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Monday 31 December 2012

Wandering Words


New Year
Same fear
Dreams tossed
Love lost
Dreams turned
Love spurned

Shattered dreams
Mind screams
Bloodied knife
Widowed wife
Dogs howl
Smells foul

Poisoned wood
Starved of food
Rivers dry
Glassy eye
Burning grass
Blocked path

Hallowed ground
Never found
Frozen time
Same old rhyme
Rhythm jilted
Words stilted

Razor’s edge
Cliff ledge
Learn to fly
Riding high
Floating down
Rushing ground

Eyes open
Words spoken
Fresh dawn
New morn
Awake again
Nightmare ends

© Fergus Martin
2012

Saturday 29 December 2012

Resolution


Dark as night the depths within
The surface beckons
Pulling at the soul of sin
The hangman reckons

Reckoning the hand of fate
The noose it tightens
Knotted yarn begins to grate
Grip he lightens

Lightening unseeing eyes
The vision clears
Silver dazzles moonlit skies
And river’s tears

Tearfully reflecting joy
And new tomorrows
Hangman’s noose forgotten toy
Forgetting sorrows

Sorrow passes without pause
Travelling southward
To overcome becomes the cause
Whilst moving forward

Forward dashes hope renewed
Fresh perspectives
Clarity of thought imbued
With new directives

Directed efforts channelled on
To greater heights
Breaking from the past that’s gone
And darkened nights

Nightly dreams forge the path
A new solution
Escaping now internal wrath
To Resolution

© Fergus Martin
2012

Friday 21 December 2012

New Tomorrow


What do you believe in?
What do you trust?
When your head explodes like a cannonball
Full of wanton disgust
Horror at the sights that you witness
Disdain at ignorance surrounding
Every grace given kindness you offer
Cruel hearts wilful compounding
Do you hope for salvations redemption?
As the end of the world passes by
Trust humanity changes forever
All is good in the blink of an eye
Delusions are all that become
Of illusions of man changing his ways
No hope without fresh new beginnings
So you dream for the end of all days

© Fergus Martin
2012

Thursday 20 December 2012

Seasons Dreams


Summer came and I played
Running through the streets
And terrorising neighbours
Not a care to be had
Thinking only of the now
And the moment
The precious moment
Of enjoyment
And happiness
Skinned knees and bruises
Trees to climb
Oh the trees, tall
Proud and invincible
There to be conquered
As each and every day
Challenging my recklessness

Spring arrived play became serious
The competitive edge arrived
And I scrapped for every victory
Every ounce of my body
Strived for success
And my mind
Emboldened by knowledge
Looked to the years ahead
The bright future
Steeled by the skill within me
Enlightened by my never-ending
Thirst for wisdom
And the fortunes that awaited me
As I conquered
Each and every challenge
Blocking my path to glory

Autumn turned the leaves of life
To shades unrecognisable before
Bright hues of distant memories
Dimmed to harsh realities
Glory days look far away
And never to be reached
As I face the silent slumber
Of an enemy that strikes at will
From nowhere comes the
Unrelenting force
That knocked me to my knees
And took away my dreams
Shattering my waking hours
Vanquishing my every move
As each and every day
My eyelids droop unwillingly

As winter falls upon me
Dreams I had for glory
Replaced by dreams uncalled for
My fortunes lost to weariness
As every day becomes
A battle to stay alert
Awake to cast off shadows
That haunt my every move
Steal my cherished moments
As minutes turn to hours
Drifting to the silence of sleep
Losing out on life’s adventure
Looking back in moments few
Of the dreams that I once had
As each and every day
This slumber strikes me down

© Fergus Martin
2012

Wednesday 19 December 2012

Friend



They call me twisted
They call me evil
They call me wicked
They call me fecal
They call me stupid
They call me blight
They call me irresponsible
They call me spite

They call to me for welcome
They call to me for relief
They call to me for sanctuary
They call to me for peace
They call to me for freedom
They call to me to attend
They call to me in darkness
They call on me their friend

© Fergus Martin
2012

Through The Stars


My previous post consisted of work that Miriam Dunn had added to this, the original piece:

Drifting and weaving
through the swirling constellation
of stars forever plunging
out of the dark still silence.
The only sound
the steady throbbing
of the heart of the beast
as she slides forever forward.
Slowly, surely, steadily
picking a path through
the myriad of mayhem
seeking out the final destination.
The last port of call
in a journey through
the open spaces of the
empty, quiet, still void.
And the beast pushes on
through the bitter silence
of stars colliding in harmony
before my eyes.
Stars part and in the
emptiness crisp shapes form,
slowly silhouetting against
the backdrop of daybreak.

© Fergus Martin
2012

Saturday 8 December 2012

Through The Stars (I Must Go On)

Drifting and weaving
my thoughts leave me
through the whirling constellation of stars forever plunging
I sink to the depth
out of the dark still silence
I send out my call.
The only sound, the steady throbbing,
my heart explodes
the heart of the beast.
I slip along the wild line
as she slides forever forward
haunting and hunting.
Slowly, surely, steadily
careful as I go
one step in front of the other.
Danger surrounds me
picking a path through the myriad of mayhem.
I will be home soon
seeking out the final destination.

The last port of call,
I smell the flesh of hunting’s end
in a journey through the open spaces of the
empty, quiet, still void.
I must go on.
And the beast pushes on
it is in my nature
through the bitter silence
I hear the shadow,
the darkness has a cry
of stars colliding in harmony
Before my eyes.

The sky tells me I am not alone
I must go on.
Stars part and in the emptiness crisp shapes form
I see my constellation and it rises
slowly silhouetting against
the backdrop of daybreak.
I must go on.

© Fergus Martin and Miriam Dunn
2012

Wee Archie



Soaked to the skin
Wi a cheeky wee grin
Got his maw in a muddle
Knee deep in thon puddle
Splish sploshing in wellies
Right up tae his belly
King O’ The Mire
Lord O’ His Shire
A wee hooligan
Dis a’ that he can
Tae drive his da daft
But the big man just laughs
Wi Eck and the dugs
Barney cuddled up snug
That cheeky wee lad
Who’s no a’ that bad
Big brothers he’ll taunt
Wi a happy wee jaunt
Mind, go hide thon biscuit
Afore the wee man he nicks it
Jist a word tae the wise
Afore  thae cheeky wee eyes
Melts a’ tae the core
Wi a heart gold and pure
His maw’s pride and joy
Da’s gallous wee boy
Archie Holligan young fella
A stoatin wee belter.

© Fergus Martin
2012

Return of The Prodigal



And lo it came to pass
That he returned from the wilderness
Bearing not gifts
Nor the fruit of his labours
Merely the dry throat
Of a weary traveller
And the hungry mouth
Of the forgotten child
Returning like the prodigal
From his life in exile
Seeking once more
The sanctuary of home

© Fergus Martin
2012

Water of Life



Lift up the jug and pour.
Watch carefully as life pours;
streaming swiftly over
the ragged rocks of reality;
before settling slowly down
in the still pools of normality.
Eventually evaporating
in the still silence of oblivion.

© Fergus Martin
2012

Technobabbling



Connected
Always On
Wired to the world
Nirvana
Information overload
Perfection
Every moment another choice
Another journey
Another trip outside the door
Delirium
Instant gratification at the fingertips
Perfection
Oh the panic that spins the head
As it falls silent
Connection lost
Isolation in the wilderness
No news, no sound, no vision
Empty blank screens
Screaming to the void
Pandemonium

© Fergus Martin
2012

On Precious Ears



Exploding stars light up the night
Wheels tumble, spin whilst standing still
Winter’s breath from children’s mouths erupts
Flame dances without effort through the sky
Little eyes gaze up in total wonder
Figurines dance playfully on high
Effigies rise high above the skyline
Torch touches fuel bursting into flames
Explosions rock the building quenching sound
Hammer blow that falls on canine ears
As twinkling fireflies dance in the shadows
Seeking refuge she wanders empty rooms
Popping pyrotechnics through the night
Flashes up above attract crowds large and small
Winter’s night is warmed by burning candles
My precious fears this one night most of all

© Fergus Martin
2012

Friday 30 November 2012

The Moment Has Flown

A smile that warmly welcomes
But a hand that is just out of reach
A touch that can never be realised
From the skin that’s as soft as a peach
Heart which loves but cannot be loved
Insightful mind with so much to teach
A beauty that lights up each waking hour
But the love that is just out of reach

Coming back to my world you engaged me
Thrilled me with tales of your life
All the things you achieved when we parted
Triumphs and heart wrenching strife
How you overcame pain and succeeded
Forged existence in your new paradise
But remember the day that it started
The day you ran from being my wife

Since you returned I have wondered
Would we ever rekindle that spark
Are memories blinkered by the passage of time?
Is my desire so wide of the mark?
But that moment has long since departed
Like a thief in the night, stole away in the dark
And the moments I cherish are memories
Of the heart I once craved and want back

Two lives which were once intertwined
Took paths and adventures alone
The day that you left, left me empty
Till the partner I found made our home
And now you fire up all those feelings
So raw that I’m chilled to the bone
I drift back to the life that I now have
For that moment, for now, it has flown

© Fergus Martin
2012

Thursday 29 November 2012

The Truth That Haunts


I journeyed a route I chose selfishly sure
Abandoning futures through the actions I took
Left behind those I once loved but returning once more
The road that I chose turned full circle through fate
And I return to the start of my life’s great detour

Starting over down another freshly mown path
Insecurities come back to haunt my every dream
Failings of the past once more sharpen into focus
The fear of betrayal rises ever closer to the surface
Nervously await the arrival of abandoned wrath

Turning my back on the carnage I created
You, the only soul that ever knew the sordid truth
The reality of my leaving and the chaos I left behind
Knowing I left to protect the lives of the innocent
Acts I committed left you torn and alienated

Returning to the scene of my shallow selfish crime
I find myself wandering through painful memories
Fate dealt out it’s criminally twisted hand
A moment I had never perceived way back then
Being here again, is like going back in time

A dark secret to your chest you hold so close
Awaiting the day you can lay the victims table
Setting out the cellars of insecurity and failing
Of a simple and once deceitful twisted wretch
Await the moment for the truth to be exposed

Avoiding you becomes tougher with every passing day
Ever decreasing circles we swim in intertwine
The crossroads of two paths must come together soon
Colliding in the carnage of those forgotten memories
And I stare in trepidation at the moment in disarray

© Fergus Martin
2012

Wednesday 28 November 2012

Dark Feast

Shadow in the night glides effortlessly
Through deserted fog laden streets
Silently drifting over cobblestones
Searching the bodies so frail and so weak

From boats in the harbour came the vengeance
Down alleys rutted rock hard in the ice
Past shuttered windows, barred and secured
Seeking the souls to be forfeit this night

Spreading the message of fear and foreboding
Sliding through doorways silent and sure
Ripping apart the lives of the chosen
Craving the death of the weak and the poor

Infested hovels of hell ripe for the taking
Squalor and filth abound in the structures
Crammed into shells of miserable living
Carrion creatures perch waiting in gutters

Rampaging torrent of pestilent storm
Devouring with pleasure taking life as it pleased
Festering pits of disease ridden corpses
Black raven of death swept the city with ease

© Fergus Martin
2012

Tuesday 27 November 2012

Suzie Smiled

Fourteen feet rampaging through the house
Through three tiny rooms
And a postcard garden
At the sound of her voice, as quiet as a mouse
Suzie smiled

Seven pairs of hands, each helping out
In her tiny space
No father around
And never was there a scream or a shout
Suzie smiled

Seven mouths left to fend for themselves
No one to tend to
In this quiet house
No tears to wipe and no trousers to mend
Suzie smiled

Taking on the weak and abandoned
Mother to them all
The empty little house
Echoed once more to the sound of the rampant
Suzie smiled

Sixty feet came rampaging from the seven mouths
Mixing with the new
All coming together
In a house where a mothers love knows no bounds
Suzie smiled

Sprawling tribe expanding over years and through time
Lived to love
And loved to forgive
Holding firmly to each other in life’s pantomime
Suzie smiled

Through hardship and struggles they came together
A unified front
In a divided world
Punch their weight in unison whatever the weather
Suzie smiled

Standing together again in this tiny white room
United as one
Holding each other
As she breathed her last breathe through the doom and the gloom
Suzie smiled

© Fergus Martin
2012

Monday 26 November 2012

Tale Of The Trick

Walking away from the meadow of wells
Up to the bridge on the hill
Watching the salmon at play in the river so wide
Upstream to the rich spawning pools
Looking out over rich countryside,
the bubbling stream,
Spies all the others walking his way
Look there
Everyone looked so strange to me

They got their macs and they got their sticks
Looking around for the steam train
Blokes called Dave on the riverbank
Stand around in the clear rain, I cried

And wept as they searched for the berries of red
Annual pilgrims in Blair
Never believing train and station long gone
Along with the era of steam
Soon they were talking again
Old weaving mills?
More like some stones and a pile of wood
Oh
No

They got their macs and they got their sticks
Looking around for the steam train
Blokes called Dave on the riverbank
Stand around in the clear rain, I cried

And stormed down the hill, straight at the throng
I grabbed one Dave by the scruff of the neck, pointing out
There, beyond the hills in wild anticipation
Lie the mountain ranges, and the train puffing proud
Let me take you there, and show you the living beauty
I will show you sights you won’t forget
What a place to be

They got their macs and they got their sticks
Looking around for the steam train
Blokes called Dave on the riverbank
Stand around in the clear rain, I cried
And laughed

So we left town in search of the mystery train
And an era of steam that’s long gone
Up through the forest climbing into the hills
Gazed over lush valleys and I pointed out
They looked in the distance and maybe they saw
A quick puff of steam - only Scotch mist you fools
And I was gone and my voice rang out

You got your macs and you got your sticks
You don’t even know where the path is
Hope you get lost in the Pass of The Dead
That lies in the far distance

Goodbye Dave, ramble on

© Fergus Martin
2012

Tower Of Strength




Under the damp mist
Surveying all that is around
Waiting through time
Protecting
Sheltering
Providing safety for all
A welcome sight
A protector
Standing tall
Erect
A heart of purity
And a shield of hope
In the wilderness of the world

Solid as the rock that supports
The walls that offer
Sanctuary
In the fields of chaos
From the mayhem that surrounds
From an ever threatening world
From life itself
Sanctuary
In a welcome harbour
Safe
From the reality which surrounds
Safe
In the heart of the protector

Safe
Under the welcome shelter
Shielded
From the storms of the world
As they rage in ignorance
And betrayal
Welcome haven stands
A tower of strength
Renewed with each battle
Empowered with each conflict
Safe
Secure
Sanctuary

© Fergus Martin
2012


Sunday 25 November 2012

Winter Blossom

Treetops glisten with the sprinklings of fairy dust
As breath of winter falls upon the frosted fields
Flowing rivers becalmed as winter overpowers them
Crystal covered gardens flower with blossom white.

A silken carpet underfoot, undisturbed a winter blanket
Melting to the touch create an atmosphere of calm
Muffled sounds of winter creep slowly through the air
Welcome greeting cards in every field and garden

How such gently falling flowers
So delicate, pristine and pure
Can with such calm, persuasive, strength
Force a halt on all that moves around

Carpet lying there becomes a barrier to climb
Carefully crafted layers unite with strength imbued
Momentary joy at the wisp of wonderment
Turns in time to thoughts of menace and foreboding

Grinding to a halt the machinations of humanity
With such ease they slide and drift and hold
Blocking arteries with ease it leaves us stranded
Breeds inane bewilderment at the chaos that ensues

How these gently falling blossoms
Pure and frosted pallor to the eye
Can halt the wheels of industry
With such a gentle touch

© F Martin
2012

Saturday 24 November 2012

The Traveller

Tired is the traveller, tired of the detours,
the diversions.
Endless directional changes
for no apparent reason.
Tired of returning to the
same
lonely
point in the road,
The same fork, forever leading back
to the same
lonely
spot.

That singular moment in time
when the paths led somewhere,
but not now.
Roads that lead to nowhere
once promised rainbows at their end.
But the opportunity to choose
was lost
And dissipates slowly with
each beat of the heart,
each sweep of the hand
on its circular path
a constant reminder that the traveller is
no
further
forward.

Constantly searching for
a new path
a new way
a new life.

Truth arrives at its destination unexpectedly.

“This life that you chose,
that you travelled,
that you maintained;
is of your making.
Yours alone,
through your decisions
This is what you are,
this is what you made.
The journey begins now.”

© Fergus Martin
2012

Friday 23 November 2012

Above and Below

Above

Approaching the planet they cut power and drifted
Falling slowly through the thin atmosphere
Excitement abounded amongst they crew
As they trembled in anticipation and fear
Fear of the unknown and what they would find
Anticipation of being the first to arrive
Proud that they’d set foundations for empire
A future in space that would sprout and survive

Initial vibrations calm and raise the mood to euphoria
Months in the planning to get to this moment of joy
All systems checked they can relax for a short time
Rejuvenate and consolidate bask in their glory, enjoy
Many tasks lie ahead before they can begin the construction
A new life in the stars for their people, educated and wise
Launch of the lander, on a mission to sample, test and decide
Scanning the surface, movement catches the eyes

Scanning, re-scanning, metallic eye roams the cratered vista
Was there really a movement out there or just a trick of the light
Pausing the lander’s path, they are convinced that they saw
Shadowy figures on the horizon as the stars shine so bright
Confusion reigns with the relisation the mission could be lost
On this solitary rock, where they believed life was dead
Unarmed, defenceless against inhabitants aggression
Quietly, subtly, the voices begin to cry out inside their heads

Panic, sheer uncontrolled panic spreads throughout the visitors
“Is this the end of their dream, their mission, their very existence/”
Slowly, surely, clarity comes with the thought, one of welcome
Of peace, and of fear of just what the visitor’s intent is
Realisation that communication can be achieved 
Leads to compromise, the reality that the planet is alive
Frantic urgent pleading leads to the only real solution
“Leave now and prove that we are worthy and wise!”

Below

As they watched from the dust covered surface
The object descended slowly through space
Expressionless eyes gazed upwards in wonder and fear
Watching the shape fall from the night without pace
Flickering thoughts passed from one mind to another
Anxiety reigned sentient in the lives underground
Fear of this thing on their planet unwelcomed
Their future survival at threat as the shape touches down

They watched in silence as the strange craft lay so silent
Dust settling down on the surface, they wait for some sign
A flickering, a movement, an indication of what may occur
Nervous palpations echo through receptive linked minds
Watching as the silence returns calm to planetary surface
Waiting, ever silent, without movement, silent surveillance
Whilst underground dwellers twist nervously in anticipation
And then the object is ejected from the bowels of deliverance

Watching, ever watching, as the object moves around the dusted rocks
Stopping suddenly, they freeze, fearing detection in every sinew
Time passes all too slowly as they realise they have been discovered
Horrifically and swiftly, messages from one mind to the colony flew
“Still, be still, wait, do nothing, we cannot be sure, we must hope”
Confusion flies and catches fire amongst the peaceful habitat
They are no fighters, but finally a message to all is delivered
One planetary thought strikes out soulful and vibrant

Panic, sheer uncontrolled panic spreads throughout the colony
“Is this the end of their race, their planet, their very existence?”
Slowly their though permeates the mind of the unwelcomed visitors
“Welcome, peace, we are here, you have no need to fear us
Slowly thoughts ricochet back and understanding becomes reality
First contact with another race, the visitors from above respond
An answer that is welcome comes from the those not like them
“We will leave you now, we return to where we came from”

© Fergus Martin
2012