Many A Hog
this twenty twelve
has not ended quietly
see dandelions of every hue
roar its surrender
and lanterns of hope carry prayers
to their oblivion
while ill attired and worse tempered
the Wife Beaters consorts
surge clanging and clattering
through a wide awake slumber,
where the revellers whoop and greet,
though behind the curtains of the lonely
there is weeping
and I cannot sleep
for fear of forgetting
yet I dare not write
for fear
Paul Sands was born in 1962 and spent his formative years close to the River Trent in Nottingham. He began writing in 2010 and recently self-published his first collection of poetry,” ego…ergo”. He is currently compiling a follow-up collection. http://www.yorkmix.com/
December Brings the Holidays
Of course, I mean the Christmas holidays,
Although termed otherwise by others –
Jews, Muslims, non-believers. Who says,
Then, it doesn’t matter what bothers
Us, such enjambing thoughts above the waist,
Only in the head – one’s brain – where denial
Lurks as a ghost, other people’s bright haste,
But we need to adore, without trial,
A world beyond our constant fighting,
Elections meant to calm but do not –
Just look a century ago, the fling
With Roosevelt and Asquith, quite unsought.
Will Obama, Cameron, Merkel ring
Cheer in or out? Will they smile? Will they sing?
James Naiden was Born 1943, American, currently in Minneapolis, MN. His most recent book The Chafings of Mortals, a novel was published December 2011. He is a regular reviewer for IS&T.