Woman

Women of the world
I salute you!
On bended knee I pledge
my undying love
You gave me life
and nurtured me,
made me what I am
and all the better for it
You are my life,
my purpose,
my one true cause
Never my equal -
for I could never match you
in anything of import
Though I aspire to be
the man that you deserve
I will surely fail
For you deserve the world
and that is more
than I may give
Yet I will fight
until my final breath
to scatter rocks from your path
that you may walk serenely
in this perilous world
I am humbled by your compassion
Chastened by your wisdom
I am in awe of and weakened
by your beauty
Without you
I would wish no part in this life
and I am grateful for eternity
to have known the magnificence
that is a woman.

Sky Of A Thousand Blues

Sky of a thousand blues

How you flatter to deceive

You tempt me out

Beneath your Sun

I'm eager to believe

That Spring has sprung

Lazy days will soon be here

While lambs leap with joy

Just to be alive

And feel no fear

But the Siberian secret

That you now reveal

An easterly wind

To chill my bones

Your final deal

Of Wintry menace

A parting blow

To remind us all

Of your fickle ways

Here comes the snow...

Valentine

for you I pine,
Valentine,
and keep my love on hold

I know you're there,
somewhere,
like me you're feeling cold

you believe in fate
but still you wait
to get lost inside romance

you may lose heart
while we're apart
but we still have a chance

one day I'm sure
a love so pure
as ours will find a way

I live in hope
that's how I cope
with every lonely day

be brave my love
and rise above
the troubles of this life

some day we'll meet
and be complete
a husband and a wife

Grieve Not For Me

Grieve not for me
for death is just the start
of our wonderful adventure
though days and years may drag for you
they have no meaning here
and you shall join me
in a heartbeat
so grieve not for me

Grieve not for me
but celebrate our life
the times we shared together
hold on to those precious moments
for when you need strength
then journey ever forward
with passion
but grieve not for me

Grieve not for me
for I am always with you
and I always shall be
know that we will be together once more
I will be waiting for you
whenever you are ready
so take heart
and grieve not for me

February

February,
your bitter bite offends my soul
cuts me to the bone
how you love to remind me
that I'm still alone
oh, shortest of months
with cruellest temperament
I know that once
your dark days are gone
spring will return
and cast you away
so passion may burn
I will forget you
and your callous days
you will hide until next year
and plot your revenge
when we meet once again
but you won't cross my mind
until then

Gentle Insanity

I relax behind my shield of gentle insanity
and wonder if anything I ever see is real
my brain controls what I think of as reality
it determines what I sense and what I feel
yet the more you ponder on the universe
the more unlikely it all appears
we're like actors forbidden to rehearse
and left alone to face our fears
for though we seek comfort in others
perhaps we just imagine them too
our mind creates our sisters and brothers
and everything that we do
how can we be sure that we're alive
if life is nothing more than illusion
in a world that only seems to thrive
upon madness and chaotic confusion
so I retreat to my gentle insanity
the place where I feel most at home
I revel in my alternate reality
where my soul has freedom to roam

Winter Sun

The winter sun prowls low across the sky
like a timid lion stripped of power and menace
its hazy glow and feeble warmth
offering barely token comfort
for those who need its support
on cold, dark days
And yet the sun is not to blame
for its sickly subdued demeanour -
it is Mother Earth herself
who turns her back towards the star,
not with malice in her heart
but merely fairness
as she tries to share the light
among all her scattered children

Writing Tools for Windows

Tools for digital writing on a PC

As a Windows user from the beginning I have often cast a slightly envious eye towards Mac users when it comes to the question of writing software. They have the polished Scrivener - perfect for creating books of any kind, beautiful simple text editors like Ulysses and Byword, and the gorgeous eBook creator, Vellum. PC users are not spoilt for choice - there are an absolute ton of options out there - but the problem is they don’t quite have the same polish as their Mac counterparts. But things are improving. I’ve always resisted the urge to switch camps. I don’t believe the grass is always greener. For one thing, a Mac mouse has one button. To a PC user that’s like working with one hand tied behind your back! So I’ve always had to rely on the fact that the sheer number of Windows users would lead to equivalents of great Mac software being developed for the PC. The best news is that the creators of Scrivener saw the light and developed a PC version of their wonderful writing software. Unfortunately, it has always lagged a major version behind the Mac and looked, frankly, clunky and messy on the PC. But that is all about to change with version 3.0, now in Beta testing. This will bring it pretty much up to date with the Mac version and be much closer cosmetically. I have had a good play around with the Beta and I have to say it is going to be a game-changer for writers using PCs. Creating eBooks is much more of a thorny problem. Vellum for Mac shows how it should be done. Nothing comes close on a PC. I use an open-source eBook editor called Sigil. It does a decent job of producing ePub books but I am handy with CSS and HTML. Without such knowledge it would be difficult to get the best out of Sigil - not impossible, but you would be limited to very simple formatting. With some CSS knowledge you can achieve very professional results with things like drop caps and graphical chapter headers. Calibre is an eBook manager program, and it does a decent job of converting eBooks to other formats such as Kindle and PDF. Together, Sigil and Calibre can get the job done for you if you have some basic skills and the determination to conquer the learning curve. Amazon have a free piece of software called Kindle Previewer which also does an excellent job (as you’d expect) of converting an ePub into Kindle format. But Calibre is more flexible. So far, I haven’t mentioned the giant - Microsoft Word. If you are writing for conventional print formats then it is of course the industry standard. However, for digital - eBooks, blogs, etc. - it is a nightmare and best avoided at all costs. The Docx format it uses as standard fills even the simplest document with masses of invisible junk that prevents it from being able to work with most other software without annoying issues. For digital writing, plain text is the best way to go. It is future proof. At the moment, Markdown is gaining in popularity. It allows you to add basic formatting instructions to a document, such as headers, bold and italics, whilst being able to save the document as plain text. In some ways, it is a dream come true but I am finding it is not the promised land I had hoped it would be. Existing software is proving reluctant to fully embrace Markdown, and although the likes of Word and Scrivener will claim support, in reality you end up spending too much time tweaking things like extra carriage returns that can mysteriously appear. Plain text is the one format that is virtually bulletproof. I have found, the hard way, that it is best just to get on with your writing and worry about the formatting at the end. Write the whole thing in a text editor. When you are happy with it, then you can copy & paste or import it into something like Scrivener or Sigil and begin to think about the presentational aspects.
Another benefit of plain text is it has no problems crossing platforms. I can edit a document in Byword on an iPad and it syncs, via Dropbox, to my PC where it can be pulled into any text editor straight away. And changes made on the PC will be synced back to the iPad. It’s the same with Mac and Android apps. Byword is one of a plethora of text editors for iPad but I single it out because it has an extra trick - it lets you publish to a blog account, such as Wordpress or Blogger. (This article is proof!). One issue you might have with working in plain text is that it is not a nice working environment to look at, especially if you’ve used Windows notepad. Well, the good news is there are plenty of gorgeous text editors available on the PC. Most of them allow you to choose the fonts and colours you want (for display only - the documents are still saved as plain text!). I am particularly drawn to so-called minimalist editors, such as WriteMonkey, OmmWriter and ZenWriter. These allow you to do away with the usual clutter of menus and toolbars and just focus on your words on the screen. I like ZenWriter because it allows you to display any picture you like as a backdrop to your words and comes with some wonderfully calming background music that really does seem to put you in a focussed mood. A slight caveat with ZenWriter is that it saves documents in RTF format. Scrivener can import RTF documents, but I prefer to just select the text in ZenWriter and then copy & paste as required. WriteMonkey is another brilliant option. It can look as basic as you want it to but has a wealth of features hidden away if you want them and is highly configurable. It supports Markdown as well as plain text, so you have both bases covered there. So, to sum up, if I want to create an eBook in Windows I have a four-step process:

1. Create the text in a plain-text editor, such as Byword on iPad or ZenWriter on PC.
2. Cut & paste or import into Scrivener, where you can add formatting, front matter, images, etc.
3. Export from Scrivener as ePub, then load into Sigil to tidy up and add tweaks such as drop caps.
4. Load into Calibre or Kindle Previewer to convert to Kindle format.

This process is not set in stone and I’m always looking out for new solutions (particularly a PC equivalent of Vellum!), but for now it does the job. The thing is to experiment with some of the many software options available and see what works for you. Most have a free trial period and some are free full stop. (Sigil, Calibre and Kindle Previewer are free. ZenWriter, Scrivener and Byword are all relatively inexpensive.)

Byword

A quick little ditty
to test out a pretty
text editor for iPad
Byword is the name
and it changes the game
by publishing to Blogger

Little Snowdrop

Oh, brave little snowdrop
How you coyly hang your head
whilst other flowers around you
lie dormant in their bed

Proudly stands your slender frame
against the bitter wind
waiting for that feeble sun
on which your hopes are pinned

Your spirit is a comfort
on dark and dismal days
which is why I honour you
with my heartfelt words of praise

You spend the year just waiting
While the mad world spins around
In silent anticipation
Just below the ground

You always seem to know
when it is your time
my fragile little friend,
the reason for this rhyme

Trying To Rage

As the light burns low
of course I'll rage
I don't want to go
despite my age
more effort is required
for lessening reward
I feel less inspired
and easily bored
my old joints creak
and my muscles ache
I'm often asleep
when I should be awake
I'm still learning
but forgetting much more
The fire's still burning....
what did I come in here for?
Yes, I will rage
and go down fighting
while there's room on the page
I shall keep writing

Hate the Rain?

Why do you hate the rain?
What makes it so bad?
Does it cause you pain
And make you sad?

You should understand
It’s only Mother Earth
Cleansing her land
Ready for rebirth

Embrace those drops
More precious than oil
That nourish our crops
And soothe the soil

The soothing sound
Of steady rain
Can calm, I’ve found
A restless brain

Rain hides your tears
And here’s a truth
Your precious skin
Is fully waterproof!

Poetic Justice

So the judge peered over his glasses
and gave a solemn stare
"The crimes you have committed
show you have no soul
I don't believe that prison
will ever change your ways
So my sentence to you is this:
You must read at least one poem
And write one every day
For one full year without break
If you do this thing for  me
you will not see me again
you will have no need
for you will be a happy man,
a good man, wise and true -
a better man indeed."

If only...

If you see a chance, grab it
Hold it tight and don't let go
"If only I'd.... what might have been"
is the saddest phrase I know

Have we met?

I don't think that we've met
I'm sure I would remember
How could I forget?
Unless it was November
That month's just a blank to me

She

She's someone to believe in

someone I can trust

the topping on my pizza

without her I'm just crust

She makes me feel important,

that I'm a match for any man

She gives me strength to hold my own

like no other woman can

She has no need to tell me

if she does or doesn't care

I know that if I needed her

she would certainly be there

She radiates charm and elegance

through every single pore

however much she lets you have

like a drug, you just need more

She's witty and intelligent

and for her age, so wise

for the secrets of the Universe

are right there, in her eyes

Rhyme

Is there a reason for a rhyme?
Does it make your words sublime?
Does it make them ring or chime?
If they don't, is that a crime?
I guess not.

Friendship Thesaurus

Smiling. Silent. Knowing look.

Glances. Thoughts. Open book.

Relaxed. Together. Gentle care.

Love. Unspoken. Always there.

Scent. Movement. Certain walk.

Laughter. Memories. Idle talk.

Touch. Emotions. Shared dream.

Respect. Confidence. Perfect team.

Friendship. Bonding. Forever true.

Days. Years. Me, You.

Numbered Days

Every morning when you wake up
think to yourself "I have one day less to live"
Don't let that depress you
Let it motivate you
It's a wake-up call
Your days are finite
Make the most of them

Home

I'm not at home
I never am
I've never even lived there
I don't know where it is
Or what it's like
Or even how to get there
The only thing I know
Is how I miss it so

Mirror

Saw my reflection in a mirror

and recoiled from the shock

I wasn't who I thought I was

Who was this imposter

who had stolen my mind

and put it in this awful body?

Too old, too fat, wrong race, wrong sex

Why have they done this to me?

I don't care. I do not care.

I know who I am

and I shall not be looking in mirrors again

Green Grass

The grass is always greener
on the other side
That's what they always say
But guess what? They lied
It's just a question of hue
Does that grass look green to you?
To me it seems quite blue
But don't be fooled by what you see
Your grass is exactly as green
As you want it to be

Choreographic Cat

One day I found a quadruped

Feline, I would say

Who had a unique talent

For in a strange way

He could dance

I called him McMaster

And he ran away

But I knew deep inside

He'd come home one day

And so he did

One night I threw a party

And broke it I'm afraid

So we all started dancing

And from out of the shade

Came McMaster

He twitched his whiskers

And waggled his tail

Although he was little

And looked very frail

He really could dance

Fred Astaire stared

And the Bee Gees stopped singing

As McMaster they saw

His feet and paws swinging

In a disco delight

He just kept on dancing

And we all got bored

But McMaster didn't like it

All this being ignored

And so he left

Purpose

I got my little wake-up call

It came on Christmas Day

With childish anticipation

I scratched away the paper

To reveal another Lynx gift set

Then forced a grateful smile

As I studied it and pondered

Is this what I'm worth to the world?

The difference that I've made?

I'd woken up, I'd sniffed the coffee

Come the New Year, I was ready

To set about my goal

To carry out my plan

To be who I was meant to be

No matter what the hurdles

I would have to find a way

To make a mark upon this life

Banish the pointless stupor

Awaken the soul within

Fill my heart with purpose

And let my life begin

Tomorrow

Will the sun come out tomorrow?
Who's to know, who's to say?
Tomorrow never comes, my friend
We only have today

Don't waste your life waiting
For a moment that may not come
Reality is here and now
So start to have some fun

Right now is all that matters
For nothing else is real
You can't live on a promise
You need to learn to feel

Awareness and perception
Learning to observe
Living in the moment -
the life that you deserve

The Tree

I slouched along the lane

on an aimless afternoon

The sky looked set for rain

I had little else to do

Then suddenly I stopped

when I noticed the tree

as though the penny dropped

and now I understood

I'd never seen that tree

yet it hadn't just appeared

I'd always failed to see

its quiet majestic form

With newly opened eyes

I gazed at in in wonder

and marvelled at its size

How could I have missed it?

It was hiding in plain sight

Standing proudly all alone

I had passed it day and night

Without the merest glance

At last I had awoken

from my lifelong slumber

To me, the tree had spoken

Finally, I'm alive

 

Clouds

I lie on my bed

and gaze out at the sky

watching candy-floss clouds,

ever-changing, drift by

They remind me of women

in so many ways,

delicate and beautiful,

they never cease to amaze

No two are the same,

some are dark, some are flighty;

their gentle looks hide

a power so mighty

They can be bright and inspiring

or threaten you with thunder,

they can raise your spirits

and break the spell you're under

Their form and appearance

alters with such subtle effect,

once they catch your eye

they're hard to neglect

But turn your back and they're gone,

disappeared into thin air;

were you just dreaming,

were they ever really there?

Joy

Try to live your life with joy
Like every day's a brand new toy
Don't despise and criticize
Don't tell lies or plagiarize
Those heavy sighs and anguished cries
Only quicken your own demise
Be helpful and kind
And soon you will find
You are living your life with joy

Candle

Every night I burn a candle
For a love I'll never know
I gaze into the silent flame
Enchanted by its glow
And wonder if you're out there
With a candle of your own
Staring at its dancing light
And feeling so alone
But in spirit we're together
And that will have to do
I feel as though you love me
as much as I love you

Stable Genius

there's a ferret on my head
and even he thinks that I'm tedious
I eat Big Mac's in my bed,
no, I'm actually being serious
like Rab C. Nesbitt in his vest
I'm a fat old horny sexual pest
Destroy the world? I'll do my best
I am the very model of a stable slimy genius

Grim Reaper

Oh, be gone, grim reaper

You have no business here!

I shall not leave this world

With things undone, things unsaid

I will gladly follow

When the time is right

But that, be clear,

Is not tonight

While love commands my beating heart

And the fire of passion burns within

This life holds worth for me

My work remains unfinished

When I have nothing more to say

Then you may lead me away

You say I have no choice?

That fate demands I'm yours?

Well fate be damned, I heed it not

You shall not have your way

My soul is my unerring guide

That never wanders from my side

My spirit will defeat you

So turn around and leave

I am writing my own destiny

And it doesn't mention you

So go, grim reaper, go

When I'm ready, you will know

Feel The Wind

Feel the wind, set your sail
Venture out to sea
Go and find your holy grail
Be who you're meant to be

Leave behind the madness
That surrounds you in your bubble
Fill your heart with gladness
Evaporate each trouble

Wander over hills alone
Abandon all your doubt
Turn off your sacred phone
You may find something out