Lost

You put my postcode
Into your Sat Nav
So you can find me.

But how we get
From where we are now
To where we want to be
Is a mystery.

The Dream

Through closed doors and iron gates
Dead bolts, padlocks, rim locks
Between steel bars, no guards
I twist round stairs and tight corners
Into the blue light, the half light
No one around, I’m outside now.

Sun streaming through white clouds
Bumping along the skyline
Along pylons and hissing wires
The rhythm scares and frees me
Trees go by flashing like fire
Now orange light, street lights.

Racing along the night highway
Down straight yellow lines
Cats eyes staring up at me
The world flows by at a pace
Time swiftly moving on
But there’s something in the road.

A group of deer leap out in front
Their majestic faces
Proudly flaring nostrils
Dark eyes, ears pricked and alert
They sense me but pay no mind
I speed ahead on my silent journey.

I’m on a mission, floating above life
This is how freedom should feel.
A blink, a jolt and I’m back again
I feel you breathing on my shoulder
Imprisoning me once more
Haunting my reality.


(Inspired by the dream sequence from the film “Un Prophète” by Jacques Audiard)

Mischief Night

Growing up
We waited for tonight
Minor misdemeanours
Knock and run
Tying door handles
When asked why
We said it was a laugh
One night of the year
Licence to misbehave
To break every rule.

And this year it seems
The old me is back
Pushing back boundaries
Looking for trouble
For when I am told
Not to do something
I think of little else
I know you do too
You believe you can stop it
But I’d like to see you try.

(Traditionally Mischief Night is 4th November in Yorkshire)