IN THE ARMS OF AN ANGEL:

Mantled from birth in angel´s arms,

Protected in life & shown its charms,

Promised succor, help always near,

Just a prayer away, they´d always hear.

The end was nigh, yet she felt no fear,

All she felt, was that someone was near,

Enfolding her tight in love´s strong arms,

Promising her that she´d come to no harm.

The long journey she must now undertake,

Leaving loved ones weeping at her sad wake,

She´ll tell them, “Never fear, I´m going home,

I am in the arms of angels, so I am not alone”.

She´s lifted softly from this life´s hardened bed,

Wings surrounding & a cool hand on her head,

Whispered words of solace from gossamer breath,

Protectors of all mortals, on the journey to death.

HEXED:

Bewitched, bothered & bewildered is he,

He´s tripped, tricked, trapped & all at sea,

Hexed by the witch, who only wanted a kiss,

Having refused her, his life was now all amiss.

The old hag loved him & she willed him to her,

But her spells didn’t work, of toad, claw & fur,

She danced neath the moon & chanted to the bat,

But he rushed past the hag, hidden behind his hat.

No wailing, no chanting, no spells around the fire,

No love within this youth, would ignite nor inspire,

So, from book of shadows & cauldron she devised,

Solutions to make him pay, for love that he despised.

This poor young man was now confused, lost & vexed,

Knew his life was wrong, but not that he´d been hexed,

While now the hag decided, to use all her spells reversed,

Determined to see her unrequited love, deep within the hearse.

WINE:

Nectar, ambrosia, pure love upon the vine,

Heavy droplet beads from gnarled bough entwined,

Give me wine, nectar of the Gods divine.

Give me ancient fruits of ferment, so that I may dine.

Bacchus at his orgies, with flagon at his side,

Banquets with Lords & Ladies, hobos on downward slide,

Sipping, gulping, quaffing, dribbling down the chin,

All drunk from golden goblet, crystal glass, carton & old tin.

With wafer in the church, by priest´s hand holy offered,

As Christ´s blood represented, sanctified & duly proffered,

Turned from merely water, from the great man, by himself,

Stored in vats & kegs, in cellars & bottles upon dusty shelf.

Crisp, white & biting, bubbled for jollity & toasting,

Red deep ruby, robust with blood of beast, hot & roasting,

Pink as delicate flamingo, etched on sunset sky,

Wine glorious wine, from God´s earth to vine & then vine to I.

LAW OF AVERAGES:

I am not very fat & I am not very thin,

I´m not very pale & not got dark skin,

I´m not very tall & neither very short,

I´m not very idle but I don´t do sport,

I´m not blonde, dark, nor have red hair,

I´m not shy, but would never do a dare,

Little miss average, a real little mouse,

Living incognito in my plain little house,

In law of averages, I´m plum in the middle,

Nothing of note, no enigma & no riddle,

No fortune & fame, no ambition, no gain,

Been told all my life, I´m ordinary & plain,

It´s fine by me, being miss average, just me,

Tiptoe through life, nothing to hear, nor see,

 Leaving no footprints, not a single little mark,

On edge of society, not in the light nor dark,

Floating through life like a whisper in the air,

Leaving folks asking, “Was she really ever here?

NUDGINGS:

Winter nudges old autumn away from sunlight,

Wolves turn from grey to the bite of snow white,

Dried fallen leaves nudged by snout-rooting boar,

Searching for old acorns beneath the onset of hoar,

Bears nudge stone walls of cold caves & dark lairs,

Fleas nudge warm bodies of hibernating long hairs,

Bees no longer drone, they slow down to a crawl,

As mists blanket the land & the snow starts to fall,

Raindrops nudge branches & sad dripping boughs,

The earth to the Goddess, has made ancient vows,

When the shiftings, driftings & nudgings stay still,

When all´s deeply asleep beneath forest, field & hill,

And all appears dead & forlorn, beneath icy cold frost,

Within our ancient breasts, we know nothing is lost,

And while over land & sea, hushed icy winds blow,

Deeply, soil nudges seed, who again starts to grow,

With tickling & urging, again the universe gives birth,

Through the nudging of soil, life returns to fecund earth.