Mark Andrew Harley

She came to me
At winter’s end
A hopeless search
A longed-for friend

She came to me
Through endless rain
To hold my hand
And smile again

She came to me
As songbirds sing
And bluebells sound
The rise of Spring

She came to me
Dark riders mount
And saddle Earth
With a morbid count

She came to me
And the world unwound
But my heart runs free
For this girl I found

I see them all
Behind a wall
No relation
Separation

I hear them call
Beyond the wall
Out of bounds
Distant sounds

I need to touch
A hand to clutch
Feel neglect
Disconnect

You must be there
But who know's where?
Hard to find
Walking blind

I feel the loss
A wooden cross
Love denied
Crucified

Change the norm
From a winter storm
To a warming sun
Has Spring begun?

A fairer face
And a quicker pace
With a lighter touch
From nil to much

Remove a layer
But leave it there
For the sting of frost
Is not yet lost

Confetti blossom
Makes it awesome
Hibernation cuisine
In shades of green

Second quarter
Shadows shorter
Mating call
Lifts us all

This newcomer
Prequels summer
Joy returns
And dims concerns

Darkness yields
To vibrant fields
Scents and sounds
Of life abounds

Food to eat
Bitter sweet
Winter’s test
Heading west

The world stands still
Without a sound
Then silence speaks
Its ceaseless round

Between the ears
Beyond the mind
In a tongue unknown
To all mankind

The voice is loud
Inside my head
Its message deep
In words unsaid

Eternal choir
Insomniac
An endless song
My backing track

A stream of sound
Complexity
In overtones
Relentlessly

Unfathomable
Majestic scope
From lips unseen
A voice of hope

It overwhelms
Intensifies
Sweeps me away
From earthly ties

This silent song
So sweetly sings
Unthinkable
Unearthly things

I dive in deep
And feel the force
Disintegrate
Return to source

Tame the beast
Become a priest
Suppress the flow
A path of woe

Raise vibration
Quit flirtation
Re-location
My damnation

Avoid temptation
Deny sensation
Ignore pulsation
Seek deflation

Face frustration
Try sedation
Extend duration
Against creation

The strongest urge
For two to merge
Won’t be denied
I know, I’ve tried!

Saturday coping
Sunday hoping

Matched on Monday
Attached by Tuesday
Scratched on Wednesday
Detached by Thursday
Despatched on Friday

Admit defeat
Then repeat ...

Chocolate brown
Furry face
Gentle clown
Silent grace

Prancing hound
Toothy grin
Makes no sound
Let’s me in

Loves to dine
All things vile
No dish declined
A guilty smile

Likes to share
Fragrant breath
If you dare
Certain death

Tender paw
Fashion cone
Mustn’t gnaw
Lying prone

Family heart
Sleeping more
Time to part
A distant shore

Life must end
We all cried
Our best friend
Maggie died

Creative spark in verse one
Get up and run
Having such fun
Work to be done

Vision matures in verse two
Plenty to chew
No longer new
Seeing it through

Tenacious push in verse three
A reckless decree
Down on one knee
How long will it be?

Despair greets verse four
A miserable chore
Unwinable war
Don’t know what it’s for

Blind and lost in verse five
Devoid of all drive
Barely alive
Just need to survive

Surrendered verse six
Can’t find a quick fix
Solar eclipse
My crucifix

Taken up in verse seven
Past tearful begging
Divine bread is leaven
Completed in Heaven

Slow to zero
Summer's hero
Cold breeze
Cough sneeze

Staying home
Monochrome
Low light
Long night

Time to hide
Look inside
Stay warm
Late dawn

Endless shade
Colour fade
Nil by mouth
Flying south

Biting cold
Takes the old
Inner light
Lonely plight

Warning sign
Crystalline
Wind chill
Standing still

Forged in ice
Roll the dice
What remains
Broken chains

Make me strong
Right from wrong
Squeeze and sift
Winter’s gift

Cosmic
Pilot
Crown
Violet

Eyes
Aglow
See
Indigo

Speak
Chew
Sky
Blue

Love
Queen
Heart
Green

Lung
Bellow
Solar
Yellow

Sacral
Hinge
Primal
Orange

Earth
Thread
Root
Red

Her face is fair
Her form is free
Her reach is far
Yet close to me

She seems to know
Which way to go
A restless flow
From high to low

She’ll rearrange
Both big and small
A sea of change
She takes them all

A rippled face
Distracts the eye
Her sparkling grace
Reflects the sky

Drawn to light
In shades of grey
Wind-born flight
Descending spray

She gives and takes
The gift of life
Shifting shapes
Both salve and knife

Pulsing vein
Drowning lung
Wax and wane
Kissed and stung

Life’s elixir
Earth’s daughter
Atom mixer
Sacred water

I shout at the sky
And the birds passing by
Do they hear a sound
From the man on the ground?

I howl at the moon
Will daybreak come soon?
Lost in the night
Can’t tell wrong from right

I scream with the wind
They tell me I’ve sinned
What right has one brother
To sentence another?

I weep in the rain
To empty my pain
Wave after wave
The work of the brave

Beaten by wrath
I fall on my path
Naked unshod
Angry with God

She promised me tomorrow
So I waited in all day
Then tomorrow became yesterday
As I went out of my way
To offer explanations
Give the benefit of doubt
My mind is working overtime
I’m sure things will work out!

But my only guest is sadness
As the minutes run to hours
Next week slips to last week
And I throw away old flowers
The florist brings fresh roses
As beautiful as She
Am I smitten by this goddess
For all Eternity?

The art of self deception
Helps the weeks and months go by
Am I getting good reception
For that call to clarify
Why she just can’t meet today
Because her work is running late
But the weekend’s looking better
For that “almost” certain date ...

We speak of love
As something known;
Yet words can’t hold
What isn’t shown.

We think of love
The mind inquires;
But love won’t yield
To such desires.

We sing of love
And words stir up;
A sense of loss
An empty cup.

We wish for love
With all our acts;
And hope that love
Might fill the cracks.

Some pray for love
A higher power;
To bring us to
Deliverance hour.

Some beg for love
With hungry eyes;
They long to win
The greatest prize.

But those who love
And roam no more;
Can‘t take us to
Their distant shore.

The road to love
Is one man wide;
The destination
Deep inside.

The veil grows thin
From time to time
As Light pours in
I start to climb

Defences drop
I’m flying high
And just can’t stop
I breathe a sigh

The tensions ease
And tears flow free
As anger flees
Now I’m just Me

The joy wells up
From waters deep
And fills a cup
I cannot keep

Amongst the crowd
My cup is turned
Their fear is loud
My joy is spurned

But deep inside
This damaged boy
I just can’t hide
The man of Joy

What do you see
When you see me?
Surface skim
Fleeting prelim
Dismissed on a whim!

What do you hear
When I am near?
A distant plea
It’s you not me
We disagree!

What do you sense
Across the fence?
That separates
And clearly states
There are no gates!

What do you glean
Behind the screen?
Safety first
Deny your thirst
Unloved is worst!

What do you feel
I’m on your heal?
Passing stranger
Lone ranger
Signals danger!

What do you know
From what I show?
A shining light
I hide from sight
It shines too bright!

What can I say
To clear the way?
I’m standing tall
Prepared to fall
Invisible!

In
Nature‘s
Domain
I
Am
Neon

Petals
Alight
Illuminating
New
Tracks

Bright
Red
Under
Sunshine
Haze

Slowly sweetly
Day by day;
Summer‘s warmth
Just slipped away.

I held Her
In my arms awhile;
Danced enchanted
By Her smile.

But She so fickle
Faded fast;
Her hours grew short
Long shadows cast.

And after lighting
Up my day;
She fell as Fall
Takes all away.

I do not wish
To catch a fish;
To cruelly take
Her from the lake.

I have no wish
To fry a fish;
The fire I mind
Is warm and kind.

I would not wish
To eat that fish;
The flesh Divine
Is hers not mine.

But we could swim
In water’s cold;
Though she seems young
And I feel old.
And in the joy
Of playful fun;
The Truth might shine
That two are One.