I live in hell, because I was given a choice,
who ever on earth had the sweetest voice -
Maddy Prior, Sandy Denny, or Jacqui McShee?
The demons rejoice
as in hell, I am bound to forever dangle
deciding,
Steeleye Span, Fairport Convention or Pentangle?
On a warm spring afternoon by the shore,
I sculpt your image in the golden sands,
Each curve and line shaped with love,
Our promises etched in fragile strands.
But the restless tide sweeps in too soon,
Washing away what we swore to keep,
Like whispers lost upon the wind,
Or fleeting dreams that fade in sleep.
A fistful of sand, a world of hope,
Yet through my fingers, the grains still slip,
Much like the love we tried to hold,
Now scattered with the ocean’s grip.
The sunset paints the sky in gold,
Our secrets rest in silent dunes,
Yet very grain still holds our tale,
A melody of love and wounds.
Tell the Moms it didn't happen
Tell the Dads it isn't so
Pretty little roses blooming
In the garden – row on row –
Pretty little blossoms folding
Petals falling to the floor
Falling into angels rising
Sprouting wings on which to soar
Smite the gunman at the trigger!
Seize the madman at the gun!
Little voices in the hallway
Little faces in the sun
Little feet upon the heavens
With the morning just begun –
Strike the harp, and hold the fiddle
Let the bells peal out the tune
Mournful as the lonely shepherd
'Ere the clock is noon
Mourning for his little flock
Going home too soon
– And when the news had broken
And gotten all abroad
The stoutest of the stoutest hearts
Could only weep aloud
For here the pact was broken
For here the seal was lost
For here the children were not spared
The devil's holocaust
And startled in his earthly robes
His heart gone sudden cold
Himself a witness to the siege
Even God arose
And with a savage grace
That moved without a sound
Turned the barrel on itself
And with the final round
Emptied out the chamber
And smote the demon down –
The highlights of the Jersey Shore
like a bone beach, they were no more
along with the loved Ferris Wheel
that kids looked forward to with zeal.
The sounds of music, loud and clear
along the boardwalk, all would hear,
and to the Wheel, the kids would run;
for generations- had such fun.
Most kids and grandkids knew the thrill-
that Wheel spun round- was never still.
Until one day, Two-Thousand-Twelve,
the old-time joys would then be shelved.
When "Sandy Superstorm" arrived
not much within the park survived.
The sound of kids and music stopped-
with roars of wind and sea were swapped.
The howls of wind did make their rounds,
replacing joyous, happy sounds;
made a bone beach of storm debris-
that moaned and groaned for all to see.
This famous park's old Ferris Wheel
that kids looked forward to with zeal
the highlights of the Jersey Shore-
like a bone beach- they were no more.
Blasting through the night
Blaze to morn
"Hey there Thunderhead!
Where you going with that storm?"
"To crazy eights!
And jesters wild
I’ll just be gone a while
Or more"
A frenzy in her mind
Fixed rage to rhyme
Don’t waste my time!
She says for hours
Words twirl through
The curly wire
There was wreck down deep inside
Beyond the bounds of mercy
Well lay down Sandy. Lay down
'Cause more people love you than baby birds
You’re a lucky mess I’ll tell you
Are you an angel or a bomb?
You made a liar out of me
You proved me wrong
Now a year has passed and gone
Tell me will you slow down and fall?
You’re gonna raze my faith
And I don’t wanna mind
I wish I didn’t mind at all
I'm dreaming of the sandy beaches
Just like the ones I’ve seen before,
Where the surf is rising,
With lovers surmising,
While kayakers skim along the shore.
I’m dreaming of the sandy beaches
With every poem today I write
Hoping you have good weather up here
If I think of you,
I’ll shout a quick “Good night!”
[Repeat]
I'm dreaming of those sandy beaches
With every poem today I write
Of my presence here please do not lose sight
And may your holidays be bright!
Written December 10, 2022
[with a special nod to Irving Berlin,
a parody of his "White Christmas"]
Olivia Newton John was never ours to claim, and yet we did.
Because she became ours when she starred in our musical, Grease
An all American film, so it made sense to us. Sandy, girl next door.
The whole cast was magic; this black-leathered jacket teen musical.
Reminding us of West Side Story, but less ethnic.
All-American, which is why we had to claim Sandy as USA born.
We knew better, and yet, forty-four years later, we still do it.
This is how arrogant we are, snatching and claiming those we love.
Like Princess Diana, who was certainly never an American.
And yet we brazenly fell in love with her too, thinking she was.
Pedestal whowho
I savor your uplifitngs
You melt my plastic heart
We pass in beats together
Endless love
Heartbreak hotel
Feelings unobliged
Fortuitous flailings
Unbridled undertones
Benign beginnings
Stalwart sensations
One step forward
Conscious awareness
Forgotten sublimes
New roads reclaimed
A better man arises
Love roads renewed
Composite bliss blessings
Ready and waiting
Summer bossa brewed
Finder's keepers.
Wandering,
through fields of wild flowers,
getting lost for hours
and hours.
Walking through woods of wonder,
taking in the beauty of the skies
and the ground under
my feet.
Standing under clouds wispy and white,
basking in the sunlight,
in green grass I lay,
caught up in the moment
here I'll stay.
The long grass sways back and forth,
the wind blows in from the north.
The smell of rain since past still lingers
as I pick flower petals with my fingers.
Picking clovers in hopes of finding the one,
with four leaves and luck in hand.
I'm dancing under the sun,
dreaming of beaches with white sand,
instead we have, rivers, rolling hills and field lands,
I know I venture,
but I'm one with nature,
every day is an adventure,
and my soul is nurtured
and I'm full of laughter.
Walking up streams,
sun peering through the trees
as the light beams,
leaves blowing in a light breeze.
These wild flowers hold a piece of my heart,
the woods, a part of my soul,
I've loved it here from the start,
so there's no place else I'd rather go
Wandering through fields of wild flowers,
time slows,
I could get lost for hours
but now it's time to go home.
Now, you see your mislaid candy,
Still your very property and handy.
So, don’t words with your sister bandy
Nor repeat that her hair is sandy:
You might be saying she was The Thief,
Recklessly priming her for noisy grief;
For that’s what ‘Sandy’ supplies in brief
Whilst no daughter thief is fathered by a chief …
And-Alas!-you let candy your mind swirl
Whereas neither gender nor age makes you a girl.
Winter was long hard and cold
we carried a heavy load
with the virus that stayed to long
everything seemed to go wrong.
A war has broken out
things unsolved we shout
shaking our heads on this deed
hoping it ends with speed.
Spring cannot come to soon
wanting everything in bloom
heat sunshine and blue sky
and a cozy sandy beach to lie.
Beneath our feet
Roots of trees
As we felt the leaves
Flowers of pure
Pleasure did lure
To help renew
Amazing views
The mind at peace
Through thoughts released
Walk through our adventure
Thanks to God nature
We have more to experience
The forests has missed our appearance
All around thee
Lies discovery
The beauty we captured
These moments remembered
As morning breaks
And the forest wakes
We became one
From warmth of the sun
Appreciation not so small
We are living it all
Blessed be the mountains
Who ran like fountains
Sounds we saved
Through calming waves
All flights above
Brought the songs of love
a pail and shovel
grasped by small sun-bronzed fingers -
sandy shores beckon
6/28/21
In Sandy on a Sund’y
Can’t even buy a pie
The High Street is a ghost town
From some Kafkaesque sci-fi.
Not a single caf is open
No point in asking ‘Why?’
So I’ll just go down
To the Rose and Crown
And give their roast a try.
The film set has now altered
To a Sergio Leone
The barman with the hang-dog look
Is sitting all alone.
I enquire after Sunday Lunch
His reply comes Brummily spoken.
‘No food today,
I’m afraid to say.
The chef’s right arm is broken.’
So homeward I trudge
To a can of stodge
That I’d been keeping handy
And I curse the day
I decided to stay
In this Sabbath-subserving Sandy.
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