sleep brings no rest

sleep brings no rest
brings dreams of work
like a slow tread
and a gathering
of priests and priestesses
friends
standing there
some you recognise
others you remember only vaguely
and you hold hands
and swing hands
from side to side
and exchange hugs and greetings
and are happy to see one another
as night turns into morning
and sleep ends with more greetings
more holding of hands
more swinging of hands from side to side
more exchanges of hugs and greetings
and more joy at seeing one another again

but no rest

shake fist at sky

shake fist at sky
scowl at setting sun
spit at falling rain
piss at driving wind

maybe you were right

maybe you were right

maybe you get so used
to feeling trapped that
you don't see a way out, that
when the worst happens,
you stay fairly balanced
because you expected it

you throw away / push away /
give away / let go of /
sully / abandon
that which can lead
to other ways of being
because you no longer believe
things can be different

come up for air

breathe

imagine unicorns and rainbows
and flowers in bloom

breathe

imagine a world full
of butterflies,
bumblebees and hummingbirds

breathe

go back to the time
when there was dancing
in the rain

breathe

stay there
for as long as you need

breathe

give me dreams

give me dreams
such as make you laugh
as you sleep
and smile
as you wake

Stephen Crane Imagines Hamsters

A hamster said to the Universe,
"Sir, I'm on a treadmill!"
"You are a hamster," the Universe replied,
"What did you expect?"

clouds on fire

we wandered
through back streets
and over manicured fields
clouds on fire

tea and biscuits

Have I told you
I keep meaning
to invite you
for tea and biscuits
and then
the day gets filled
with things to do
and I close my eyes
and it is the next day
and we haven't talked
about tea and biscuits?

archives

create
curate
archive
         past hurts

take them out
         often
display
clutch
scrap
scratch
twist them
   until they hurt

archive them

repeat

unicorns and rainbows

1.
under the right conditions
donkeys will turn into unicorns

2.
rainbows are created
when unicorns fart

butterflies dream

dreams
that smell like hope
and taste
like tomorrow
on wings
                 just
                         out
                                of reach

as leaves fall
                        a tension
              in the air

an invitation

against a fence
by the footpath
a box of early windfall apples
and an invitation

Photo (c) Louise Sings.

How to Let Go in 5 Easy Steps

1. Go outside.
2. Fill a balloon with helium.
3. Tie the end with a piece of string.
4. Tie a thought to the string.
5. Let it go.

I, Magician

Standing still
I jump in eight directions
at once

With hands
tied behind my back
I embrace galaxies

Dancing
I light fires
with my feet

anchoring

feet firmly
on the pulse of space

listening
centering
anchoring
attuning

floating

free

because you were there

You didn't see how,
because you were there,
the room lit up?

You didn't hear how,
because you were there,
there was music all around us?

the way home

journeying
didn't we meet
in the room at the top of the inn?

didn't the music flow from person to person
and swirl around the room
and flow some more?

didn't the music
show us the way home?

didn't the music show us
we were home?

day or night

let me know
when we can go for a walk,
day or night

we might walk
one in front of the other
or we might hold hands

we might wade through streams
or sit by brooks
listening

we might have a picnic
under day skies
or by moonlight

we might even bring out the canvas
and paint the light and laughter
that dance around us

rushing

after work
a rush through traffic
to the pharmacy

no drone strikes

even though
her mother was prime minister
there was no drone strike

even though
she was going to change the world
there was no drone strike

how do you say goodbye?

there was no drone strike
(you know -
the sort that takes out a whole generation)