Poetry Series
Oliver Brookshore
- poems -
2
Oliver Brookshore (13/4/1990)
Birth, School, Life, Death...
3
10 Stories High
I write upon the back
of a bus ticket
upon a table littered
with empty bottles and
cigarettes smoked.
I light my smoke, the
music blares and the
girls are kissing the
boys.
I pause, I reflect
upon my
reflections. I am alone.
I am king of my
empty world. I write.
I am soothed. Cars move
past my hotel room below.
And I turn a bus ticket
to write in order to soothe
my soul.
I am haunted and
unwanted by the friends
that surround me.
I am liberated but alone in my kingdom.
Serfs are happy
but kings, miserable.
To be or,
not to be, I am not that king.
To write or
not to write,
that is the question.
Oliver Brookshore
4
A Perfect Day
They are watching waiting in the crowd
Thoughts so strong almost aloud
Waiting for a soul to meet them here
Being left alone a constant fear
Come for the day hope to be fun
Things on their mind yet to be done
Are they really being them self?
Skin brought on conformist wealth
It will end in pleasure it will end in pain
This time next week they will do it again
Ten minutes late but forgotten the grief
Your here at last a sign of relief
Escape to a place where we are alone
A room crowded with people all a clone
what shall we do no one can see
for an hour and a half we are free
It's time to end this perfect day
Sit and watch it drip away
What's it for wont stay the same
An urge controlled not by the brain
Presence that is only fit for two
Puzzled why their frowns are few
This square on which this world dose lie
Has caused a inner soul to wither and die
But it's not my place hear to condemn
As I look across I'm one of them
Oliver Brookshore
5
A Tribute To An Unknown Poem, By A Poet Unknown
As the children sat in the playground
And the rain plummeted to the ground
A little boy mustered the courage
To grasp onto a little girl’s hand,
‘I love you’ the little boy told her
He’d heard the words whispered before
‘I’m going to love you forever’
The little boy added just that bit more
The little girl smiled and grabbed his hand back
Neither realised the meaning of this
As a little boy smiled and remembered the day
As they shared a chaste first kiss
As time lurched unstoppably forward,
The little girl grew up too fast
The girl had become a young woman
She’d turned 16 at last
As romance swept her right off her dainty young feet,
A little boy stood solemnly there,
It seems times effect had changed the boy too,
Yet the girl was still his only care
She had other loves,
She had other boys,
Who were richer and stronger then him,
As the awkward young boy,
Played the part of a friend,
Persistent, he didn’t give in
While football team captains,
Rising baseball stars,
Won the affections of a girl that was his,
He locked hope away,
He threw in the towel,
He worked hard alone in his room,
She partied and danced,
Had fun with her friends
Yet the boy had none to call his own,
He just played his guitar,
With headphones plugged in,
She looked down from the high prom queen throne
She left off to college, and followed did he
And still to him she didn’t belong,
But he was always their, played the role of a friend,
Helping when things would go wrong,
Yet one day in April, it all fell apart
He didn’t respond to her call,
She ran to his house, and yet he couldn’t come
As she cried and slammed her fists on his door
And as she ran home, tears stinging her face
The heat, she just couldn’t bear
Yet as she cried to the music, in the dark by herself
6
She realised how he was always there
Three days without sleep,
Locked away in her room
To her: a cell more then a home,
To the emotionless beat
She wept to herself
As she lay in the dark all alone
She screamed at the door
At those who would knock,
But this time it did not abide,
For as the key clicked into the lock
And the door swung ajar
Light broke the purposeful shade
They carried her out,
Took her into a car
Where she collapsed
And was carried away
While the words tore her open
And she screamed
And she cried
As she heard of him dying that day
Yet her eyes dried up
And began to glaze over
While emotion
Was draining away
For that day when she cried
And screamed at his door
From the roof
His body did sway
The crisp shell of her body,
Passed through into his room,
For the dark thoughts within her mind
Continued to exhume
The blood within her being
Pumped feeling into her heart
For as she laid eyes on the walls
She was blinded by the art
Photos littered on the floor,
All of them of her
Her named penned into his desk
I love you, written before
Portraits of her in his books,
With poems across the page
She realised he had loved her
From a very early age
Tender years he had spent
Pouring soul into this room
Anecdotes burned into each wall
Empty bottles of her perfume
7
Each hinge within her being
Unloosed within a moment
For the sight that she was seeing
Was sensually potent
Self hatred evident,
Within each jealous fueled exhibit
His room a showcase of jealousy,
With traces of inadequacy
The notebook found within his arms
Delicately held and treasured
Each page meticulously outlying
The failings that he measured
The guilt within her built,
As she read each evaluation
Between each crush and himself
She felt the dull sensation
Each page she seemed to turn
Elicited a gasp
For each page that she read
Made her realise that she loved him at last
Oliver Brookshore
8
An Evening Sonnet
As the bloodshot eyed sun sets over a busy city
Alone in a quiet park, beneath crawling clouds
Two new born lovers lie folded in each others arms,
Hands of time become paralysed and still,
Minutes and hours come together just as their lips meet,
A distant bird's courting song is hardly heard
As her ear is filled with a lovers whisper,
Both their hearts meet almost as one,
Arms embrace and legs entwine pleading never to part
Kisses slowly slow down but ever still so sweet
Open eyes that once saw the sun set, now see the moon rise
Two hands that were made a perfect fit hold each other close
And left with a kiss, his smile will stay
Heaven mustn’t be far away.
Oliver Brookshore
9
An Old Reprise
Anticipation.
The shattered silence of an awkward phrase being uttered,
quickly to fill voids, invisible.
Shivers eliciting the single, uncanny reaction needed to feed your addiction.
The addiction that
sustains,
prolongs,
and provides enough to continue the facade.
Anxiety.
Waves coursing through veins,
the weight pushing down through the head and finally sitting in the stomach.
And as the weight of the stomach drags your body to a chair,
and your feet rest heavy upon the floor.
And as the waves course through your veins,
the whiskey follows as your glass drains and the ice is left melting.
You’re here again, with the music playing,
and the people are talking,
and the ice melts.
You are alone in a crowded room.
Oliver Brookshore
10
Baby
Velvet ribbon against new born skin
Rich, soft and so full of life
An aura hangs above the crib
Sounds muffled by visions so pure
The steady heart beat rings through the infants mind
Instinct knows it's safe near mother’s chest
Wrapped in a towel and covered in love
Will this be the child who rises above?
Clean of thought, white like a dove
Nothing to be tainted
Or damaged by greed
Will this be the child that every one will need?
Oliver Brookshore
11
Baby 2
Dark (scarlet) velvet ribbon against sweet newborn skin
Rich, soft and so full of life
An aura hangs above the crib
Sounds muffled by visions so pure
The heartbeat rings through the infant’s joyful mind
Instinct knows its safe near mother’s chest
Wrapped in a towel, covered in love
Will this be the child be one who rises above?
Such an innocent mind, soul white like a dove
Nothing to be tainted
Or damaged by greed
How long, uncorrupted, will this child be?
Oliver Brookshore
12
Being Alone
What do you do when your world has turned into ice, and the Summer is coming?
When the castle you store your memories in turns to sand and you have no where to
hide?
Left barren out in the open, alone, only fitting in and existing because you have to.
O how they would cry if I left, the misery it would cause, another burden.
I can not live, I can not die, a lizard trapped in a hole,
And the world outside is large carnivorous beast bearing it's resent less teeth.
Starvation is the only means for survive
To stay down and not move, not to jump or breath, no freedom
It's not your fault, it's mine
Everyone around me has everyone around them, 'look but don't touch'
Are they truly happy? If at all is anyone happy?
Why must they hide this joy, and this laughter from us?
Or did we loose it our selves, in our shallow lives?
Only to be found by children.
A child's laugh, a world's happiness, they are the ones truly happy
Everything new, no expectations, nothing tainted, a different world, not ours
We don't belong there, for what’s theirs is what we've lost;
Time, love, joy, happiness, innocence, innocence, innocence...
And then with time, it must be lost
And once again we become alone.
Oliver Brookshore
13
Blank Stairs
Why must we feel depressed?
Why must it’s thick cloud suppress us, suffocating
Pummelling us into a muted sense of anger
There is danger in anger, and life on the line
Don’t speak, can’t listen, It’s there
It consumes us, and devours our tarnished emotions
Turning what we know and love to hate.
There is no escape, there is no escape
Escape...
Oliver Brookshore
14
Blood and Oil
Blood and oil lapped the shore
Filling every desperate pore
What a sight no child should bare
Open bodies everywhere
Cry’s of men who’ve lost it all
Read the writing on the wall
Ignore the life of a man
Grab your guns up by the hand
Picture his face in your head
His grieving wife still lies in bed
A fellow man that you just slew
See him again when It’s through
Will this make your country proud?
Will they sing your name out loud?
Creating death we are through
Silly war we’re done with you
Bringer of the pain I feel,
Tell me none of this is real,
Wipe the blood from off my hands,
Men lie under foreign sands,
If they make it back alive,
Will there sanity survive?
Veterans, shining medals on,
Glinting in the sunlight shone,
Children gazing up in awe,
But will they have to join this war?
And will they make our country proud?
Will we sing their names out loud?
Too many lies already told,
Too many lives already sold,
Its time for you to stand and fight,
War is such a bloody sight,
Creating death, I am through,
Silly war, I'm done with you!
Oliver Brookshore
15
Calliope
In this room we sit, rules of Chronos are broken
Our bodies leak and drip with ideas,
Thankfully they caught in heavily painted floral teacups
Overflowing they spill on the floor.
You notice my every movement,
Your eyes are loud, they hurt my ears
But you’re heard above the din
We are listening,
Shall we escape with our yellow finger nail tickets…
Tiny winged creatures danced across swirling steps
And whispered secretes of a forgotten time to my ear,
Word’s of Hermes on their tiny tongues.
Poseidon and Davey Jones argue about ‘the one that got away’
For years this night will stay,
You write a sermon on the back a cigarette
It’s burnt just as you forget,
Open a window and let in the sun
The night grows cold
The fire is low
And the embers of time are old
With the breath of Aeolus
A fire shall rage
“Love’s fire heats water, water cools not love”
Forgotten poets are remember tonight
We still hear their words and thoughts,
Tonight
We can understand their woes,
Tonight
We ask them,
Tonight
We join them.
Oliver Brookshore
16
Child
Welcome to your life little girl
Brought up under a dark spell
Your face shone like a spring day
So why is your mind so grey?
No one knows, not asking why
You pull your socks up so high
Why your hugs are so warm and needing
Your pony tail, so misleading
Your life is a nightmare, no one knows
They look at you, it never shows
You smile, nod and curtsy too
With parents looking down at you
Please don't cry you’re self to sleep
You promised not to make a peep
Your little heart is made of gold
Keep it close before it’s sold
You never do, you will get no rest
Till you draw your final breath
At last now child you are free
In a place where you can be
To live in peace and eternal bliss
You can sleep, rest for evermore
Oliver Brookshore
17
Children
Babies are so silly, they entertain me much
They often like to throw things, which hit me in the crutch
So sweet in their little cots, when they are sleep
But when you go to pick them up, boy they really reek!
Their devilish little smiles, make them seem so cute
But when they’ve finished breakfast, then they like to puke
And when you have thought, that was quite enough
They put your keys in the toilet, and make it go flush
And why do they always, make a lot of noise
When their mouths are so small, compared to girls and boys
The horrid things they do, are enough to drive you up the wall
Actually as a matter of fact, I don’t like babies, very much at all
Oliver Brookshore
18
Exams
I’m so nervous; there is no way I can relax
I’m so tense that I’ve been biting through my lip,
I can breathe through it
I bleed and the blood drips down my chin
Onto the floor below,
This is where I belong
In a room where
The light reflects my mood.
Oliver Brookshore
19
Fire Light (A Virgin’s Dance)
Fingers dance over a crying flame as
A tiny sunburnt goddess makes love to blackened skin
Through a flesh window, blood does see
She’s burning in the cool night air which this light is melting in
She puts on show for all to hide in the dark,
With this lonely midnight serenade still slowly burning low
And entranced by all those who steal a sight
Will be captured in her shining wonder, of this vixen’s glow
In the ghostly silence of night, a virgin flame cries
A soul dies
A lover lies
And a sunburnt goddess tries to light the room
Her voice echoes through our minds
We see it at night, when the moon is asleep and the stars are quiet,
Her burning body reflects our mood
Lay down in the corner, the world will come to you
The pungent smell of death hangs in the air
When her light can no longer breathe
It's pain leaks out as the smoke rises
Rising rising, got to keep on rising
Oliver Brookshore
20
Freedom
Colours turn to sounds, shadows turn to dust
The air that we breathe crumbles into rust
Heaven and hell, collide all into one
Out comes creation, spawn of the very son
If it was so then this life was meant to be
For why is it trying to imprison me?
Just wrap me up and put me into bed
For without my freedom, my soul is dead
Oliver Brookshore
21
Gone
Gone are the beaches
On the edge of this land
Cold dark cement, now replaces the sand,
The outback has died, the diggers grow old
The bush is now wilted, Australia’s been sold
Where are the Sheila’s? The Blokes? And the lads?
Our old Aussie spirit now lays in foreign hands
Where are the protectors? Where have they gone?
Who will preserve the great aussie son?
Infested by critics, they hide in our land
No pride and no spirit, no truth to be had
Like termites they crawl
Destroying our soul
They lead us astray, away from our goal
Propaganda they spread
Against all that many hold true
Against the spirit of digger’s, the heart of true blue
Where are the protectors? Where have they gone?
Who will preserve our once great aussie son?
Just a jar on the wall, our pride locked in a box
Barely living and breathing, its pulse fades with time
We’re held by their mercy, our sense of self rots
By high cultured, rich capots, who slowly sip lime
They contribute nothing, just constantly whine
While we’re chained to our desks, we work over time
Australia’s malnourished, were just skin and bone
Who will protect us? Where have they gone?
Who will now work in the hot aussie son
Our heart is now failing, Time’s slipping away
Where is the hero? Who’ll save the day?
But maybe there are some
Who’ll stand up and fight
They roar at the cauldron
On a cold Wednesday night
They call themselves Aussies
Dressed in proud green and gold
Cold corporations are blocking the road
But that doesn’t stop them, it cannot be done
Nothing can slow a true aussie son
Oliver Brookshore
22
Goodbye
As naked children
We kiss and run away
As lovers we say “I love you”
And turn around, not looking back
Both cry…
Why?
Oliver Brookshore
23
Happiness
What is happiness and where dose it belong?
I have sought it for so very long
Always just out of my reach
And entered in other peoples speech
A line not apparent on my chest
I never do other peoples best
Maybe a neighbour, with a very high fence
Or clotted inside me, feeling tense
Like a sinful apple, just to far
Or shoulders touching a chin up bar
Or has it packed its bag and left this town
With his foes we shall all drown
Misery, isolation and hatred too
There nothing left for us to do…
Oliver Brookshore
24
He
He is home, down comes the door
Broken glass littered the floor
No mean for his yelling that’s causing pain
On the receiving end it all sounds the same
Kids sit there screaming not knowing what’s rite
There something about the beating, given to his wife
Windows are shattered broken hearts with them to
A family is broken what can they do
Little feet come in running, running with fear
Hands over ears not wanting to hear
Collect it up and put in the bin
Covered up in side, covered up within
Nothing was said nothing was done
Nothing was honoured nothing was won
There’s a yearning inside to find a place that’s rite
Where you can go to sleep not dreading the night
To wake up in the morning and walk out side
And not think of scars you have to hide
Where words are spoken instead of a yell
Where home is a haven and not a hell
No child should live through these unspeakable acts
Or bare the burden of drunken attacks
Oliver Brookshore
25
His Bridge
Intricate pin pricks,
Make up the whole,
All play their part,
In the rape of a soul,
For each little word,
Each sentence you said,
Burdened the boy,
With unbearable dread,
The water was rushing,
The rain didn’t end,
As he sat on the edge
Of the bridge; his old friend
For as the wind blew through his hair
And as the rain spat in his face,
The boys body went limp,
As he now knew his place
The heat washed away,
As his became clear,
He had finally fell,
And ended his fears…
Oliver Brookshore
26
If
If I were a garden, would you water me?
If I were a letter, would you open me?
If I were a child, would you adore me?
If I sang would, you applaud me?
If I were a rose, would you pick me?
If I were broken, would you fix me?
If I were there, would you feel me?
If I were a song, would you hear me?
If I were lost, would you find me?
If I were cold, would you warm me?
If I were ceased, would you morn me?
If I were lips, would you kiss me?
If I were gone would you miss me?
If you were an angel, would you shine above me?
If I were yours...
Oliver Brookshore
27
Intrance
Lyrics drip from the front man’s mouth
Cast in a daze, a state of sub consciousness
Oblivious to all but the sound of a screaming guitar,
Light shines from up above casting a shadow on the floor
The band plays till they can stand no more,
A screaming fan yells a message of pure admiration
Singer paused, looks to the sky for inspiration
As possessed as one may be, his mind joins the crowd
Then an explosion of sounds emerge from a tortured amp
The air filled with the spirits of rock gods
They carved seats from the amazement of the crowd
A message sent and received is kept in their hearts for ever
Swaying of thousands to a rhythmic beat
A wave of hush was swallowed as the is tempo changed
Now emotions were washed upon thousand who listened
Emotions that filled every soul
Now their departure, a stairway lit
Remembered forever on that infinite night
Lives of those who were there, changed
A memory not to be forgotten but to for fill
This is the power which will create peace
Form bonds, and fuel walls of frustration
A harmonic sound herd by those who sought it
A longing cured by satisfying need
This is all; now take this moment, don't waste it
Keep it for your self and share it among followers
With in you it is kept safe from harm
Now go
Oliver Brookshore
28
Lonely Rider
Riding on the way to know where
Hopes and dreams are lost some where
Letting your sprit run free
Fuel tank is running empty
Let us hear your engine heave
Through the night your baby weaves
Let us hear that grumbling roar
Devil know what you stand for
Wicked grin beneath your moustache
A heart of gold but cursed with no cash
A leather jacket to keep you warm
The road a head is always torn
Unspoken love from your child
The way you live heavy wild
A wife at home bothers you
Go to sleep it now is through
Now you can ride all night
And head towards the fire light
No one to hold you back
Hail the sky a tortured black
Let us hear your engine heave
Through the night your baby weaves
Let us hear that grumbling roar
Devil know what you stand for
Oliver Brookshore
29
Longing
I have no one at my side to keep me warm
Where are you when I feel torn?
No one to love me when I feel sad
No one to calm me when I feel mad
No one to lie next to me
Whisper, tell me what you see
I want to play with your hair
Look in to my eyes look and stare
Your eyes will get me though the day
Then at night we will play
You will teach me how to love
Tell me of the stars above
But this is just a dream of you
Of the thoughts and things that we'll do
This hole's been growing form the start
Come to me and fill my heart
Open my eyes and your not there
How much of this longing can I bare?
Oliver Brookshore
30
Lost Innocence
A thought inside a child’s mind
More true then any man's word
A thought to base your feelings on
A cry that's never herd
Eyes hide a mind that can’t be expressed
But comes around with rage
Eyes join the line towards the sky
As time turns another page
The place to rest that’s never known
That’s sought out to the gate
The place were we all know
Will end a child's fate
So come and express your cherished love
And a face whose heart will show
So come and know this soul god missed
And hear her last hello
Oliver Brookshore
31
Love and True Love
Love is often in the air
True love is in the heart
Love always comes together
True love never falls apart
Love ignores all the lies
True love know the truth
Love is the reason
True love is the proof
Love keeps you warm at night
True love keeps you awake
Love is real what you see
True love is never ever fake
Oliver Brookshore
32
Love of the Ocean
Waves lap the shore as hands caress skin
Tides crash as bodies’ heave
Swell tumbles as lips meet
Sand is drawn in as hair is pulled
Land and sea become one as bodies entangle
When the moon sets and the tided settles
Lovers subdue and time slows to a crawl
Oliver Brookshore
33
Love?
Sigh, be I found my truest love?
But be held back by shallowness
Ahh but the soul of a white dove
To whom my deeds shall I confess?
Thou hast granted me many pleasures
And I have loved thee as a lover would
But alas, be there other richer treasures
My entire body would adore thee ifst could
Time spent with thee outdoes heaven
And this I most certainly want to believe
Mayhap our feelings are mutual and even
Truest love? How could that idea conceive?
Time will be the final judge
Who seems to be for all of love
Oliver Brookshore
34
Loved Ones
For a week now things have been strange
I’ve been staying with Aunty Christy
She’s been crying all week, I’ll plat her hair
Where are they to pick me up?
We’re going to church but it’s not a Sunday
There are people in the garden, maybe it’s a picnic
I’m not wearing black, am I meant to be here?
I don’t know these people, why are they sad?
Someone’s dug a hole have they lost something?
Strange men lower a box in to this hole
There’s a picture of them on the box isn’t that silly
Maybe I will see them soon…
Oliver Brookshore
35
Midnight Love
A lone street lamp who loves a park bench at midnight
They belong together underneath its light
A lost shadow is a horrible site
Turn out lights
It’s the end of the night
Oliver Brookshore
36
Mystics
Sun and moon entwine in a tranquil dance
Light from both sides envelope each other
Oh let the stars gallop away across a slivery road
And when the sun comes out to find them
Watch as they hide in the shadows of the moon
Fields of dust scattered upon the universe
Grains of time loom in every soul’s hourglass
A door to the mind opened and left a jar
Enter, come in, the end is not far
Sunrise, the sun’s lazy eye opens to greet us
Feed us with warmth as a mother nurses a child
You are the bringer of day and slayer of night
Awaken the morning birds who rest by your foe
Let us heed your almighty glow
And what be of this mighty foe?
Tears of peace spill down her fluorescent cheek
Misunderstood feared by the fickle and weak
Loved by attracted souls, the presence you create
Do not fear gentle giant, sleep in your eternal rest
Now down below it all, the abundance of life grows
Silence of a lapping shore, the river of life flows
Like a songbird drifts, silently, through the night
From its wings falls the harmonious delight
The birth of the worlds was strong, a bond broken not for long
Oliver Brookshore
37
Ol’ Drake
Ol’ Drake was born with a thunderin' clap
The night was cold and the sky was pitch black
The devil smiled, ‘my work hears is done’
The child’s eyes opened and shone like the sun
From every where they gathered, their hearts filled with fear
For they all knew that old drake was hear
As he grew and time washed past
He knew he would rule at last
Guided under tainted wing
He learnt where the harpies sing
Dreams were lit and burnt to ash
Dread was worn on unmarked sash
Valleys deep and echoed low
Souls passed on the lava flow
Filled with hatred, is he
Armageddon, is near
Pain and suffering, will see
Deaths destruction, will hear
On his throne he sat, looking down below
He was king, of this horrid plateau
What could be done to stop this sin?
Would old Drake ever give in?
Many tried to bring him down
In his torture, they did drown
Those who fled didn’t get far
The devil knows where you are
Oliver Brookshore
38
Parralel Existence
Tight red lips,
Milk white skin,
Softly spoken words,
Slowly penetrate him
He holds her so closely
As his heart starts to race
His hand moves on its own
To where it’s perfectly placed
As his hand reaches hers
He breathes in again
As he gently embraces
His most cherished possession
She gets pulled in closer
Her head rests on his chest
And they lie there in silence,
In absolute bliss
As the delicate moment,
Frozen in time; is ideal,
Perfections achieved
In the emotions he feels
Her face, a picture of absolute beauty
This story; a tale of undescribale joy
Of a love surviving the test of time
A regular tale of a girl and a boy
Oliver Brookshore
39
Peeping Tom
Lying low but glowing strong
The room is dry but not for long
Undress your self what a sight
Wash your body with my light
Soak away all your fear
Describe to me your mind unclear
Sink your self into a bath
Skin a door way, water a path
Tell me do you feel unclean
A naked soul I have seen
Moist towel cast on the floor
Hear a knock upon your door
There’s a hurried scramble to switch me off
Don’t show your body too pure and soft
I’m here for you all the time
Spill your secrets into me
No diversions you are mine
You show your body openly
You have finished and time is done
The morning is near and so it the sun
Now to face up the worlds tomorrow
Fill up your life with its sorrow
Oliver Brookshore
40
Poem of Poems
Alone one day, in the hollow depths of despair
I found my self screaming, “The world, it isn’t unfair! ”
With my head sunk into my hands, as if they were asleep
I staggered, cried, and started to hoffel and then began to weep
A typical tale of a love that’s learnt to fail, for times like these are hard
If it was up to me, to look and see, I would draw the final card
But apparently it was not meant to be, and a something caught my mind
What ever it was, a good head told me, this something was hard to find
This thing it hit me, and knocked off my feet
But then it got me thinking, so I stood up and took a seat
I grabbed a pen from off my desk, and found some paper to
Instantly I started writing, this thing I had to do
It took me on a pathway, to find my heart and soul
Time wasn’t even present, a sign of no control
I told this piece of paper every thing I knew
This ball point pen really showed me, what I could do
All the feelings that were built up inside my chest
Were here in front of me, finally put to rest
It could rhyme, it could feel, as long as it’s expressed
A yearning you have deep inside, that’s got to be addressed
It’s as easy as that can’t you see, what I’m on about?
This living thing that moves us, runs and plays with doubt
It’s been swooned and yelled and barked and yelped, and howled to the sea
A living thing in side us, that we call poetry
Oliver Brookshore
41
Portrait Of Chaos
With the balance within the world reverberating from nature’s onslaught against the
travesty of man
Justice, not found in courts of law, wreaked upon the lives and homes of violent men,
and silent victims
Mighty Storms trapping gangs, like the animals they hunted, leaving them hollow and
broken
Imagine death speared upon memories, as chaos sets in, retribution for those without
a voice.
Oliver Brookshore
42
Prelude to Songbird
Bullfrog crocks in the midnight rain
Dueted by a passing crane
Seeds of water run down a fallen oak
Brought on by the Bullfrogs croak
A soaken land and a sodden mind
Come, it’s time for us to begin
The black rain of night calms our red desert’s heat
The screaming red dust turns to mud at our feet
This noise filled silence, like a layered Pink Floyd song
Nature's Tears know where they are to belong
As the Air circles the nestling trees above
We hear the Songbird
We hear of its love
To fly to the Nightmother and caress upon her cheek
To swoon the night, tell out your name!
“I am the Songbird and tonight I shall dance
A serenade with my heart whom you hold dear
May I have this dance my prince and I shall sing you my song
A tune my heart rests on, with you where it belongs
Take my hand and come with me
Together in this ballroom sky, let us my love, be free
Beneath the Midnight Sun, where newborn clouds run
Our time goes by on the backs of stars
Take me to Venus, Jupiter and Mars.”
Well done my child Songbird
You have a golden soul
For when you sing you calm us all with your lullaby
Resonate your wings’, echoes from your mind
You are a Songbird my child, tell us what you find
Oliver Brookshore
43
Punks
Here we are strictly second class
Spend all day sittin on my ass
Dont help us were alrite
Always looking for a fite
Sleepin in detention
It was worth it for atention
We know what you think of us
And we frankly couldnt give a toss!
Sleep a night in the park
We only like it when its dark
Ive got tons of atitude
My ol mum even says im rude
I keep my boots on the desk
Think im better then the rest
So you think you are cool?
Then why waste your time staying in school!
We'll take a nip of a bottle o' rum
We go out and try to have some fun
Prowl the streets late at night
Always try to start a fight
Im dangerous and perilous
Im just a low down thug
But id take care if i were you
Or ill thump you in your mug
Hey you! Geezer leave us alone
We can get by on our own!
Get our clothes form the tip
Speak to us and well give you some lip!
Oliver Brookshore
44
Rainbow Paint
My eye lids were purple
And the sky was green
I was in
A rainbow coloured dream
Oliver Brookshore
45
Sad Song
Don't mind him, he’s not important
Don't worry about him, and his pain
If you see him call him crazy
If you see him call him insane
He’s the child that no one wants
Made to think that life's unfair
All he needs is some acceptance
Please, just tell him that you care
Now your here, no turning back
Nerves on fire, you’ll slowly crack
To the edge, Pushed to the brink
Don't stop me now, there’s no time to think
Prodded, hurried and shoved along
Made to feel he doesn’t belong
Trip over his sorrows they're in the way
Forget about it walk out the door
He’s used to broken promises
Picked up off the floor
What a broken soul’s misfortune
Forgotten by the world
A bubble in the pits of his mind
Paranoia brewed and swirled
Oh don't respond he'll just cry inside
Once loved, you fill the young boy's mind
If your heart’s cared for by him
Your name, when mentioned, makes him sing
An attempt to lighten a hollow heart
Will end at night, when lovers part...
Oliver Brookshore
46
Scent of Enlightenment
The clip-clop sound distinctly marks her presence in the hallway.
The voices around you soften,
a reaction is expected but does not come,
and respects are paid with coins of silence.
It will be soon that the room will be vacant,
you know this.
The conversation is cheap yet strained
but will soon pass, like the smoke that fills the room
and ignites the senses.
The scent breeds the contempt exhibited by those outside the door.
They preach, but their sermons fall upon deaf ears
for it is we who are the wiser.
We travel the roads of excess with lips not parched, for drink is plenty.
We heed not the warning pleas of the ignorant.
We pass through the doors
and death smiles.
Oliver Brookshore
47
Sly Tom And His Cats
A stormy Monday mornin it sure was pourin down
It was rainin here to the other side of town
And playin on his horn, was Big Ol’ Fat Matt
Sharin half a sub, with Sly Tom and his Cats
Now he’d play the honky-tonk, tap those warn out shoes
He’d blow out a bit of jazz; this man could play the blues
Now Matt he weren’t no fool playin in this band,
Makin crisp green dollars and worked that big grandstand
Now Rick he was a wailer, from deep inside the south
Hittin every god damn pitch from his mouth
Rick here was a big man, covered in tats
Yeh he’s singin, to the purrin of the Cats’
He couldn’t write a word, never put lyrics down
When he gets on stage, they all know his sound
Strong as an ox the girls would follow his act,
The front row belongs to Sly Tom and His Cats
Doc Johnson worked his magic, playin on them keys
As his fingers worked away, tappin ivories
The melodies he made, brought shivers from the crowd
When he stole their sorrows, he played them out loud
The Doc was a prayer, was indeed a man of God
Left a touch of gospel, and a touch of soul abroad
He gave the band a balance, and it kept them intact,
But now he’s busy groovin with Sly Tom and his Cats
Mr. Thompson played his bass, down low and dirty
He was the oldest cat, and not even thirty
Some say he played, the rhythm stuck in his chest
But you couldn’t tell, with that black and white vest
With all the pretty girls, he was a mighty big flirt
But when it came to jammin, he could kick up the dirt
Money and a good home are things that he lacks,
But he’s just happy playin with Sly Tom and his Cats
Pat O’Daye held those sticks, in his paw
Smackin on his kit the crowd were struck in awe
To this dirty blues beat, the crowd were enslaved
As the sound hit them, like a powerful wave
Now he really caused a racket, and blew up quite a fuss
By the time they found him, he’d board the next bus
With crooked hair and patched jeans and shoes that dont fit,
He played with Sly Tom, and tossed in his bit
With hands movin freely, fingers long and rough
His Tele soundin smooth Blind Roy played it tough
Voice like shattered glass, between lips a cigarette
His eyes saw darkness, but never missed a fret
His passion was the blues; he played it with such skill
No matter how much, he could never get his fill
When he walked on the stage the men take off their hats,
48
‘Cos they knew he’s with Sly Tom’s Cats
What about Sly Tom, where is he now?
Listen up, and I’ll tell you how
Sly Tom is the coolest, cat of them all
With a flick of his tail, he begins to crawl
He moves his whiskers’, to their funky beat
And sits beside, the bluesmens’ feet
Why Sly Tom, he knows all there songs
And when he purrs, he purrs along
This song is done, and now that’s that
He’s just cool, hangin with his Cats
Oliver Brookshore
49
Soldiers Made From Sun
Walking in the field
Walking in a line
Soldiers made from sun
Hear the empire that fears you
March to their door
Seek the empire that needs you
With your power implore
There is no empire that to harm you
Live on to evermore
Oh Soldiers made from sun
When shade adopts you, throne of power shall fall
Enter the house of Valhalla, for ever in its hall
Now immerse yourself, in present glory
By word of mouth, they will hear you story
Soldiers made from sun
Your time one earth is done
Soldiers made from sun
Go back, to where you came from
Oliver Brookshore
50
Solitary Confinement
One by one they fall
Is it me, or have they hit the wall?
I must be mad in this dark solitary
Hear I sit, there is no company
Ideas excreted from my mind
In the future, no one shall find
Am I wasting time’s endless wealth?
Or just, trying to mend my mental health?
Such selfish thought from a useless head
A screaming clock, I should be in bed
Ah shit another stanza
Some times I think, I could drone on for ever
Even this glass screen would be bored
And all, for no reward
Please don’t read on you will just get depressed
Or maybe, tell me to give it a rest
This is weird I cannot stop
The hour hand, is falling off the top
Now I think this will be the end
Back to reality, back to pretend
Oliver Brookshore
51
Sower of Dreams
Oh, sower of dreams flutter past my bed
Give me a dream to fill my head
A burden cross is on your back
A torn cloth that blinds your eyes
Beneath you hand a sheathed sword lies
Where are you going o blessed one?
For tell me where my fate will go
With your dreams that hands will sow
Set my black sight alight
When the sun finds its way to awake me
Cast my mind back what will I see
A rise me from this untimely death
Speak not with cursed lips breath
Oliver Brookshore
52
Stars Out, A Full Moon and Your Blue Eyes
A moss covered stairway, to parted earth
Under cloak of darkness, where two lovers birth
A few lights that brighten the sky
Stars Out, A Full Moon and Your Blue Eyes
Silence broken with a word
Softly spoken barely herd
Times up, leave the stairway the lies
Stars Out, A Full Moon and Your Blue Eyes
Watching your hair fly back from behind,
Beauty like yours is so hard to find,
To be in side your heart I'll try
Stars Out, A Full Moon and Your Blue Eyes
How I long for your tender kiss,
How much I want to taste your sweet lips
Let me be the one your tears I'll dry
Stars Out, A Full Moon and Your Blue Eyes
Oliver Brookshore
53
Storm
This storm blowing around my house
I can hear it blowing strong
This storm blowing around my house
I can hear Thor’s hammer gong
Enveloping me a blanket of force
I can feel its ragging power
Enveloping me a blanket of force
I can feel it till the hour
Stomping trough my neighbourhood
I can see a path of destruction
Stomping trough my neighbourhood
Concrete bridge bares no obstruction
A grumbling storm of savage rage
A warm and distant passionate age
Drawn from the depths of natures heart
Watched as a black ocean is torn apart
Tears of a tortured sky fall as rain
Though the night hear screams of pain
Surging till the very end
I know this storm like a friend
It haunted me as a child
Made me bold, savage and wild
It’s been with me from the start
Here's sun and now we part
Oliver Brookshore
54
The Bluesman
He needs blues like an alcoholic needing poison that only makes him feel worse,
It fills his body with life while he’s lying in the gutter, faceless expression, emotions
high
The thrill is gone its there no more, his life is at a end but blues keeps him there
How long he will last, how long will the music play, this is the bluesman's day...
Oliver Brookshore
55
The Ghost
Can you feel the ghost against your skin,
Do you dare to let her in?
The Ghost, the one I know the most
The one I love, I love to disappear
Running towards, I am afraid of fear
She is the host who boasts the most,
We mock and drag her down
To the ground, and we have found
A stretched arm out to the one it knew the most.
The Ghost.
The invisible ghost
The one he sees the most
She doesn’t see them
But what am I saying?
You have no clue, du you?
Oliver Brookshore
56
The Inquisition
The jealousy was visible from across the empty room,
I knew she could tells,
Escape
Now
I would further torture myself; perhaps she didn’t know-
Yet the knowledge of my flaming car tempted me,
Allowing me to leave- daring me to stay,
The smell of the cigarette, the smoke hanging from his mouth-clenched between his
lips, pushed me from the room, questioning my presence
“Stay here and accept”, the thought screamed in my mind
The door was flying open, beckoning me to flee
I could taste the fire within my lungs, it singed my throat- preventing me from
speaking,
Words would only further my punishment, only barb the whips
So I silently locked the handcuffs, accepting the inevitable
Placing faith in the Inquisition
Oliver Brookshore
57
The Loss Of God
A leper and a hypochondriac were arguing about religion, while a child of hope is led
away by a Black Dog, led a stray, a stray dog, there is no god, there is no god.
Oliver Brookshore
58
The Minstril's Ballad
A licence to kill,
A licence to breed,
The creation of evil,
Construction of greed,
Here sits a minstril
With his poisonous friend,
Reciting a ballad
And predicting the end,
A lifetime of friendship
Shall withstand the tide,
A tale of love and of joy,
Of pain, beauty and sorrow
A drunken prediction,
Of a Minstril’s tomorrow,
Born on the darkest and brightest of days
His eternal fate was sealed,
His iron will uncorrupted remains,
A heart that would not yield,
The passionate music that flowed though his life,
Defined the minstrels soul,
The love and blues within him
Fueled his ambitious goal
This minstrels paths and that of myself
Diverged many a time,
Yet neithers fingers ever stopped,
Or voice skipped a single rhyme,
My journey lead me to the north,
A tropic paradise,
An exotic land it was to me
In which I was enticed,
The fruit to which they offered me,
Tasted bittersweet,
Unbeknownst I was set free
I rejoiced within the heat
This fruit of which they gave
Allowed my dreams to sore
I now believe that I was saved
Id found my goal forevermore
A passion so unrivaled
For a girl and for a field
Much like the cursed minstrels will
It now would never yield
Minstrel’s life is hollow as his lute
This once pure mind, now pollute,
A foot is dragged, on velvet shoe
Minstrel knows what he must do
He paints a smile on a face
He won’t come first in this race
Grab your soul up by the hand
59
Take your mind to another land
Back to love and wreck your mind
A perfect partner he cant find
Lament there’s no one left for him
For who would want this useless sin?
But alas he plays on
His fellow minstrel he leans on
Isolation like a knife
Cut through a solemn minstrels life
It seemed the path that he partook
Was a solitary road
And each mistril looked towards the sun
And battled on alone
Oliver Brookshore
60
The Moon Is Crying
The Moon is crying a mourning song
She won’t be hear for very long
If you were to feel this salty midnight rain
You would know and see her pain
Have you ever seen the Nightmother smile before?
The sky is her open door
She is lonely with no company
Notice her, can’t you see!
Alone in a world, just a head
She sends your children off to bed
Turns man from man to wolf
Only bringing misery
Can’t you hear my final plea! !
The Moon is crying and slowly dieing!
YOU ARE NOT EVEN TRYING!
Wailing form her stand
Black and dull, above the land
Enough to break a heart in two
(Don’t you dare look at your shoe!)
The Nightmother is trying to speak to you
Your ignored glares are comets on her skin
The damage, however, is farther in
Her shining resilience will never warm you
The Midnight dreams’ she dose haunt you
The Midnight Sun has now fallen form your lack of love
Tear this mourning song to the Stars above
What is this that you have done?
You have rapped the Night of all her fun
Oliver Brookshore
61
The Passion
There stand those boys,
On that cold, wet, muddy field
Those 15 young boys, they never would yield
They fought through the hardships, the rigor and pain
They took it all in their stride, just part of the game
The game played in heaven, the game played by all
The game of men with an oval shaped ball
The game which is played by those far and wide
Those who play the game truly, the passion never subsides
Those who play keep their passion concealed
And 15 young boys on a wet, muddy field
It was more then a game, its was part of their life
It was what really mattered, where everything’s right
Most people, who knew them, thought they were mad
What they didn’t know is that it’s all they had
While chaos ran through each and every boys life
Rugby stayed true a strong guiding light
The game made them mould, their bond did grow strong
It was a bond made through pain, a bong made lifelong
All this was known by those whose fate was sealed
Those 15 young boys on a wet muddy field
As the boys aged, they became young men
These 15 young men knew it would happen again
Those young men had a bond and together they stayed
Their bond, like their passion, they knew wouldn’t fade
They kept climbing to victory, they hadn’t won yet
They continued to bleed, they continued to sweat
Those young men learned fast for all fifteen did know
As hard as they trained they never could slow
To slow would mean failure and all would mean nothing
But they kept on training, the pain soon grew numbing
But nothing could stop them, to the challenge they steeled
These 15 young men on a wet muddy field
Then came the day, it all came down to one game
They had to win, to lose would be shame
Years of friendship, blood, tears and sweat
This was a day they would never forget
For that 80 minutes they were not fifteen but one
Teams like this were upstaged by none
They had climbed the mountain, they had conquered it all
They held their heads high, they walked proud and tall
The day seemed never-ending, time seemed to stand still
There dream had come true, there dream was fulfilled
That moment of glory, that moment of fame
To them it was everything, much more then a game
As only they knew, there fate was revealed
Those 15 young men on that wet muddy field
Before long they were men, finished school and had kids of their own
62
Though that bond never faltered it was still strong as stone
There playing days where finished, they’d hung up their boots
Their passion for the game still had no disputes
It was flared just as strong, perhaps it always will
They stand there and talk and watch from the hill
The site down below made all fifteens senses reel
It was 15 young boys on a wet muddy field
Each of the men saw their son down below
And saw in it themselves all those years ago
Though they had stopped playing the cycle lived on
All fifteen now knew it will never be gone
The game has a power a passion it wields
Its prey were those boys on that wet muddy field
Oliver Brookshore
63
The Scarlet Dove
The stars are jealous of your beauty
A goddess like you who’s spoken gently
What do you think when you see me through your sapphire eyes
In this game of life, and you as its sparkling prize
An angle like you should never have touched the ground
Heaven is dull when you’re not around
The sun shines for you, and the moon, she sings
Your heart and my eyes share a common shade of blue
And all day I find myself thinking of you
The water will not hold my boat as I sail to you castle
Watch for the scarlet dove, to deliver its parcel
My feelings for you are yours to control
Some call it love, others call it their soul
If this is so, may I share your soul?
Will you answer with an angelic kiss?
Which will fill my body with pure bliss
Is there a place for me on your throne?
Or do I compare to a rock or stone?
Oliver Brookshore
64
The Song Bird
The Song Bird shed a final tear
It new the end of rock was here
He’s seen the beginning, he’ll see the end
This is something no god could mend
Spread his wings and began to fly
Watched as millions walked on by
Perched upon the top of the world
For he knew what they must be told
You’ve killed my sprit, put out the flame
Now hang your heads and bow in shame
You’ve kill the music made by night
Which had gave this song bird his flight
You’ve burnt the bridges to my soul
You've lost it all no self control
You do not feel when lovers kiss
And this is something I will miss
You have torn off these Song Bird’s wings
“This is the end”, the Song Bird sings…
Oliver Brookshore
65
They closed the road today
They closed the road today;
Maple road was just shut down.
I heard it from a yarner cross the other side of town,
And we know they don’t lie,
not this time of year.
They shut down the streets and avenues,
the lanes and places too.
The council dogs claim taxes are withstanding,
and the bill was passed from those
higher then themselves.
And unquestionably, they followed,
and the final alleys were barred.
Cars were rendered useless
as the havens of bitumen were locked away,
and kept from use.
But on this most peculiar hour, of this most peculiar day
the people stopped.
The doors slammed shut and shoes were donned,
and the street and roads saw uses long gone,
as people walked across them laughing
amongst their fellow men.
Liberated.
They climbed up over fences, and barriers erected,
by council folk barking orders, or citizens to be protected.
I’ll never forget the day the people flooded streets in vibrant colours,
not beset against each other, but with laughter contagious amongst them.
The businessman drank coffee with the artists,
lawyers with the poor,
and baristas with the many.
Years of hard wrought division were forgotten,
the day they closed the roads.
I heard it from a yarner cross the other side of town,
and we know they don’t lie,
not this time of year.
Oliver Brookshore
66
Tie Die Poem
The creamy sunset melts above our heads
Can you feel the light drip upon your face?
Close your eyes as the sun takes his death
Only to be won over by her royal Nightmother,
Watch her offspring stud the black leather sky
They are fish that swim through an unknown sea
Come to where the sea secretly kisses the sky
Watched over by the blind eye of darkness
You slip head first into your nightly dreams
Do not fear, I am not too far behind you
I just have to find the doorway to my mind
The Winter is cold and Autumn is ancient
Summer is warm and Spring has been sold
Our train is leaving and time is our driver
Our eyes are awoken by screaming of dawn,
Shake the shimmering night from off your body,
A child’s innocence washes an evening face
And wakes up the day to the world
Until the end.
Oliver Brookshore
67
True Beauty
Honey drips from your mouth like a mortal sin
The devil bestows the beauty with in
Nothing but kindness exerts from your pores
Not a word will escape from your locked doors
People around you with there taunts, they tease
Nothing you do, you keep your karma at ease
Your morals rise up above the horrid rest
Your rites are a crown, with a sapphire at crest
Beauty and grace loom below your skin
Imagine if people saw what was with in...
Oliver Brookshore
68
Us
You walked into my life, just the other day
Spoke to me, and took my breath away
Told me of the places, where we could be
Sitting under our names, carved in a tree
Sadness and failure no where to be seen
True love and happiness is what I mean
And when it’s finally time to part
I'll give you something to keep, you can have my heart
Every time I see your pretty face
My heart, it starts to race
Every time I see, your pretty smile
I stop, and think a while
Greetings rushed, spilled from our soul
Emotions are high, ran out of control
Weaving and bumping and moving and breath
There’s no time to stop, there’s no time for rest
Keep on going but at a different pace
You know you've already won that race
Things are steadied, things are calm
Things are wonderful (once) again there’s no harm
Arrived at my door step, arrived in a fright
Your face it was scarce, the colour of night
You whipped and whelped and whined and moaned
Apparently so many things I never owned
With that a change, all that’s lost is not new
For those who really know me, and those are too few
Not to been seen or lost learnt or gained
It’s the life of me, hurried with pain
Oliver Brookshore
69
We Were Much Older Then
We were older, when we were young
When time, had just begun
A smile was worth, a dollar more
A shop was called, a grocery store
A handkerchief was a sash, and an hour was a day
A four foot pirate, boldly led the way
A cake was cooled, on a ledge
Blueberries were picked, from a green hedge
The night was cool, and brought singing and dance
And with a kiss, there was a new romance
A rose and two, meant the world and more
There was no money, they were never poor
But this is only painted, with oil, on canvas
Not in the world, we see around us
Oliver Brookshore
70
When the Sun loved the Moon
When the Sun loved the Moon
Oh, he did try to swoon
But it was never meant to be
Said the stars, “Can’t you see? ”
To warm her up he did try
But he was met with a lie
For the Moon is cold and light years away
And she turns the Sun’s light to grey
As a tear sizzles down the Sun’s burnt check
The Moon will never hear his soul speak
Would she be startled, and jump a galaxy?
A smile on her face he will never see
But one day the Moon will orbit and turn
And finally, at last the Sun’s love will burn
Out from the shadows she will come,
Into his warmth she will run
Oliver Brookshore
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