I'm so sorry...it must have been awful for you. It's a poem that really forces you to think about what people must be going through in their mind behind the deceptive exterior.

Locked into this frozen world,
Like a caged bird looking out
Forlornly from a stunted state,
Fate had shorn body's wings
Stayed flights he may fancy.
Struck by Life's cruel lottery,
Has been handed the penalty
By injustice without any parole,
A long sentence not deserved,
Served in but a word, disabled.

Let free at last now he was tall,
High in his chair by own merit.
Sublime delight to have made it,
In position for his sport's reward
Albeit deemed as geometrically
Only parallel to Olympic heights.
From his perspective and angle,
An award equal to in its degree
To a riband of any level or colour.
Not for him the apex of medal d'or
Or that glint of silver on his breast,
For the bronze he'd proudly settle
By test of mettle proven, enabled.

I enjoyed this Allthings A very topical poem on the day that exam results were announced - the 'High Noon' comparison is a good one when you see the tension in the students' faces


I'm assuming Frank, this is about the chap so cruelly denied the right to end his own life recently. This is a marvellous tribute to a brave soul who was wronged by the state

Thanks Allthings It was awful but it was a long time ago and writing a poem on the condition was a helpful exercise.

resting place

I want to rest far from the urgent pace
Of men, free of the petty webs they've spun,
I yearn one day to find a tranquil place
And sleep in quietude when life is done,
Where no intruding noise can mar the space
That blends the shadows with the evening sun.

There in the haven of my secret vault
I hope at summer’s end the autumns rust
And when each wintertime comes to a halt
The greenest buds of spring begin to thrust
While lovers sigh, not knowing I am caught
In memories of longing turned to dust.


©

Certainly share those sentiments Musty, thanks for commenting. This was about a paralympic competitor a quadriplegic, I was thinking ahead to London's hosting of the games for the disabled athletes who truly imbue the corinthian spirit. Good luck with your book. Cheers, Frank.

Oops, my mistake Thanks for the good wishes Frank

Isaac's Inspiration

Isaac Newton didn't know
What kept things on the ground,
Why they never rose to go
Or didn't float around.

Sat beneath a tree in shade
With this quiz he would grapple,
Till the day his name was made
By one descending apple.

Earth had simply magnetized
Creating a response,
Something Isaac recognized
When fruit fell on his bonce.

He ran in shocked to have a tea,
Two lumps he always took,
Then wrote a note on gravity
That grew into a book.

Amid the fame Sir Isaac copped
He thought but never said
'It's lucky that old apple dropped
And hit me on the head.'


©

You see, there's another one for the school file. What a great way to introduce children to the concept of gravity.

Science teachers would probably frown on it Biz

I was thinking more of top infants or first-year juniors. It would be perfect for them. A piece of verse is an ideal way of helping them to remember facts and get them interested in science, or history, or whatever. You can't start too early.

You make a good point - maybe a light-hearted ditty like Isaac would get through to them

And then the teacher could give them magnets and introduce magnetism, and they could drop things to illustrate gravity - and there's more.

Golden Years

As we stole their golden years
And killed them softly with our song
We bridged their troubled waters
While gently riding that white swan

There were tears shed by a clown
While all the world was taught to sing
And the horse without a name
Became our puppet on a string

We were lifted by their love
And rode upon the tracks of tears
In a blissful purple haze
Where smoke on water never clears

We heard it through the grapevine
From the son of a preacher man
And unchained the melody
From Captain Jack and Barbara Ann

We watched the bad moon rising
And dreamt of riders on the storm
We danced with Ziggy Stardust
When we grew tired of being alone

We were blinded by the light
Over the hills and far away
Tripping out with police and thieves
And born to run with Maggie May

We rode the loco motion
To see the spirit in the sky
Climbed stairways up to heaven
But we never can say goodbye

Teaching Musty's poems in school - I bet that'd shock all the teachers who whacked me


Brilliant Seren - it was terrific finding so many hit singles in one poem I was particularly pleased to see Ziggy in there, as I was a massive David Bowie fan in the Seventies

Welcome back and I hope you had a nice holiday

There's an Old Scottish Loch

There's an old Scottish loch where a story evolved
Which invites everybody to guess,
There's a puzzle no scientist’s mind has yet solved
At the loch that is known as Loch Ness.

On the shore Urquhart Castle is part of the view
Where the peat rolls down into the lake
And the sun lights the ruin and all the tides too,
Though the peat makes the water opaque.

Does the darkness reveal the last secret it keeps
From an unexplained echo of sound?
Is a tenant still diving in those murky deeps,
Is a monster still moving around?

Did an era of time leave a creature behind
That survived the long Ice Age's reign?
Is a dinosaur waiting for scholars to find
What was labelled extinct can remain?

There's an old Scottish loch where a shape was perceived,
When the witnesses choose to confess
Their recall of the sightings may be disbelieved
But they add to intrigue at Loch Ness.


©

I agree with Musty Seren, that is really clever.


I can see loads of possibilities in that one too Musty.......geography, vocabulary...........

You can't beat a late developer. There are a lot of them about.

Cerberus, the Hound

Deep down where
The darkest shade is
In his lair
Employed by Hades,
Cerberus, the hound.

Like Hell's keys
The fanged-mouth gaping,
If he sees
Some soul escaping
Cerberus will bound.

Phantoms try
To flee, but it's hard
Ghosting by
The Underworld's guard,
Cerberus is found

Veiled in black,
Red eyes suspicious,
No whole pack
Is quite as vicious,
He hears every sound.

Near the Styx
There are no free dead,
Blood he licks,
The dog of three head,
Cerberus, the hound.


©

Better late than never Biz

I haven't had a chance to read through all of the poems I've missed yet, but this one caught my eye and I found it extremely moving. Not only does it let young people know they are not alone in their feelings but also that someone who has also suffered could achieve such a great talent as yours.
Well done Musty..a brilliant write!!!

Thanks very much Seren

I had a lovely holiday but it's always good to be home

Aha, a fellow Bowie fan..I wrote another similar poem dedicated to the man himself, which I'll post for you...they're some of my very first poems, when I was just playing around with words


Thank you Biz - are you a fan of Bowie yourself?

Absolute Beginners

We were absolute beginners
Going through our blue jean changes
Modern love was such a queen bitch
Full of starmen and jean genies

You became our rebel rebel
The modern love for China girls
And while John was only dancing
You were the man who sold the world

While we had Friday on our mind
You gave us drive in Saturdays
And all the young dudes adored you
As you became Aladdin Sane

You had us dancing in the street
With diamond dogs and London boys
And we shared your sound and vision
When we all saw your life on Mars

You loved all young Americans
And Ziggy Stardust filled your heart
We believed you when you told us
We could be heroes from the start

You sent ashes back to ashes
As teenage wildlife fades away
Your words remind us always that
We can be heroes just for one day

Shiver......... I know there are some who would send me to Hell, but I'm hoping I've been good enough on the whole to go through the "pearly gates". Mind you I really believe heaven and hell are here on earth.


No, I wouldn't call me a fan. I'm all corners me.


Another gem for Musty I think.

Great write Seren, you've included a true wealth of Bowie classics! Hunky Dory's my favourite album but his little-known early period is full of interesting material too. The London Boys ( which you namechecked ) and Uncle Arthur are just a couple of the many atmospheric songs he penned before fame arrived. I could go on about music forever, but I don't want to take the thread off-topic