The Screen that Hums

Tags

Celebrity, Communication, creative, isolation, Life, poems, poetry, Relationships, Television, The Screen that Hums, TV, verse, writing

With the TV on
And no-one home
Does it matter that
We’re all alone
With the dramas and
The lives of those
We’d wish to be or
Are glad we aren’t
To dip in and out
Of colours loud
Where death rings tears
And heroes bleed
But we’ll see them all
Again next time
In costumes grand
Or just like those
That reflect our lot
In kitchens where
Machines that feed us
Ping lap-top sustenance
Remind us of the
Lives that we could lead
Behind the screen
That hums and moves
In steps more constant
Than our own or those
That move our hearts to bleed
Or cry out in our heads
For the credits to roll
Once more.

© All original writing copyright Chris Nelson 2000-2020

Return to Dust

Tags

creative, lyrics, poems, poetry, Relationships, Return to Dust, time, verse, writing

It’s a slow parade

That passes through this town,

Faces hung so low

On every one a frown,

It’s a darker night

Than those we knew before

Still wind still so cold

No breath behind the door.

 

Can’t write the future

Won’t even try,

Can’t change the past

Was born to this,

Came here staring up

Towards the sky,

Soon found my feet

Forgot the kiss.

 

Learned how to wander

Far from the place,

It all began

And how I lost,

My sense of time

My sense of space,

And felt my fire

Turn to frost.

 

Grew so soft inside

A thicker skin,

My wisdom died

Upon the bough,

And those who came

Would not come in,

My amber heart

It kept them out.

 

It’s a slow parade

That passes through this town,

Faces hung so low

On every one a frown,

It’s a darker night

Than those we knew before

Still wind still so cold

No breath behind the door.

 

Can’t write the future

Won’t even try,

Can’t change the past

Was born to this,

Came here staring up

Towards the sky,

Soon found my feet

Forgot the kiss.

 

© All original writing copyright Chris Nelson 2000-2020

 

The Closeness of Circles

Tags

Connection, creative, isolation, poems, poetry, Relationships, The Closeness of Circles, Truth, verse, writing

How long did it take –

A day, a week, a month –

To realise

The width of a circle

And all that moves within

Touching always from a distance

Too safe, too sanitised

Too little revealed through

A door ajar

A netted window

Flickering – half a picture

Brush strokes on a hidden canvas

And all that falls from sight

The things that we

Are told we need

The things that we

Can do without

And the music that still plays

Sings so loud and brings

The circle closer still.

 

© All original writing copyright Chris Nelson 2000-2020

 

Passing Cars

Tags

creative, faith, Friends, Life, lyrics, Passing Cars, poems, poetry, Relationships, verse, writing

All this will end

And you’ll forget me,

Not what I’d hoped

But how it will be,

All this will go

Like clouds in Summer

What once was real

Now just a number.

 

Spent half our lives

In passing cars

Our faces pressed

Against the glass

Down long dark roads

In search of light

 

Parade ourselves

In colours bold

Or shades of grey

The mirror’s call

A brief sojourn

Along the way

 

All this will end

And you’ll forget me,

Not what I’d hoped

But how it will be,

All this will go

Like clouds in Summer

What once was real

Now just a number.

 

Aim for the crash

That shakes us free

A roadside fall

Into the arms

Of someone else

We pray will see

The road like us

 

And some we’ll leave

Along the way

And some will burn

Like dying stars

And some we’ll wish

Had stayed awhile

 

© All original writing copyright Chris Nelson 2000-2020

 

Lead You Home

Tags

creative, dreams, Lead You Home, night, poems, poetry, verse, writing

And the octopus-arm streets

Lead me here

And lead me there

But never take me far

From this town

Whose sea-serpent limbs wrap

Themselves about ankles

Both delicate and firm

Their resolve never broken

Never blessed by the birds

Who swoop the deep

And trail their angel-feather wings

Across the water

Across the lives

Kissing the gentle waves

As they lap the shore

Like the ghost-friend visit

Of dreams

Now remembered

Now lost

And on the horizon

Ever distant

Receding like the thawing summer floes

Forgotten swallows swirl

Singing softly to ears that

Will never hear

Never feel their warmth again

Drawn ever back

Through lattice-laced skies

The tentacled paths that burn

But only in the light

And lead you home at night

At night

 

© All original writing copyright Chris Nelson 2000-2020

 

In Histories

Tags

creative, history, In Histories, Lessons, poems, poetry, verse, writing

 

Fires now are all burned through

And hollow windows stared

Memories kept close to you

In priest-holes never shared,

Hands that cut your ragged stone

To hold the world at bay

Marked by time’s cold blood and moans

Feted Lords have their day,

Cast upon the bloodied land

Proclaim the rise of one

Beneath the foot, beneath the hand

Dynasties now gone,

And winter has the final word

In histories we fall

Ruins carved beneath the sword

In time repeated all.

 

 

© All original writing copyright Chris Nelson 2000-2020

The Poets Symphony AVAILABLE NOW

Delighted to be able to announce the release (and to be a contributor to) The Poets Symphony.
Read on
!

Raw Earth Ink

Raw Earth Ink proud to present (and super excited about):

The Poets Symphony

An anthology composed by thirty-one artists and poets. Inside you’ll find poems, lyrics, melodies, photography, paintings, digital art and more all inspired by MUSIC.

I couldn’t be happier with this book. It’s gorgeous on the outside but it’s the inside bits that are the best. This has truly been my pleasure to work with all of these fine creators.

I encourage you to check out the Published Authors page on the blog to find out more about any of them.

Recognize some of those names? You might, because many came from WordPress with even more from Instagram.

You can find the paperback at lulu (recommended), Barnes & Noble, or Amazon. Lulu has been shipping out books in about a week (or less) while Amazon is taking over a month to ship out book orders.

View original post 9 more words

The Poets Symphony

.

I am absolutely delighted and thrilled to be able to announce the forthcoming release of ‘The Poets Symphony’ from RawEarthInk.
Edited by Tara Caribou, this collection of poetry features work from some of the most talented writers around, collated into one fine anthology.
Released on May 15th, in both ebook and physical form, this is a must for lovers of poetry and music alike.

Lulu (paperback):

https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/tara-caribou/the-poets-symphony/paperback/product-1dgprw7w.html

Barnes & Noble (paperback):

https://m.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-poets-symphony-tara-caribou/1136905905

Amazon (paperback):

Amazon (kindle version):

 

Hanging On

Tags

creative, Hanging On, lyrics, music, poems, poetry, verse, writing

Blue lights flashing 

In the dead of the night

What have you done?

Oh, what have you done?

See inside though

The blinds are drawn

Keep it all in

Yes, keep it all in.

 

And we’re all hanging on

Hanging on by a thread

Hoping that it’s strong enough

To hold ’til morning comes.

 

Words like knives hang

High above our heads

Hide them so well

We hide them so well,

‘Til the tempers flare

And hearts bleed out

What did we mean?

Oh, what did we mean?

 

And up the stairs

All our monsters freed

Can’t hold them now

No, can’t hold them now,

And rage cuts cold

As deep as the fear

Can’t take it back

Can’t take it back now.

 

And we’re all hanging on

Hanging on by a thread

Hoping that it’s strong enough

To hold ’til morning comes.

 

Blue lights flashing 

In the dead of the night

What have you done?

Oh, what have you done?

Voices silent

In the dead of the night

What have we done?

Oh, what have we done?

 

© All original writing copyright Chris Nelson 2000-2020

 

Music for the weekend

I may be biased (my son provides the electric guitar work), but the new ep ‘Blown Away’ by Charlotte Young, is definitely worth downloading.

On its release it went straight to #1 in the UK Country itunes chart, so I know you won’t be disappointed!

It is available on itunes, Spotify and no doubt almost everywhere else.

Happy listening!

 

Review: Charlotte Young Releases The Brand New EP ‘Blown Away’!