Poems on the theme of Love.
Written by local poets and residents of Bournemouth
Crush Buzz
How does it feel?...
Like the first bite of a culinary delight
Like a breath-taking sight
Light footed and sprightly
Like a sustained high
Like a bird flies
Like a word sighs
Like peace
Spirit hands on shoulders
Deep sleep
In an elemental cave
The bit that doesn’t fit in the real world
The prehistoric trip we all need
To remind us to breath
Like animals
Like the swell of high tide
When a kind eye smiles
When a look sparks a rush
That feels like angel dust must
If you lived in a cloud
Like things you don’t say
out loud.
Louise Schachter
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall
Duncan’s Funeral
If God sent his angel down to Earth from up above
As if to prove someone below could know his worth
Then this heart so full of love would burst with song
But there can be no words now he is gone
So we say goodbye in quiet peace
While the sunlight dies behind the trees
And breezes whisper through the forest leaves
And Mother Nature lays to rest
One as beautiful as he.
Louise Schachter
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall
For Duncan’s Memory
Summer 2011
He made me think of happy things
Like daisies that come out in Spring
Like melodies, refined and sweet
Like your favourite thing to eat
Like the warmest place to be
Like the softest comfy seat
Like a friend who’s always there
Like a day lived without care
Into space, he’d sit and stare
So full of elegance and grace
So luminous with angel face
He trusted us in every way
He didn’t have the time to stay
God must have missed this one too much
‘Cos yesterday, he took him back from us.
Louise Schachter
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall
LOVE LOST SOMEWHERE
By Janet S Rogers
What is it that I try to find?,
lost somewhere within my mind,
Another place, another time,
I’m sure you’re there,
Locked love
I’ll find that love,
That’s real and true,
In the memory of you.
Why do I fail to sense this thing
I cannot find what's locked within?
Another future in a better time,
In a past or present time,
A treasure of a happy time
In a memory I cannot find,
A loving thought of you
There was once a child within this space
That never heard you or saw your face
Before this life that is this space,
Experience is a tragic place,
Before the memory took away the trace,
The perfect love of you
Somewhere within this world of hate,
there is a light,
The perfect place
Somewhere where life cannot erase,
I know that I will find you
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall
I've lived within the life of me,
I cannot find the love I need,
The perfect kind of Harmony,
A place and time that memory,
That’s locked no one will ever see,
In the love and mind of the used to be,
In a thought,
A fading memory,
That perfect kind of harmony,
We say is there but cannot see
The future past,
My only me,
Within that place there’s you
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall
IF
By Janet S Rogers
If life is but a moment in the vast expanse of time,
If memory a blink of a person, or place that’s left behind,
If luck comes good or bad it cannot last for long,
But love, real love, will last eternity and is never really gone
My life, my love and future I have yet to see,
Will be passed down through the ages,
To my children and my children’s, children
They will carry through for me
And hopefully the memory’s that I will leave behind
Are not of hurt or sadness, but in the happiest of times,
There will be a moment set aside, a memory of me,
And this love, real love, will last eternally
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall
Somersault
by Janet S Rogers
Sweet sick churning colour's reality
Subtle wink that seals your fate
A slave devoid of logical intention
Grasp the last morsel on normalities plate
Fluttering wings of butterflies
In the darkest pits are blind
Clowns in coloured clothing
Somersault in the recess of your mind
Misty eyes rose tinted frames
Mirrored image of the soul
Prey frozen in the spotlight ‘shot’
Arrow discharged from Cupid’s bow
The magic of the madness
Opens the Asylum door
Like an addict craves another fix
Yet still searches for a cure
Promised contract last forever
And yet another day
You’ll wish that it had never come
But still wanting it to stay
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall
“I worship my mistress, for I have seen her beauty”
Coffin Texts, spell 484 – a poem for Linda
It may be said that I am weak,
That what I did was not from strength;
Only I persevered because of duty;
But to that, what I say, and at length:
I worship my mistress, for I have seen her beauty.
It’s what I always sought. I speak
As one afflicted, brought up where
Love’s conditional type of booty
Means nothing finally – now I swear
I worship my mistress, for I have seen her beauty.
At the place where souls end and break,
Nothing is nothing and that is sure,
Still one seed flourishes and there’s fealty:
Inescapably real, certainly pure –
I worship my mistress, for I have seen her beauty.
James Sale
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall
IF I WERE A ROSE
18 August 2013 at 07:09
If you were a priest in a temple of old
Hid ‘neath the sand of the Deserts hold
Would I serve you as a priestess of your faith
Or would my soul rule you from within the depth
If you were a warrior of Ireland's Fame
Who ran with the hoards of Finn McCool
Would I be your Damsel who waited by the fire
Whilst you forayed and hunted with your Lord
If you were a knight in times gone by
Who rode on a horse 19 hands high,
Would I be your maid who polished your armour
Fanning the fires of your war like ardour
If you were a Baron in a manor with land
Who ruled over farms and hunting grounds
Would I be your servile mistress hid from view
Or would I be your Lady to sit beside you
If you were a wordsmith, a bard of some fame,
Who weaved his magic in the minds of the world
Would I be your Muse to hold your sway
Locked in your heart for ever and away
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall
If you were a Warlock of Merlin's time
Who played with mysteries in King Arthur's name
Would I be the Witch who slept by your side
Mixing spells and potions with you to guide
If you were a man of flesh and bone
Ruled by the body you now enthrone
Would the call of the wild running strong in your veins
Bring you to me with it's earthy desires
If I were your Widow with no one on side
Left with your child to love and to guide
Would your spirit take pity and watch o'er me
Lift me up in your arms through eternity
If I were a wraith drawn by your call
Pulled out of time to live in your world
Would you recognize me for who I am,
Or would my shadow pass by you left with no home
If we were lovers, twinned by our souls
Destined co-joined to travel the void
Would you search me out on sensing my thoughts
Would you forgo all others to live in my thrall?
If I were a flower, a sweet white Rose
If I gave myself to you with a pure true love
Would you take my gift, my soul's honest intent
And on your breast would you wear me with pride?
By Miss Annie Christopher
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall
Let Love Be Today by Rebecca Fludgate
Let love be today
As we move among
The stoic, the statuesque the
Shells of diamonds
Built to capture our hearts today
Out spirits the love we need to escape
From our unique torture
Let love live today
As we walk away with our hearts in a castle of bones, our ocean hidden inside, we move away from
The agony that finds, bright or dull
The machine that grinds
The wheels that turn the fields that burn
The pain that returns
Let love live today
Lost children dance to the music
Empty from loss and yearning for peace
Let love live today
The past is gone to nothing
With regret
The space in our sails we cannot fill
As it cannot be replenished from the well
That was not there when we were children
Yet we love more and more, for
Too much is lost to the wealth of time wasted
To nothing and none but watching, waiting, to feel
The love that couldn’t become that couldn’t be won
For it is lost in the harsh words of hate and ignorance that hurt so much but meant so little for so little time,
Let love live today
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall
DINNER WITH DALI
He's a mouth-watering treat.
A killer smooth mayonnaise cream
Slapped in peanut butter crunch.
A salty tang olive lust
On a crackerjack snack.
She slips from his tongue
As a Naked Lady's Lunch,
Washed away by champagne
To float the coast,
Sunny side up.
Rolled in shoreline waves of love
And tasty sparkling treats
To lay jewel encrusted
On Dali's moon
And ocean sprayed by the beach.
Oblivious to sunburn and children's screams,
They'll drift lucid dreams
On Monday's breeze.
And like starburst dunes,
They'll become.
©Kim West
July 2012
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall
I spent a lot of my working life travelling all over the world – In my suitcase there was always, always, hidden away, a little note from my
lovely wife……. This was one of my responses
Your notes are like the sunshine on
A drab November day –
They penetrate the cold and gloom
And chase away the grey…..
They bring such warmth to me when I
Am far away from you;
Remind me that your heart is mine
And constant, warm and true…..
So please continue – send me notes
Whenever I’m away,
As, like blue skies and sparkling seas,
They brighten every day……
I love you, Annie, love you more
With every breath I take –
Thank God for the day I met you
Each moment I’m awake…..
©Robert Bury
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall
LOVE AT FIRST BITE
The first time that I saw you was
So many years ago;
If you asked me to name the day
I really would not know…
I know it was at breakfast-time
And you were such a sight,
I trembled just a bit before
I took that first great bite….
The sensation was incredible,
My lips felt warm, so nice,
My tongue and taste-buds were on fire,
My heart turned over – twice !!
I fell in love, it only took
One bite me to convince,
And I have been in love with you
For ever, ever since….
I stroke your skin with pleasure,
I love it – Oh !! So much !!
It’s soft and smooth and sensuous
And silky to the touch….
I didn’t know that you were Scottish,
That you hailed from Aberdeen –
All I ever knew was that you were
The best thing that I’d seen….
Since then we’ve met ‘bout once a week
(‘Though you’re hated by my wife),
You’re something I look forward to –
A great part of my life….
I look forward to you every time –
Look forward to my ration –
So I can re-live that first great bite,
Mouth watering with passion….
I’m quite sure that there’s nothing will
Our great relations sever –
When I die we’ll meet in paradise
Once a week for ever….
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall
Reader, I am sure you’re thinking,
“What is he referring to ?”,
When, in the verses that you’ve read,
I make mention of “you”….
It would be easy to think I mean
Some Sexy Scottish Stripper ??
You would, of course, be very wrong –
It’s the Noble Scottish Kipper !!
©Robert Bury - 2014
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall
This was written on the flyleaf of a copy of “The Complete Nonsense of
Edward Lear” I gave to my wife, Annie, in 1978 and is a take-off of
Lear’s “Self Portrait” poem “How pleasant to know Mr Lear”. It is still,
much thumbed and much loved, amongst our books today.
ANNIE
How pleasant it is to know Annie,
A truly remarkable girl –
She has lifted my feet off the ground
And left me in some kind of whirl !!
She has two small and one large one
(But should have two large and one small)
I think that she worries about it,
But I – I don’t worry at all….
For tomatoes she has a great passion,
She eats them all day and all night –
Red ones and green ones – probably blue ones,
(A really incredible sight)…
For sleep too she has an ability
Surpassed by all persons I knows –
She will wake at eleven or so then,
After lunch, she’ll go off for a doze !!
But whatever her foibles I’ll love her,
I’ll be happy whenever she’s near
And lets hope that that will be forever
‘Cos I think you’re lovely, my dear !!
Robert Bury – September 1978.
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall
GHOST TRAIN.
She passed me in a frenzie,
never looked me in the eyes,
waiting at the station as anticipated,
an anniversary of a dream gone by,
Time had no meaning as just a glimpse I spied,
people walking through me,
blinded from me as I stood by her side.
The station clock in haste, impatiently calling,
warning me as I had no presence of time.
A glimpse of yesteryear, when reality was not tied.
No thoughts of having to say my goodbyes.
what once was laughter, now turned to tears,
as my destination was not the same as hers.
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A sudden smile reached the distance, no time can hide,
as memories unfolded in ghostly silence for a little while,
before the sliding of the doors and she was gone.
No looking back to the spot where she spent,
as prayers and answers had already been said.
The petals of the flowers that she had held,
thrown to the tracks and caught by the breeze,
kissing her cheeks until we meet again,
as my ghost train takes me on my journey,
to where I will wait for an eternity,
and the beating of her heart will once again with me be entwined,
when both of us are with the angels in harmony.
As the love inside us can never die.
by Sue Bennetton.
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall
ECLIPSE
You are the sun and I am the moon,
shining on me in the darkness to make me bloom.
Reflecting from your light to brighten my night,
Bringing a ray of sunshine, to my dark and lonely plight.
The power of the universe eclipsed with my beating heart,
through the darkness of no time, that space could not define.
Do not grasp my shadow, as you will lose where I am.
The day is just a little bit darker, but my night is bright and new,
as you finally caught up with me from an eclipse of my moon.
Where the past has no future and the present no time,
as this instance it is another dimension as I dream of you,
with the memories in my mind within a safe cocoon of no lies,
enlightened by love and truth, the darkness takes flight from my night,
as long as you are there to shine your light,
where distance has no meaning while you are in my life.
By Sue Bennetton.
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall
LOVE CHILD.
Innocent child, born out of love or desire?
Finding your feet, confused in this fragile world.
that we from destiny are bred.
Looking through trusting eyes, waiting to be fed,
the knowledge of life, which cannot just be read.
Growing up in a mixed up world, easily led.
Give me your tiny hand, child of mine,
trust in my knowledge, hide behind my shield of love,
as I stand tall and grow strong in my care.
Let me pick you up when you stumble and fall,
guiding you through the waiting lair.
In this mysterious world, spinning round with the blackness of night,
and brightness of day,
tread carefully as the silent shadows evilly, are waiting to pounce,
on the weak and lead them astray.
Follow me, stepping in the warmth of the suns rays.
Leave the blackness of the night to the brave and those that more readily dare.
Child of mine let me put my frail hand into your care.
as our love has taken us to places that only we have tread.
My Lifes path has taken me through the labyrinth that destiny has bred.
My journey has nearly come to a head.
Let me hold on to your strength while I look back onto where it has led.
By Sue Bennetton.
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall
The Phoenix
(for Sue)
I placed the withered embers of my love
upon the altar of my life
and left them lying, cold and dead.
Until, by chance, you passed my way
and breathed new life upon its ash.
Then phoenix like it rose anew
and blossoms now in children and in you.
Ian Tovey
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall
Love Thy Neighbour
When did this great nation morph into Great Britain Plc?
Where the rich get richer, while the homeless need our tlc
And we're goaded into hating Speidi from CBB
We could make a difference, but we're encouraged to lose ourselves in our PS3s
When did the news start getting altered and manipulated
To make damn sure with every waking hour our enemies are hated
And to keep us in line, make sure we live in fear and are sedated
Instead of feeling secure in our own homes, loved and liberated
Plus when did guerrilla and freedom fighter get rebranded as terrorist?
And when did foreign policy start to get dictated by an economist?
While we're all spoon fed freedom, served up with an iron fist
Its no wonder so many people have decended into the red mist
I do not heed the news and other forms of mind polution
I don't support Opus Dei, Illuminati or no Islamic Revolution
Because I don't believe any of these things offer the solution
Simply start to love thy neighbour to gain your absolution
I love you all the same, no matter what race, colour or creed
We're all the same inside and it's all the same to me
Please don't hate others as a result of what you believe
Why not let's love thy neighbour, so we can all live in peace
And I'll leave you with a story about a Shaman and a young Cherokee
The Shaman said "I have two wolves having a fight inside of me
One is full of hate and anger, the other is loving, mild and meek"
"But which one will survive?!" asked the young man Cherokee
"Well that's easy", replied the old man, "it's the one you feed!"
Aaron Lowney
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall
My Grandchild
My grandchild is so dear to me,
I love his chubby charm.
He gazes up so lovingly
in the crook of my left arm.
I wonder what he will be like
when he is grown a man.
Whatever fate may throw at me
I’ll always be his gran.
Pauline Petropoulos
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall
IF I HAD KNOWN
If I had known what I know now when I was seventeen,
I might have been the queen of some far distant, sunny land,
And now be living in a palace, dignified and grand,
Or maybe gone to Timbukto, supposing it’s still there.
If I had listened carefully and learned the jargon well,
I might have cracked the Stock Exchange and be a millionaire
Or started with a little shop and own a high street chain.
I could have spotted fashion’s trends and catwalked with my style.
I might have been an air hostess and flown the world for free,
Or captained giant cruising ships on each and every sea.
I might not have let my friends persuade me I should streak
Across the rugby football pitch, during student rag week.
I also might not have produced three hulking, hungry sons
Who put the sporting world to rights with tries, and goals, and runs.
With luck I might have made the grade as number one pop star,
Or trod the boards and had my name in lights in the West End.
Ah! Now I see just what I’ve missed on life’s merry-go-round.
If I had known what I know now when I was seventeen,
I’d still have married you my love, and blow what might have been.
Mo Turner
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall
VALENTINE’S DAY
What you up to with that swine –
that fancy feller, Valentine?
A wetter name I never heard.
His whole performance is absurd –
all these hearts he keeps on sending,
cards and flowers never ending.
Look, his favourite colour’s pink –
he needs to go and see a shrink.
What you mean – I’m not romantic?
’course I’m not. It drives me frantic –
all this lovey-dovey stuff.
I’m telling you I’ve had enough!
I do the little things you like.
I mow the lawn. I fixed your bike.
I pay the bills. I wash the car.
This Valentine has gone too far.
I see he’s taken over shops
and restaurants – he never stops.
The magazines are full of it.
He’s just a scented bag of s**t.
What d’you mean – it’s just one day?
I thought the s*d was here to stay!
Oh, I know what you’re really wishing –
all right, love, I’ll take you fishing.
John Barclay
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall
ZYGON
young lovers on the planet Zygon
which has no moon but two suns
stroll happily with tentacles entwined
& dark glasses safely in place
oblivious to midnight’s bright glare
he removes her wrap-around shades
and says “I never knew
you were so beautiful”
they gaze romantically into
each other’s bug eyes; “I adore you”
he whispers as they passionately
interlock aerials
while the rest
of this strange world
quietly sleeps
Richard Green
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall
LOVE
is
Taking care of each other.
Whenever
Whatever
However
and
Forever.
Bernard Davies. December 2006.
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall
THE PHOTO ON THE WALL.
IF I BLEW YOU A KISS
WOULD IT GET THERE?
THROUGH THE WINDOW
OVER THE HEDGE
INTO THE SKY –
AND ON TO WHERE
A ROUTE TO HEAVEN,
OVER THE HILL
AND PAST THE BIRDS
‘BYE THE CLOUDS
AND INTO DEEPEST BLUE.
EVERYONE THERE
WATCHING, WAITING
YOUR KISS IS COMING
AND THEY ALL KNOW.
STANDING BACK
AND ALL IN LIMBO
ALLOWING PASSAGE
IT’S ALMOST THROUGH.
THEN, YOU’VE GOT IT.
SMILING EYES PROCLAIM ADVENT
NOW YOUR LOVE RETURNS INTENT
IN A WARMING STORM
OF RAINBOW RAIN.
AND I WILL DO IT ALL AGAIN.
TOMORROW. WHY NOT?
BERNARD DAVIES. SEPT 2008.
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall
SPACEMAN.
We’re close and face-to-face
Arms round each other in this embrace
Hands entwining firm and warm.
Unseen aromas, ours together
Your nose all crinkled in expected pleasure.
Then those eyes,
Tightened focus on deepening dreams
Of things to come
A tinge of pink, just right
Edging on to glowing white.
Viewing more with beating heart
The porcelain face is just a start
Skin so smooth and iridescent
Lips tilted, corners dimpled, extant
Then moves to vital smile
All red; in bloom, we halt awhile.
Waiting, beckoning, grasping bliss
And now that kiss.
Just like the last, and done
Perhaps even more to come.
Alas I’ve gone
‘Launched’, in orbit with just one.
Bernard Davies. February 2009
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall
For Lucy.....
Another day,
Rushing here and there.
Hello, how can I help?
It’s just over there.
Phones ringing, emails to answer.
But in the quietness,
I remember.
What might have been.
But I see you in the sunshine
And hear you in the wind.
I suppose love never ends
Despite everything.
Peter Kazmierczak
February 2014
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall
MY LOVE IS TRUE
Rewind our lives to, let me see,
Me, the Kings Arms, you Salcombe UDC.
It was so different then and our troubles were few,
As the days went by, would I stick with you?
~~~
Heady days of singing and fame,
Serious for some but, to us, part of a game.
My room at the top sometimes shared with you,
Never knowing if our love would stay true.
~~~
Music would be our signature tune,
Some goal to reach, not just for the moon.
The guitars played on, voices floating in our time,
Sometimes ecstatic, living on cloud nine.
~~~
Fast forward to the autumn of our time,
When rewinds of memories frequently chime.
Love doesn’t grow cold –
It never grows old –
It just grows, and grows … and grows!
~~~
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall
Karen E Lawman
APRIL 11th.
Love took us –
on a subliminal journey.
Memories of our promises
to love and to cherish
became heightened –
as we awoke to a glorious morning,
mirroring that of our Wedding Day.
The kiss of spring was upon us –
your eyes held mine,
I see myself there.
We embrace briefly –
as you clench my hand tighter,
then loosen your grip –
as if I were too fragile,
easily broken.
We read the message
in one another’s eyes -
I love you now
as I loved you then.
The sun is setting –
drawing us ever closer
as the fever of the night beckoned.
I am flying with butterfly wings –
I am your Bride again.
Beautiful –
I hear you softly whisper.
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall
For God has surely blessed
our mystical union.
Taking us higher and higher.
Our ecstatic cries –
ring out to the heavens.
Passion spent –
Our eyes meet
once more –
I love you now
as I loved you then.
Goodnight my love.
Nina Graham
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/poetrywall