Bryan Sefton

Elizabeth papers the walls of her mind
With cartoon characters of various kinds
Believe me, I tell you, there isn't much space
There's colour and laughter all over the place
...

Wheat fields full, a golden sheet
Spreads as far as the eye can see
Nature full beneath the ground
Full abundance on the tree
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We never tied ropes around each other
With fancy knots that said 'get out of that'
No locking of the door and hiding of the key
No lists of do's and dont's
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The friends, relations and neighbours have gone
With murmured condolences drifted away
Saying 'how sad' and 'a shame and 'ah well
The Sun's out it could be another fine day'
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Unknown to my Mother, for no one could see
You were born at the very same moment as me
Snail like I crawled and you did the same
Though you were unknown to my still forming brain
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You have shared with me the day. Now the day is done
The pointing finger of the clock has ticked and having ticked, moved on
And on my dear, through year after year
Summer after summer. Laughter after tear
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Spider spinning in a cold white skull
Putting an eye where there never was one
Putting ambition where there never was any
And reason, hanging by a thread
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Mrs Pearson doesn't know the cause of war
Why man should bring on man such devastation
Or bring a certain species to the brink of extinction
She can only shake her head and exclaim with sad regret
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Aye lad how I remember the time Sam had a boil
You'd ne'er a thought so small thing could cause us so much toil
Ya see we had this darts match the big one o' the lot
As Sam finds on his throwin arm a tiny little spot
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After the words uttered coldly
(Well there was no other way)
We stood and we looked at each other
Each having nothing to say
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There is a hole where he was
Not a hole in the ground
A superficial place
But a hole that hangs
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The huge dark eyes
The head tilted
The wide open stare
Waiting for an answer
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Every brick hit Harry
Every stone thrown
Every slight and every sneer
Ran Exoscet to his co-ordinates
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The sheep clenched between his knees
His hunched back bent as if to shield
It, not contain it. His hand opening
And closing, working the shears
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A poem is a hill you climb
Pleasantly rising through
Sunlit solitude
From down below
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I will not turn on the tv just to kill boredom
To have my mind stilled, thoughts killed
To give my meaningless moment purpose
The trivia running through my mind
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'Avast there, weigh anchor! '
Though he's never been to sea
He would have if he could have
Long ago when he was young
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Your face had shown no laughter
After you gave me the order
And off I went like a whippet
Skipping on my errand
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What reason, what reason
What possible reason, repeating over again
I sit by my fireside and gaze at the embers
I look and I ponder, not one can I find
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If I spread my arms to embrace the collective me that is this point in time
If I stretch my truth to its conclusion when speaking of this life of mine
If I seem taller than I stand and if my air is rather grand
Does anyone bleed because of it?
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