Inmate, Earth

  I, Poet Series, Volume One

  By Anthony North

  Copyright Anthony North 2012

  Cover image copyright, Yvonne North 2012

  Other books by Anthony North

  I, TRILOGY INTRODUCTORY VOLUME

  I, STORYTELLER SERIES

  I, Adventurer: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/305210

  I, POET SERIES

  Bard Stuff: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/252874

  Mind Burps: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/272508

  Verse Fest: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/302837

  I, THINKER SERIES

  I, Paranormal: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/237339

  I, Essayist: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/259928

  I, Society: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/272861

  I, Unexplained: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/303478

  I, Observer: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/304480

  CONTENTS

  Introduction

  Criminal

  Green

  Humour

  Life

  Love

  Philosophical

  Scary

  Sci Fi

  About the Author

  Connect With Anthony

  INTRODUCTION

  What do you mean you don't like poetry? Too stuffy; bland? Yes, I see. But don't be so glum; I make it fun. Read me!!!! It's my destiny.

  CRIMINAL

  The Ballad of Mr Yob … Injustice … Sue’s Defence

  THE BALLAD OF MR YOB

  This is the ballad of Mr Yob,

  A kid so delinquent he got no job,

  Fury was his normal mode,

  Whenever he went out of his abode,

  Someone would look and he didn’t like that,

  So out came the fist, another nose, splat!

  Eventually he got the message, of course,

  When the police picked him up, they’d endorse,

  The fact that you can’t go around like that,

  With many stays in prison, infact,

  And finally guilt made him see his way,

  Was cruel, pathetic, offering nothing but dismay;

  Finally he grew into a decent chap,

  Thankful that he realised his handicap,

  Always thinking life was another’s fault,

  Making it all so easy to assault,

  But finally realising he was the one to blame,

  He looked on his past as totally insane

  INJUSTICE

  Lock him up! Throw away the key!

  He assaulted me;

  He battered my beliefs – hurt my pride,

  Questioned the things in which I confide;

  There are laws against these taunts, you know,

  So stop your jibes, or prison you’ll go,

  We won’t have injustice in this day and age,

  So take your bigotry off the stage …

  Hold on a minute, what’s your game?

  Are we never, ever, to blame,

  Something with which we disagree,

  Questioning life’s rich tapestry?

  The injustice is you! Not me.

  SUE’S DEFENCE

  This is the story of a girl called Sue,

  Her husband beat her – what could she do?

  She’d be in fear most of her life,

  Cursing the day she became his wife;

  Nightmares existed wherever she turned,

  Sometimes he’d be meaner, and she got burned;

  One day Sue decided she’d had enough,

  So she stuck him with a knife;

  Tough!

  GREEN

  A Winter’s Tail … Eco Cinquain … The Greatest Christmas Present … Tree Vibes

  A WINTER’S TAIL

  Brrr! It’s cold,

  My bones are getting very old,

  The frost, it bites,

  Never, ever, any respite,

  Snow falling, at first a hoot,

  Then like frozen parachutes,

  Storm troopers of winter’s siege,

  A massive, mighty blizzard krieg;

  Shelter comes so easily,

  Blazing fire so good to see,

  Warming my body through and through,

  Flames protecting from winter flu;

  Although it looks so beautiful,

  So good, the occasional winter’s lull,

  But not so good as the winter’s tail,

  Until it comes, I will prevail,

  And when it’s here I will sing,

  Hurry soon, dear Spring

  ECO-CINQUAIN

  Planet

  Our habitat

  Nurtures everything good

  Balance, symbiosis, and us

  Vandals

  Big wind

  Warming air flow

  Battered climate rising

  Faces contorted, nothing done

  Just talk

  Fossil

  Just a dead life

  Extracted, fill her up

  Useless usefulness bringing on

  Dead life

  Cuddly

  Animal life

  Made human, sentiment

  We love them, we need them, then we

  Kill them

  THE GREATEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT

  Why is it that we always forget,

  The greatest present created yet?

  Planet Earth which aids us so,

  We’re always on her, wherever we go;

  So this Christmas let’s remember,

  And best wishes we can surely send her,

  Thanking her for nurturing us,

  Letting life go with a buzz;

  Send a gift of goodwill, true,

  Fuelled with eco-things we can do,

  Changing the environment to high from low,

  And wrap her up with a green bow

  TREE VIBES

  Just a tree, he said to me,

  And whilst we are in sympathy,

  A tree’s a tree and I am me,

  Allowing me to look with glee;

  But careful as you go too near,

  Sure that you’ve nothing to fear,

  Feel the vibes and you’ll shed a tear,

  As to why, you’re not a seer;

  Yet, from man, to animal, to tree, to Moon,

  We are as one, without gloom,

  As long as we understand nature’s interweaving loom,

  And not fear union as our doom;

  And as it’s branches stretch, reach out,

  Suddenly we sense there is no doubt,

  That we and it are as one redoubt,

  Remember this, or they’ll wipe us out

  HUMOUR

  I Like Tea … Conversations … Mischief … When Would I like To Be? … Butterfly Skies … Weight … The Snowman Speaks … Opposite View

  I LIKE TEA

  Coffee is simply not for me,

  I’m English! I like tea,

  No milk or sugar, I take it black,

  Having a cup with every meal or snack;

  It’s important to my daily way,

  A cup with breakfast before I stray,

  Into my daily life so busy,

  Forget it and I’ll end up dizzy,

  For routines like tea are a vital thing,

  Puts mind in tune – you go with a zing!

  And day time over, now it’s night,

  Still that drink is in sight;

  Nice and cold with a frothy head;

  Oh no! Not tea! Time for beer instead

  CONVERSATIONS

  I am me, I know it’s true,

  ‘So you say, until you??
?re blue’

  Things I do, I work them out,

  ‘Thanks to conscience providing doubt’

  With confidence I can get through life,

  ‘Thanks to ego, sharp as a knife’

  Remembering things, no problem to me,

  ‘Thanks to memory, don’t you see …?’

  Hey! This is my poem, please shut up!

  ‘Ooohhh! Along with muse, with whom you sup’

  Such an annoying, pestering voice,

  ‘Well we’re in here, so you’ve got no choice’

  At least with my love you have no say,

  ‘Thanks to libido, you perform okay’

  But I am me, I know it’s true,

  ‘Thanks to us – and we’re quite a few’

  MISCHIEF

  Pig-tailed girls are everywhere,

  Creep up behind, pull their hair,

  Elastic bands and paper pellets,

  Laughing at memories – It’s how I tell it;

  School days, holidays, always fun,

  Go round shooting with my big spud gun,

  Make believe, always getting in trouble,

  A whack on the head burst the bubble,

  But only for a little while,

  Before thinking up something exquisitely vile;

  Worms down necks and stink bombs thrown,

  Itching powder sprayed, all before home,

  But while the victim was often curt,

  No one ever really got hurt

  WHEN WOULD I LIKE TO BE?

  When would I like to be?

  A time when clearly I could see,

  The pitfalls in life,

  The troubles and strife,

  Avoiding them with absolute glee

  To such a time I would bow,

  No worry lines on my brow,

  But could such a time actually exist?

  I think so if I persist,

  With my body still here …

  But my mind 30 seconds before now

  BUTTERFLY SKIES

  I watch them flutter where I lie,

  Butterflies filling the deep blue sky,

  Coming so close, I could almost touch,

  And I love them all, oh, so much;

  A strange empathy I seem to share,

  These creatures looking so colourful and fair,

  Harbingers of better days,

  Frolicking in a summer haze;

  But why do they seem to fly by me,

  Is there something I just can’t see?

  Why do I feel so strange and new?

  Who took my legs? New thoughts imbue;

  Oh!

  I’m no longer a caterpillar; I’m a butterfly, too

  WEIGHT

  Lots of turkey, sprouts and roasts,

  Shovel it in, you don’t look gross!

  Christmas pudding, munch it down,

  Silly hat on head – look like a clown!

  Xmas fare, full of cheer,

  Diet cards getting near?

  Bloated, windy, was that a burp?

  Looking embarrassed – what a twerp!

  And after the season the scales tell the truth,

  ‘How much to lose?’ Oh, streuth!!!

  But just to make you feel much better,

  As you squeeze into that bulging sweater,

  Santa is far more weightier than you,

  But he is rather magical – HE just says ’shoo!!!’

  THE SNOWMAN SPEAKS

  I’m not here for long,

  So hear my song,

  ‘Cos when I’m gone,

  You’ll belong …

  As Santa comes and leaves your presents,

  And families gather, happy and pleasant,

  Remember the message of Christmas time,

  To always be good and kind,

  To others, ‘cos it heartens the world,

  Allowing good cheer to constantly unfurl

  Soon the thaw comes and I won’t be here,

  So heed my message, be kind without fear;

  Merry Christmas – and good cheer

  OPPOSITE VIEW

  The mirror offers an opposite view,

  It seems to be like, but is it you?

  All is reversed, nothing’s the same,

  No matter how much you exclaim;

  Appear happy, you think too much glee,

  Offer a frown, what a misery?

  The truth is, this isn’t reality at all,

  A mirror image takes your eyes off the ball,

  Of who you are and what you do,

  An incorrect image of yourself imbued;

  Indeed, we’ve got to really ask,

  Is it some macabre, surreal mask?

  A wicked universe’s great big joke,

  Allowing ego to be invoked;

  Is the image yours to command,

  Or is it ethereal, damned?

  It seems to be in unison with you,

  Copying everything you seem to do,

  But maybe in illusion we are immersed;

  Consider – if you wink, who does it first?

  LIFE

  Pride … My Mate Will … Remembering A life … Decisions. Decisions … My Life’s Nights … Unexpected … Storm Force … All of You … Throw It Up … A Tortured Artist … Quitting

  PRIDE

  I’m proud of me, I must admit,

  My life, my ways, a total fit;

  I’m proud of you, my love so dear,

  Going through life without any fear;

  I’m proud of my kids, their way of life,

  Rising above all trouble and strife;

  I’m proud of my work, everything I do,

  Trying my best, honest and true;

  I’m proud of my culture, what it means,

  Giving meaning, direction, plentiful memes;

  I’m proud of my country, what it does,

  Always busy, providing that buzz;

  But pride can come before a fall,

  We can often stand too damn tall,

  So the greatest pride must always be,

  In moderation, understanding, of all and thee

  MY MATE WILL

  My mate Will, a friend indeed,

  He’s always there when I’ve a need,

  Goading me on to always succeed,

  Taking away those things that impede;

  My mate Will, a friend so true,

  If you want, you can have one too;

  All you need is to summon him up,

  From his strength you then can sup,

  And all your dreams can be realised,

  Everything that is so prized,

  For my mate Will is your inner strengths,

  His power goes to magnificent lengths;

  So summon him up when you have a need,

  And your life,

  The world,

  The universe itself, will cede

  REMEMBERING A LIFE

  Sometimes remembered, sometimes not,

  I place the disc in the slot;

  I sit down, watch, take it in,

  The story, in his words, of Mickey Finn;

  I’m fifty, he says, and lived a life,

  Of quite a bit of trouble and strife;

  I’ve fought in wars and loved the girls,

  Seen much of life as it unfurls;

  Married, two kids, a family true,

  A happy sort and rarely blue;

  An important job that I enjoy,

  With many people I do employ;

  Rich? I suppose you could say I am,

  Even though life isn’t always to plan

  More and more he tells me now,

  Through his life he does plough,

  Not forgetting anything,

  ‘Cos amnesia’s such a terrible thing;

  And as I turn off the DVD,

  I smile and say: thank you, me

  DECISIONS, DECISIONS

  Should I do this, or should I do that?

  Decisions, decisions, kick the cat;

&
nbsp; Things have to change, I know they must,

  Smash something up, I’m not fussed;

  Frustrating decisions, make you dizzy as hell,

  If only I could say, oh well!

  But that’s not an option, I have to decide,

  What to do – let uncertainty subside;

  Think about it – come on! – that’s the key,

  And when you’ve done, it’s simplicity,

  To know what to do at times like these,

  Knowing the future, if you please;

  But life – decisions it always thwarts;

  Oh, forget it!

  I’m through!

  Well, it’s a decision of sorts

  MY LIFE’S NIGHTS

  First life, it is always dark,

  Still in womb, make no mark;

  Born, and nights are chaotic times,

  Not wanting to sleep, listen to chimes;

  Later, I want to play and play,

  Images, active mind, with nightmares, I lay;

  Then I begin to think of girl,

  Strange feelings, at night, unfurl;

  Thoughts then turn to nocturnal action,

  No time to sleep, sexual reaction;

  Family man then has responsibility,

  Laying with her always, intimately;

  Family grown up, second youth,

  Always going for a pee – that’s the truth;

  Old age and then eternal night,

  And finally, we see the omnipotent light

  UNEXPECTED

  Life is a bore if it’s all laid out,

  The future is best if there is doubt;

  Go through existence without the odd jolt,

  With no twists and turns to regularly assault,

  Then no challenge is ever laid at your door;

  Accept it! Routine is a bore

  But a warning for those who live on the edge,

  You can go too far, this I pledge,

  If excitement is always all you crave;

  Somewhere in the middle is how to behave;

  So find a balance, don’t chew the fat,

  Then when it comes

  You can say:

  I never expected that!

  STORM FORCE

  It cracked, it flashed,

  It infused, it trashed,

  Any hope of a gathering calm;

  Nothing left to keep me from harm,

  No succour, no hope, no balm;

  Cloudy times, ferocious chimes,

  Weather beaten thoughts, such crimes;

  The storm ripped and jarred,

  Everything marred,

  Nothing untarred;