The Faithful Friend

Your arms have been my shelter,

You took me in from the rain.

And as the heavens gushed and poured,

you’d help me get dry again.

You’ve listened as my heart was breaking

and held me tight as I sobbed.

You made it all better with your words

when my gentle heart was robbed.

We’ve danced together all cares aside

and shared in laughter readily.

We’ve seen each other at our worst.

Yet, still held our friendship steadily.

We’ve shared affections from and for

the charms of the opposite sex.

But still we’ve not grown apart

even if we were violently vexed.

You’ve seen me win, you’ve seen me loose.

You’ve seen the bad choices that I did choose.

I’ll always have you and you’ll always have me.

More days of our friendship we’ve yet to see.

I hope you know how much I care.

I hope you know I’ll always be there.

‘Till the day our lives do end

I will remain, your faithful friend.

Nelson The Bad, The One Eyed Turkey Pirate.

(A children's story, intended to be a picture book.)

Down at the bottom of the garden,

On a hot and sunny day,

The mother hens’ and turkeys’ are laying

As their little, spring chicks play.

The game today is Pirate Island

And the turkey chicks are all so glad

That their captain’s the one eyed Turkey,

the infamous Nelson the Bad. 

He’s the meanest pirate on the waters they say

He’s got more treasure than the hen named Horrible Nick

He’s so clever and cunning that he’ll

win the day by hatching a clever trick.

All the chicks in his crew

are too scared to fall out of rank.

They don’t want to be the ones

that he makes to walk the plank.

“Ahoy mateys” says Nelson.

“Don’t get in a flap

There’s treasure marked by an X

On my trusty, treasure map.”

His crew shout for joy

as they pile into their boat.

To get the treasure they must first

Take to the waters, sail and float.

“Captain” calls one of the crew,

“There’s a ship gaining from behind

They must have guessed that it

is treasure we’re going to find.”

All the chicks cry and yell

“What are we to do?”

But Nelson doesn’t worry

For plans, he has two.

“First we will turn our ship

And sail the other way.

There’s a cave around the corner where

We can wait ‘til the end of day.”

“And when they have lost our sight

And think that we have run,

They will go to sleep and that’s

when we will have our fun.”

True to Nelson’s word,

the other ship soon lost hope.

As the Horrible Nicks’ crew of hens slept,

Nelson threw a rope.

It caught on the ships sail pole

And the hook held it tight.

“Come!” said Nelson to his crew.

“Climb across and fight!”

Swords flew through the air

And pirates shouted loud.

The battle lasted all night long

Until the sun broke through the cloud.

At last it was decided

That no one side could win.

So each and every pirate

Shook hands with their chick kin.

As the hen’s ship sailed away

Nelson’s crew gave out a little sigh.

All but Nelson, who was smiling

Although the crew did not know why.

“Why are you smiling Captain?”

Asked one brave, young chick.

“We may not have won the battle.” Said Nelson

“But we won with a clever trick…”

“I knew that we could not win,

In a turkey against hen fight.

I knew it would last until morning

After a long and restless night…

I knew they’d be so tired

That they were bound to forget

That we were going to find treasure.

Now on your marks, get set…”

To the nearby island they sailed

And landed on the shore.

With shovels at the ready

Off they paced, one, two, three, and more…

When finally they saw the X

They could hardly wait

Wasn’t their captain clever?

Nelson the Bad, their one eyed turkey mate.

The Mother's Love

From the first I loved you more than any before.

I could not hope to love you any the more.

The first time I saw you my heart was broken;

Overwhelmed with a feeling I’d only known spoken.

I’d heard of this love but never known it.

Then, in that room the revealing light was lit.

As you were passed into my arms

my cheeks rushed with the warmth of your charms.

The eyes of your father looking back at me,

But still a lot of me in you, I could see.

I knew in that moment when holding you tight,

I’d protect you in any threatening fight.

I’d go to any lengths to see you right

and build you a future so brilliant and bright.

Now you’re grown and have a brother

You share my heart with that of another.

But I do not love you any the less

I was scared I would, I must confess.

Somehow my heart grew even the more

When your sibling, I then bore.

It opened up a space to love him too

And love him just as much as I love you.

If you both ever should learn,

That another baby is to come in turn

Never worry and have no fear,

My love for you, I hold eternally dear.

The Vow

I’ll share in your joy, your highs, your lows

and help you face each storm that blows.

My love will not waver but stay steadfast.

My loyalty to you will forever last.

I will tend to your needs, as you will do mine.

I’ll stay by your side in every turbulent time.

I will not wonder when things get bad

or wish for things I might have had.  

For if we have nothing, it will be enough,

the good will outweigh the pain of the rough.

I will not take the company of another

and let our depth of intimacy suffer.

I will not stray and trust you the same.

We’ll fix the trust if there is cause to blame.

I will cherish the pure simplicity

Of hours spent just you and me,

and still give thanks every time I see

the faces of our joint family.

I’ll build a future, just yours and mine

and I’ll hold it dear, for all time.

This vow I send with a faithful kiss

Each and every word I dutifully promise.

The Regret

I still think of you when I close my eyes.

I can still hear your pleading cries.

When on that day I walked away,

I didn’t realise what I’d thrown astray.

I’d grown restless, impatient, uneasy,

Consumed with thoughts of what could be.

I thought the grass was sure to be greener

and so changed my once devoted demeanour.

Now years passed by have let me reflect

Leaving you, I now humbly regret.

If ever you should think of me,

I hope that you will come to see

how changed I might have now become

And give me a chance, I’d need just one.

For it would only take a single chance.

We’d never give it a second glance.

At least I’d hope that you would let

this solitary soul declare eternal regret.

The Craving

You are not perfect, you have your faults.

You’ve many secrets stored in many vaults.

You are too stubborn and too proud.

You voice your opinions far too loud.

You’re convinced of your own authority.

And have never said ‘I’m wrong, I’m sorry’.

Your words can be harsh and quite cruel.

You sometimes make me feel the fool.

No one makes me as mad as you can.

And yet I am your biggest fan.

I crave the compliments you never give

and long for a life with you to live.

I naively pray I’ll see you change

to be the man I want in exchange.

The clichés true, you treat me mean

and as they say, you keep me keen.

I love you more with each passing day

and yet I know, this love won’t stay.

There’s only time before my heart will break

and then endeavour to a fresh start make.

The Ocean

In this boat I sail alone, out on the ocean so far from home.

These waters were once so abundant and sprightly,

We rode the tide of crashing waves, clinging tightly.

Now the waves no more upsurge,

They do not brim and toil with urge.

The waters now lay barren and still.

All beings once there no more the ocean fill.

The oceanic outlook from this boat is grim.

The once bright sky, now hazy and dim.

The wooden boat, weighed down with waterlog

is colder than ever as it drifts in the fog.

I search in vain to find a way back;

my direction lost from a clairvoyance lack.

You no more are by my side

as I struggle to navigate the silent tide.

I did not see when you abandoned ship,

or notice as you loosened your grip.

Now left to be a lonely fool,

drifting in an ocean, cold and cruel.

The Ticking Clock

The clock has stood in the corner of the room

since the days when our love first did bloom.

Second by second, hour by hour,

it watched as the bloom turned into a flower.

Over the years it tenderly ticked and tocked,

chiming with every new hour clocked.

The sound that filled the room a faithful companion

while the face of the place changed with the passing fashion.

Some days the room was colder than times that’d gone.

But still, that constant clock kept ticking on.

Now, day by day the clock is slowing,

showing signs of its prophetic knowing.

It stands quite high as it sombrely ticks,

empathising with every tear that drips.

One day the chiming will come to a still,

marking the end of a terminal ill.

And on that day when the room will silent be,

the broken, old clock will stand helplessly;

unable to make its cogs restart;

unable to mend this broken, old heart.