Back to index of Nerve 14 - Summer 2009

Poetry Page

'Climate Change' by Clive Griffiths

I have witnessed the blending,
of truth and lies,
rain and the sun embrace
all seasons, there lies
a natural confusion now,
in silence, simmering.

There will be vast pockets
of a new despair,
as the world still devours,
steals, gathers itself
back again,
seeking protection.

Your eyes shall not conceal
what happened,
all is left far too late,
the climates run riot,
cold and heat are at war,
as we crash into sleep.

Yet I cannot hear the chimes,
of end time bells,
no lost chorus of despair,
only that vacuum of silence,
hanging on the air
as if it is searching for us.

'Redundant' by Paul R Francis

Where do I go after 19 years?
Not getting any younger as middle age nears
Another career looks remarkably slight
When everything they offer you is never quite right

What do I do after 19 years?
Having to sign on being the worst of my fears
Standing in line being another statistic
Trying your hardest to feel optimistic

What do I want after 19 years?
When trying for a change tends to fall on deaf ears
Forced down paths you don't want to take
To find a good chance that you have to forsake

What do I need after 19 years?
Dealing with the tension and the trauma and the tears
Turning the corner you're feeling alone
Another tomorrow to be on your own

Where do I go after 19 years?

'Falling' by Val Walsh

This one is about mental health issues having known and lived around people who have suffered.

Rose petals, pale, ivory, pink,
drift down, touching cheek and
hands as I look up. Joining me
gently to this shedding of colour.

Petal-strewn surfaces shift
and flicker in the light. Pale
patches break up and redefine
the familiar. Objectivity cedes

to this impermanent aesthetic,
as petals float and land,
filling the air, overwhelming
sight. Melting resistance.

Whereas snowfall simplifies
and unifies space; silhouettes
forms; muffles sound; makes the
mundane neat and monumental,

petal-fall litters, decorates,
distracts. Scatters its influence
in an iridescent dance, as
sounds surface discreetly.

Be still to become part of it.

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