wooden swords

you won't win a single war,
you fight with wooden swords and pour,
your hopes, your dreams, into this fight,
to fall again, with fading light.
so run and wretch 'til throat won't sing,
and take advantage of your kin,
but none will care when wood is ash,
you'll land in tears, a dreadful splash

betrayal

we searched, another rogue we found,
the others have returned to us, their victims now friends,
but this one man.
who stands to fight battle,
after battle,
to once again bring my ship down,
will swim to atlantis to do so.


for he knows that as samurai he has betrayed his men.

but to take sword to his own heart would be too much,
so he only hurts the hearts that are closest to him
the ones who thought they could stand and fight together.


for the hurt heart has fought before in alliances,
and fallen before taking glory, screaming,
'go on without me'

perhaps this time mercy shall be shown

or perhaps this time
mercy shall be taken

the shrew who was lion

once there was a shrew
he longed to be a lion
so he cut some hay from the bail
and tied it round his neck, screaming ROAR, I AM LION, ROAR ROAR!
but all the other shrews laughed at him
and the lions turned their back
so as to not be embarrassed more
still the shrew longed to be a lion
so he went outside and hid in bushes
and when the other shrews passed, he'd jump out and try to scare them
still they laughed at him
and the lions walked away so as to not be near such a creature
still the shrew longed to be a lion
but he didnt know how to become one
so slowly the dream died
and when many days had passed and many nights had flown
the dream shrunk to a small dot and sat lodged in the furthest reaches of the caverns of his small shrew mind


one day a lion was walking past the shrew
he stopped to talk to him, and mentioned that there were men coming with sticks over the hill
the shrew remembered his dying dream, and realised this was his chance
the lion told him how he feared the sticks the men held, for they threw stones further than eyes could see
so shrew told lion that he would go find them
and get rid of them for the lion
so he walked off, towards the hill
and he saw the tall beings with their stone throwing sticks
and ran at them shouting GET OUT! GO! WE DON'T WANT YOU HERE!
and reaching deeply into his chest
he pulled out a loud roar
that echoed through the desert
and made him feel like a lion
and one of the men heard him and one walked to him
shrew jumped at him, scaring him, so he jumped back
and the man pointed the stone throwing stick
at the shrew
and threw stones
but shrew was lion
so his roar never died
and the lion wept tears of pain and guilt for him
and roared back

ROAR!

settle, dear snowman

the middle number sits discontent
weeping over sorry snowmen,
who've melted just as winter arrives
in puddles of ice
to freeze again when summer returns
and walk on unsturdy legs,
longing for the touch of heat,
recoiling as the snow falls
but this world is too warm for wonder.

settle, dear snowman
let them come

Eskimo snow heart

Eskimo snow heart

eskimo sleeps hot water and ice
sealions swim though won't be nice
she won't settle for fear of snow
no dropping hook or letting go
no telling tale or trailing moon
and captured lip on old harpoon
to run for miles with fuel of rice
and rise for miles and think for thrice

so think less and think for none
let legs hit floor and need to run
jump in stars for welcome arms
hiding smiles in heartshaped farms
cattled love and bottled hate
stop them held in jackets straight
fibres cut from being strung
take me now let day be done