Going

Let's get going cries Alice
Bumbling under the chestnut tree
In my mind we are at the shore line
Cool waves
Lapping our toes
Bringing fresh light onto our faces
We have not been to the sea in such a long time
We gaze out the window
The sun grazes the pane
Like a gentle kiss
Our mind is still
Focused on the daily chores
Wash
Brush
Smile
Alice's dress is clean and ironed
Her hair sparkles
Like a new dawn
We are going going gone.

If

What if the flowers were painted blue
And we skipped and tripped through the coming of day
Without a care in the world
Without knowing what will come next
What if we knew
Time
Space
Illusion
The man in the hat came back
He watches from afar
We don't care for his glances any more
We have much work to do
And nobody can disturb us
What if we never finish
That would be good I say
To finish means an end
And I don't want this to end
The coloured bed
All fancy patterns
Sleep
Words
Time
All a delicious jumble waiting to be sorted by shaking hands
What if you left
That would break my heart
I want you to stay here forever
To play a part in my misadventure
To be you
To be me
What if the flowers were painted blue
That would be a very fine thing indeed.

Autumn

Autumn comes in its sweet white robes
Blows a cold mist around our ears
Heralds in new sounds
And love
We stand up high and watch the wind troop the colours of the leaves
Inside we are warm
Too warm
We throw the covers off
Wonder where summer has been and gone
We drink sweet tea and nibble on chocolate squares
Dream of railways and journeys
In waking we are static
Heralds in new sounds
Wind
Rain
Colour
We leave the windows open to scoop up the autumn air
Soon it will get too cold and we will have to shut them
But for now we enjoy the occasional nip and frost
We are waiting again
But there is a calm in the air
An acceptance
Not all comes to those who wait
We understand
And wait some more
Looking
Always looking at the changing sky before us.

Deal

We stand on the hillside in summer
The blade glitters faintly
In the cool sway of branches
We turn our head
From a terrible idea
It is unspoken
A deal we had the audacity to control
A wager unbroken
The axe melts the wood
We chop and chip away at the dusty bark
Longing for the sap to trickle down our fingers
It is a melting bite
We are nothing but guests in a dream
A row of terraced houses
A team of roofs
We are aware of every breath
It is granted and probed
A life span
A list of terms
We stand on the hillside in summer.

Sky

In the street of the sky night walks scattering poems
We collect letters like shells
Tiny fragments of self
New shoes on an autumn day
A fresh breeze
A waft of air upon our skin
The frail man waits in bed
Twists and turns
Unable to find comfort in the bedded quilt
All around is noise
But inside an aching silence
Such is time lost
A cymbal crashing into shore 
Consonants tripping off a dry tongue
Poems dancing in the curtains
We are still but busy 
We must always find something to do
The rain falls
The smell of water on hot concrete drifts in the window
It is a comfort
A gentle pulse
Life
The frail man moves slowly
But with purpose
He absorbs the water as it trickles down the window pane
He is connected to the earth by a thin thread of being
Raggedy shirt
Stuck to seeping flesh
And we wait
No room for idle hands
In the street of the sky night walks scattering poems.

Safe

The world is a beautiful place
She says out loud
Her voice makes my hands shake
I drink my coffee
Stare at the pale white walls
Try to imagine beauty
This place is home
Paintings hang on the wall
The familiar scent of days passed spills out when I open the door
Which is less and less frequently
Where would I go if I left
There would be no red bed
No midnight snacks
No you
I stumble on the stairs
Carry out the last of the cans
In a way it feels liberating
She claps her hands with glee as I wrap up the black bag
I will go out
Buy more food
Try to look around me
Alice will wait here
Stand guard
Waiting for me
And that is home
She makes it beautiful
I want to hold her but instead
Lock the door to keep her safely in.

Sink

We drop pennies down the sink
The trickling sound comforts me
I don't remember how I got like this
I am what I am
Nothing more
Nothing less
When we have lost all our pennies
We feel like crying
There is no one to hear us she whispers
We swallow pills
Sleep
Don't dream
With Alice by my side
I walk away from the sink
She will help me find new pennies.