Sea Shore

Edited
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Golden sands,
from powder-fine to
coarse as grits,
pebbles, stones and
bits of shell,
washed by the sea
back and forth, back and forth,
brushed by the wind
incessantly sweeping,
and burnt by the harsh
heat of a merciless sun.

The crocheted edging of the waves,
lacy white as a sudsy shower,
washes up on the sandy shore
dying slowly as it goes
until, exhausted, it can do no more,
sliding back from whence it came,
slipping backward down again ~
mesmerising movements,
hypnotising moments ~
with seagulls screaming overhead
and diving down to catch their food.

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©Denise G Allen, 28 January 2014 07:12

Nightfall

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Shadows lengthen

Stretching elastic bands

Into the husk of dusk

As the sun stands

For a while on the brim

Before dipping down the rim

Dropping out of sight

And the world is coloured

By the inkwell of night

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©Denise G Allen, 27 January 2014 07:54

Alone

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Some upright
Others lolling
On their sides
A few slid down
Sitting on their spines
Some with open eyes
Others closed
But most unseeing
In their world
Of imagining
Of remembering
In their minds
Like moving pictures
Behind the blinds
I quashed my guilt
For failing them
Not paying them
The kindness of a call
Not popping in
However briefly
Assuring them
They are not forgotten
Not alone

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©Denise G Allen, 25 January 2014 07:26

War

‘

War is an abomination
in God’s sight
the problem is
leaders all think they’re right
man finds it hard
to admit he’s wrong
he will chance the lives
of all his men
put them in the way of harm
to prove a point
(he is no saint)
THOU SHALT NOT KILL
is His command
as simple as
the writing on a stone
but man is deaf
to what he hears
and blind as well
to all he sees
he needs to go
on bended knees
and beg God’s pardon
for the wrong he’s done.

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©Denise G Allen, 21 January 2014 09:40

The Battlefield

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Horses screamed and armour clashed,

Warning shouts filled the air while

Mistress moon sailed overhead,

Her face inscrutable, no trace that she

Could hear or see the field below.

My eyes, unfocused, saw by her illumination

Row upon row of soldiers in ghost-like ranks

Marching down the hillside relentlessly,

Implacable, immovable, unbending, unyielding,

Their legs frozen in place for hundreds of years

As they stood in their prime, overseeing the scene

And remembering…

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©Denise G Allen, 18 January 2014 16:18

Window Dressing (a Rap Poem)

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Spin and leap

High in the air

Try to catch

What isn’t there

Windows covered

With drapes and blinds

Who can guess

What hides behind

A perfect scene

Try not to scream

Making up

Waking up

From a dream

Spider lashes

On her cheek

Lips silly-coned

She cannot speak

And (s)he, and he

With coiffured hair

Blows his TRUMPet

For all to hear

A plastic life

In a paper book

A fairy tale

Which some believe

And try so hard

To achieve

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©Denise G Allen, 16 January 2014 07:18

These are the Things…

.

An act of kindness,
a smiling face,
a baby bird,
God’s bountiful grace,
a new-born foal
finding its feet,
helping another
to cross the street,
healing rain
on my skin,
the joy and peace
I feel within,
the sun’s rays
shining through the trees,
cool misty mornings
with a crisp breeze…

these are the things that make my soul sing ~

these are the things that make life fulfilling.

.

©Denise G Allen, 15 January 2014 09:00

Birdsong

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I think there’s a link between the sunrise
and the blue skies and the birds’ cries.
When I lie in bed I can hear when the sky is clear…
The raucous cries of the larger birds tear me from my sleep,
while the smaller chirps and cheeps try their hardest to compete ~
all this in the darkest night before the sun even shows himself awake ~
but I know, I can tell, a beautiful day awaits.

In the same way, when the birdsong is muted
and the screams have lost their harshness,
I know, I can feel, that a gentle day is in the offing,
perhaps with showers and a softening in the air.

How can any deny our Father when the proof is always there
and nature sings His praises for all the world to hear?
Are we ‘accidental’ beings and our world a chance MIS-take?
It’s preposterous to think that this could be the case!

.

©Denise G Allen, 14 January 2014 06:44

Life Changes

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Born with a pure soul,

Unsullied, untarnished

As the proverbial driven snow

Life scars us, erodes and corrodes

Our spirit, forcing us to hide

Our face behind a mask

And grow a shell around our heart.

Thus armoured, we sally forth

Among the worldly-wise,

Pretending to fit,

Tho’ ill-equipped,

And no one expects or suspects

That what they see is not reality.

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©Denise G Allen, 10 January 2014 18:29

Remember the Days…

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…when we played games
And had fun in the sun,
When respect was earned:
Teachers, doctors, politicians and parents
Stood apart from the rest
And did their level best
To serve the community with impunity.

Where have those days gone?
Respect is no more, gone for good
(Actually, gone for bad).
Greed has taken over this world
And, where some had a calling,
Money now is more appealing
And jobs are selected for the earnings.

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©Denise G Allen, 09 January 2014 18:36