Percussion vs Wind

a heavy breeze sighs in the plane trees
a whisper of waves on distant shores
stoical comments of black jackdaws
then sudden the bells of St Paul's
an avalanche of brass
as though the breeze had shook the church
and set off the alarm
and they that have not love
determined the next thing upon
and rattled the bells without cease
until the final return of peace
and a clearing breeze sighs in the plane trees
and clouds give way to sun
and the jackdaws flutter away to the east
each and every one

Faint Praise

If 'its now or never' - tell him never
Then you'll never have to stand by your man

If he wants 'less conversation' - then any girl will do
And you're a fool - if that girl is you

'More than a woman to me'
Why should that be necessary

Jolene will always take your man
If she thinks she can
Delilah never wanted to be true

If your guru is a DJ
And you do not have a plan
All of this could happen to you

Sudden the Rain

a grey mist in the air
is gathering on the glass
droplets are growing
then rolling on their way
falling upward like tears
I won't wipe them away
I wait 'till I can't see
then wipers wipe the glass
and staring eyes must blink
and sudden the rain is inside
hot upon my cheek

Sitting

Her head became too heavy
Her eyelids lost the fight
Now she sleeps - oblivious
Sat upon my knee as though I were a chair
Head upon my shoulder on a pillow of her hair
Gone to where I cannot go
Her breathing deep and slow
Racing t'ward the morning
I will meet her there

Early to Rise

Venus up before the Sun
Would she were the only one
We share a moment in the cold
I shiver while she shines out bold
Brighter than the streetlights

Stoplights substitute for Mars
Raindrops on the windshield
Take the place of shining stars
Ephemeral and gaudy
A false astronomy

In the corner of my eye
She shines away up high
Reminder of reality
Protector of my sanity
Before the day has full begun
Venus up before the Sun

Precipitation

What my dear friend
Are you or I
No more than the shadows
Of clouds passing by
Lit from above
By the warmth of the Sun
Weeping tears to the earth
Before we are done
Hoping to leave
Some mark e'er we die
But we are just shadows
Of clouds passing by

Songs from Princess Eloise - Encounter - Nothing We Did

Boy sings within the forge with the Bruin looking on without understanding.
Girl sings to her aged nurse in her bedroom at the castle.

Boy-
Know you that I love you well
Smithy, forge and flame and all
Know you that I love you well
Majestic pines standing tall

Know you that I love you well
When hammers ring and hammers fall
Yet on my heart a hammer fell
Now I know you not at all

Boy-
No one ever stepped within
And sat with me as she did

Girl -
No one ever took my hand
And looked at me as he did

Both-
Now something new begins within
I fear it cannot be hid
Who can know how it will grow
It was nothing we did

Girl-
Know you that I cannot tell
What happened to my heart tonight

Boy-
Know you that I love you well
But see a new star shining bright

Girl-
Know you that I cannot tell
How long I may stay with you

Boy-
Know you that I love you well
But there is more that I must do

Boy-
No one ever stepped within
And sat with me as she did

Girl -
No one ever took my hand
And looked at me as he did

Both-
Now something new begins within
I fear it cannot be hid
Who can know how it will grow
It was nothing we did

Now something new begins within
I fear it cannot be hid
Who can know how it will grow
It was nothing we did

Songs from Princess Eloise - Bitter Kingdom - The Nurse's Song

Always sing a lullaby
That the little one not cry
Why let her know of suffering
Or the pain that life will bring

The little one so pure and true
Smiles at me - what can I do
But wrap her up in cotton wool
So much more than dutiful

But when she calls and when she cries
Her tears fall from mine own eyes
When e'er she bids me quick I go
Because I love her so

And always sing a lullaby
That my darling girl not cry
Let her not know of suffering
Nor the pain that life will bring

...if you enjoyed this, find the rest of Princess Eloise on Kindle. 

MUSIC

(The) little one so pure and true

DEDCEGG

Smiles at me - what can I do

AAGFGEC

But wrap her up in cotton wool

CAAGFGAC

So much more than dutiful

DEGEDCC

But when she calls and when she cries

CAAGFGEC

Her tears fall from my own eyes

AAGFGEC

When e'er she bids me quick I go

CAAGFGAC

Because I love her so

CDEDCC

Linguicide

In splendid isolation
Stood an ancient nation
So my mother said to me
As she recalled our history
In a land she did not recognise
As tears fell from her eyes

Deep within a valley
Where the stream of words did not reach
And armies did not rally
The tide of tongues hit the beach
And people lived a simple life
And spoke as they ever did
And shared a life devoid of strife
All the while that they were hid

On the knee of my mother
I learned a minority tongue
I did not know another
And there was but one
One word for love
One for desire
One word for hunger
One to inspire
Every emotion a heart could possess
And every thought a mind could express

Sundered from the valley
Adrift upon a sea
Of words I cannot understand
Who will rescue me?
On this lonely island
I watch the waters rise
As they wash away the words
My mother tongue dies

The Jailer

I once had a matchbox
I kept a bee inside
It buzzed all day within its cell
Then of course it died

Now I have a larger cell
Four stone walls - a door
Hinges locks and a key
What is it all for?

To lock it up is joy to me
Even when its empty
And hear the hollow ring within
And stand outside - a sentry

To lock it up with you inside
Now there's a better thing
To slam the door and turn the key
I stand ever willing

Who's without and who's within
Is irrelevant to me
So long as I may stand without
And possess the key

The Enemy - The Man

How I hate the wheat
How I hate the new-sown field
How I hate the thought
Of people fed and filled
How I hate the sight of land
Regular and tilled
Had I but a weapon
Then I should have killed

Let them choke upon their bread
Hallucinate and fall down dead
I will salt their field with stone
Undo all that they have done
Curse their land with pain and blight
All the work of just one night

At midnight through the fields he ran
A bitter twisted vengeful man
A dark night for a darker deed
A'scattering the darnel seed

Left and right he sows corruption
A study in stern concentration
Without a moment's interruption
Sowing seeds of his own damnation

When the grain be gathered in
We'll feed darnel bread to him

Suggested by Seventy Three

They evicted God from their heaven
And sat themselves down on his throne
Their tongue walked about in all the earth
And declared the planet their own

Haughty greedy and proud
Living the life of the blessed
At the end of their days they'll sail away
To a sunset deep in the West

And all lament and all will sigh
At the loss of a God when they will die
But I will give vent to my pain by and by
And ask the Almighty - why?

Outrage has entered my soul
Where is justice for me?
I dare to call it out loud
For my pain will not let me be

Don't fear my child for they stand upon sand
They will slip and fall without warning
Soon when I give the promised command
They will fade like dreams in the morning

Wait patiently - look only at me
The Rock of your Heart and your friend
When I tell them to go then you will know
How close you were to the end

Eight Hours of Winter

All the day long I saw not the sun
For I was working while he shone
We met on the Western road home
For a brief conversation before he was gone

He was leaving - apologising
"I must leave you - then rise anew
There must be night for tomorrow to come"
So said the sun and was gone

He called over his shoulder - passing between
Pillars of cloud - doorposts of night
They flared with copper and gold so bright
Briefly glory was seen
Then all was gloom where he had been

Tomorrow again he'll brighten the skies
Yet he will not enlighten my eyes
My darkened soul weeps - my spirit pines
For I must work while he shines

Leopard Hunt - Epilogue

Don't fear the phantom of the woods
That haunts the dappled shade
Don't fear the silent claws and paws
Stalking through the glade
Don't fear the rustle of the leaves
Don't fear the yellow tooth
Don't fear the eye - do not cry
I tell you the truth

The forest is your home so go
And play among the trees
Go down to the river side
Go where e'er you please
You need not fear that he'll appear
For he is dead and gone
He met his match and was despatched
But you and I are strong

Take my hand and come with me
Out into the daylight
Watch the shadows melt away
And walk with me in sunlight
Come let's go for I would show
The places that you've never been
You will see and you will know
That 'neath the trees you walk a Queen

Changing the Locks

The big old house in which I lived
Was full of gloom and creaking floors
For oh so many years I lived
In one room behind closed doors

At night I thought I heard the tread
Of footsteps out there in the hall
I used to hide myself in dread
In fear of shadows on the wall

But then one day they went away
And I drove the shadows out
And changed the locks upon my life
And now I live without

The nameless fear that kept me trapped
Within that little room
And now I wander free about
My home and very soon

Every room will be unlocked
And you will come and see
My home transformed - all adorned
And live in it with me

I'll open up the curtains
And you will join me there
I'll look out of the windows
While you sit in the chair

Even in the evening
Even in the night
No more will come the shadows
That sometime gave me fright

Night Shades

Fireworks seen from the air

Small on the horizon and when you get there

Already extinguished except for the smoke

Hanging in the air

A shadow on waking that fades in the light

Slipping from memory - strands of spaghetti

Flee away down the plughole of night

A taste in the mouth

A scent on the air hardly there

A shadow dispelled by the sun

That I'll not think again upon
Till daylight is done

And in darkness again I go there

Simplicity

Complexity for its own sake

Is e'er the work of the fake

To confuscate the credulous

And obfuscate the populace

To obscure their mediocrity

They hide behind tautology

With phrases labyrinthine

They hide a soul that's asinine

Be not fooled by such a man

Come not near the charlatan

For he that bores with wordy verses

Receives the most deserved curses
And writers of gratuitous rhymes
Will suffer justly for their crimes

Marcus Sagacious of the Shoe

I have a friend with deep insight

He knows if you are dull or bright

He'll watch you tie a piece of string

And see the secret of your being

Though some may hide behind false faces

All is revealed tying laces

From the moment that they start

They reveal what's in the heart

How they tie the bunny ears

Reveals their hopes and their fears

And whether they be high or low

He'll know it all from the bow

My friend however can't be read

No one may discern his views

Instead of brogues he wears instead

Every kind of slip-on shoes

Mallards

There's a party at the pond today
Flamingos stand unmoving
Pink lollipops on slender stilts
Stern and disapproving

There's a party at the pond today
The Mallards have a lot to say
Raucous ducks in ripple rings
Feathered spray and flapping wings

There's a party at the pond today
Flamingos obsessed with their looks
Cannot appreciate that life
Is one long joke to ducks

The Ghost of Hunger to Come

Poor boy eats like a starving beast
He remembers when there was none
Again such a day may come
The thought spurs him on
The ghost of hunger to come
Without satisfaction
Like a starving beast the poor boy eats
Long after hunger is gone

A sunrise of glory
Gold fire in the blue
A perfect day starting for you
Mine will be spent in the grey tennament
Flames in the sky bring no joy to my eye
For what is a day spent that way
I lower my eyes
Turning away

Seratonin ran dry but I can rely
The bottle erases the past
And fear of a future so vast
Is silent in the moment
For as long as the moment may last

Princess Eloise #16 - Epilogue

In epilogue we must report
The final fall of the Royal House
Not on account of civil strife
But occasioned by the Spouse

A gratuitous excess of grief
Away the Queen did carry
And so the King was duty bound
Once again to marry

The grieving Queen passed away
In spite of medication
'Because of it', some now say
Yet I have not that information

Events were thus expounded to
The weary population
Who dragged themselves to yet one more
Queenly coronation

Plucked from plain obscurity
On account of a pretty face
Preserver of the dynasty
Of a degenerate race

Unequal to the duties
Intrinsic to her station
The New Queen made a desperate bid
For sweet emancipation

In her haste to quit her role
Its duties and its cares
She struggled with the ardent King
And knocked him down the stairs

His courtiers found him there
Dead at the foot of the stair
The Queen had upped and run away
None have seen her to this day

It was rumoured she was hid
By a Smithy and his Wife
But I could not swear to it
Rumour is forever rife

The Court made haste to search the land
And find a valid heir
Deep within the Forest Grim
Eloise was well aware

I tell you true she lives there now
And simply does not care
To her the precious Throne of State
Is 'Just another empty chair'

For she lives every carefree day
Longing for to be just there
Wed to the Smithy in the Wood
And guarded by The Bear

Princess Eloise #15 - Rings and Vows

Eloise with Eryn lodged
Waiting for the chosen day
The Boy was busy at the forge
But loath to stay away

The Smithy gave him Lovers' Gold
And rings of fire he wrought
In celebration of their love
That was not lost when sought

And so one morning through the dew
Approaching through the trees
Awaited by the Smith and Boy
Eryn and Eloise

Hung o'er the doorway of the Forge
Are rings within a bow
The Boy and Smithy greet them both
And in the ladies go

They spoke the ancient sacred vows
First the Boy then Eloise
But now the Smith to Eryn bows
And begs her on his knees

Eryn blushes, hand o'er mouth
Then tells the Smithy 'Yes'
And now the vows are said again
In front of different witnesses

Thus came a new Smith to the Wood
The old retired to the caravan
As Eloise was joyful wed
And Eryn lay down with her man

Thus came joy to the Forest Grim
Thus was darkness overcome
Thus a Princess found her Prince
And a mother found her son

Princess Eloise #14 - Rapture

Across her tongue a trickling

In her throat a spreading warming

Her senses waking, quickening

A memory of horror warning

Vision blurred but slowly clearing
Eloise no longer fearing

Extremities to life transforming

The Boy attentive, teardrops falling

She gasps and reaches for the Boy

Her face and his suffused with joy

She pulls him close and kisses lips

She never thought again to kiss

They dress themselves in Forest Green

Him her king and her his queen

Then from the Ossuary's bones

Two heaps arrange upon the stones

Thus they fill their burial shrouds

Upon the marble slab

Then crematoria create

With oil from the lamp

The guards came running to the flame

That Boy and Eloise concealed

Despite a quest to lay the blame

Their subterfuge was not revealed

In the Royal Mausoleum

'Prince' and 'Princess' were cremated

By the flames and no one marked

The gardener and his girl elated

Swallowed by the Forrest Grim

And no one sees her turn to him

And kiss the Boy who loves her so

Who kisses her and then they go

Away from crown and court and duty

To a life of love and beauty

To the life he promised her

When he was but a gardener

Princess Eloise #13 - Phantasmagoria

A coldness descending
The heartbeat slowing
A heavy weight pressing
Light faintly glowing

Into the Shadowlands the Boy softly sinking
But still he is hearing, still he is thinking
Still is he listening, yet is he knowing
What is occuring and where he is going

The sudden cries of the Royal Guard
The lifting of the bier
The journey to the Castle Keep
All this the Boy can hear

The presence of the King and Queen
The Royal Physician's prayer
'The Prince is gone, why look upon
The horror of the bear'

The sorrow for the fallen Prince
Yet for Eloise no tears
Are shed within the Castle Keep
The Chief of the Guard appears

'Lay him next to Eloise
On the marble cold
In the Royal Mausoleum'
The Chief of the Guard is told

(The Mausoleum had been built
Surrounded by green lawn and wall
That extended all about
Without - the guard stood tall)

'Lock the gate for they must wait
While we attend to things of State
Their funeral to prepare
Go at once and lay him there'

The clanging of the iron gate
The rattle of the lock
The silence of the hungry grave
The coldness of the rock

The Boy bit slowly down upon
The waxy capsule in his cheek
His heart took note and thereupon
Stronger now commenced to beat

He freed himself from the Burial Shroud
He felt his way along the wall
He picked the lock within the gate
He was a Blacksmith after all

He slipped outside a'searching
In the darkest gloom
And found the packages he sought
And returned to the tomb

Earlier that afternoon
In hurried preparation
The packs across the wall were thrown
And now provide salvation

To Eloise within the tomb
The Boy now tends her there
With Eryn's arcane medicine
And his own loving care

Princess Eloise #12 - Eryn

They neared a gypsy caravan

In a moonlit glade

She saw their need and out she ran

And soon the Smith was laid

In a little cot within

For the pain, herbal gin

As Eryn, gentle as a maid

Eased the bolt from his shoulder blade

Soon the invalid was sleeping

Soothed by pungent herbs

The Bruin faithful watch was keeping

Eryn now the Boy observes

'Upon your brow a shadow lies

Within your heart a dread resides

Yet I would give you remedy

So tell me all your tragedy'

The Boy recounted all the tale

And when all was said

Wept for Eloise his love

Lying good as dead

In the cruel castle

Many leagues away

Then Eryn motioned with her hand

For she had much to say

She shared a desperate plan with him

And before the light of day

They returned to The Forge

And in the Prince's place he lay

She dressed him in the bloodied clothes

Stripped from the Bruin's kill

When all was in its proper place

She bid the Boy lie still

The Boy was wiry, there was space

Within the Prince's clothes to place

Broken fragments of the dogs – and upon his face

Gristle grim and bloody skin

So that all who looked on him

May believe they saw the Prince

Dead these several hours since

Eryn drugged the living corpse

Until the Boy was barely breathing

Then hid herself as the Royal Guard

Arrived, their swords unsheathing

Finding the body of the 'Prince'

They raised their lamentation

And wrapped it in a burial shroud

Making preparation

For the double funeral

Of the two heirs to the throne

And soon through all the kingdom

The death of the Prince was known

Princess Eloise #11 - Hunters

Through knotted brush the headlong rush

Of the fleeing fugitive

But the Forest Grim is friend to him

And will sanctuary give

The baying of the giant hounds

In the moonlit night resounds
Every which way seeking prey
Their rabid bloodlust without bounds

The Prince and Libertine await

The sound of hounds upon their bait

Yet now the sound of prey at bay

Is not as they anticipate

A yelping and a crashing

A roaring and a smashing

The hunters pressing through the brush

Too late emerging in the hush

That follows mortal toil and strife

And there before them without life

Like so many scattered logs

The bloodied bodies of the dogs

Disbelieving staring running

The Prince and Libertine becoming

Instead of hunters, fleeing prey

That runs by night and hides by day

Through the Forest Grim they race

Searching for a hiding place

Along a narrow track they ran

That let onto a road

The Stonebuilt Forge was drawing nigh

Suddenly they slowed

'Look there the Boy, the Gardener

The fugitive from law'

The Prince let loose a crossbow bolt

That shattered on the door

The Smithy burst out from within

Hammers in his hands

Another bolt flies at him

And strikes him where he stands

At this the Bruin crashes through

The tangled undergrowth

He stands between the Boy and Prince

He remembers well enough

The killer of his brother

The slaughter of his mother

And with a mighty lethal paw

He evens up the score

Thus fell the Prince on evil bent

Thus was justice done

The Libertine that moment went

And was forever gone

The Smithy struggled to his feet

'Come Boy we too must go

There is one that you must meet

What's to be done she will know'

The Smithy leant upon the boy

Together they made haste to go

The Bruin followed at the rear
Ever watchful for the foe

Quack

Quack ak ak ak

Beating feet below the water
Webbed-foot-fulls pushed behind
Bright eyes seek a far horizon
Another life to find

Slapping feet upon the water
Beating wings against the air
Head turned to the destination
It will lead you there

Tireless rythmic wingbeats
Cut the thin cold air
'Til water flashes in the green
Away away away down there

On whiffling wings descending
Webs on feet extending
Splash your feet across the water
Now that flight is ending

Quack ak ak ak

Southport Pier

beneath a thousand shades
of pastel blue and grey
white horses cantering on the horizon
manes flowing heads tossing
yet so far away
the wind carries neither whinny nor neigh
in their stead, wind-borne sand in rivulets
the tresses of a long blonde mane
waters on a desert plain
borne upon the wind

Princess Eloise #10 - Cherry Liqueur

The sky turned black and filled with stars

Venus rose and outshone Mars

The moon arrived upon the hill

And the Boy waited still

At eleven he could wait no more

And, passing through the garden door

Made his way to her window

Bathed in deepest shadow

There he fell upon his knees

And softly called out 'Eloise'

He heard commotion from within

A stumbling – a fumbling

At the window she appeared

Trembling – mumbling

'You are so early, yet so late

Thank heaven that you did not wait'

She gasped through lips turning blue

He leaped within – 'What can I do?'

'My brother heard me weeping

And came to comfort me

I wanted to be left alone

And begged that he should let me be

He said he'd go but not until

I acquiesed to his will

And took a draught from the bottle there

To ease my grief and my despair

I drank and saw unnatural lights

Now the poison 'gainst me fights

Liqueur of the sweetest cherries

Laced with Belladonna berries'

She caught her breath – her light was fading

And looked into the Boy's eyes pleading

'Oleander for the heart

Five pink blooms is where you start

Adonis – Pheasant's Eye - yellow standing by the by

Four yellow blooms – crush them all

Perhaps I may awake from thrall

In spirits steep – yet hurry please' pleaded desperate Eloise

In an agony of haste

Lest a precious moment waste

Running picking gathering

Crushing steeping babling

The recipe through gritted teeth

On stroke of midnight hand beneath

Her head he tips the silver flask

Between her lips and hears her gasp

And sees the colour blanching

Across her face grey advancing

He listens close upon her chest

Hears no pulse from a heart at rest

Finally a mighty beat

That once each minute does repeat

Then a beating at the door

The Prince and Libertine

Force the lock and before

The Boy can flee survey the scene

'See my sister's murderer

See Princess Eloise

Done to death by a gardener'

The Boy outnumbered flees

Out the window 'cross the lawn

The Castle sleeps but not for long

The Prince pursues with a dozen hounds

Their baying heard throughout the grounds

The Boy is paused at the Iron Gate

He knows the lock and picks it straight

Then slams it shut in the teeth of the hounds

And Prince and Libertine confounds

The Boy runs toward the Forest Grim

Pursued by fear that gnaws at him ...

Princess Eloise #9 - The Wanton

'Yet I must be Queen someday'
Eloise had sobbed in parting
The Boy had begged for a reprieve
'One more hour before departing'

He looked into her eyes tormented
Until Eloise relented
'One last time we'll meet at midnight
Take our final leave by moonlight'

Concealed from the grieving pair
Her cruel half-brother took the air
And heard their sorrow o'er the wall
And comprehended all

His companion Libertine
Did not hear and had not seen
But discerned within the Prince
An eagerness not seen since
Last they hunted 'longside hounds
A'slaughtering without the grounds

'Soon we hunt again my friend
But before this good day end
My Trophy Room you must see'
The Libertine grinned brutishly
The Wanton ushered him within
A gallery of heads and skin

'Whichever fur whichever skull
Ask me - I remember well
How each ran and how it died'
Proclaimed the Wanton puffed with pride

Upon the desk a little thing
Fascinates the Libertine
'Tell me then if you dare
The story of the little bear'

'I was only nine years old
And had not been blooded
My father took me to the woods
Where the tracks are muddied

I pointed out the little rat
My father shook his head
But with my crossbow I took aim
And shot the vermin dead

That was not the end of sport
The mother in full cry
Burst upon us unawares
I saw my servants die

She roared and swung a bloody paw
Suddenly they were no more
Soon she too was dead and gone
Unless we count the skin upon
Her back which now, complete with head
Adorns the place where you tread'

The Libertine indeed was stood
Upon a bearskin black as blood
'We'll blooded was I on that day
Yet ever something brings dismay
That little rat's hidden twin
Never could I find again'

The Wanton paused in grim reflection
Then a smile lit his complexion
'Despite this glory all around
The hunt is passe - I have found
I tire of killing flesh and bone
Now I must kill for hearth and home
Let me tell you of my scheme'
The Wanton said to the Libertine

Princess Eloise #8 - The Herb Garden

The Boy was tired - homeward bound
Ruffled by the evening breeze
The gloom of twilight stifled sound
His feet were dragging in the leaves

Oblivious to all around
A figure moved among the trees
On a shadowed quest profound
Secretive - Eloise

He found her in the old Herb Garden
Paused a moment to be certain
That no other was inside
Then slipped within and stood beside

'My love what are you doing here'
Eloise concealed a tear
Then in shaking whispered words
Shared her knowledge of the Herbs

'Flowers are such pretty things
Yet with petals oft' come stings
And prettiness may often hide
That which helps to kill or die

Lycotonum Oleander
Adonis and Belladonna
All within my garden grow
And all their morbid use I know

When one the other amplifies
The unfortunate quickly dies
When one the other mitigates
Against the odds we cheat the fates

Don't lose sleep over me
My precious Boy - can't you see
Whatever the extremity
The Garden holds the remedy'

Silence falls and soft he feels
Her lips on his in tender kiss
Upon his cheek a tingling
Left by gentle finger tips

Then an emptiness for she
Has fled with silent tread
And a weight lays on his heart
Rememb'ring what was said

Princess Eloise #7 - The Camomile Lawn

Eloise walked barefoot
Toes among the Camomile
A cotton-clouded blue sky shone
On her lips a secret smile
Remembering the roses
Remembering the Boy
A newfound lightness of the heart
She supposed it must be joy

And now to make the day complete
Away there by the edge
The Boy with shears in his hand
Clipping at the hedge
Eloise seats herself
On the bench of stone
The Boy works ever closer
'Till she is not alone

'I love you Eloise' said he
In between the clips
'I love you too' she whispered
Through barely opened lips
'Would that we could climb the walls
Would that we could run away'
She whispered to the air and trees
'Oh for such a day'

But now the Prince - her brother
Takes note of the pair
'Away you stinking peasant
What do you do there'
The Boy bows low and takes his leave
Her words are ringing in his ears
And for the first time in his life
His hopes outweigh his fears

Princess Eloise #6 - Rosy Bower

The Boy was drawn to the Iron Bower
In summer thereupon a shower
Of roses blooming soft and sweet
Within whom should he chance to meet
But Eloise pausing there
Evening sunlight in her hair

She did not notice him until
He summoned up nerve and will
And greeted her - 'Your Royal Grace'
And there at once across her face
Recollection of a kindness
Rendered in the Wilderness

Her cheek was washed by a pastel blush
There within the evening hush
What began in the Forest Grim
Continued between Her and Him
They lingered for a precious hour
Within the scented Rosy Bower

When Eloise recalled this meeting
And remembered her heart beating
She realised - in the Bower
In that golden sunlit hour
Was when the light of love first dawned
Within her heart and it was warmed

As the light was growing dim
Eloise was summoned in
The Boy sat for an hour more
Adding to his cherished store
Tender tinted memories
Of his beloved Eloise

Princess Eloise #5 - Gardening

In each morning twilight
Before the blush of daylight
Gardeners assemble
At the Iron Gate

The Boy stood in their company
And slipped within silently
When one of their number
Was shamefully late

The Boy slipped in among their throng
Learned their trade and e'er long
Was counted member of the Staff
That daily walked the Garden Path

Quickly pass the days and weeks
The Boy resourceful as he seeks
Among the flowers and the trees
Encounters with Fair Eloise

In the Rosy Bower
A bright and happy hour
On the Lawn of Camomile
Oh to see her hidden smile

Then amid the Herbs
Conversation that disturbs
Finally today
A declaration to dismay

She kissed the Boy and cried
She wrung her hands and sighed
She clasped her hands as if to pray
Then sobbed and turned away

'Though you call me beautiful
Yet I must be dutiful
Though I love you come what may
Yet I must be Queen someday'

The Boy lay on his humble bed
Recalling misery and joy
What brave dreams had filled the head
Of our lowly foundling Boy

Princess Eloise #4 - Departure

'Farewell my son, godspeed
Upon a blue moon think of me
And if ever you have need ...'
Mumbled the Smithy
Nothing more remained to say
The Boy shed tears as he walked away
The Smithy watched him go and then
His mind unbidden strayed to when
The Boy first knocked upon his door
A score of years before

(The Boy had fled from his Merchant master
And the brute was chasing after
When the Smithy intervened
Placing himself in between
The Merchant fumed and cursed and spat
Then gasped and choked and fell down flat
An evil man whose evil heart
Once stopped, declined again to start

The Constable was called and came
And took away the Merchant's things
He inquired about a boy
Traveling along with him
The Smithy had not seen a boy
At least that's what he claimed
To account for the loss of the boy
The Merchantman was blamed

From that day a childish voice
From time to time was heard
At the Forge within the woods
But no one said a word)

'Farewell Smithy' said the Boy
But could say no more
For his heart was in his throat
And his chest was sore
He embraced the Smithy
Then turned to depart
The rhythm of his footfalls
Soothed his aching heart

The Boy diverted from the path
To climb the Ancient Tor
For to view what had passed
And see what lay before
Behind, the forest and the Forge
Smoke rising from the flame
Ahead the Town and Castle
Waiting on The Plain

One leave-taking lay in store
One last final pain
There - the Bruin stands before
His childhood friend once again
Well-met the Bruin there!
Briefly now the pair
Of lifelong friends refresh the bond
Of brotherhood they share

But the moment soon must pass
And the pair must part at last
The Bruin turns to the Wilderness
The Boy turns from the past
Climbing down the Ancient Tor
Feet upon the path once more
From the Forest and the flame
To the Town upon The Plain

Extinction

moss, horsehair, twigs - scattered among red leaves
at the foot of tall trees - disbanded feathers flutter
relics of flight 'mid chalky bones - a skull
picked white and clean - black sockets once bright
once seeing - a void within, the lost memory
of a world seen from height - neither you nor I
can imagine what that was like

Princess Eloise #3 - Encounter

The Bruin had taken to wandering
Restive - silently pondering
The Boy felt it too - uneasy he grew
Long days of childhood were ending
A change in the season was silently creeping
Bruin and Boy awakening - seeking
Hidden things - near yet just out of view
The irresistible call of the new

Quiet was the Forest Grim
The Boy - all had abandoned him
The Smith was early on his way
Where the Bruin - who could say
Then rushing down the woodland track
A carriage drove in urgent haste
The Coachman eager to get back
Before night fell upon the place

The ponies sweated as they ran
The carriage swayed and the Coachman
Made to pass the Forge clear by
But then a crack and then a cry
As the Hitching Bolt was sheared
And the ponies disappeared
The Coachman halts the coach and then
Runs down the track after them

Now the silent carriage waits
And the Boy hesitates
Steps up to the carriage door
To open it - but before
He can do aught her within
Has disembarked and in doing
Stuns the Boy - his features freeze
At the sight of Eloise

She smiles with eyes downcast and he
Invites her in to take her ease
Within the Forge and that is how
He came to wait on Eloise
She spoke but little yet she smiled
He was eager - glad to please
Within the Forge and that is how
First he loved fair Eloise

All this passed and more before
The Coachman knocked upon the door
And conducted Eloise
To the carriage as before
The boy stoked up the flames and forged
The Hitching Bolt and its parts
Before he knew it she was gone
But memories were writ on hearts

The Boy slept not until morning light
Then he succumbed to sweet sleep in spite
Of thoughts questing further than ever he'd seen
His heart fixed on places that never he'd been
Sudden the Forge in the Forest Grim
Was no longer world enough for him
A wider horizon than ever he knew
Had suddenly hove into view

Princess Eloise #2 - Orphans

A clearing in the Forest Grim
Where stands an ancient stone-built forge
Ev'ning has silenced the anvil's ring
And the Smithy has paused
To feed the boy, the hungry one
His only precious foundling son
'Smithy tell me once again
The tale of the heartless King'
Smithy knew he'd not restrain
The boy's incessant questioning

'The Queen that bore poor Eloise
Was Queen no more that day
The new Queen ruled in her stead
With scarce a month's delay
In scarce a year a Prince was born
Upon the date of his sister's birth
Eloise to supplant
Much to her father's mirth

Yet the Royal Advocate
Refused to be complicit
'Eloise must take the throne
The law is quite explicit''
How she lived these ten long years
Eloise without her mother
How many are the silent tears ...'
He tailed off to a mutter

He paused and listened - and without
A strange uncommon din
A muttering a whiffling
The crying of a little thing
A snuffling a sniffling
A silence fell o'er everything
The Smith strode out into the night
The boy sat still, eyes wide with fright

Waiting in the firelight
Without the window darkest night
Then suddenly the Smith returned
Anger in his dark eyes burned
'Take care of this I must away
Look not for me until the day'
Though in haste he paused a beat
And placed a bag at his feet

Within the Smithy's bag a pair
Of chestnut eyes that constant stare
Needle claws on each black paw
A bundle of bear rolls on the floor
Thus came Bruin to the pair
Thus started the kinship of boy and his bear
The Smithy smiled and understood
For he was kind and he was good

He returned at break of day
What he had done he would not say
He wearily smiled at the sleepy head
And to the boy he gravely said
'Boy you take good care of him
An orphan child of the Forest Grim
For what we give we shall receive
When the pain of others we relieve'

Westering Lights

Dusky evening shadow falls
Bleaching the sky - blue aqua - blue powder - blue black
Westering gulls intent on the sea - them as went out turning back
Lit bronze by the high setting light
And the white moon rides forth on a smudge of grey mist
Soon to be joined by the stars of the night

Princess Eloise #1 - Bitter Kingdom

Nobility and chivalry
A dim and distant memory
A hollow King and his barren Queen
Frustrated posterity
Nine months of hope had come to this
Princess Eloise
Then the Queen had breathed her last
Her husband to displease
He raged against his blighted life
He raged and cursed his absent wife
He raged against the little one
'But that she had been a son'
He raged against poor Eloise
Doomed nevermore her King to please

Without the wall another cry
A mother worthy of the name
New-bereaved and mourning
Sobbing cries her grief proclaim
Her husband murdered in the gutter
Naught but anguish will she utter
And her baby stole away
A mean and petty debt to pay
Forsaking town and house and home
And all that once she called her own
Empty handed to the Forest Grim
She flees reciting the names of him
Him that's dead and him that's stole
And none will dare to her console

The King looked down upon her plight
From a window atop a flight
Of stairs within the castle dark
He blindly stared and did not mark
How she stumbles, weeps and grieves
How she passes out of sight
Enfolded by the forest leaves
Swallowed by the bitter night
Self-pity leaves no room for grace
Upon the monarch's stony face
Eloise must keep her peace
And always keep an eye that's dry
In a castle such as this
The hated child may not cry

DCI (TV)

It starts ...

Righteous retribution seeking its recipient
Navigates a labyrinth of bloody guilt and innocence
Seeking out the malefact
Detecting ev'ry miscreant
Upon the business of the Queen
Detective on the scene

Should he visit you
There's no telling what he'll do
He'll decide the relevance
Don't you be a hinderance
He will ask the questions
Until he's good and through

He will bully and berate
Always 'Just one more thing'
The finger of unfriendly fate
To torture you my poor thing
Until the truth is shaken free
Then perhaps he'll let us be

Returning whence he'd come
Until another killing's done
And again the Queen has need
Of someone to detect the deed ...

The King and the Machine

The Royal Commission

In the town there was a crown 
And the man who wore it 
Decreed that all should scrape and bow 
When e'er they saw it 

Around his neck a golden chain
Upon it hung the Stone of State
His regal power absolute
His the right to dominate

In the town there was a throne 
And he that sat thereon 
Reserved the right to rule despite 
The weight of the unknown 

The weight of the unknown 
Bore most heavily upon 
The one that sat upon the throne 
That most awful regal one 

The king decreed discovery 
Of the hid foundation 
The arcane philosophy 
That underpins creation

That never may there come to be 
In that or any nation 
One more erudite than he 
In comprehension of causation 

The king commissioned a machine 
Styled the Grand Chronologer 
That the future may be seen 
By the Court Technologer


The Grand Chronologer

Behold the Court Technologer 
His books machines and tools 
His calipers and quadrants 
His scribers and his rules 

All contrived most cunningly 
None more fastidious than he 
He laboured with precision 
With scarce an intermission 

'Behold the Grand Chronologer 
Wheel and gear and Golden Winder 
Orbits tangents radians sines 
Cogs and hands, keys and splines 
The quintessentiality 
Defining all reality ...

Behold my lord the ease with which 
The future now may be discerned' 
With a sniff and bow and twitch 
To the great machine he turned  

As it gravely whirred and spun 
The disk of the moon covered the sun 
Comets appeared and seasons and years 
We're predicted and counted by elegant gears 

Arcane the prestidigitation 
Algebraic the application


At the Gates

Grim tidings spread throughout the town
Invaders from the farthest shore
Cast a shadow 'cross the land
The evil threat of war

A herald barked the proclamation
A silent crowd, broad and great
With a morbid fascination
Gathered for to learn their fate

'Our enemy is at the gates
A curse on those who will not fight'
The King addressed the restless crowd
Gathered in the night

'I declare these terms for peace
Nothing less than slavery'
The crowd let out an angry shout
And the King had won the day

The King now sat in conference
With the Court Technologer
Configuring the Panel Stops
On the Great Chronologer

Initiation initiated
The King's frustration soon frustrated
The Propitious Date was dated
Fate of the Kingdom now was fated

The Enemy Ambassador
Narrowly escaping murder
Dishonoured in despite of law
With word of almost certain war
Hurries from the angry town
As sudden rain comes teeming down

In his hand The Letter
Terms, a rendezvous
A date on which to parley
'Neath the Ancient Yew


The Parley

The King at the head of his forces
Draws near to the Parley Place
In the centre of The Forest
A knowing smile upon his face

Waiting in The Clearing
Beneath the Ancient Yew
(At the time determined
The time to die or do
That the Grand Chronologer
Selected as it marked the card)
He spies his foe the Crystal Queen
Surrounded by her Bodyguard

The King and Queen are eye to eye
He turns and glances to the sky
A shadow passes 'cross the sun
Foretold Eclipse has now begun

He signals to his Hidden Men
Hidden days before, and then
Swords in hand - their edges keen
They fall upon the Crystal Queen

Shocked by darkness unforeseen
Her Bodyguard forsakes the Queen
They turn to run and do not fight
Throw down their swords and take to flight

The King allows them on their way
He hunts now for a different prey
The object of his Covert Scheme
The capture of the Crystal Queen


Treason

The Crystal Queen is fallen
Imprisoned in despair
An iron cage affords no rest
No comfort for the fair

The King would have her dead and gone
And yet he has a care
To discover what he may
Before she dance on air

The Court Technologer is sent
To take the Queen's interrogation
The King on other work is bent
Best left to imagination

Morning noon and night they meet
The Queen and her Inquisitor
Days pass by and he becomes
More than just a visitor

Of all his fears the greatest one
That it might be known and seen
That his heart is lost and gone
And he loves the Queen

Meantime the King sought for himself
Another source of information
And taught himself the secrets of
Mechanical Prognostication

He set the Panel Stops and then
Waited for the Great Machine
To tell him where and tell him when
He might destroy the force of the Queen

The King called the Technologer
They met at the Chronologer
It displayed a time and date
As if it read the Book of Fate

As though it heard from Fate's own mouth
It displayed the West and South
It knew when to strike the blow
It told the King where he must go

The Technologer turned white
The King discerned his sorry plight
'Guards, arrest this Vile Traitor'
Shouts the King, and moments later

Technologer in iron cage
The King before him spitting rage
'You dare to choose to serve another
Rot and die then with your lover'

The King stormed out of the stony cell
Two cages sat in the dark and grime
The Queen and Technologer as well
Wept, held hands and bided their time


The Campaign

The King rode forth to Conquest
Ever close at hand
Prediction of The Chronologer
As he passed to a foreign land

The King and his weary band of men
Driven by obsessive wrath
Long now since they ventured forth
Strange the land and long the path

The Compass was consulted
The Date and Day drew nigh at last
The King pitched tent and waited
And the die was cast

A misty mass of warriors
Within the gloom without The Glen
Draws near the King and followers
Draws ever near and then

They part and ope' a corridor
For their Youthful Laird
He throws a Gauntlet to the ground
In hand a weapon bared

Laird and King now locked within
Trial by Lethal Combat
Their soldiers - speechless witnessing
Challenger & Autocrat 

They thrust and parried
Lunged and harried
Ever circulating
Weapons flashed
Sparked and crashed
Shreiking grinding grating
On the King's Ignoble Sword
Hidden poison waiting

First Blood to the Challenger!
A Strike not deep nor broad
Yet see the King reaching in
To parry with his sword

It barely nicks the flawless cheek
Of the Youthful Laird
But blood drains from his face and heart
A heavy gasp is heard

The Youthful Laird sinks to his knees
And raises Lamentation
The King retires a pace or two
Awaiting life's cessation

'Hear my story stars above
Hear my tale you earth
Hear a tale of evil deeds
Hear a tale of Noble Birth
Hear how I was dispossessed
Mark this tragic scene
The murder of the noblest
The Prince of the Crystal Queen
Where my Father here to fight
Would but that he had not been killed
Then would there be an end to night
And evil would be stilled
Should any doubt my Royal Right
Should any doubt my fate
Let them look but once upon
The One True Stone of State' 

The Youthful Laird fell back upon
The heather, holding fastly on
To a stone strung from a cord
The soldiers of the gathered horde
Stepped closer and the King's most trusted
Chieftan, with an air disgusted
Took stone and made examination
Then raised excited Proclamation

'The Stone of State this is this is
I saw it in my far-off youth
I see it once again and I
Give my testament of truth ...

The stone worn by our Upstart King
Worn ever 'neath his stinking vest
Never have I seen that thing
Hidden next' his coward chest ...

Yet I do swear and aver
That what I say is true
The Stone of State is what I hold
I show it now to all of you'

The Aged Chief held up the stone
The King's own troop were restive grown
They turned to challenge him alone
To no avail - the King had flown



Vendetta

Destroy the Machine
Dispose of the Queen
Galloping hoofbeats
Commanded the King

Technologer too
Must be made to pay
The hoofbeats insisted 
As night turned to day

Propitious the Day
Picked by The Machine
Propitious for someone
Just not for him

His rage so intense
It would not depart
Thirst for revenge
Had swallowed his heart 



Revelation

'When a task is vital
One does not delegate'
Spat The King most darkly
Arranging the fate

Of Queen and Technologer
At the end of a rope
Anticipating naught but doom
The two of them bereft of hope

But suddenly a rush of men
Assails the execution hall
At their head the Youthful Laird
Who did not die at all

(The Ancient Grizzled Warrior
Who identified the stone
Administered an antidote
That none but he had known

Ever kept to hand
In case of Royal Accident
Now applied it saves us from
Embarrasing predicament)

The Laird bows low before his Queen
Before his Mother too
She graciously bids him to stand
Invites him now to view

The face of the Technologer
The boy turns white once more
And kneels before his father
On the stony floor

He bows his head and offers
The One True Stone of State
The Crystal King takes it from him
And, standing next' his mate

Lifts up his son the Crystal Prince
And all there - bar the Upstart King
Affirm their humble loyalty
With oaths and tears and rejoicing

Thus the rule of the Upstart King
Ended many years ago
If you doubt my true account
Then I bid you go

See the ruined building
Chronologer disused within
Abandoned now its job is done
The Conquest of the Upstart King



The Derelict

I visited the broken shell

Chronolger hid deep within

And thought I heard a stirring

Of something softly spinning

An air of unquiet slumbering

Of something fell beginning

As though the episodes of yore

Upon dark winds were winging ...