Yet More Poems

When The Stars Don’t Shine

Yes, and how many times must a man look up

Before he can see the sky? Bob Dylan Blowin’ In The Wind

When I am alone and thinking

And the light from the moon is shrinking

I notice the stars don’t shine

That’s trouble afoot in this life of mine

There is so much folly around me

Conspiracy seems to confound me

As I sink into the mists of despair

The world I knew is no longer there

It is changing like a child overwrought

A noble vision is no longer sought

Of beauty strength and purity

They’re banished into obscurity

You ask me where the trouble lies

I reply you’ll find it in the skies

For the city is cloaked in murk

Caused by demon engines at work

Yes carbon is everywhere

Made by moguls with money to spare

So they burn the night away

Like pyromaniac birds of prey

Until the air is cursed with grime

And flows like a sordid river of slime

Well may you ask me why I am sad

There’s a simple answer to be had

And it is all you need

I’m dismayed by this villainous greed

Though the felons are rich

With a virtuous pitch

And blandly donate to charity

Condoning their deeds with fake hilarity

The ages will tell what harm befell

These rogues who light the fires of hell

For one day the stars will shine again

As the cosmos destroys forever the follies of men

A Friend Nobody Knows

I have a friend nobody knows

Who stands by me in spite of my woes

Although I am outcast he remains my ally

The only one left as time goes by

When my fate turns sour in my darkest hour

He gives to me a new found power

As my other soul mates cast me aside

This loyal companion comes along for the ride

Together we roam down the streets of dismay

He keeps me company all the way

Who is this person you may ask

To give you an answer is no easy task

His first name is what comes to me

That seems the way he wants it to be

For names are but labels a part of the fables

Only required at dinner tables

And before a funeral pyre

To make some sense of the fire

Yes existence once was letting me down

My nerves went to pieces and I acted the clown

My world came close to disaster

I was no longer the master

So there you have my story

With clearly no added glory

But thank you for your attention

There is one more thing I must mention

My friend’s profession is not to be missed

He is my psychiatrist

Where Have All The Trees Gone?

Our cities’ foliage they say is reduced

Comfort crumbles with heatwaves induced

Where have all the trees gone?

Urban dwellers are a new élite

They spend a fortune on harsh concrete

Where have all the trees gone?

Politicians now are the arch envelopers

With their tainted money from get-rich developers

Where have all the trees gone?

Demolish with polish is the new catchcry 

Planning doesn’t matter as long as buyers buy

Where have all the trees gone?

Relentless expansion is habit forming

It takes no account of global warming

Where have all the trees gone?

Reckless destruction is the current mode

You mutilate the landscape to build a road

Where have all the trees gone?

With open eyes you will see fools fail

As they cut down a forest to build a light rail

Where have all the trees gone?

Alas this poem can never be

A thing as lovely as a tree

So where have all the trees gone?

Around The Bend

Dreams come true

Around the bend

Clichés are new

Around the bend

Politicians tell the truth

Around the bend

Admen don’t spoof

Around the bend

Business is moral

Around the bend

Lovers don’t quarrel

Around the bend

War is peace

Around the bend

Prisons release

Around the bend

The earth isn’t warm

Around the bend

Love is the norm

Around the bend

Coal is clean

Around the bend

Deserts are green

Around the bend

The needy get help

Around the bend

Dogs don’t yelp

Around the bend

Atoms don’t split

Around the bend

Bombs don’t hit

Around the bend

Idiots are sane

Around the bend

There’s no dirt in the rain

Around the bend

Families aren’t riven

Around the bend…

And so we are driven

Around the bend

Fire In The Sky

Do you know why

The daemon’s eye of fire glares at you in the sky?

It has power beyond all mortal ken

It will not bend to you or tell you when

You will not be safe from powerful fiery fingers

Your mere faint hope of survival lingers

And Vulcan does not wait

To negotiate with you your fate

Who lit the fire? you may ask

To answer is but a trivial task

If you don’t accept the reality of global warming

It was you

Yes you, it’s true, it was you

The skeptic who kindled the fire

Is that Dante revealing his ire?

You who make excuses

Concerning the uses

Of coal and CO₂ 

Burning the world is what you do

So heed this warning

Of tragic days dawning

Don’t act the fool

Let reason rule

And put out the fire

Before we expire

This is a last alert

Lest we are hurt as the world ends

What Have They Done To The Wind?

What have they done to the wind?

It smells like dead sheep skinned

Chemicals are in the air

A fresh pure breeze just isn’t there

Breathing gives my heart a wrench

I simply can’t endure the stench

What have they done to the wind?

Penance for those who’ve sinned?

Trees uprooted walls blown down

Destroyed buildings of great renown

Windows broken roofs blown off

Waves on the ocean express their wrath

What have they done to the wind?

It’s as if that doomsayer grinned

The temperature is high

Dust now fills the sky

Heat kills the flowers

Birds desert their bowers

What have they done to the wind?

Rubbish isn’t binned

Zephyrs meander

Amidst skeptic propaganda

Gales tell the tales

Of when science fails

That’s what they’ve done to the wind

royciebaby