Submissions by Josh
POEMS AND SHORT STORIES
Poet Introduction I write mainly poetry for the inner journey. I also have a feisty side-line of writing poetic commentaries on the war industry and politics & culture. Current favourite quote: "Poetry is where death is robbed of the last word" (Olga Broumas)
UPBEAT INSPIRATIONAL POEM
Published
17th May 2019 9:57pm
17th May 2019 9:57pm
Meeting
The time-dancer sang back and forth through the centuries
calling for his soul-mate, wondering - “surely she must be somewhere,
of all the many millions who live and live again”.
And then, in the crammed poetry section at the back of an old second-hand bookshop
he saw her - absorbed, turning the pages, lips moving silently, reading.
He browsed elsewhere for what seemed like ages; then cleared his throat -
“Errr … excuse me interrupting … may I …?”
“Oh … oh yes of course, I’ve been hogging the space, haven’t I …?”.
Stepping aside...
calling for his soul-mate, wondering - “surely she must be somewhere,
of all the many millions who live and live again”.
And then, in the crammed poetry section at the back of an old second-hand bookshop
he saw her - absorbed, turning the pages, lips moving silently, reading.
He browsed elsewhere for what seemed like ages; then cleared his throat -
“Errr … excuse me interrupting … may I …?”
“Oh … oh yes of course, I’ve been hogging the space, haven’t I …?”.
Stepping aside...
#love
#support
#respect
47 reads
17 Comments
OBSERVATIONAL POEM
Published
17th May 2019 12:42pm
17th May 2019 12:42pm
Whilst Watching a Spider Catch a Fly
We hunt.
Some put it more obliquely, politely … we ‘search’.
But no, we hunt - and are hunted.
Ancient Earth-treasures are mined, then spat back at the heavens
senses blunted, still complaining of perceived loss
as black-holes consume the poor - and it’s never enough.
One day the sun will say “stuff it” - and shut shop;
the moon will complain its light has gone - and then what?
It will grind on regardless, working the tides, exhausting to oblivion.
Everything charges forth in the hunt - nailing the holy grail,
‘stalking the...
Some put it more obliquely, politely … we ‘search’.
But no, we hunt - and are hunted.
Ancient Earth-treasures are mined, then spat back at the heavens
senses blunted, still complaining of perceived loss
as black-holes consume the poor - and it’s never enough.
One day the sun will say “stuff it” - and shut shop;
the moon will complain its light has gone - and then what?
It will grind on regardless, working the tides, exhausting to oblivion.
Everything charges forth in the hunt - nailing the holy grail,
‘stalking the...
#technology
#politics
#nature
49 reads
21 Comments
OBSERVATIONAL POEM
Published
14th May 2019 10:10pm
14th May 2019 10:10pm
Revolution Ad Infinitum
I need to get up
and let my apparent sins
boil in the morning kettle.
The snake I was afraid of as a child
has now drowned.
At the T-junction I will turn left
and heading in the other direction
let opposites-of-true pass me by
on the other side.
The edaphon* are quietly at work …
a glorious display of co-operation.
In a few months
I will put my spade into the compost-heap
gently lift out some humus
and spread it around, cultivating life.
As a closing ceremony I will...
and let my apparent sins
boil in the morning kettle.
The snake I was afraid of as a child
has now drowned.
At the T-junction I will turn left
and heading in the other direction
let opposites-of-true pass me by
on the other side.
The edaphon* are quietly at work …
a glorious display of co-operation.
In a few months
I will put my spade into the compost-heap
gently lift out some humus
and spread it around, cultivating life.
As a closing ceremony I will...
#environment
#animals
#nature #CallToAction
#nature #CallToAction
67 reads
21 Comments
OBSERVATIONAL POEM
Published
10th May 2019 6:55pm
10th May 2019 6:55pm
Me, Myself and I
We piece together random fragments, frayed
snippets, distorted slots of memory,
insisting on ‘what happened’ - a collage
of bits n’ bobs flitting in a neural
network, synapses pinging hither and
thither, part rail-road programmed, partly lost
in the sequence of events. Grandma died -
when was it? Before or after the pound
crashed against the Euro? Cells constantly
die; new ones are born. And so it goes on.
Fashions in psychology demand we
nail it down, take command, seize the day. But
why capitulate to this vain...
snippets, distorted slots of memory,
insisting on ‘what happened’ - a collage
of bits n’ bobs flitting in a neural
network, synapses pinging hither and
thither, part rail-road programmed, partly lost
in the sequence of events. Grandma died -
when was it? Before or after the pound
crashed against the Euro? Cells constantly
die; new ones are born. And so it goes on.
Fashions in psychology demand we
nail it down, take command, seize the day. But
why capitulate to this vain...
#identity
84 reads
28 Comments
SELF POEM
Published
7th May 2019 7:53pm
7th May 2019 7:53pm
Tale of an Evangelical Christianity Survivor
Don’t know why others didn’t see it -
the halo, I mean - two metres off the ground
and bobbing down a crowded high-street on its own
with no-one underneath it.
“Here’s my chance” I thought “to experience a day in the life
of a saint”.
Doing a U-turn I ran
to catch it up. Glancing nervously upwards,
I tried to stay aligned, avoiding crashing into others
and slowly began to feel its fit, like a hat.
My gait tuned in. Soon it felt
we were one
until, that is,
it/I/we crossed a bridge
with a snow-swollen river...
the halo, I mean - two metres off the ground
and bobbing down a crowded high-street on its own
with no-one underneath it.
“Here’s my chance” I thought “to experience a day in the life
of a saint”.
Doing a U-turn I ran
to catch it up. Glancing nervously upwards,
I tried to stay aligned, avoiding crashing into others
and slowly began to feel its fit, like a hat.
My gait tuned in. Soon it felt
we were one
until, that is,
it/I/we crossed a bridge
with a snow-swollen river...
#identity
#religion
#Christian
#LifeChangingMoment
#SelfDiscovery
57 reads
15 Comments
OBSERVATIONAL POEM
Published
5th May 2019 10:08am
5th May 2019 10:08am
They Speak
On DUP there are many strangers …
they speak with stretched tears over a keyboard
and leave messages of pain on my screen.
Of course I reciprocate. Our waters
mix and mingle, carry information
to and fro accumulating until
one day a tidal-wave will burst the web-
site’s limitations, shifting ancient rocks
of displeasure, levelling mountains and
toppling dictators, drowning fake news and
eventually calming down to a slow
swish … swish, swish … swish, an ebb and flow of tides
in tune with a clear moon...
they speak with stretched tears over a keyboard
and leave messages of pain on my screen.
Of course I reciprocate. Our waters
mix and mingle, carry information
to and fro accumulating until
one day a tidal-wave will burst the web-
site’s limitations, shifting ancient rocks
of displeasure, levelling mountains and
toppling dictators, drowning fake news and
eventually calming down to a slow
swish … swish, swish … swish, an ebb and flow of tides
in tune with a clear moon...
#DeepUndergroundPoetry
73 reads
22 Comments
OBSERVATIONAL POEM
Published
3rd May 2019 12:08pm
3rd May 2019 12:08pm
Affirmative Action
When I arrived in the middle of nowhere
at his low eco-footprint yurtstead
and had fought my way past the giant pumpkins
to the yoga terrace strewn with beer bottles
he was practising affirmations:
“The sun shines out of my arse …
“The sun shines out of my arse …
“The sun shines …
“… are you alright Fred?” I asked.
He slowly turned his craggy face and bushy beard
towards me, opening his eyes -
“Josh, haven’t you noticed the weather of late?"
“Sure, cloudy. And lots of rain”. ...
at his low eco-footprint yurtstead
and had fought my way past the giant pumpkins
to the yoga terrace strewn with beer bottles
he was practising affirmations:
“The sun shines out of my arse …
“The sun shines out of my arse …
“The sun shines …
“… are you alright Fred?” I asked.
He slowly turned his craggy face and bushy beard
towards me, opening his eyes -
“Josh, haven’t you noticed the weather of late?"
“Sure, cloudy. And lots of rain”. ...
#philosophical
68 reads
21 Comments
OBSERVATIONAL POEM
Published
2nd May 2019 12:16pm
2nd May 2019 12:16pm
Digesting the NaPo-2019 Experience
There is a monument in the sky called ‘the moon’
with strange opening and closing times, and rituals.
Lift your arms and dance when at its brightest;
retreat to your cocoons when closed - and meditate.
This orbit-driven rhythm offers thrilling experiences
where an immanent God of body-wisdom supports healing:
new and unexpected creatures emerge from ocean depths;
saplings rise in their innocent beauty with a beguiling future;
shape-shifting worlds open up through alluring languages;
proverbial chess-moves kiss a...
with strange opening and closing times, and rituals.
Lift your arms and dance when at its brightest;
retreat to your cocoons when closed - and meditate.
This orbit-driven rhythm offers thrilling experiences
where an immanent God of body-wisdom supports healing:
new and unexpected creatures emerge from ocean depths;
saplings rise in their innocent beauty with a beguiling future;
shape-shifting worlds open up through alluring languages;
proverbial chess-moves kiss a...
#admiration
#NaPoWriMo2019
54 reads
18 Comments
MISCELLANEOUS POEM
Published
1st May 2019 11:32am
1st May 2019 11:32am
Muse's Post-NaPo-2019 De-Brief
She strode on the podium with a refined air
that some might mistake for arrogance
but was in fact hard-won confidence -
someone who knew her strengths …
(I had added “& weaknesses” but she edited that out).
As usual she pitched right in, eschewing pleasantries.
“Completing NaPo-2019 does not make you a poet …”
I felt she spoke just to me [*sigh*], despite the large audience.
“… Apart from basic daily homework, your job
is to cultivate a relationship with me, 24/7 … [*smiles all round*]
… and be ready to die for me”. Ooof! ...
that some might mistake for arrogance
but was in fact hard-won confidence -
someone who knew her strengths …
(I had added “& weaknesses” but she edited that out).
As usual she pitched right in, eschewing pleasantries.
“Completing NaPo-2019 does not make you a poet …”
I felt she spoke just to me [*sigh*], despite the large audience.
“… Apart from basic daily homework, your job
is to cultivate a relationship with me, 24/7 … [*smiles all round*]
… and be ready to die for me”. Ooof! ...
#WritingPoetry
#NaPoWriMo2019
56 reads
12 Comments
OBSERVATIONAL POEM
Published
30th Apr 2019 9:25pm
30th Apr 2019 9:25pm
Starting-Grid
Sometimes you're gobsmacked
at the life-force in Nature
combined with beauty.
at the life-force in Nature
combined with beauty.
#beauty
#nature
#haiku
51 reads
11 Comments
MISCELLANEOUS POEM
Published
30th Apr 2019 1:52pm
30th Apr 2019 1:52pm
Free 30-Day NaPo Trial
The authorities wish to inform
your 30-day trial’s now over
let life be returned to a norm -
sleep sound and drink tea and recover
The nightmares will slowly recede
as ‘fifty’ becomes just a number
no longer invoking a scream
when waking in midst of your slumber
And as for that stressed word ‘unique’
with word-counts that trouble on-line
it sits next to ‘unisex’ — peak
in the dictionary — everything’s fine
Please note that the 30-day trial
required lots of sweat by a team
who ran it with ever a smile, ...
your 30-day trial’s now over
let life be returned to a norm -
sleep sound and drink tea and recover
The nightmares will slowly recede
as ‘fifty’ becomes just a number
no longer invoking a scream
when waking in midst of your slumber
And as for that stressed word ‘unique’
with word-counts that trouble on-line
it sits next to ‘unisex’ — peak
in the dictionary — everything’s fine
Please note that the 30-day trial
required lots of sweat by a team
who ran it with ever a smile, ...
#WritingPoetry
#NaPoWriMo2019
49 reads
18 Comments
OBSERVATIONAL POEM
Published
29th Apr 2019 3:12pm
29th Apr 2019 3:12pm
Age of Taboos
This is the age of many taboos
hiding behind that old smokescreen ‘denier’
stifling debate and contorting your views
stoking emotions yet higher and higher
Don’t talk of structural evil imposed
this is the age of many taboos
doors to our freedoms are constantly closed
limiting options still open to choose
Confusion is sown through the fakery news
people bewildered are reaching for pills
this is the age of many taboos
with knock-on effects for our communal ills
Don’t talk of chem-trails or Gypsies or war ...
hiding behind that old smokescreen ‘denier’
stifling debate and contorting your views
stoking emotions yet higher and higher
Don’t talk of structural evil imposed
this is the age of many taboos
doors to our freedoms are constantly closed
limiting options still open to choose
Confusion is sown through the fakery news
people bewildered are reaching for pills
this is the age of many taboos
with knock-on effects for our communal ills
Don’t talk of chem-trails or Gypsies or war ...
#politics
#art
#NaPoWriMo2019
47 reads
16 Comments
DU Poetry : Submissions by Josh
