POETRY FROM THE EIGHTIES - 21
pieces
A song of Night
At The Park
Concentration
Does My Love Still Wait for Me
Dreaming
Gail! My Friend
Let Me Not to the Marriage of True
Minds: Parody
Love Songs Break My Heart
Love Trial
Ode To A Star
Oh Star Thou Guiding Light
Puppy Love
Somewhere over the mountain
Sorrow
Springtime
Striking Metal
Tears of Love
The Beautiful Winter Rose
The Cage
The Silent Messenger
The Victim
Craig D Smith (1989)
I toiled from one hour to the next
My inference seemed in a mess -
I watched the little lamp that burned,
The midnight oil in it, get less.
The moon outside seemed so alone
I looked above; it broke my heart.
My thoughts then turned to love -
I thought of you, "we are apart".
My eyes then searched the sky
and lay transfixed upon a star.
Its beauty gave me sight
To see that the sun is not so far.
For although the midnight oil
Burned out and made me mope,
The thought that the sun will rise
Filled my soul with renewed hope.
When I am called upon,
My knowledge, to put to the test;
Then I'll think of that star
That set my mind at rest.
And when I see you again
Your radiance will fill my soul -
And like the sun that rises,
My love for you will be whole.
Circa. 1985
When the clouds draw a veil, over the face of the moon
Then you must brace yourself, For I'll be returning soon.
When you see stars shine, In the lonely skies above
Let that be a sign, Of my undying love.
For the stars above they shine
Wherever it is I roam
And may you always remember
That they're guiding me home.
02-Sep-1988, sitting at the city hall park waiting for
a friend
The pigeon spreads it's wings
Form the man-made fountain to depart;
After experiencing the cool of the water,
It seeks the desire of it's heart.
Although food was scarce
And spring arrived late
The warmth of the sun
Says: "It's time to seek a mate!"
Oh wind, stop hissing,
I hear you now;
But a favour from you I want,
So badly, my tears show how.
Go back to the hill,
Where my heart doth pine to be -
And ask the one I love
To please come back to me.
1988, my friend did not know which way to turn
In just a little time,
You say it's not so fine.
While saraband play on, so loud,
You sit under dark cloud.
A Re-worked version of Somewhere Over The Mountain
Over the mountain, close to the sea
My beloved is patient, waiting for me.
All I want is to be close to her,
Take her in my arms, and hold her near.
Each day I try to reach the top of the hill
While enemies close in, ready to kill.
Even as I struggle up this hill so steep
My eyes begin to close and I fall asleep.
I hear the sound of waves, calling out to me.
Sometimes when high sun, her shadow I see.
My heart beats faster, each step that I take.
And I pull the rope so hard, that it begins to break.
Sitting alone, overcome with sorrow
Wondering, why'd my heart turn to stone.
I feel unable to face tomorrow
Knowing that I had left you alone.
The yearning in my heart has expanded -
And I know now just how much I care.
But though I try not to be candid:
When I come, will I find you there?
Based on the Shakespeare sonnet form
I won't poke my nose in your love affair;
Love only flourishes when kept aglow.
If you awake at night and he's not there,
I won't taunt you and say, "I told you so."
I won't give you news that you can't refuse,
Neither will I try your love to impede.
Love has golden moments and also blues;
Now for me it's blue and I do concede.
Take time to think, before making your mind,
For the journey that you take does not end.
When things get rough and in your heart you find:
That you want me; 'Twill be too late to mend.
Tonight I will wait where the road does fork;
If you're not there, midnight - Alone I'll walk!
1986
The colour in his face had changed to pale,
And the sweat poured out like blood.
The air all around was hot and stale
While the river'd begun to flood.
The storm raged and the heat persisted
His eyes were heavy and his head drooped
"Get up and fight" his heart insisted
But the movements of his body were looped
Aug. 1989
I’m thinking of you
And it makes me feel blue
To hear the love song on the radio.
The rain falling outside
Are like tears that I've cried
For you all these months, And yet you don't know.
If your hands were near to hold
I wouldn't feel so cold
But now I've got my face against the dripping window pane.
My heart for you doth long
When I hear a love song
And now my sea of tears, Are mixing with the rain.
A modified sonnet form consisting of 10 lines
'Twas late in winter when gardens are bare
And not a single smile did I behold.
But I encountered a face filled with cheer;
And my heart told me, to get up be bold.
'Twas early in Spring when I saw my rose,
Was sweeter than the sweetest flower could be.
Perfume of roses and dew filled my nose,
While a soft and tender smile greeted me.
But now I sit and wonder how 'twill end:
Will she always be here, or just a friend.
I closed my eyes to sleep last night
And awoke with such a fright!
'Twas you I met along the beach,
But you were out of my reach.
I tried to speak with angel voice;
My heart did skip a beat.
When I tried to touch the garments you wore,
I awake grasping my sheet.
I remember those eyes of hazel brown
As deep as stars at night.
And when I awoke to find you gone,
My tears I fought, with all my might.
1984
Every single day, You came my way
I asked you to stay, But you always say nay.
You came into my life, Now you are someone's wife
I'm living through pain and strife, I have turned to the knife.
I used to meet you after school,
We'd hold hands at the swimming pool.
I used to feel O! so cool
But I didn't know I was your fool.
I attended a short welding course in 1987
You weld and weld for years and years
And just cannot improve;
You strike your rod as best you can
But can't get in the groove
You lift your helmet from your face
Should see how that spark flies;
Upon your clothes, all over the place
And even in your eyes.
I’m sorry for the embarrassment caused
By my sea of unleashed tears.
I couldn’t help show how I cared,
And parting instilled more fears.
It wasn’t a lie when I said I care
In a little while you were a friend so dear.
I’d hoped that we would always stay
But fate meant us to move away.
O! Gail, thou who art to me a friend
I remember how, thou consoled me in the past.
People they say that all friendships must end,
But I know that ours, was mean’t
fore’er to last.
When the season is over and it’s time for us to part;
My consolation is that, I have a place deep in thine heart.
Thou art in my mind, so beautiful and kind –
Another friend like thee, I know I’ll never find.
Somewhere over the mountain
Very close to the sea
My beloved sits in patience
While she waits for me.
I try my very best
To get close to her,
To take her in my arms
And to hold her near.
I struggle every day to
Reach the top of the hill
While my enemies close in
On me, ready to kill.
And even as I struggle
Up this hill so steep
My eyes begin to close
And it seems I fall asleep.
I hear the sound of the waves
Calling desperately to me.
And sometimes when high sun,
Her shadow I see.
My heart beats so much faster,
Every step up that I take.
And I pull the rope so tightly,
That it begins to break.
After many months, he sighs:
The contract at last complete.
“I deserve this rest,” he says;
Regards his work as a feat.
But after he has rested,
His money now decreased.
Opportunities for work
He notices have ceased.
His children at school –
His wife has left;
Frustration too much,
He resorts to theft.
-
Craig D Smith, 1989
A star beamed forth before my
eyes
The moon, half full yet bright.
I heard the hooting of the owl,
My heart beat fast with fright.
I fuelled the fire with extra wood,
And closed my eyes, awhile to sleep.
While above my head, it's branches low,
The sorrowful willow did weep.
The moon which only shines at night,
When asleep are all Earth's crowds;
Became aware that I was lying awake
And hid behind the clouds.
The darkness seemed to amplify
The sounds which I oft mistook.
Like I thought I'd heard a babe gurgling,
Yet it was the mountain brook.
I might have been asleep for a long while yet,
When I felt the bashful moon appear.
But looking toward East and seeing the orange mountain top,
I knew that dawn was near.
I just can’t help myself from all these thoughts
As I try to concentrate.
My mind just runs away from me, can’t even hear
Those cats while they mate.
I see you swimming in a foreign sea, enjoying the thrill
Of its breaking waves.
Call out your name. You don’t
hear that by the tone of my voice,
How for you my poor heart craves.
Oh the pain is too much to bear, when I see
The ocean evaporate.
Tears in my eyes rise explosively; but please stop!
I must concentrate.
The sound of the birds soothes my mind
And the air is cool and clean.
People around me, happy and kind
How tranquil it is and serene.
My thoughts wander far away from me,
I’m in a world all my own.
The sound of the fountain tells me of the sea
And I feel no longer alone.
I see the waves rolling onto the shore
And I hear the children’s voices, sweet.
I feel the pleasure of seeing things I adore
While my heart pumps rhythmically to each beat.
Suddenly I’m awakened by the harsh hammering
At the nearby construction site.
The reality of city life begins to ring,
When the birds screech and take to flight.
Copyright Notice: All material on this website is
owned by Craig D Smith. (c) Craig D
Smith, 1999 - 2004