Re-turn-ing

In a far off ancient time

When the universe ran slow

I was yours and you were mine

And how were we to know

That soon the years would pass like hours

That soon the hours would flee

Like beams of light cast 'tween the showers

Like waves upon the sea

Breaking on a shingle beach

Upon a far forgotten shore

Each one foaming upon each

Continuous - forever more

Come watch with me the shadows turn

Night to day to night to day

And together we will yearn

That future eon when we may

As if in an ancient time

When the cosmos slowly span

Life and love as one entwine

As it was when we began

Fame

Pistachio shell

Afloat upon

The Bosphorus 

How far you have come

Since Gaziantep

Now you float 

On the hinge of the world

Like a boat

Until the next wave comes along

Tabula Non Rasa

Though all may have been

Written before

Take comfort and choose

From fragments of a la carte

Fallen to floor

The olive that rolled to the side

Crumbs fallen from table

You may decide

To eat or if able

To scrawl your name

High on the wall

In the hope that the mark remain

Farewell Elvis

No you didn't love me

Quite as often as you could have

And you didn't treat me

Quite as good as you should have

For little things you should have said and done 

There was always really time

But I was never on your mind

I was never on your mind

Tell me

You're sorry now my sweet love upped and died

Really

You know you never kept me satisfied 

Satisfied

It's true you never loved me

How I wished you would have

And yeah you never held me

Half as often as you should have

Save the things you should have said and done

'Cos baby I'm not blind

I was never on your mind

I was never on your mind

Dimension #5

I dreamed of death and life
Of infinity and nothing at all
At once dead and yet alive
In Dimension Number 5

Do you know of what I speak?
Deep, as deep as sleep
Indexed in the archive
In Dimension Number 5

So wide as to have no other side
So small as to be tall
A hope of life that has not died
In Dimension number 5

The Five Ages of Men

Twenty years for me, to find out who I am
Twenty years for family, to multiply as per the plan
Twenty years for vanity, to find a purpose if I can
Twenty years - futility, to ponder how I ran
Then into infinity, the resting place of man

The five ages of men
Could we start again?

Songs from Princess Eloise - Eryn's Song

Pass the years - pass the years
Spring to fall and back again
Fall my tears - fall my tears
That the memory may dim
Without hope I cried and ran
Now she that ran is lost and gone
And Eryn in her caravan
Tells her tale to no-one

Eryn in her caravan
This is what I am
I wake then sleep - I wake then sleep
I am content with the plan
Eryn in her caravan
This is what I am

But see the boy - oh the boy
The image of the one that fell
And here - his guardian in my care
That has loved and raised him well
I thought not to love again
Bereft of love I fled away
Hid within a caravan
Until this moment hour and day

Eryn in her caravan
This is what I am
But see my boy returns to me
Become a man - how now the plan?
Eryn in her caravan
This is what I am

If I should fall - if I should fall
No-one can go back again
In spite of all - in spite of all
Perhaps I may begin again
If Eloise may be saved
And my boy does love her so
Then perhaps may love be braved
And once again love I may know

Eryn in her caravan
This is what I am
My heartbeat may not let me sleep
And love may force a change of plan
But Eryn in her caravan
This is what I am

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

Songs from Princess Eloise - Evenings

When will she open her heart to me
Trust me with her mystery
My hands are a safe place for her heart to be
When will she open her heart to me

If I should open my heart to you
I just can't know what you will do
Will tragedy start when I open my heart
If I should open my heart to you

When I see her tomorrow what will she say
When I see him tomorrow will it all go away
Will she part with the smallest part of her heart
If I give it to him will he tear me apart
Ah that is another day

My heart is no mystery to you
The glance of a moment can cut me in two
Oh give me the smallest part of your heart
My heart is no mystery to you

All of my life and there was none
How can I know if you are the one
The smallest of slips and I am undone
For all of my life there was none

When I see him tomorrow please let him stay
When I see her tomorrow I'll not go my way
Until she will part with a part of her heart
Each night it gets harder to be torn apart
And wait for another day

Will I see you tomorrow - please say
That I'll see you tomorrow - let it be the day
When each of us part with the cares of our heart
And give to each other the power to start
And welcome another day

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

Glimpsed

For a glorious moment I thought that I saw
Everything that there is to see
For a glorious moment I thought that I knew
Exactly how all is supposed to be

Then days begin and sudden the dream
Is deluged by everything all in between
Care, anxiety, grief and frustration
Almost extinguishing anticipation

When comes the night I pray I might dream
Of how it will be when He changes the scene
Then waking will come with a realisation
That we have arrived at our true destination

Throughout the night and throughout the day
All that is seen will be just the right way
For all of a glorious eternity
All will be just as its supposed to be

The Path Steep

High on the Moor tending her sheep
Away from it all lived Little Bo Peep
Down in the Dale not far from you
Within the pale lived Little Boy Blue

Little Boy Blue looked up to the hills
Where every white cloud floats where it wills
Where pasture is full of fluffy white sheep
Tended and mended by Little Bo Peep

'I'll climb to the sky and look at the view
Beyond the pale' said Little Boy Blue
He knew that the view would be dotted with sheep
But nothing prepared him for Little Bo Peep

He saw her at leisure sat on a tuffett
And briefly mistook her for Little Miss Muffet
For her part she saw him on the path steep
It's not for nothing they call her Bo Peep

She turned and looked upon Little Boy Blue
Suddenly he didn't know what to do
And totally lost the power to speak
Looking into the eyes of Little Bo Peep

From that day to this a long way from you
High on the Moor lives Little Boy Blue
Tended and mended by Little Bo Peep
He wanders the pasture as free as the sheep

If you are a boy that's little and blue
Here's some advice that I give to you
Look to the sky and climb the path steep
Maybe you'll find your Little Bo Peep

If you are a girl that's able to peep
Do keep an eye upon the path steep
Then you may decide what you want to do
Before the arrival of Little Boy Blue

Chron-no-meter

The clock is not master of time
Tiktok and a random chime
Crass importunity
Lost opportunity
Oh what a fraud and a crime

The revolutions that remained
Were unrelated to grains that drained
Providing no notion
While yet in motion
Regarding the number of those that remained

If time be merely causality
Then temporary fatality
Will be overcome
Completely undone
By he that has immortality

The clock will be master no more
And the measure of all that we saw
Made insignificant
Replaced with magnificent
Infinities yet held in store

Bluebells

Blue mists beneath trees on sword-like leaves, each flower a droplet, no stem to be seen, mauve-blue, waving their heads in the breeze.

Karamy Campfire - from Eloise the Musical

I'll be by your side come what may
I will watch and wait with you
Until the light of day
Trust my faithful promise made so true
I will burn the midnight oil with you

Sometimes you gotta' burn it with a friend
Sometimes you gotta' wait and see
And be there 'till the end
Trust in me I tell you, tell you true
I will burn the midnight oil with you

And when you sigh
And when you cry
I will burn the midnight oil with you
When you are torn
Until the dawn
I will burn the midnight oil with you

Don't fear the dark I'm here with you my friend
My lamp burns bright it won't go out
Right to the very end
Believe me when I say I love you true
I will burn the midnight oil with you

When you are down
I'll be around
I will burn the midnight oil with you
Our love was born
To beat the storm
I will burn the midnight oil with you

Together we will see a brand new day
Just wait and see, trust in me
Believe the words I say
Then how very glad I'm gonna' be
That you burnt the midnight oil with me

When we are there
Without a care
I'll be glad I burnt the oil with you
Until its done
I'll be the one
I will burn the midnight oil with you

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

Melody

I'll be by your side come what may

CCCCDCDEE
I will watch and wait with you

EFFFEEE
Until the light of day

EFECDED
Trust my faithful promise made so true

CCCCDCCDE
I will burn the midnight oil with you

FFFFEEDCC

And when you sigh

EDCC
And when you cry

EDCC
I will burn the midnight oil with you

FFFFEECDED
When you are torn

EDCC
Until the dawn

EDCGED
I will burn the midnight oil with you

FFFFEEDCC

Suddenly Silent

No lines on the sky
Birds alone may fly
The canary does not sing
And I ponder why

Shine Today

The sky is grey
But the sun is going to shine today
The rain may fall
But a wind is coming to blow it away

I yearn for the future
Its slow to come
I burn for the past
It can't be undone
Today let me rest
And be warmed by the sun
And trust and remember
To pray to the one
That burns for the past
That he will undo
And yearns for the future
To lead me into

The sky is grey
But the sun is going to shine today
The rain may fall
But a wind is coming to blow it away

When I have troubles
He is my friend
He stands by my side
Until troubles end
He's waiting to hear me
Whenever I call
And he will stand near me
Throughout it all
I yearn for his care
As he eases the pain
And burn for the time
When it wont come again

The sky is grey
But the sun is going to shine today
The rain may fall
But a wind is coming to blow it away

If you have courage
To do like I do
Don't burn for the past
That he will undo
But trust and remember
To pray to the one
That loves you forever
His daughter or son
He burns for the past
That he will undo
And yearns for the future
To lead you into

The sky is grey
But the sun is going to shine today
The rain may fall
But a wind is coming to blow it away

This Island of Mine

Outside there's a world but why should I care
Why should I look to see what is there
I have the world so bright and so fine
On this island of mine

Outside is a world of wonder and awe
Won't you come see and learn what its for
You will not lose the things you adore
On this island of yours

Come and let me show you
Come and you will see
There's a whole world waiting
Come and see it with me

Come let me show you oceans and seas
Come let us roam wherever we please
Then we shall return and rest by the fire
On this island of our desire

Come and let me show you
Come and you will see
There's a whole world waiting
Come and share it with me

She Waits in Xanadu

To the one that waits for me

In the palace on the plain

Marble gold and ivory

I send my fond refrain

To the one that waits for me

In the city, ‘mid the hills -

I must wander far from thee

Where e’er my master wills

You are all upon my mind

Constantly I think of you

In every place your face I find

For you dwell in Xanadu

I am my master’s raven

At the court of Kublai Khan

And you are but a maiden

But tell me, may I be your man

The palace of fair Xanadu

Marble gold and ivory

Soon I come there seeking you

I pray that you will greet me

I pray that we may meet again

Within the park at Xanadu

Where once we walked and kissed and then

I was borne away from you

You shall see my master ride

Just as you heard of Kublai Khan

Hawk and leopard by his side

And I, his loyal serving man

You and I will kiss again

I your humble serving man

All this shall pass, I promise, when

I return with Kublai Khan

The Khan will dwell upon the field

In a house of gilt bamboo

And my heart be soothed and healed

In the park at Xanadu

200 cords of silken rope

Hold it firm against the breeze

200 prayers I say in hope

That I may not you displease

Gilded dragons grasp each beam

And wrap their tails around its posts

To dwell at one with you, I dream

That I may leave the martial hosts

I would hold you as they do

And braid our lonely cords to rope

When we meet in Xanadu

Such is my fervent only hope

The fifth month brings me there to you

The ninth will drive the court away

May I stay in Xanadu?

Only Kublai Khan can say

If you want me for your man

Let us pray for our success

As l beg of Kublai Khan

That you may be my own empress

In the city ‘mid the hills

When my soul is wed to you

I’ll rest where e’er my lover wills

In the groves of Xanadu

To the one that waits for me

I send my heart so loyal, true

That mine forever she may be

And we shall dwell in Xanadu

Queue After Junction

This song about the '62
Would not be complete without a queue
But this is not its reason
That is not its function

Use your tech - use Google Maps
Use your bespoke traffic apps
But we are in the season
Of a 'Queue After [the] Junction'

On Simister Island all is new
The '60 becomes the '62
The traffic will let you ease in
That is my presumption

Take note of the sign that's warning you
After the junction there's a queue
This is the poem's reason
And that is its function

Don't forget I told you that
It don't matter where you're at
There seldom is a reason
For the queue after the junction

Escorted - epilogue

Serene Seline was hiding today
Among the clouds of black and of grey
That hung across an indigo dawn
Before the new day was born

I left her behind at Heartshead Moor
And traveled onwards as before
But when I reached the turn of the road
Upon a salmon sky she rode

As the Sun rose she faded from view
Into a sky of duck-egg blue

Escorted

Serene Seline paused on her way
And walked by my side 'cross the moor
Where pink roses grow come summer or snow
Then she was with me no more

From Slaithwaite to Heartshead where roses are white
She walked alongside me then faded from sight
I saw her again as the new day was born
Her light washed away by the dawn

Serene Seline went on her way
Now I travel the moor
Where pink roses grow come summer or snow
Hoping to see her once more

Austerity Waiting

I know that one day when I go to the store
The man will say, 'Son, there ain't no more
You used it all up and wore it all out
Now its all gone, no shadow of doubt'

'You took it for granted but it was a gift
You should'a savoured it, you get my drift?
You behaved like you thought it was free as the air
And now you're surprised when I say it ain't there'

You go to the store bright and carefree
But those days are numbered, take it from me
You never wondered where it came from
But before very long it all will be gone

Listen to me and enjoy what you got
'Cos the day, it is coming, when you will not
The day when the guy who serves at the store
Will say to you, 'Son, there ain't no more'

The Four Mutations of Man - an essay

Hominum Simplex - Simple Man

To appreciate Hominum Simplex it is necessary to appreciate his host.  Not a planet, but a marvelous skin upon the surface of a planet.  Like the shell of an egg or the skin of an apple but, in this case, the thing of wonder is not the contents, the egg or the apple, but rather the living, breathing, self-sustaining skin.  This is Gaia and the question of where she came from, though fascinating, is not of current concern to us.  In the same way that your doctor does not need to know where you were born to diagnose your illnesses, we currently need not concern ourselves with the origin of Gaia.  Likewise with Hominum Simplex.  It is not necessary to concern ourselves with his origin in order to identify his first mutation to Hominum Avarum - Greedy Man.

Hominum Avarum - Greedy Man

Some will say that Hominum Simplex is a legend that never existed, that man has never been a symbiote living in harmony with Gaia, his host.  Whatever the case, the relationship of Hominum Avarum (HA) to Gaia is most definitely parasitic.  The net effect of his actions is to damage and disrupt his biosphere; however, at this point in history Gaia would be given a clean bill of health if she were to visit the doctor.  In the same way that a few malignant cells cannot be detected within trillions of body cells, the activities of Hominum Avarum left no trace upon Gaia.  However, the lack of a diagnosis could not change the fundamental truth that a terminal disease was beginning and Gaia was, in all probability, doomed.

Hominum Avarum Urbis - Greedy Man in a Town

The first symptoms of disease appear with the second mutation of man.  Though Hominum Avarum was not contributing to the health of Gaia, his activities were easily within her power to heal.  He was a low-grade infection that could not be eradicated, but she showed no symptoms of illness.  The mutation of some of his number into Hominum Avarum Urbis (HAU) however resulted in the first visible symptoms of disease, acne.  This does not sound too serious, but since Gaia is, in many respects, a two-dimensional organism, no blemish can be said to be merely skin deep.  The first visible sign of HAU infection was the appearance of large settlements that were not self-sustaining in terms of the provisions needed for their functioning, or the disposal of their wastes.

These settlements drew supplies from a wide area and were incapable of processing their wastes without damaging the environment.  As is common with skin infections, scarring was caused along with an offensive discharge, sewage.  As settlements grew larger their area of influence grew, with adjacent lands being cleared and downstream waters being polluted.  At this time in history however, the ratio of HAU mutations to HA mutations was relatively small, with the majority of the population still living outside of large settlements.

The effect upon Gaia was largely cosmetic at this point in the illness but, over time, more and more inflamed pustules began to appear.  The effect on the HAU mutants was striking though.  Over time they became completely habituated to life in settlements and, as a class, lost their link to the land, being completely ignorant about how their needs were supplied.  The largest of these settlements soon took on the characteristics of tumors as there was now no possibility of the mutation from HA to HAU to be reversed.

Hominum Avarum Urbis Capitis - Greedy Man in a Town with Capital

The regrettable growth of multiple tumorous communities was massively accelerated by the next mutation of the Hominum culture.  Gathering large numbers into one geographical location inevitably resulted in a concentration of damage.  This was true when the organisms were content to service only their immediate needs.  The abstract notion of stored value however massively increased the natural resources that were consumed.

At first value was only stored in the work that was necessary to build homes and make artifacts, and the work represented by stored non-perishable foodstuffs, grain for example.  Since the benefit of the work that is done today may be enjoyed at some time in the future, it would seem that objection to the concept of stored value lacks merit.  However, even in the two examples mentioned above, it must be admitted that the stored value is subject to arbitrary change.  Even if the valuable items can be safeguarded against loss or destruction, their value in the future is entirely dependent on the whim of the principle of supply and demand.

In regard to non-perishable foodstuffs we identify the seed of the mutation that produced HAUC.  Since these foodstuffs were thought to store value, the natural result was a tendency toward deliberate over production.  HAU mutants that grasped this concept became fixated on accumulating stored value, or capital.  In the agricultural model this resulted in excessive cultivation and the exploitation of HAU mutants by HAUC mutants.  The effect of the tumorous settlements upon the surrounding areas was exacerbated, all to no avail when fire or rot destroyed the grain that had been stored.

HUAC mutants overcame the problem of the destruction of grain capital by coming to a mutual agreement to store value in abstract tokens known as money.  Overproduction was still required to generate the value to be stored, and this system fueled the rapid spread of HAU across the face of Gaia in the following way.  HAUC and HAU mutants traveled to areas inhabited by HA mutants and set them to work extracting materials and cultivating virgin areas in exchange for money.  Any symbiosis between the exploited HA mutants and the land was quickly destroyed as they no longer cultivated it to service their needs, but rather according to the demands of the HAUC.

In time the majority of HA mutants died out and settlement tumors became pandemic.  In some areas multiple tumors fused so that no clear skin could be seen.  All HAU mutants became enmeshed in the money system and were now obliged to destroy resources, not only to fill their needs, but also to create the value coveted by the HAUC mutants.  The waste involved in this system started to seriously deplete Gaia's biodiversity as HAU and HAUC mutants succeeded in obliterating whole species for the first time.

Hominum Avarum Urbis Capitis Machinariis - Mechanised Greedy Man in a Town with Capital

At this stage there were indications of the problems to come, but the rapid decline of Gaia that followed the fourth mutation, HAUCM, was truly spectacular.  The harnessing of energy had been a constant advantage in the hands of all members of the Hominum culture.  Their use of fire had enabled the exploitation of alternate food sources and had also provided a means of survival through periods of cold.  Soon they came to understand fire-power and used the propulsion of small projectiles to intensify their assault upon their ecosphere and one another.  The watershed moment occurred however with the creation of the heat engine.

HAUCM mutated fully from HAUC with the development of heat engines that used fossil fuels to cause the expansion of gases providing thrust.  These heat engines, in the form of petrol, diesel and jet engines, served as force multipliers, enabling a far faster processing of natural resources into capital.  This development served to hasten the inevitable decline of Gaia, concentrating an ever greater amount of resources within the tumorous settlements.  At the same time, this explosion of combustion introduced a new waste product into the biosphere, carbon dioxide.  Until this point the majority of combustion produced by the Hominum culture had been sustainable since demand for sequestered carbon, coal oil and gas, had been negligible.

Now HAUCM's desire to fully exploit the biosphere was facilitated and the mechanisation of capital growth was too great a prize to be ignored; however, this came at an immense cost.  Firstly the mega-tumor  of HAUCM became global and, due to the almost total eradication of HA and a shortage of unexploited raw materials, the production of capital began to slow.  Secondly the release of many billions of tons of carbon, sequestered over hundreds of thousands of years, caused Gaia to develop a fever that continues to grow in severity.  Thirdly it became impossible to undo the mutative process.

Because HAUCM supplanted the previous Hominum mutations, and lived entirely in a mega-tumor of its own creation, outside of which its survival was impossible, there was no turning back.  The environment of the tumor was now completely alien and bore no resemblance to that of Gaia herself.  Its rapid growth diverted resources from Gaia's own organs, that began to atrophy, and vast areas of the planet became denuded and lifeless.  Since the surviving Hominum mutations were no longer able to sustain themselves outside of their artificial environment, and since the growth of that environment progressed exponentially, making ever increasing demands upon Gaia's resources, the inevitable crisis drew ever closer.

Gaia's condition is serious and may even be terminal.  She has a fever, her temperature continues to rise.  This may prove to be her salvation however, in the millennia before the appearance of Hominum Simplex she has often  tolerated elevated temperatures without permanent damage.  In a human patient a fever is a remedy of last resort as the body attempts to 'cook' the pathogen. It seems that Gaia's current fever is destined to eradicate a large proportion of the Hominum culture.  Whether the patient rids herself of sufficient of the culture to go into remission remains to be seen.  If she does not then all is lost.

Pieces

I have four good friends
And they are linked to me
Whenever we're together
There's always continuity

We fit into a greater whole
Just where we ought to be
Comforted by mutual
Irreplaceability

You may not feel just as we do
You may have lost your place
You may not have four good friends
But here I put my case

You should not despair
For you may find friends anywhere
Wherever you may show your face
Be assured - you'll find a place

Unlike my four friends and me
You have adaptability
Of this fact I am sure
For life is not a jigsaw

What Can I Say ...

What can I say?
The Second Hand is actually
The third - but that is incidental
To what I really wanted
To say

The Second Hand has achieved of late
A most indecent velocity
That is what I wanted
To say

It never went that fast
In my younger day
One must also say
That minutes hours and days
Will go the same way

The Moon walked beside me yesterday
As I went on my way
It awaited my return
As if I had not been away
And that was the end
Of another day

That is all I wanted
To say

The Optimist

Each morning he gets up before the dawn and walks through the darkness to the shore of the bay to see if the sun will rise today.  For many days he has done this way and, though the sun rises upon lands to the East, each day the fog of the bay steals the sunlight away and, though there is light, it is grey.  Today as before he sits on the shore and stares three-point-one miles away, toward the horizon, sunk in the grey.  But today, three-point-one miles away, the curtains of the sky left awry, allow a single ray (golden and precious) to dawn and light his eye.  And he turns away, into the grey of the day, with the gold of the sun in his heart - a promise that forever it will not be this way, and that soon the grey will depart.