Little Johnny hated little Ross
Mean bully and very gross
One day when he demanded lunch
Or be dealt a vicious punch
Johnny offered him a deal
An orange balloon from Brazil
Greedily he grabbed the balloon
And off he went flying to the moon
P.S. Congratulations to myself
Little Johnny found a wishing well
Old, obscure and rotten smell
He told the well he wished to swim
The well replied — Jump right in
Little Johnny went up a hill
There he found a crying Jill
Bruised skin and aching back
Looking for her missing Jack
Meanwhile Jack on the other side
Was also searching far and wide
Not for Jill; he went around
Looking for his broken crown
Little Johnny caught a plane
Little Johnny caught a train
Little Johnny went alone
He never came home again
It was spring when she gave birth to her children
Colour and splendour in her lap, joy abound
They grew up fast; green and glowing
Blessed by the rays of the star
When the time was right, she told them a story
A tale about a hideous monster who robs the world of its hues
Turning it white and cold
“He is not alone,” she said
“Monsters have companions too
Before the coward makes an appearance
His wife sucks all the little souls
Staining the world with her nails, yellow and red
Until they wither and fall
She’s the one who took your brothers
And sisters who came before you
I have witnessed so many children of mine
Turn pale before my eyes
And perish at my feet
Little fragments of my self swept away for ever
“Then the monster creeps in
Slowly, stealthily
The winds carry his odour
To warn me of what is to come
I prepare for the harsh battle
I can never let him win
When he comes to face me
I stand firm against him
He applies all his artillery and force
For days and days on end
Despite every blow of his
I bow not to his might
Often wounded, but never vanquished
“I’ve turned frail and old now
But hope springs eternal within me
Promise me, my children
You will be ready
You will not leave my side
Together we will trounce him and his companion
I may not bear more losses.”
It’s okay
You don’t need to be nice to me
Or write long texts
Or call me a dozen times
It’s okay
I don’t need your calls
I don’t wanna read your texts
I don’t want your apologies
It’s okay
It really is
I’m glad the truth has arrived
I’m glad the illusion is shattered
I’m glad I’m on my way
I’m glad
It’s okay
I stopped feeling you
A long time ago
But I could never quite put my finger on the reason
I stopped loving you
A long time ago
I didn’t know why but perhaps the heart knows better
It’s okay
It really is
Take your gifts with you
Take your memories back
I never came with any
I’ll be leaving with none
It’s okay
It’s okay
It’s okay
It was okay when you were here
It’s okay now that you’re gone
It’s okay
It really is
Don’t talk of love
Don’t talk of promises
Don’t talk of hearts
Don’t talk
‘Cause everything is broken
And it’s going to take a long time
To find a person to repair it
Only this time I’m not sure I want one
I should learn to heal by myself
‘Cause there’s nobody left to trust
I’m not sure if I can even trust myself
But it’s okay
It really is
We wake up early
Pack our bags
Turn the key
And leave
From one destination to another
From one memory to another
From one day to another
We breathe the air of a new city
Smell the aroma of exotic cuisines
Taste the salt that defines a place
Take in the shore tugging the skyline
Walk barefeet upon endless sands
Climb a ladder to the heavens
Overwhelming our senses
With adrenaline
As time passes
And days turn to years
As the body weakens
And the senses are lost
One thing remains
Locked inside our heart: Nostalgia
Nothing can take it away from us
It is ours
And ours alone
There was once a man from Aberdeen
Who stared all day into a screen
He neglected his life
His kids and wife
Till he became a mindless machine
My heart aches
A shiver runs through me
Every time I hold you
For I fear that it may
Be the last time
That I am holding you
In my arms
It is irrational
It most certainly is
But how do I explain to my senses
Who have experienced nothing
But loss and pain
That sometimes something
Is meant to be?
How do I come up
With an explanation
To tell my body
To let go of the grieving
That it is time to move on
Start afresh and
Open the doors to
A bright sunshine?
The more I delay
The worse it gets
This false comfort is a curse
It haunts me to know
How I am keeping love at bay
Every day of my life
When I should be
Embracing it with all my affections
I know better
Yet I cannot summon the courage
To act better
The traumas of yester-years are
Etched deep in my soul
They caution me at every move
They warn me at every step
I, foolishly, yield to them
Telling myself that the next time
I shall be wiser
Instead of being a slave to their whims
Yet that tomorrow never comes
They are not wrong either
They are here to protect me
When I say I am hurting
Who is in fact hurting?
It is my senses
It is them
They undergo the trauma
They get wounded
They have to do the healing
How can I blame them for trying to protect themselves?
Do I call them selfish?
Isn’t that what we all do?
Brave are those who can overcome these obstacles
And face life as it comes
Me? I am weak
Or in other words, my senses are
So yes, my heart aches
A shiver runs through me
Every time I hold you
In my arms
For I fear that it may
Be the last time
That I am holding you
In my arms
That day really couldn’t come too soon
When humans start to colonize the moon
That should bring the estate prices down
So I could buy a decent house in town
Frank Solanki 