The River Runs Wild...(A Tale In 160 Characters)

The River Runs Wild...

(A Tale In 160 Characters) 

By Pete Marshall

The current flowed beyond the rocks

Where fish would dart and children stopped

And mothers would grieve on Parson's Lawn

As waters still flowed from dusk till dawn

for more tales in 160 visit monkeyman

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Sunken Dreams: A Poem From The My Struggle With Unemployment Series

Sunken Dreams: A Poem From The 

My Struggle With Unemployment Series

I sailed a barge of purest gold

That travelled far on clear blue seas

Aware of mists that followed stern

And ships that chased my golden dreams

In ports I berthed that welcomed me 

And treated me the conquering lord

But masks would hide my failing charms

As rot was all that lay onboard

The sea would roar beyond the cliffs

As winds blew dreams down empty streets

And beggars gathered in cardboard homes

As sweat and vomit masked excrete

A shadow fell on yesterday

As clouds crept in on stifled air

Alone inside I hid the truth

That stares down barrels fraught with fear

I came to rest where once I prayed

For here now lies my wasted years

And pass the stones that told my fate

As storms grew strong I battled tears

I stopped to smell my favourite bloom

That always flowered so fragrantly

But what’s the point, I broke its stem

Then turned and fled away from here.....

For those of you that have followed my journey there should always be hope, but I have lost some of that. I have a hearing set for unpaid bills which I now face with bated breath. I look at all I have and what I have given my family and I see it slipping away. My poem, Sunken Dreams, reflects this..

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image creative commons http://www.flickr.com/photos/dr-trix/

A Birthday Wish: A Poem From The My Struggle With Unemployment Series

Birthdays are times to rejoice but as adults we tend to reflect & dwell and none more so than when its your own birthday. This year I’m finding it tough.

Those of you that have followed my series will know how hard its been and as I face another year I can only reflect and look at my achievements, knowing that I am living on borrowed time as I worry about the mounting debts and keeping hold of my home.

Writing this series helps, it lets me purge and reflect, I also know it has helped others who are in the same predicament & as I write I secretly hope that this is where my future lies. But these are dreams and wishes to be had on a birthday cake?

The following poem, A Birthday Wish, explores my mood, my hopes, my concerns and my state of mind as another year passes me by

A Birthday Wish 

The morning sun rose in the sky
And soaked the dew within its rays
The snakes would slither across the path
And warm themselves in shallow graves.

A postman’s foot upon the drive
That caught my breath and signalled dreams
But youth has gone and doesn’t last
As bills replace the cards have been.

Another fleck of greying hair
That marks the face of yesteryear
But dreams are sought in hopeful eyes
As children wake to bring you cheer.

A smile spreads across your face
But deep inside you feel the pain
As gifts they bring are cherished thoughts
Of money spent that leaves a stain.

And hope is all but candles breath
That blows the flame of burning truth
We taste the cake of Antoinette
And gorge ourselves on wasted youth.

Whilst on the path the slugs will crawl
As damp and moss encroach your door
And snakes that bask within the warmth
Lay siege as debts hide in your drawer.

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Image Supplied Creative Commons http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevendepolo/3108269107/ 

The Grove: A Poem Dedicated To A Street Near You - From The Poems That Stand Alone And Stand Proud Collection

These streets that I walk down`
I know them so well
I’ve lived on these footpaths
And tasted their hell

Behind twitching curtains
And dog soiled paths
A mattress that's dumped
Stained with memories and laughs.

And kids wearing hoods
That cover their eyes
Hands in both pockets
But empty of life.

Amid sacks of rubbish
Where innocents play
Drowned by the noise
From vehicles all day

Mornings bring laughter
As school runs begin
Slapped made-up faces
Hide desperate things.
Billowing smoke
From the mums pushing prams
Throwing their smiles
With a fake golden tan.

And shouts heard from windows
Of partners in fight
Bereft of their boundaries
It goes on through the night.
Yet birds will keep singing
And cars drive on past
These streets that I walk down
And their dog soiled paths.

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