The Long Game

I chunk it up
chunk it and crush it
under the wheels,
it seems smaller that way
easier to see
the long game still batters
and wails at my door
the latch is holding
a door for each weekend
my barrier against life
against the time
and the deadlines
and the pressures and strife

from all that i think of
from all that i worry
i still sit here
wondering
if i just didn't
then when
when would it catch up with me?
when would i end
when would i fail out
and when would i tell?

for now i feel happy
cautious and whole
as the bubble of tension
wraps its strands round my soul

each organ reacting
as if the end of the world
is two weeks away
panicking
rumbling and tumbling
around in this case

the brain, serene
above all that waste
sees farther ahead,
ignores the oncoming storm,
can see above waves
to the calm and the home
now only to get there
to that island and free

i shall walk
i shall see
i shall give the body a task
and set the mind free.

Sevenling

She stares up at the black
sees the stars twinkle back
Holes in the world

She feels it deep
in that cold pale skin
The starlight shines

Sinks in deep.

Sea Breaks

Sunny streaks across speckled plastic window panes
the world flies by, from coast to coast, we sit and watch
as we slide like a hot knife through soft butter
like a shark blade through smooth seas
splitting the green and brown, turning the turf beneath
unzipping the countryside, for our eyes only.

gleams of seas
of turf and tide
blue and brown
cut by searing white
blinking flash of reflection
off glass
the racing bodies
encased
safe
a soft lean

gravity peeks in
to show us what she can do
the moon breaks
over soft sandy shingles
pulling the worlds blanket over itself
stealing the sheets
only to let it loose again
and again
and again

the hot face
warmed by wind
 and sun
 and happiness
 free
small change
for a small change
that keeps me smiling
when the sun drops and fades.

Plus +

And here we are again
Round and round it fails to end
Again I sit here
The place is different
So am I
Yet here we are again
Adding one
To another
Pinning hopes on fleeting dreams
Watching each future flash out
Finding another in its place
A world in turmoil
Adding the minutes
The days
The years
To the total
The sum of your life

And you can see
The mountain of achievements
The little and the big
The little craters of mistakes
The landslides of catastrophe

But you are still here
Still standing on this mountain of minutes
And the higher you climb
The more you see
The higher you climb
The less important those falls seem to be
And they help you
They make you
They are you.

Hold that ...

Space
That huge space
Waiting to be filled
By what?
you don't know
I don't either
Don't look at me!

I have a few plans
A few things I want
To pack away
Like gold stars
For a rainy day
Or when it all comes down on me
Or you
Or us
To pull out and look at
And sigh
And smile
That space
For precious things
For happiness and memories
For hopes and dreams
Waiting
Empty

But maybe that the best bit
The only bit
The waiting
The space for more
The yearning
For finishing
For completeness
For happiness

What happens when it's full?
Do we sit back now?
Are we done?
Do we finish life now?
Do we get a free ticket out?

Don't know if I like that
So I think I'll keep free
That space
Hold that space
For me.

April PAD Challenge

Tidal Waves

Time ticks on

time ticks faster

and faster 

seeing me founder

in front of its tide

Which pulls closer
and closer

my time

to its very end

to the lowest

to the end

I know it will roll right over me

fast

if I don't run

to catch

the glimpse of a chance

a future

so far

so far

but marching close

Instead I sit here
on the beach
watching the tide pull back
stretching out the interesting things
the rocks
and sand
and little things
small
helpless things
wriggling in the sand
and I sit
and stare at this beautiful world
revealed
by the irresistible pull
of the future
waiting
to crash
and destroy

it will hit me
I will be swept away
and yet
I cant climb
the nearest tree
or run to the mountain
when all others are
I sit
and watch
and wait
for it
for it will come
and I might have time
if I just wait
one
more
minute.

Pause

When distance
becomes terrible
when lengths
takes it through
past the width
of the ribs
past the beat
of the foundering heart
when eyes
stare blank
at the window, at the wall
at the cracks of sunlight
at the time that ticks
at the silence
and softness
at the wishes
to pause it

and keep it
keep you
keep it
safe
secret
warm
and forever
splitting time
by heartbeat
by blink
by flicker
by hand hold
in the dark
in the silence.