Matinee Muse 2

What if…
We had no choice?
We wouldn’t have the…

RIGHT TO REPLY

Inside the minds of those who think they know
Attention to the rules is paramount
I wonder why we don’t still live in caves
If we were born to follow, not to lead.

The truth is, we will harvest what we sow
Don’t think our contribution doesn’t count.
The best ideas come and go in waves
Ignore them and we’ll never plant the seed.

To forward thinkers, rules are introduced
Not to be broken, merely to evolve
Along with change in time and attitude
Developing within our heart and mind.

What starts life ‘hard and fast’ is often used
To guide us through the problems that we solve
And purists everywhere will claim “It’s crude!”
While suckling on the rules they hide behind

Eventually, it’s ‘guidelines’ that emerge
So we don’t stray too distant from the point
Which in this case is speaking thoughts in words
So speak your mind, not that of other folk

And if we’re able to survive the purge
That throws our best intentions out of joint
We’ll learn to stand alone, not roam in herds
Safety in numbers? To me that’s just a joke

But if you think they’re all out to get you
You’re probably just out to get yourself
Because you’re not so quick now on the draw
Their rules will always take somebody down

If you don’t think you’re up to something new
You’re going to let them beat you to yourself
Up goes the white flag, admitting to your flaw
Another fair cop – it’s you who looks the clown

What happened to that confident young man
So full of idealistic aggression?
Did he listen too hard to his critics
And opt for the quiet, peaceful life instead?

That man who always said “Because I can!”
No longer speaks with such heartfelt passion
When they told him his game was ‘just not cricket’
“The competition’s much too strong,” he said

Confidence will translate to arrogance
In the minds of commentators who spectate
But performers always hold the stronger stance
Don’t ask permission; speak your mind – dictate!


Things are not always as they appear

PHONEY WAR

Wake me up when the war starts
I wouldn’t like to be late
For my first day in action
On the front line
When they begin dropping bombs
And testing our defences
Will you be there, by my side?
Or underground?
I will wear my uniform
Display my true colours
I should be decorated
For bravery
I have seen active service
In previous encounters
But we always defeat them
Different this time?
Could you bear it to lose me?
Would you weep at my graveside?
Do I really need to ask?
Nothing changes
They say war is just like love
Nothing is against the rules
What am I talking about?
There are no rules
So when this war is over
Do I go back to sleep then?
And continue my nightmare?
Or will you stay?

Matinee Muse - Life in the shadows

BAT-MANTRA

Daylight divides and conquers
Giving each master a slave
We lead and our shadows follow
Loyal from cradle to grave

Life exists in our shadows
Dark thoughts dominate the shade
At night time we’re reunited
As both light and shadow fade

Shadows return to their hosts
For safe-keeping through the night
Bedtime companions till morning
When we’re exposed to the light

Dreams guard over our shadows
But nightmares can overtake
Revealing to us a dark side
We tether when we awake

Never allow our shadows
The chance to show us the way
If we become our shadows
Darkness will reign over day

TOP Foreign Lands

NEW HORIZONS

Road signs; no help
Their hieroglyph markings
Display a language you can’t understand

Traffic signals
Familiar warning
A universal colour-code command

Through the red light
To a head-on collision
In your haste to reach the point of no return

Through the green light
A twisting path to freedom
A tortured course to everything you yearn

But if you keep your eyes on the road
If you keep your hands on the wheel
Just a matter of time before you learn

Read the signs in the eyes of your mind
Keep a safe distance
And don’t get too close to arrogance

Pride will cause distraction
Each and every action
Requires a choice, a decision, a reaction

But if you make the wrong one, you’ll get nowhere

That’s not a place you want to go
You just escaped the living hell of nowhere

TOP Ghazal

VITAL

The precious gift of life is a heartbeat
Each moment is defined by a heartbeat

From cradle to grave, first round to final
Thoughts, words and actions hang on a heartbeat

Unscheduled pace of youth; now fast, now slow
Reflecting the rhythm of a heartbeat

Maturity mellows me to the core
Choices no longer take but a heartbeat

Age slows my mind as time accelerates
Existence condenses to a heartbeat

Preparing to meet the maker of hearts
A tribute is expressed through a heartbeat

As vital signs fade, one thought remains strong
I long for that throb; yearn for a heartbeat

To feel the pulse just one more time, I’d give
Everything I possess in a heartbeat

WI Farewell, Gratitude

FAREWELL

Once the life and soul, now visibly weakened
Reduced to a shadow of his former self
Comforted by the intimacy of friends
Intimidated by confusion, conflict

But no stranger to the bloody battlefields

Fatigued by the frequency of Friendly Fire
And misadventure of misguided missiles
Sustaining the shots, he still soldiered on
To epic encounters with the enemy

Erosion, attrition, have taken their toll

He lives – after a fashion – to tell the tale
And serve as a warning; unheeded, ignored
By those who believe in the Greater Glory
Who bear not the scars, the constant reminder

That every single life is expendable

In years to come, when the family gather
To bid their farewell’s, as they lay him to rest
A message, etched forever in stone, will read

“Here lies a hero, in need of a cure
Unbeaten in battle, yet losing the war”

GRATITUDE

Sometimes
I don’t share
Your view
But I admire
Your honesty
It’s so…
Concise
Comprehensive
It’s refreshing…
Thank you
You have my
Respect