The Date

Late night round at When’s apartment watching Creepshow.

“When, pass me a couple of dates would you please”

“OK”

“No that is a fig” said Who

“Aren’t they the same thing?”

“No, a date, especially when dried kinda looks like a large sleeping cockroach…actually, you know what, I will have a fig after all!”

Heightened Sense

Brave enough to leap the distance?
Turn on.

Bypass your mind’s resistance
Tune in,

You’re a child in a sweet shop
Like buying candy from a shady man in a Munsters sweat top

Over indulge,
Switch off your own surveillance

It's not all that significant,
Pleasure is a normal heightened sense.

Writing the Detectives

Sherlock Holmes
Columbo
Miss Marple
Rumpole
Nancy Drew
The Hardy boys
Inspector morse
and Marlowe 
Maigret
and Quincy
Lord Peter Wimsey
Poirot
and Magnum PI
Cracker, 
Shaft 
and Ironside 
These fictional detectives 
That writers made effective

The Refrain

“Don’t play that!” I snapped 

“Why?”

“Because it’s his song”

“Oh, sorry I…”

“It’s the refrain, I was listening to that when I found out he’d taken his life…now it’s to painful, it brings back to much, to fast”

“But you do listen?”

“I do, when I want to cut my heart, that’s how fucked up Its left me”

Carnal Desires

Step in through the door from the cold of outside,
The heat of your breath stirs the coals of my fire.

The tick from a clock that is older than mine, 
Firm touch and caress a more experienced life.

Magnetic attraction the pull so intense,
I take a deep breath and I feed on your aura.

Salt sweats from pores of a tropical fire,
The burn all consuming still temperatures rise.

Blood filled infusion more physical than fix,
Exploring taboos each touch brings me closer.

A frequency response from a stimulating pitch, 
Senses overload, heart beats pacing as one.

The calm after the storm, when the fight ebbs away,
Aware of each moment those heightened sensations.

Lay back, contemplate, instinctual biological drives,
Must not disappoint they will be needed next time.

Go Run!

I found my kit
     Its in the drawer,
          My running socks
               Are in a ball,
                    My leggings
                         Pocket in the bum,
                              My shirt says on the neck,
                                   Go Run!
                              My running shoes
                         Are on my feet
                    My music is in mp3
               I am running to the beat.
          And though I huff and blow,
     and run a bit slow,
at least I go.

The Dancer

Dance floor, local pub.

“What exactly are you are doing” shouted Who over the music.

“Dancing”

“That’s not dancing” 

“It is" What, thrashed his arms and legs wildly around him

“So what dance is it then?”

“Jive”

“Looks more like the funky chicken” laughed Who



Exist in the day

Your face every night in the eye of my mind
A glimpse, sideways glance
Natural beauty, reverence

It held my gaze, It's your power 
Mere seconds, were in a dream hours

Turn away, please don't walk
My mouth hangs open, no sound - I can't talk

Awake, eyes blink, and you've gone away
You don't exist in the day.


Eve of the weekend

Am I awake ?
Is this a dream?
Look around the room
For a steampunk machine,
Rub sleep from my eyes
A slow pound in my head,
Feel the cold of the floor 
Slide my feet out of bed,
Cold claws at my skin
As I trudge down the hall,
Wave my hands in the black
So I don’t hit the wall,
Grope out for the switch
And I hit the wrong one,
Sudden blinding light...
...
Off
...
On
The right one,
Put my hands on the sink
Lift my head to the sky,
Pry open the slits that are tired weary eyes
See the face in the mirror
Looks worse than I feel,
A silent pep talk
Then it’s time to get real
It’s only a Friday
Another week packed away
It’s the eve of the weekend
Hip hip hip-hooray!



A Far Away Home

Vivid dreams of a far away home
Feeling the sun warm me to my bones
Seeing the moons
1,
2,
No 3
A familiar feel
Luscious and green
Pristine clean skies
Unspoiled seas
World population living in peace
Then I awake to the reality
until we collaborate we can never be free





The Worst Bank Job

The drill whirred through the safe

“What was that?”

“What”

“That noise”

“What noise”



“Nowt, you’re twitchy”

“We’re in”

“What the bleeding heck is this”

“The first Pound ever minted”

“I can see that, what’s it worth”

“At least a Pound.”

“Bleeding eck!”


Cheese and Tomato on Brown

The memories came flashing back as bit ground through brick, dust sprayed like blood; cast off as the drill backed the auger out tossing red clay everywhere.

One minute we were laughing, the next Andy was crumpled like a pile of dirty clothes on the floor, the blood soaked hole where his eye once was - perfect, his brains scattered behind him.

The gunman in an unseen position sitting back eating a cheese and tomato on brown, getting on with the rest of his day, orders carried out, let that be a warning, get out of our land!

Destination space and back

Arrangements made
For the rave
Got the stash
We’re on our way
Furtive looks
Excited glances
Coming up
Butterflies dancing
Music on
Volume high
Excitement levels start to climb
Nerves are gone
Smiles turn to Laughs 
Destination space and back 

The Comet

A Billion years care free roaming,
Through cosmic dust and ice cold night

I skip across the exosphere,
a flat stone caressing pale moonlight

I leave my tail of trailing rocks, 
Presents collected on the way

And speed off towards the stars
As their explosions radiate my way.

Standing on the precipice

Standing on the precipice
Looking down on eerie silence
Wind song whispers  
In different voices

Eyes flutter
Like butterflies
Paper wings drum out
Their pulsating rhythmic song

Drawn towards open space
A small step is all I face
Free fall out of realities harm
Into the arms of the afterlife 

Hesitation…
Shuffle, step back and crumple
Down to my knees
The moment gone, the sobbing comes

Home I trudge
Rinse away the smears of tears
Salt stings my eyes
Defeated, but still alive

Raw painful emotions
Boiled off with time
I resent my toxic poisonous past
The future now is all mine

Dig through layers of shit
Find the will to survive
Then to build on it
And strive






Inspired by the November 2019 #vsspoem twitter prompts; Silent (9/11) Resent (10/11)
Different (11/11) Rinse (12/11)

The Magical 'T'

Pulling the tarpaulin off the ageing beast, a cloud of semi fine dust sprayed upwards.

Pristine paintwork glistened as dappled sunlight caught falling dust turning the garage into a snow globe.

The crank at the front ready.

Hearing the ‘T’ start for the first time since dad died completed the magical scene.

War's reality

Fresh faced, soldiers march, teens in khaki wearing deaths arsenal grin and wave like winners.

On the battle front, we're all wearing 'fears mask' now, and bits of our closest friend. 
Wars reality, now clear as day, the shredded corpses, beside them.

Polished boots tread carefully and lay the kids to rest.



Stain on my heart

Weathered but not broken,
Eyes fixed on points of pain

Words no longer spoken,
A devils indelible stain

Ethereal existence
Only thy self aware

Fight or flight resistance
Lost in times repair

Fingerprints unique mark,
Part of your identity

Pressed into the stain on my heart, 
Bruised, sore and dirty 



As time stops




Carried to brain in blood
Emotions overwhelmed, flood
Goosebumps mottle pale skin
Hair erect, needles and pins
Brow breaks perspiration's hold
A feeling that never grows old
Self becomes aware
In a world that isn’t there
Sounds enhanced
Colours pop 
As time 
Stops




In every language

Letters in the pot
Stir them around,
A few consonants here
Ooo how many vowels,
Speak the syllable out
My lips move around,
Its a hand gesture
For the deaf to sign out,
It’s written in braille,
And semaphore too,
Every language, animals too
has a word that is...
Love




Peer Group Popularity

Local cannabis factory.

Spiral eyed souls worked silently, glistening purple haze of their cash crop almost ready.

While eyes on stalks, stood mouths open as brawn trimmed bud into a bag.

Discombobulated they left, peer group popularity clutched tightly in their hand.



A Cheesy Crime

Cheese factory crime scene

“Constable, to find the body we must search through 2 tons of grated cheese.”

“Or grated body, sir”

“True, you don’t want to find a tooth on your pizza.”

“No sir, that would really grate.” 

“Oh constable!”

Very shot story inspired by the #vss365 twitter writing prompt

A Quick Nap

The welcome mat 
That is outside my flat
Is not the place 
To take a quick nap

But yesterday there
At a quarter to three

A cat
A dog
A little pink frog
An alien called nog 
We’re all fast asleep





Reflection of self

That Face in the mirror
Is changing with age,
Deep in those eyes 
The face stays the same.

Is there regret
A choice made in haste,
Do not let 
Your life go to waste.

Hold a mirror to the soul
What is it you see?
A deal with the devil
or hard work, honesty?


Inspired by the vsspoem twitter prompt

Cuffs

Booking office of the local police station

"Where did you find him?"

"Old wreck sir, wandering around in his birthday suit"

"Cuffs?"

"Yes sir, french lace and very dashing."

"No, handcuffs"

"No handcuffs sir, just sleeves."

"no, oh, never mind"

VSS inspired by the #vss365 twitter prompt: 

Sugar

In resplendent glory
A drug not respiratory
Stirred into morning coffee
Or a lump or two in tea

Dusted onto strawberries
Before slathering them in cream
In a jug of lemonade
Sold along my street

Candy floss
Toffee
White mouse on a stick
To much sugar
Will surely make you sick 

Inspired by the #vsspoem twitter prompt

The Storm

Wind chimes like pan pipes play the song of the storm

A windmill in a sandpit, spinning wild, it’s fans torn

Thunder gallops, Wild horses, Open natures symphony

 Lightning claws at darkness, angels are free

Heavens tears find lost souls, so they may rest in peace

Iceland

 “Where did you put it?” Dosan was frantic, as he turned the room over looking for the stash. “Back in the hollow, same as always” “Well it...