Forgiveness is found
Only at the end of yourself
Where the ground
Falls away into emptiness
Breath is held
In tumbling down lungs
Death is held
In contempt
Not a new house
But a repainted fence

Less than he once was
Thin and stretched
Slightly see-through
Like a care-worn jacket
Letting the rain in
And the sunshine
His smile thread bared
Trapped in the shoes
Of his old self
Where the socks have holes
And every stone is sharp
Some skins wear thin
But never fall away

I'm just trying to be
Everybody's girl
So good and bad and in between
I'm just trying to be
Everybody's girl

Depression

Hole in the ground
Hollow sounds
No way out

When voice catches
On the nails of the past
Rusty and sharp

Everything old
Nothing new
You trapped in you

Trampled
By the light.

Standing Outside On a Cold Day

Putting windows on the scars
Memories
Free to float away
Down the stream
Passing me a winter coat
For the wind
I never understood the cold
Underneath my skin

I called you out
You never came
You left your name
Forgotten in the snow

Bar Friends

Show tunes masquerades
Dance halls pallisades
Keey the walls up, keep safe
It doesn't make a difference

Lying on the streets
Someone comes to meet you
Halfway, dotted lines at your feet
Someone else as lost as you

Trust them all the way
And trust them at your place
Don't listen to paranoid delusions
They aren't out to get you.

Freedom and companionship
As forever as the night...

Baptism

Pouring water on your head
to wake you up
Baby's dressed in Sunday best,
you never stood a chance
Oh the message runs its course,
without a voice
And the people looking in
they never say a word

Oh lost child what have you seen?
The leaves all hit the ground
They still cling to green
Cling to green.

When the words are running
out the back door
We wonder what you're on about,
lying on the floor
Dusting angels on the tiles
once again
Painting pictures in the sky
when you haven't got a pen

Well you grow your father's ears
every day
And you share your father's fears
but in your own clear way
The guilt that's in the moment
lights you up
Shadow's crowd against the window
you didn't make the cut

Broken bones, scattered sleep
So important, too young for memories
It washes off, evermore to leave
A mark that you can keep
The angels in the deep

Thoughts shoot out strange sparks today
Dancing the gaps between the breeze
To find us starting at your knees
So cut and bloodied
Your mother's worried
It's not a good look
Just a little peek

She's pulled up besides the road
Pulling faces in the mirror
I think she's practicing
Getting mad and even
She doesn't believe in
Gods and fairies
Just cold hard facts

He will never let you down
Even when you face the wrong direction
He will never let you down

We are asleep and on a mission
Braced against the hardwood floor
Your father's hanging by the door
Hiding in our hoods
We are up to no good
And up to no bad either
Just how the cookie crumbles

Bad Weather

Rain's a reminder that puddles are born
Beneath the winds and the clouds of the storm
See yourself clearly when gazing down at your feet
Share in the joy as the sky light repaints the street

Woven in gaps like new tennis raquets
We all duck and weave as we dive through the traffic
Each shivering footstep sends rain falling into space
To keep all the puddles from settling into place

I Had a Haircut Today. It is Slightly Gimp. (Or I look like a nerdy squirrell)

Having a haircut
And some solitude to think
Staring at the mirror
Watching myself blink
Is one eye slightly higher?
Am I far away from home?
As my hair gets shorter
The silent questions come

Never trust a waffle
It will only steam

Live in just one moment
And the past will swallow you up

Is there life at the end of the tunnel?

Wind yourself up
Toy clock
Don't get down
Every morning
On the dot
Pick a fresh flower
A remembrance
Of new springs

He didn't changed the time
Time changed him

Wake from your dreams
You're crying in your sleep
Your pillow won't forget
Lights off, glasses on
Staring at the ceiling
Not make-believe, just pretend

Stars fall from space all the time
So why can't I? So why can't I?

Drink the warm milk
A glass to bring you sleep
You need to be your best
Brain off, dreams on
The warm and empty feeling
You slumber so deep in the end

Stars fall from space all the time
So it doesn't make sense for you to fly
Let the evening pass in math
Let time march across the sky
You have a different path.

Fold your thoughts
Corner to corner
Give them wings
Made of paper
Set them free
On the winds of a moment
A dart to set
Your cares to rest

Sculpture

He promised himself new armour
To stop holding his breath
A life made of ice and sunshine
Trapped rainbows set free
So he melts in the spring
What else is new?

ANZAC

Just a bit sad
Only a little
Rolled up like blankets
His mind still wanders
But the streets are cold
No one remembers
No thoughts cast back
He fights the silent war
That wasn't won with guns
Just a bit sad
Only a little
His face retreats
To the safety of shadow

What a difference can make a change
Doing it in style
Have your say in the everyday
This could take a while
Boot me up a new evolution
Make me smile

The word on the street is good
You've been doing what you should
Holding pages against the sun
Shadowpuppets

Change is on the cards
This time you'll go far

He put it down
To the lost and found
His feet had finally
Touched the ground
A little lower
Than when he started
A little humbler
When the waves parted
The salt of tears
The sting of brine
He lost his footing
And found he couldn't swim

Under Pressure

I think the pavement cracks
To let the concrete breathe
Sunk down under pressure

Age lines in a stone gray skin
We all know where we belong
Sunk down under pressure

It was cold when he finished his sentence
The wings of winter had crossed the fence
He lost himself into the woollen dark
And wrapped himself up against his path

Warm your hands in the fire
It's no uncommon thing
Wash your hands in the flames
Hear the glowing embers sing
He walked the coals before
You woke to see the door
And He stands the warm embrace
Just to help your feet
Know their place

In time
God works
The future
From the past.

The Roving Aunty's Last Hurrah

When the patterns on the wall
Hide the windows
And my family falls away
We sit and watch them go
The tablecloth is in the wash
Overnight
Rinsing off the spreading stains
Spoiling the white
Spoiling the white

Gather round to watch a film
On a screen
We are left to dry the dishes
A mountain it seems
The air is warm inside
In bare feet
We shut out all the night
That's dampening the street
Dampening the street

Photoframes
Slide shows
Family fun
Before the family goes
Say goodbye
Unil when
We see you again

Let the quiet settle down
The living room
All the old jokes run out
But always not too soon
We are putting on our coats
Noisily
Playing scrabble with a drink
But spelling's not for me

Photoframes
Slide shows
Family fun
Before the family goes
Say goodbye
Unil when
We see you again
We shall see you again

Only no one knows
When the door slides closed
How the music goes

Only no one knows
But God.

Step by step
Card by card
The house comes down
On top of me
Built it up into the sky
Let them fly
Set them free

Every day
A different promise
Speaks its name
Against me
I could fail
A thousand tests
A suckerpunch
A guillotine

We are soldiers
In a puddle
Drivers in a
Traffic jam
I am failure
Tried and proven
Signposted
Here I am

Step by step
Card by card
Someone puts the world to rights
Holds my hand
Against the moment
Tucks me in
Turns off the lights

Sticks and stones lie all around
Brushing my feet
With their tiny little hands
And they put themselves to shame
They turn and walk away

Photos hanging on the lights
By knotted string
And I try and be polite
It's a pretty closerun thing
Took a shower to cool off

And I stand
Where I left off
The earth beneath my feet
And steam beneath my eyes
It works better in the movies

Kinda knotted up inside
Like a string
I am hanging from the lights
It doesn't change a thing

And I stand
Where I left off
Hanging from the ceiling
Hanging out in space
It works better in my mind.

Musings on Hands

Hands are built for holding on
Like when you grab a powerline
You don't let go till it kills you
And even then

Elbows and knees
Hiding
Beneath your warm ribs
They kick and punch
You want them to stop
But not really
They are yours afterall
Just the fists and feet
You wouldn't swing
Face to face
Only in your head
I guess that's why God says
It's still the same.

The green monster
Has eyes bigger than your stomach
You will vomit in the end.

Map the world
It's a tangle of blues and greys
Like a city setting in the sun
Or mum's special china plates
The colours all have their place
Spidery and sneaky neat
Pressed down and shaken close
Touching nose to nose
They share a breath
A common thought strung out
Like branches beneath a soft sun
Lights shining not of themselves
Reflecting instead the shining one.

Dreams are just
Reflections of the past
On the waters of the future

Rain runs through the hourglass
Thoughts spill out on the lawn
Like seeds for the birds
Hang your white rags up high.

There is something quietly beautiful
In sitting on cold concrete
And watching the daylight being eaten up

I could break out
Or maybe break in
I don't really know
Which way to begin
The silence is thick
And it covers the cuts
Tied to the bed
Too weak to give up

So I've lost my song
Won't you sing along
If you can find the tune
I can too

I could retire
To some quiet place
Where the lights are not always
Shining in my face
The thoughts in my head
They swallow me up
They're nobody's fault
Accident papercuts

So I've lost my song
Won't you sing along
If you can find the tune
I can too

You want to change the world
But you get stuck in the way

The splinter in your eye
Is no bigger than mine
So who am I to judge
Call you by the line
Straighten up
No reason you can't try