A girl with her hand brushes her hair away
Across her face in just that way
As it renders an image of another girl who’s dead
A young life out of control from a nightmare led
A baby cries loudly as a mother cares for it gently
Reminding me of a summer’s day which went differently
This baby cries for a mother in the pokies occupied
Gambling more important as nurture denied
My own child smiles and reaches for me
As I give a father’s love so easily
But I remember a father in lust not held back
When he used her for himself as a matter of fact
So an American professor thinks we all should die
As he sips coffee in his office as radical thoughts fly by
And we the thin blue line somewhat eaten away
Know what the world is like as we kept it at bay
But fragments of life do surface again
Intruding on our lives so hard to defend
Hurtful words are easily said
When you don’t have any thoughts you dread.
© Paul Warren Poetry
I've never been a gambler
For I've never liked the odds
And out the horse racers
Seems a hell of a job
I don't like the pokies
For it seems a waste of time
Looking at the colours
As they run around in kind
I am not skilful at cards
For I could never bluff
So now I ponder hard
The odds is not enough.
© Paul Warren Poetry
This fire warms me, every bit of my soul,
Down at my regular local.
Sitting alone, all the thoughts in my head,
To ponder before they're made vocal.
And the menu for the night on the old chalk board,
Hot pasta, soup, oysters or a steak.
They even have treats for after the meal,
A meringue, ice cream or cheese cake.
Soft music wafts throughout the whole place,
Past pokies, dim lights, and horse races.
And of course, as the place fills with people from work,
It fills with the regular faces.
I sit in this seat, same time every day,
Just an old war vet of a male.
It's here i feel safe, my family of friends,
Sitting quietly just drinking my ale.
I'm just a fool who writes words on a page
and dreams of singing on a stage
but to no avail
someday I'll set sail
and yet- he stares at me
like everything's a freakin' fantasy
and I am left with this aching in my heart
Cause I know I'll tear him apart
Why do you do this to me?
This isn't an everyday fantasy
Stop pretending we could've been together long
For you and I- we don't belong
Now I feel like I'm ranting to nobody
A whispering to an evergreen tree
that doesn't know my name
or from where I came
and yet- something peaceful stirs
among the 'pokies' and sticky burrs
happy memories that even now can make me smile
and let me hold on to him for awhile
Oh why do I have to be this way?
I should've moved on to a brighter day
I need to stop pretending my life is full of misery
I know you're stronger than me
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