DANCING LIGHTS

DANCING LIGHTS



I remember
Dancing lights,
Glowing warm
On frosted nights.
They twinkled bright
With sparkling green,
Excited child
And Santa seen.
Chocolate coins
Hidden in the tree,
The dancing lights
A joy to me.
Gifts wrapped and tied
By Mom and Dad,
I'd get my new bike
I hadn't been bad.
Sitting by the tree
Rehearsing the lines I'd say,
I was to be King Herod
In the nativity play.
The dancing lights
Like the stars up high,
Shone down on our crib
A pin held up our Angel to fly.
The empty manger
In the barn with cardboard door,
With baby Jesus soon to appear
He waited, hidden in the kitchen drawer.
The smell of spirits and fruit
For the cake and pud,
Licking the spoon and bowl
A taste of Christmas, so so good.
Tongue on the coloured strips
To make garlands and paper chains,
We looked everyday for the snow
But, it only ever rains.
The curtains drawn
Dad lets the lights down low,
So we can sit round the tree
And enjoy its magical glow.
I'm older now
My youth far in the past,
I still love the dancing lights
Long may it last.
The spirit of Christmas
Our saviour represented by lights and tree,
Celebrate the world over
And I wish you all a merry Christmas
From me.

Phil Hall  December 2013.

WATCH WHAT YOU SAY.... IN THE UK

Our cousins across the pond
In the good old US of A,
When they cross the Atlantic
Need to watch what they say...
Because words here differ
In what they actually mean,
At least they're ok at breakfast
As we eat the same baked bean.
Now they had Theo Kojak
Whilst we had our own Sweeney,
We like a vegetable, the courgette
So don't ask for any zucchini.
US cars they have a hood
And the back end is a trunk,
We've the bonnet and a boot
And so many words for being drunk.
Our jam is their jelly
Our jelly, that's their jello,
A fag is a cigarette
And certainly not a gay fellow.
They walk upon the sidewalk
We stroll down a footpath,
Our students study mathematics
American kids do math.
Their babies wear diapers
To keep them dry and happy,
Whilst our little ones
Poo and wee a nappy.
Our clothes go in a wardrobe
They hang theirs in a closet,
We turn on a tap to wash our hands
Yet they turn on the faucet.
Our rubber is their eraser
Their rubber is something different,
If they wore a rubber in England
She'd surely end up pregnant.
Come to England on vacation
We go to the states on holiday,
But there's an important difference
In words, about which I have to say.
It's the American word for bottom
The difference is rather uncanny,
Lets just say, be prepared to be slapped
If you mention a ladies nice fanny.

Phil Hall  November 2013

DIVI DIVI

DIVI DIVI

She's one so beautiful

Silent paramour,

With outstretched arms

Beckoning a lost love

On a faraway

Distant shore.

She tries to step

From bondage root,

To sail the sea

And scatter her joy

A love full of

Bountiful fruit.

Divi divi 

Looking south,

Under a blazing Arubian sky

Pleading, beseeching

Yearning evermore

From gnarled and gaping mouth.

She knows not

Her lover breathes no more,

Her entreaties

Carried on warm breeze

Gently waving fronds

Tap on bolted door.

Natures ballet dancer

Swaying on powdered sand,

This lonely Queen of Aruba

Waits patiently

For a love long lost 

On a faraway, distant land.

Phil Hall  November 2013

LEAST EXPECTATIONS

LEAST EXPECTATIONS

That time of year is here, all are full of expectation,

With gifts and merrymaking, the excitement of a nation.

To bring her temporary joy, Dad hunts a doll for his daughter,

Whilst thousands of miles away, a child only wants clean water.

In shops, trolleys are obscenely crammed so we can eat our fill,

At the same time in war zones, innocent blood will spill.

The tears of joy at the expensive gifts we all lovingly share,

Tempered by cries of fear, as bullets scream through the air.

Gifts of gold to the baby, lay in the nativity stable,

Yet, still half the world can’t put any decent food on the table.

Children will throw tantrums and adults will moan and groan

If they don’t receive computer games, or the latest mobile phone.

Elsewhere, people just hope the violence and killing stops,

And the rains arrive soon, so they can grow their crops.

We should endorse quiet reflection, to think about one another,

The starving child in Africa or his AIDS infected mother.

To parents, whose children are serving on far off, hostile shores,

Where they risk their lives daily in futile, forgotten wars.

Please try to temper expectation in this time of excess,

Think of all others in their hardship and duress.

A kind word, gesture of faith or even a simple prayer,

So those with least expectation may enjoy a share.

Christmas, the time for giving and family and of fun,

Not of starvation, the sword, bullet or the gun.

We are all of one God, born of his flesh and his blood,

So let’s help all others, at Christmas we really should.

Phil Hall    December 2012

  

SOCKS

SOCKS

Christmas is coming, hark! 

The invasion of novelty socks,

Filling the shelves 

Alongside 

Reindeer shaped choc’s.

Men live in fear 

 Of this Thoughtless annual present,

From Mom, Auntie and Sister,

 It’s all very unpleasant.

 Homer Simpsons picture, 

To the days of the week,

Luminous or tartan,  

It’s what our betters seek.

***

When the day our lord was born 

Comes joyously along,

With Roy Wood and Wizard

 Singing their Christmas song,

The kids are excited,

 New bikes and X-box,

The man feigns a smile

 When he opens up his socks.

“I love my diamond necklace" 

She says

"Thank you so much dear.”

“I love my socks darling"

He says through gritted teeth

 "Same again next year?”

Phil Hall   November 2012

WINTER WALK

Nature is battened down
The thinning harvest
Laid on leafy platter.
Birds in social flight
Flit through hedgerow
And ploughed field.
The warming glow
Of watery sunshine
Filters through
Delicate rice paper sky.
The meadow is soft underfoot
Gently sucking at sturdy boot.
Mist swirls over glistening grass

As it rises in frosted breath
From the glassy stream,
Whose twisting path roams
In haphazard abandon.
She curls an arm near to oak
Who guides her from rooted bank.
Bough bends to stroke his friend
She kisses his ageing fronds
To carry twisted leaves to heaven.
A buzzard circles with regal disdain
A single cry of lofty freedom,
He views the world below
Eying my walk amidst his realm.
Summers bustle and noisy clamour
Replaced by natures monastic calm,
A scene where God smiles on us all
Blessing me during a winter walk.
His grace, his majesty painted
Upon my heart, nature in all her splendour
Loyal and stolid, my England.
Phil Hall  November 2013

ROAD TO NOWHERE

I now forget
What I could never remember,
See what my eyes
Pretend is there.
Life is now just
A wasted breath,
Shoulders sagging
On the road to nowhere.
Fading memories
Drift from decaying mind,
It's all I can do
To blindly stare.
Love touched briefly
A feather stroke,
Now it's melted away
On the road to nowhere.
I'll always see her,
Those black diamond eyes
Warm skin of satin
And silken long hair,
Whilst I stumble
Toward my place
Reserved in the ground
At the end of the road to nowhere.
I write in tears
On loves tattered shroud,
Will she see the words
That I'm willing to share?
The darkness is falling
Thorns rip at my bare flesh,
I'm naked and cold without her
On the road to nowhere.

Phil Hall  November 2013
Copyright: Philthepoet61.blogspot.com

CORNER OF ONESELF

The gate creaks on rusty hinge
A mournful song carried on the wind,
The little boy sits lost in the corner of oneself
Tears for the unknown love, lost amidst a heavy, clouded mind.
The imprint of her beautiful smile
Etched deep, scored and scorched to ones soul,
The boy runs without steps through unknown streets
A faraway land, never visited yet so familiar.
Heavy heart, heavier mind eat into the hours
Every minute one waits, one travels to seek her,
A little boy again, sat under blackened sky
Desperately needing his love to return.
Please climb inside my mind
You'll find me hiding from myself,
This little boy is lost amidst shattered dreams
The snow scene stands waiting for us on the shelf.
Your memory is just a shadow
One becomes I, we becomes me,
Where thoughts drift through the miserable catacombs
And One is he, she has flown free.
The corner of oneself frosts over
The wind drops, the gate creaks no more,
The little boy sleeps a tormented sleep
Running blindly in Cebu, please open your door........

Phil Hall  November 2013

SILENTIUM

Without you
Where do I go
Without you?
My mind has emptied
Drained of thought
Nothing without you.
I am but a statue
Flaking with worry
And doubt,
Your smile fades
On weathered screen
I can't be without.
Silentium
The darkness has begun,
A shadow floats alone
Your presence
Has run..... Silentium.
A tortured mind shattered
In a lake of glass
Bloodied fingers grope,
I swim with leaden wings
You've not even cast
A rope.
Acidic tears drop
From shredded eyes
Burning misery,
I miss you so
My soul is dying
Please return to me.
Silentium
This pain persists
Ad nauseum,
My love I'm so alone
I feel I've died
Before We've begun......
Phil Hall  November 2013

NO COLOURS

We're not a colour
But if we were
It'd be red.
For that be our blood
Without it
We're dead.
We're not of creed
But if we had to
Above's the way.
For that's the almighty
Without it
We'd stay.
Roaming the earth
Forever
And a day,
Thinking about colours,
Religion and of course
The right thing to say.
You breathe, I sneeze
We talk
We can all sing,
Paupers and royalty
One and all
Everyone's a king.
No one is higher
Or greater
Than the one that is you,
We're sometimes blind
We only see wrong
In anothers differing hue.
One can smile
All can laugh
We've all a face,
No colour
No religion here
This is the human race.
Look under the skin
Look deep within
See what you can find,
Living, vital beings
Free from restraints
We're all one mankind.

Phil Hall  November 2013

THOUGHTS

Its time I bought my thoughts

to book,

Racing torrent, like babbling brook.

They plunge over precipice and craggy rill,

Through pastures of mind and questioning hill.

Let them meander, a river of dreams,

Reflection of the sun on my youthful stream.

The depth of memories in darkened lake,

With ripples full of remorse, the surface in gentle quake.

With bend and curl my thoughts just mud and silt,

Deposits of knowledge what my life had built.

At last I can find the real purity of age in me,

As my flowing mind reaches the terminal sea.

Phil Hall  November 2013

SEE WHAT I SEE.

Just look in the mirror

And see what I see,

You are the beauty

That has captivated me.

My feelings for you

Grow stronger each day,

My words are just mere containers

Of the things I want to say.

You have brought me joy

A hope for endless love,

I see you in the stars

And the heavens up above.

Our kisses float on the breeze

Each scented like a rose,

Which grows more beautiful

With a love that flows.

I am yours

You are mine,

Forever entwined

A dance in time.

So please look in the mirror

And see what I see,

The angel in my heart

Forever we will be.

Phil Hall November 2013

FRUSTRATION

Sometimes
I'm full of lethargy,
Has a needle
Stabbed my effigy?
What once felt elation
Now only feels
Frustration... See
It is age
That starts the rage,
Has my pen
Blotted the page?
My lifes station
Closed due to
Frustration...Wage
War inside my head
Jumbled and unsaid,
Do I lie
On nailed bed?
Raining on vacation
Causes such misery and
Frustration... So
I can clear my throat
Don an armoured coat,
Do I sink
Or do I float?
Make life an occupation
Sweep away the self pity
And Frustration......
We only get one shot at life
Hone your skills
Sharpen the knife,
Stab frustration
End its strife
And let your mind
Be a loving wife.
Phil Hall  November 2013

THE LEAF

Why did you have to die?
When you drifted down to lie,
Your companions all
Joined you in the fall
From your home in the sky.

You burst forth in spring
Stood atop like a king,
Sun sprinkled light
Birds in their delight
From loves bough they did sing.

You gave the world air
We all had our share,
Bountiful fruits
And new born shoots
Your canopy an autumn fair.

We will share your fate
So little love so much hate,
Unlike the leaf
Mankind's a thief
Let's hope we're not too late.

You give protection and cover
Shade me and my lover,
Ash, beech and oak
Without you we'd choke
You're unlike any other.

The lungs of the world
Being raped, unfurled,
It's breath gone
Destroyed Amazon
Its leaves burnt and curled.

Fewer leaves, more men
Autumn or fall again and again,
No respite or relief
Just more falling leaf
It's now not if, its when.......?

Phil Hall  November 2013

HALCYON DAYS

Oh those days
Those halcyon days,
Under the sun
Such fun
Summer haze.
Sweet summer breeze
Scented frieze,
How we run
Roundabout spun
We grazed our knees.
Neapolitan ice cream
Living a real dream,
Doing as we please
Climbing tall trees
Smile like a sunbeam.
Catching rainbow butterflies
Nets waving in blue skies,
Flying kites
Playground delights
A kiss being the prize.
Doing as our dad says
A donkey in nativity plays,
So much thinner
Wonderful Christmas dinner
Oh, such halcyon days.
The point of this rhyme?
Youth should be a joyous time,
Reaching the rubicon
Forming the halcyon
A memory for when in decline.
Phil Hall  November 2013

IT'S NOT CRICKET

Oh what a sad game
Is football nowadays,
Full of cheats and conmen
And not much fairplay.
It's certainly not cricket
The way some players perform,
With diving and feigning injury
Treated like it is the norm.
The obscene amounts of money
These tricksters regularly earn,
Would make Sir Stanley Matthews
In his grave turn.
The latest dreadful act of cheating
Featured Ramires of Chelsea FC,
Diving cynically and theatrically
To gain a undeserved penalty.
How can he look in the mirror
And hold his head up high?
After cheating fellow professionals
And glorying in the lie.
It seems cheats can now prosper
It happens in games every week,
He claimed he didn't dive or fall
A conman even when he speaks.
The game I love is ruined
Cheating's now the winning ticket,
Football's now awash with frauds
And it certainly isn't cricket.

Phil Hall  November 2013.

ONLY HALLS AND WALSHS

This is a tale
Of fishermen three,
A bigger bunch of idiots
You'll never likely see.
The Halls specialise
In breaking fishing chairs,
Whilst Walsh keeps catching
His tackle in a tree.
There are two
Who cause most mayhem,
The other one
(That's me)
Who always catches
The first fish,
But then needs the lavatory.

We seem to do ok
But, we haven't got a clue
We get in so many tangles
And turn the air quite blue.
Big Mike's known as 'Foggy'
He's the sensible one,
All his fish make quick bites
When he strikes
They're gone!!
He takes so long to set up
The days nearly over
Before he can begin,
He sometimes does
Something really daft
By going and falling in.

Big Dick loves his gadgets
To try and catch his fish,
He uses NASA type technology
Like using a satellite dish.
It doesn't improve his catching
In fact it blackens his joyous mood,
But, he always wins the plaudits
With his selection of gourmet food.
Foggy and me sit drooling
At Dicks consumable collection,
Moules mouliniere and cracked crab
Foie gras and venison on his grocery tab
All washed down with Bollinger
Delivered to him direct from Fortnum and Mason.

Now I try to concentrate on fishing
With this madness all around,
Like Big Dick breaking another seat
And casting out lying on the ground.
Foggy catching yet another tree
And losing his favourite float,
Or hooking a mans trousers
Whilst sailing past in his little boat.
It's impossible to remain focused
With these madman sat with me,
So I give up trying to catch fish
And settle down with a cup of tea.
Big Dick bores easily and he likes to play up,
So he fires a catapult full of maggots
That all land in my cup.
+++++++++++++
We're all known to catch fish though
Some being of specimen weight,
And it's always great fun with my brother
And big Irish Foggy, our best mate.
We've had so many great adventures
Far too numerous to mention here,
But, the only constant thing on any fishing trip is
We always end up having a beer.

Cast
Mike Walsh as Foggy or Big Mike
Richard Hall as Big Dick
Phil Hall as Me.

Phil Hall  November 2013.

TORN FLAG

The sentry stands
Alone, alabaster eyed
Staring toward tomorrow.
The driven tears shine,
Wind moans with anguish unseen
A fear unknown.
Torn flags drape the forgotten
The blanket of misery,
Duty calls from marbled halls
And when they fell
Replaced by a poppy.
The sentry with shoulder firm
Defender of the dead,
Rigid when the pursed lips meet
The last post, the last word said.
The sadness of a nation shows
When a young soldier dies,
A volley of rippled fire
As the torn flag flies.

Phil Hall  November 2013

UNSAID, BUT IN MY HEAD

It's so often that I say
The wrong things,
Like a runaway train,
A waterfall of tumbling words
Cascading merrily, issuing forth
To vanish down the drain.
Its like I see myself
In a broken mirror,
I stumble barefoot
On the shattered glass
Then I'm teetering on the brink
Above a deep mountain pass.
The insecurity arises
And I cling on to my thoughts,
My voice fades, it's left unsaid
I know I have to talk
I bleed from the wounds
Made by the words in my head.
I express myself
With words written in coal
On a blackboard,
Stumbling about in the dark
My armour is pierced
As I fall on my sword.
I try, oh how I try
To paint you the scene
My brush strokes heavy in glove,
The picture isn't how I see it
I can't capture the masterpiece
The art of simple love.
My voice now in writing
To live forever in verse
Long after I'm gone and dead,
The love I find so hard to tell
Still unsaid, though read
And released from my aching head.
Phil Hall  November 2013