

Hoping that my woodland sprite

Will appear again

Image from www.cecile214.deviantart.com

Aunt Bess

I remember my childhood
Oh so many long years ago
Aunt Bess was a stranger to us
Yes, the one with the crazy laugh
A martyr to her memories
And a prisoner of her dreams
Whose secrets were in shadows
In the bright sunshine of our lives
She wore a diamond necklet
But no wedding ring shone for her
She lost her man in the great war
And her mind went shortly after
Just what seer could have forecast
War's cold steel that took him away
Would steal her mind as well

Image found at www.etsy.com

An Unwelcome Guest

I was awoken

By a blood curdling scream

On one winter’s night

I sat up in bed

Was my wife having a dream?

I gently touched her

“Ssh” she spoke at last

“There’s somebody in the house

Didn’t you hear them?”

“I will go and check”

I tell her quite undaunted

She still clung to me

She felt so loving

I really should have stayed there

But got up instead

There in the kitchen

A found a happy possum

Eating leftovers

I had a problem

Just how could I get rid of

This unwelcome guest? 

Image found at www.cathyarnaudasiatour2013.com

The lake in the trees

             

I went back again

To that special place of yours

That comforted you

To the secret lake

Through the whispering pines trees

Your childhood spent there

When we were first wed

You gently took my hand

To tell who you were

There you swam alone

So long before you knew me

Before we were one

Sometimes I go back

Because there I feel you again

Now that you have gone

The lake and pines wave

For they mourn your passing too

I am not alone

Image found at www.frensham-pe.gov.uk

Playing in the rain

Alone that morning

She stared out of the window

Reminiscing back

All those years ago

Children playing in the rain

Such happiness then

They were all gifted

Now gone, oh so far away

As the clock ticked on

Intense loneliness

The teeming rain wept for her

As the rot set in

Image from www.blog.bilingualtherapies.com

Dum puts his thinking cap on (No. 27)

                              Burning out a log to use as a canoe

For the second special and 100 th Anniversary I have chosen prompt words not used before during a hiatus in my posting to Josie’s site and have brought back Dum and Yum the prehistoric cave people. Dum was the thinker and inventor that humanity had to have in order to progress. In this special chapter we see him take advantage of a catastrophe that hit the habitat they lived in. To see early stories about Dum and Yum just click on Cavemen in the Labels bar. I have made use of the prompt words Easy, Wind and Cloud

All of the cave dwellers had moved to the village where Song the spirit woman lived. She had persuaded the head men there that Dum would be a useful member of the village as he had good ideas on hunting and inventing new tools to help them in everyday life.

Some of the cave people had not been sure but when they found that each family would have a hut made out of branches and with a watertight roof covered with twigs and leaves and even moss that kept the rain out they slowly got accustomed to it especially as the bigger community felt safer together and were to repel raiders whether they be outsiders or hungry animals like bears and wolves.

Dum as usual made the most of this security by spending much time travelling further afield to see what was there knowing that his family would be safe in the village if he was delayed.

So it was that one cloudy and windy day he and Grunt his friend from the cave days travelled north they were caught in terrific storm and had to shelter overnight in most uncomfortable conditions in the forest. They were soaking wet they couldn’t light a fire and the storm’s wind had been so great many trees were blown over and even swept away in the flood of water from the hills inland that swelled the rivers and burst their banks.

Grunt was miserable and wanted to get home quickly to his woman Dong but Dum was curious. He wanted to see where all the debris of the storm had been washed to. He also was dubious about crossing the swollen river that ran so fast he could imagine them being swept away, injured or even drowned.

He finally managed to dissuade Grunt from crossing the river that was in turmoil and white with foam and seemed very angry indeed. So he promised Dong they would cross when it looked easier.

Dum kept lifting his nose to the breeze to catch the scent of the ocean. Finally he indicated to Grunt that soon they would see the sea. Now the terrain was flatter the river started to run slower and the debris was being washed up on the banks in great heaps. Finally they reached the shore and the beach was covered with all manner of detritus. Little rivulets spread over the flat sand and with piles like little islands on the sand they scrambled from one to the other to get the village on the other side of the river.  However their way was blocked and as Dum could see a lot of debris floating in the sea he indicated to Grunt they should wade out in the water and hold onto some large branches and somehow find their way south back to the village by water. When they finally found the beach clear again they would walk again. Grunt was very unhappy he didn't like the sea but as he too wanted to get home he reluctantly agreed. As there was so much debris they soon saw a large branch and waded out to that held on and finally straddled it while Dum paddled with his hands to get clear of other obstructions. It was not long before they were clear of most of the obstructions and made their way back to the village side of the blocked and swollen river. As they got nearer the shore Dum slipped off the branch to see if his feet touched the sandy bottom. He had to do this two or three times before he felt it so he then dragged the branch in shore with Grunt still grumbling as a passenger. 

Slowly they made their way back home empty handed but safe. Yum welcomed Dum back with a hug and he told her what had happened. Then she showed him the damage that had been caused to the village with several huts losing their roofs. However everyone was safe. Once they got a fire going again and had eaten some food Yum saw that Dum was thinking hard. Later he told what they had done and said they he was going to make a log useful to travel out to sea so they could catch fish further out from the shore. Yum just smiled at him. How she loved him for even in danger he could see the possibilities of improving their lives.

                               Dum's later invention of a bark canoe

Longing

Whispers in my heart

Love letters from you to me

With many kisses

Remembering you 

I so want to breathe you in

Lay my head on you

I miss you so much

You have gone so far away

Out of my reach

The fir trees whisper

They know that I pine for you

How can I catch up?

Image from www.siskiyous.edu

Night Train

Night train's mournful whistle
Ate into my heart
Hypnotized me
No, tortured me
As I remembered you

You were mine once, long ago
Your teasing flesh
Slaking our lust
Where were our brains?
Just like headless chickens

I knew you would leave me
Out of gimmicks
Liquor ran out
Uniform no draw
The machine had clicked stop

So where do I go from here?
Where's the lotion?
Where's the balm?
Just that whistle
As I remember you


Image from www.astronomerbilal.wordpress.com

If music be the food of love…write on

                                    Flute and Harpsichord Duet

The time of our lives

When your soft fingers play with

The cleft in my chin

The beat of your heart

Your voice is such sweet music

Drum's beat of passion

Together in tune

Our love’s like a symphony

Seductive rhythm

Tenor in my voice

But words are not my forte

Pause for reflection

A medley of kisses

You play with my affections

And nibble my ears

Now I must leave you

Concerto’s last movement

Resounding applause

Sharp pain of absence

I note the tears in your eyes

Plucking my heartstrings

25+ words related to music or including musical terms are included in this piece.

Image found at www.bonhams.com

Our magic land

You and I found a magic land

So we went there hand in hand

Where soft hills we did explore

Limpid pools enticed us even more

Supple trees swayed from side to side

A dark forest welcomed us inside

Where woodland scents aroused us there

We frolicked in secret without a care

Sun’s arrogant glare now was hidden

Quiet whispers were not forbidden

Life’s crude ways were left far behind

And its torments were out of mind

Oh what magic was there that day

We just didn’t want to come away

When I stole that last kiss from you

You said “Don’t tell a soul, that’s taboo"

Image from www.corbisimages.com

Old Timer's Lament

As I didn't start contributing to Two Shoes Tuesday until prompt 10, I thought I would include the first nine prompt words in this piece and allude to the 100th. As one of the older contributors do forgive me my sarcasm.

No illusions left

Someone please open the door

I fear I cannot

“Tell me your secret

It is very safe with me

Just what did you say?”

Hope is eternal

“If winter comes, can spring be...”

So the saying goes

I can’t walk in rain

So my eyes are damp with tears

I miss everything

Swim in the blue sea

Water makes me feel alive

Rejuvenate me

I remember shoes

But now I just wear slippers

I’ve no place to go

Centurion he

“Just who remembers me still?

My friends are all gone”

Image found at www.verysmartbrothas.com

He left her a gift

He was gone again

Their ships passing in the night

He’d left her a gift

He usually did

A cute lass or handsome lad

To greet him next time

So away he sailed

Letting go the sheet anchor

Hauling the main sails

Contact was broken

Yet their connection was strong

“He’s here in their eyes”

She imagined him

Every time she named them

Yet fearing the worst

She sang them a song

“Where is my daddy at sea?

Please come home to me”

She never thought of

The many goblets of grog

Or girls in the ports

After many months

To the port office she went

Looking at the signs

But she could not read

So entered and ask for news

“It’s vital” she said

Wife of a seaman

She had the sense to know

From the man’s speech

They were now alone

A sad poem she must sing

Home he would not come

Image from www.hdesktops.com

An Empty Bed

Have I been dreaming?

I woke to an empty bed

Now it seems so big

I reach out, you’ve gone

I hear the rain dance for me

Somebody loves me

Skies are grey today

Everybody’s in a rush

But I’m a slowcoach

The world’s had a wash

There is no trace of you left

Except in my heart

Have I been dreaming?

I woke to an empty bed

Now the world’s so big

Image found at www.brokenfixit.com

A dusty scrapbook

I’d been gone so long

But I was back home again

For the funeral

Forty years now passed

I had changed, the town had changed

But I still belonged

There was the old church

The park, the river of youth

There the market square

Once I was a choirboy

Always on my bicycle

Playing with my mates

No eulogies said

My mother’s friends now all gone

Her son a stranger

My back felt a tap

And the she uttered my name

“I knew you mum well”

She had a kind face

Worn by many a summer

“I’ve something for you”

After the service

She took me back to her place

“Why don’t you sit down?”

With a cup of tea

She offered a piece of cake

“Forgive me” she smiled

“She said this is yours

It’s so full of photographs

Her dusty scrapbook"

Guests that stay too long

Still they come to this barren land

From teeming cities, swamp and sand

Their desire for freedom so intense

Despite the dangers and expense

Their worries far outweigh the dangers

Despite our history of bushrangers

They come to leave behind war and strife

And of course to seek a better life

But with welcome here they do not get

High seas and navy patrols see them met

Then to remote internment camps are sent

In this land compassion is quite absent

There is a far better way and wiser

To arrive by plane with a temporary visa

To work or even take a blissful holiday

Overstay your welcome, you might be okay

Image fro, www.theaustralian.com.au