Celtic Warrior

Celtic Warrior
Form: Cornish Sonnet 2
Theme: Mythology
Subject: language

My soul stands as a Celtic warrior king
Defending my world, my kin, with my life
And with his spirit my strength will bring
As to my saddened heart he shows my worth
My brother of spirit in times of strife
Celtic war lord, a man of noble birth
And when there is no reason left to fight
He sings the songs of life in Bardic rhyme
And by the fire I listen through the night
As flames dance within a starlight prism
I hear him speak across the realms of time
Spoken words echoed with Gallicism
Celtic war lord, a man of noble birth
Spoken words echoed with Gallicism
Celtic Warrior by Tim Scoggins

©JGFarmer2021

Political Oxymoron

Political Oxymoron
Form: Alcaics
Theme: Society
Subject: Elections

Oh Gods! The poor are suffering deficits
Of funds. The rich men declaring politics
Oh they forget the working class needs
Yet working men vote them back in power

©JGFarmer2021

Death Before Dying

Death Before Dying
Form: Free Verse

As years swept past, old age arrived,
the grey replaced his jet-black hair.
His eyes of blue need lens to see
An aid in ear is placed with care.
The fatigue of time has no relief
the once vibrant mind is dull.
A stick of ebony helps him walk
the physical grief has taken its toll.
Why can’t he remember me?
He sees me and sees my mother.
his wife who passed so long ago,
each visit is slowly killing me
I want my dad, not his shadow.
I grieve for man he once was
as he knows nothing of me.
In his memory, he is still young,
a soldier fresh from war,
my mother by his side in white,
he’s lost to memory now
as he slips further she holds him closer
his bride wants him with her to stay

©JGFarmer2008

Discovery

Discovery
Form: Raven’s Rovi Sonnet 27
Theme: Love
Subject: Ugly beauty

There is no beauty in a looking glass
Where vanity rules the dreams of the mind
Just an image without beauty or class
Skin deep reflections presenting a mask
Disguising the purity of the soul
Concealing the heart inside a cold cask
So what is love it is not of the whole
If eyes don’t seek beyond the glance to find
What lies beneath the mask and looking glass
Is found in the eyes beyond lines of kohl
Where lust entwines with love to find
A glance gazing deep into beauty’s truth
To a heart discovered by lover’s sleuth
For beauty is not the fountain of youth

©JGFarmer2021

Dandelion Wishes

Dandelion Wishes
Form: Prose or Free Verse
Theme: War
Subject: Season

In the heat of the moment and summer sun
irrational thoughts and fraught emotions
stretched in taut tension
in the fields of attrition
the battles commenced
whilst tear-stained faces
peer from the sooty windows
that steam out of the city
uncertainty the only certainty
and delicate fingers picks dandelions in the garden
loaded with wishes she blows
for peace

©JGFarmer2021

Siren of Song

Siren of Song
Form: Epistle
Theme: Apocalypse
Subject: Underwater

Well what do I do with that in a love letter
my mind is utterly blank
is that apocalyptic if a busy creative mind
screeches to a halt in what the fuck
or can the falling in love be described as such an event
as it is the complete destruction of being one
hardly a global thing
but yes an end to the personal world
as a new world of two is born
in the drowning emotions
that overwhelm the senses
and I have no doubt you are my beauty of the deep
oceans of love
and my mind drifts
to my mermaid singing to her sailor
enticing my heart
enchanting my mind
the siren of song
calling my soul to its own destruction
my apocalyptic end

always, all ways
Your crazy-assed poet xxx

The Siren by John William Waterhouse, 1900. Oil on canvas. Housed in a private collection

©JGFarmer2021

In Red, White, and Pink

In Red, White, and Pink
Form: Raven’s Rovi Sonnet 26
Theme: Love
Subject: A rose

As symbol of love dressed in vibrant red
Of passion fuelled by an intimate lust
Expressed in the words that the poets said
Combined with purity of silken white
Like sweet innocence flushed delicate pink
Inspired, the poet to sits down to write
Inspired by beauty that flows in his ink
And in his words he lays down his heart’s trust
In words of desire forming in his head
For like the rose, she is his sweet delight
His love can be revealed in ink or rose
But she says nothing so his heart will sink
Unrequited love unseen in the rose
Love given for the nothing, I suppose

©JGFarmer2021

Litter

Litter
Form: Free Verse
Theme: Life
Subject: An empty can

It’s just one can
dropping it won’t make a difference
someone will pick it up
it’s their job, not mine
who cares anyway
but what if we all thought
it’s just one can

©JGFarmer2021

Pastures Green

Pastures Green
Form: Ivorian Sonnet 69
Theme: Love
Subject: Grassy fields

Grass cavorts with the breeze across the field
In serene surrender to nature’s wield
Even the grass must yield to ways of fate
To paths of destiny beneath the sky
Unpredictable paths are never straight
Expect to be knocked down then get back up
To grasp hold of triumph while in a daze
And in heights of passion sip from her cup
For life and love are all within her ways
The joy of living is our reason why
There’s delight to find in all of her days
When we go with the flow of nature’s gait
As the blades of grass bend so we must yield
So from her chalice of life her love we sup

©JGFarmer2021

Hero Worship

Hero Worship
Form: Free Verse
Theme: Identity/Self
Subject: Twilight

I felt no fear when I saw you
In the twilight
sitting alone on the rock by the sea
I knew
Instantly
who you were
and I had no reason to doubt this
the impossibility of you being here
here right in front of me
my Adonis
my inspiration
and Master of words
from the first time my hands grasped
a pen I have wanted to sit with you
and listen as your voice took words
made them play lyrically on the air
now I sit here
beside you
silent as you speak
each word sensually teasing
the breath from the sea
each word caressing the breaking
wave on the shore
and each word embracing itself
around me
fulfilling my need
for words of identity
words that made you
as they now make me
and as you fall silent
drifting back into time
I whisper
‘Thank you my Master
my Master of Words’

©JGFarmer2021

When Love Meets PTSD

When Love Meets PTSD
Form: Epistle
Theme: Love
Subject: Plush toy

The soft touch of security
in an insecure world
my gentle reminder of time and place
when thoughts are running out of date
surreal rememberings of then
so real in the here and now
unspoken and unheard reflections
constantly rewind and replay
yet you understand
these are things I will never share
never explain
as to speak is to relive it all
open the box of Pandora
that starts the cycle of terror all over again
your hand holds mine as I cry from the dark
in a darkness where there is no moon
you shine a light
the light that tells me
yesterday is not today

Always, all ways
Your crazy-assed poet xxx

©JGFarmer2021

Wildness of Ecstasy

Wildness of Ecstasy
Form: Ivorian Sonnet 68
Theme: Love
Subject: Desire

In the wildness of ecstasy we dance
Fulfilling the call of sensual romance
This love for a lifetime created by us
Not a chance encounter on a blind date
Love formed in the silence devoid of fuss
By souls patiently waiting for fate’s need
For the dance of sweet desire to begin
In the embrace of lust and passion’s need
Where none shall dare to intrude or cut-in
As released powers of love undulate
Our deepest senses entwine as they spin
Our bodies lost with our minds in a trance
Where one ends the other now so begins
And anything else must surely be a plus

©JGFarmer2021

Buzz Cut

Buzz Cut
Form: Free Verse
Theme: Self/Identity
Subject: Hair cut

Who are you to tell me how my hair should be
How it should be cut and styled
as you say length is feminine beauty
a constant pressure of voices
saying ‘you’d look so pretty
with long hair’
And I watch as the scissors snip
to the buzzing trimmers
and my hair cascading in free fall
with the false beliefs
and curls of misunderstanding
strand by strand of misinformation
and the perfect little boxes
‘male’ and ‘female’
curses of a false binary
and with each snip changing the old to new
by taking what I need to be me
and as the last tresses descend
there’s nothing left to be said
my life is my own
and no one can take that from me

©JGFarmer2021

Let Her Fall

Let Her Fall
Form: Free Verse

When kissing her
let her fall into her desire
when touching her
let her tumble into her lust
when teasing her senses
let her spiral out of control
but in the moment of her surrender
lift her so she flies with stars
because she is yours

©JGFarmer2021

Ticking By

Ticking By
Form: Free Verse
Theme: Life
Object: A clock

Days spent in nine-to-five
watching the seconds tick by
wish time would go faster
to the end of the working day
and the years pass by
in the days of free time
hours pass quickly when having fun
and down on the beach
wishes lost on the waves
for time to slow down
and the years pass by
in brief moments of wonder
caught in the blink of an eye
or in a lover’s kiss
fleeting memories and we wish
time would stand still
and the years pass by
until
the day time stops
and only peace remains

©JGFarmer2021

Beauty in Flowers

Beauty in Flowers
Form: Epistle
Theme: Love
Subject: Flowers

On summer days
as I gaze on the garden flowers
I see you in every bud
every blossom
every petal
every bloom
in the purity of scented-white freesias
now the cascading indigo beauty of lobelia
I see you
amid the passion of fiery red salvia
and as evening falls I can inhale
breathing your scent in the intoxicating aroma
of jasmine flowers
And as I walk the wild pathways
the green grasses splashed with colour
the sweet daisy ready to chain
into a crown for your hair
and the flushed petals of the dog rose
watching from the brambles
a beauty among the thorns
and I wonder if you reflect on me
in the truth of my desire of realness
like the buttercup reveals in mellow yellow
my love of butter over the fake margarines

All ways, always
Your Crazy-assed poet xxx

©JGFarmer2021

In Love’s Consummation

In Love’s Consummation
Form: Balanced Sonnet
Theme: Love
Subject: Paper Tubes

How are we divided since we have kissed
Are we not now two souls united as one
Is there some deed or word love I have missed?
And like paper cats shredded and undone
My heart is unravelling from the tube
A pile on the floor, unwoven, unspun
My heart, once more, turns to an icy cube
In love’s consummation did we forget
Or does my crying soul bring you delight
Was it sympathy or done for a bet
As you kissed my heart into realms of night
Did I see you smile at the trailing tear
That my red, stinging eyes wept into sight
And still I hope your happy now, my dear

©JGFarmer2021

Innuendo

Innuendo
Form: Raven’s Rovi Sonnet 25
Theme: Love
Subject: Music

The open sea and the long sandy shore
That lie beneath the moon’s silvery glow
As gentle waves ripple to find their roar
Awakening the passions from their sleep
Penetrating the sand with their desire
Quenching the needs as into sands they seep
As beneath the surface burns flames of fire
The beach pebbles begin to shine and glow
And should the sandy shore whisper for more
As the tides turn and land begins to weep
For the sea lingers at the moon’s require
With desire revealed in sea-scented beach
And to the moon the land and waves beseech
For sea and shore, love, it seems out of reach

©JGFarmer2021

Little Gift

Little Gift
Form: Raven’s Rovi Sonnet 24
Theme: Love
Subject: Camera

His eyes cast along the well-trodden road
But always she was there within his gaze
As into his camera her eyes glowed
Each shot, her smile held his heart like a pin
Holds fabric steadfast in its rightful place
His heart, such a little thing to gift in
The name of love; he’s the steel to her lace
The icy front that can never be bowed
Yet in his chilly heart, she set her fire
With her eyes that sparkle of starlight’s grace
Her love working its way under his skin
And his mind in an emotional daze
For she is the one to truly inspire
His senses to flow freely with desire

©JGFarmer2021

Petals

Petals
Form: Free Verse
Theme: Love
Subject: A black rose

Once when my rose bloomed
her petals were silken white
and her beauty held my heart
in wonder
her laughter sparkled like fizzy champagne
spilling over the rim of the glass
enchanting all it touched with sweetness
entwined with the scent
of my delicate white rose
In our first kiss
my rose turned to deepest red
velvet crimson petals brushing my skin
inviting love to begin
and like a flame she burned inside me
capturing my soul in the deep aroma
of a rose in her fullness of sensuality
But time was not to be
and my rose turned to beautiful black
soft petals glistening with my tears
reflecting the shards of my broken heart
scattered like the petals of roses
in the autumn breeze
drifting on the scent of sadness
without my rose
As I gaze at my roses
every petal of bright silky hues
is a sweet-scented reminder
that my rose is forever part of me
for love never dies

©JGFarmer2021

Night Visitation

Night Visitation
Form: Redondilla
Theme: Dark Fantasy
Subject: A duvet

Flowing streams cascading over
The sterile whiteness of my mind
Wrapped in shrouds of a bedcover
For sleeping, chains are like a bind
Holding me in this nightmare state
The streams flow from my lips in red
In dreams my victim met her fate
Her blood is mine and she lies dead
My vampiric soul comes to feed
In dreams, he finds his hunting ground
For his hunger I see them bleed
Until the morning comes around

©JGFarmer2021

It’s Our Fault

It’s Our Fault
Form: Hyper Sonnet
Theme: Climate Change
Object: Fluffy White Clouds

Only the ancient ones recall clear skies
And the fluffy white clouds that drift
Slowly on breezy sighs
But to their sad voices we pay no heed
And their tears flow to no avail
In a world ruled by greed
In our consumption polluting our home
With capitalism’s vile poison
Clouds have nowhere to roam
In a world where things mean more than the soul
Of our children’s future and lives
Should we recall our role
When looking for someone to carry blame
Look in a mirror and say your own name

©JGFaremer2021

Because the Night

Because the Night
Form: Mason Sonnet
Theme: Religion/Spirituality
Subject: Homesick

I yearn for the long shadows of twilight
While the summer sun rages up on high
For the cool of night waited for through heat
On the horizon dusk comes into sight
As the first pink streaks appear in the sky
At last my heart feels a bit more upbeat
And like a soft breeze I hear my breath sigh
As I venture outside to find my seat
As the skies darken and I feel them come
And I see them dance within my mind’s eye
I welcome them all, dear spirits of night
As my fingers tap a rhythm on drum
For in the darkness we all have come home
That’s why I long for shadows of twilight

©JGFarmer2021

Justification

Justification
Form: Free Verse
Theme: Identity
Subject: Wisteria

Those dreams cascading
in delicate purple flowers
purified by frustrated thoughts
and fabulous habits
like his eyes on a Friday afternoon
before his whiskey kisses
bring me my justice
in that moment of jubilation
found in the satisfaction of sun-fuelled air
breaking the rhythm of the nine-to-five
like a god evoking the haven of his embrace
where the confusion ends
in the becoming of sensuality

©JGFarmer2021

Power Invisible

Power Invisible
Form: Epistle
Theme: Love
Subject: Invisibility

Bear with me, my darling,
as I gather up what remains of my nerve
so I can give you the love you deserve
all the while your mischief is thinking
how to throw my thinking
to leave me sinking
drowning in the words of love
And we’re floating on turbulent emotions
like the petals of the roses in summer
that line the way to our destiny
beautiful petals
delicately torn from the thorn
yet they cut deep
and I bleed emotions
for you, my darling, are my torment
Hold me, my darling,
I can’t do this on my own
be my breath of life
as I battle the damage
and struggle to heal my heart
to be strong enough to love you
And we’re floating on turbulent emotions
like the petals of the roses in summer
stripped bare on the path of destiny
elegant petals interlaced without the thorns
beautiful petals
yet still they cut
from the words we have left unspoken
Stay with me, my darling,
we’re bound by this the invisible power
we call it love
as the means to understanding it’s invisibility
deciphering what lies beyond human understanding
And we’re floating on turbulent emotions
like the petals of the roses in summer
without a care on the path of our destiny
there is no going back
but we know the petals
such beautiful petals of love
still have their thorns

all ways, always,
your crazy-assed poet xxx

©JGFarmer2021

Tattered Ears

Tattered Ears
Form: Sonnetina Quatro
Theme: Death
Subject: Toys from Childhood

A memory of the lost and found
Hidden by years of growing up
Now easily recalled without a sound
In the form of an old plushie pup
The child I was left lying on the ground
With tattered ears and all beat-up
And there in the attic, I start to cry
A toy you gave me so long ago
Now my tears fall asking why
Yet I can smile too as memories flow

©JGFarmer2021

What is Love

What is Love
Form: Free Verse
Theme: Love
Subject: 90s Music

What is the love we speak of
when we say love you each night
surely it is not the highly sexed cravings
of a Mill and Boon novel
but perhaps the high society
romance found in Jane Austen’s words
yet it is a feeling we can barely express in mere words
but it feels fucking good nonetheless
yet we know this love means giving all to another
surrendering trust to their heart
and locking it all into our own heart
knowing one day they may
shatter it like glass on a stone floor
with our tears sweeping the pain
deep into the soul
and still we want to love
want to be loved
even though love is hard
for love is the peace that strains the heart

©JGFarmer2021

Without Ribbons

Without Ribbons
Form: Free Verse
Theme: Love
Subject: A gift

The gift I give you
is not something I don’t want
its not gone out of fashion
as it always had its own style
it may be a bit patched up here and there
but it isn’t broken
and it’s not missing a lid
like some old bit of Tupperware
it has no money value
yet I think it is beyond value
a world where feelings are barren
empty
meaningless
the unwritten words of poetry
the unsaid expressions between lovers
this is my gift to you
to touch your heart with all that is good in me
in ways your soul can hear
before the ripples of life
distract like a pebble in still pond
my gift is my heart
unwrapped
without ribbons
for the love within can not be bound
and I give it to you

©JGFarmer2021

For the Love of the Moon

For the Love of the Moon
Form: Free Verse
Theme: Immortality
Subject: A Missing Sun

In her fullness shines the goddess
and the night air shimmers with bliss
with shadows falling across the window pane
her eternal presence smiles with light
yet she is alone in the sky
her consort sunk below the horizon
yet she gives her beauty to his pleasures
of the day
and he fades into night
so her light shines bright
upon the wild rocks beside the sea
and the rustling forest tree alike
the light of liberty

©JGFarmer2021

November Frost

November Frost
Form: Raven’s Rovi Sonnet 23
Theme: Love
Subject: Autumn walk

The rusty gold oak leaves litter the trail
With autumn’s hues rustling beneath our feet
As we walk again through the woodland vale
In the undergrowth berries shine in red
Winter’s feast for creatures that live around
For winds turn colder in the days ahead
And the frost morns gather without a sound
The seasons turn, this truth can never fail
And my hand covers yours against the cold
The warmth of love knows no limit or bound
For in nature we find our hearts’ own beat
As we head home to tea and fresh baked bread
And by the fire our stories now unfold
And dark nights of winter can have no hold

©JGFarmer2021

Woofs and Wags

Woofs and Wags
Form: Epistle
Theme: Love
Subject: Dog biscuits

How apt given our recent trip to Norfolk. No, I won’t write this from Lilydog but Simbadog. Woof!!!

It’s a dog’s life with so many things to love. Food, biscuits, pulling out the rubbish, finding smelly spots in the garden, lounging on the sofa like I own it, my toys, your socks, your bed, chasing my ball, jumping in the stream, and more food.

But what makes my tail wag the most is you, my hooman, and I know I am a lucky dog.

Each morning I can’t wait to wake you up with a slobbering wet kiss in the face – washing the salty sleepiness from your skin. I want you to wake up so we can have our walk and I can chase my ball until your arm is just ready to drop off. And best of all you have put all different smell-spots for me to explore. You are that thoughtful, and I know how much you love me, especially going out when I am asleep to change them all around.

After my walk, I get sad because you go into the room you call an hoffice and ignore me for a while and I miss you. I get so excited at lunchtime I drool, and not just for the chance of titbits of food. You, my hooman, are so kind that the best part of my day is when you are free to play with me and I try to jump into your arms for a big love hug to tell you how much I love and miss you.

I could bark on and on about you, my hooman. The hooman that fills my days with joy and gladness. I just want you to know my love is unconditional and I will be loyal to you forever. I would run miles to be with you, face any danger to protect you, and I am always here to lick away your tears if you cry. You are my hooman, my best friend, and my truest love. And I want to be the only one to make you laugh and smile.

With my heart laid bare on my wagging tail I will do everything I know to tell you I love you even more than biscuits.

My woofs and wags
Simba

©JGFarmer2021

Wind and Rain

Wind and Rain
Form: Raven’s Rovi Sonnet 22
Theme: Love
Object: A stormy night

The sweet shelter found on a stormy night
While pondering the road so far ahead
Beside the blazing fire of warmth and light
My heart reminds why I do what I do
This path I walk no matter rain or sun
My heart speaks to me of my love for you
And love is why this path I cannot shun
When the road is stormy I face the fright
Your protective shield from the wind and rain
Until the calmer skies come into view
And once more you can dance out in the sun
Although my mind may feel those fears and dread
Such thinking as nothing for you to gain
For my love, you will never see my pain

©JGFarmer2021

Beyond the Horizon

Beyond the Horizon
Form: Waltmarie
Theme: Memories
Object: A dream

Memories reflecting
distant
happenings in time
places
swirling and misty as
in dreams
of yesterday and tomorrow
beyond
the horizon and out of
my reach
Distant
places
in dreams
beyond
my reach

©JGFarmer2021

Spirits Dance

Spirits Dance
Form: Quatern
Theme: Celebration
Subject: Ghosts

They share the wine on Samhain Night
The veil is thin as spirits call
And they return to us once more
In the fellowship of the soul
With food and wine enough for all
They share the wine on Samhain Night
While telling stories new and old
My spirits come to talk with me
The comforting whisper of wind
As the fire burns into the dark
They share the wine on Samhain Night
And I know they are there, close by
I make the toast by magic’s rite
A blessed new year in light and love
And my spirits dance beside me
They share the wine on Samhain Night

©JGFarmer2021

Kings of Fingers

Kings of Fingers
Form: Cyhydedd naw ban
Theme: Mythology
Subject: Finger Kings

Ancient title proclaimed in old tales
A man to be king of barren vales
And in days of old they went to war
Like kings both long since and long before
Their greed wanting power at the door
Yet in those old days of ice and fire
What more is it a ruling man desire
With their land so barren and so wet
When life is hardened by blood and sweat
And death comes quick so time can forget
How else will names in legend be set

©JGFarmer2021

Peaceful Poverty

Peaceful Poverty
Form: Quatrains

Walking the streets of this city at night
Cast your eyes to the reality, the plight.
In dark corners, sleeping under boxes,
Lies and old man living wild like foxes.
Trapped in the terrifying honesty
Just left in the world with no amnesty.
His working life as someone's property
As we look on in peaceful poverty

©JGFarmer2008

Stitch in Time

Stitch in Time
Form: Sedoka
Theme: Sacrifice
Object: Spool of thread

Needles and pins prick
Stitches weaving in and out
Old jeans see another day
Faded patches fray
Memories saved from the trash
A few minutes of mending

©JGFarmer2021

La Tropilla de la Zurda

La Tropilla de la Zurda
Form: Free Verse
Theme: Identity
Subject: Tango

A figment of illusion
nothing more
like hobbits and orcs
he cannot be real
a character formed in imagination
a childish creation
they said
he can never be real
go with flow
dance in the swirling skirts
a step behind
he isn’t real
dance to break the soul
to join the broken heart
of never will be
this isn’t real
the pulse of the tango
in the depths of depression
comes the energy of nuevo
he is real
and he knows how to lead

©JGFarmer2021

Waves of Tides

Waves of Tides
Form: English Sonnet

The marine world. A place beyond Man's eye
When life was free from Man's destructive way.
The waves of tides marked time with a soft sigh
In peace as oceans smiled, a perfect day.
The invasions came and seas were abused
A dumping ground for Man's poisonous hand.
Now oceans are dying, discarded and used
Joining the acrid existence of wasteland.
All life is transient, drifting towards death,
A journey to a place hidden from sight,
But without clean air there can be no breath,
No clarity as darkness consumes light.
As the seas demise and trees suffocate
The world lies murdered with no advocate

©JGFarmer2008

Pen, Paper, Paint

Pen, Paper, Paint
Form: Epistle
Theme: Love
Subject: Art

Drawing pictures and writing words
expressions caught in creative thought
that dangle everywhere
including letters I write to say I love you
for like beauty love entwines
becoming inherent in art
as expressions of heart and mind
love is in the composition of lines
a distant tree on the horizon
and its spirals in the perspective
coming from the distance into the present
into the foreground like a delicate flower
reaching out from bunches of grass
vibrant and fresh it cannot be denied
it is there
love is the dark moody skies
atmospheric as it rages
battering down human resistance
love is the anguish of words
that release the soul from the pen
healing and calming
the turmoil of living
for this is my art
and it speaks love

All ways, always
You crazy-assed poet xxx

©JGFarmer2021

Self

Rosa Bonheur

Self
Form: Pleiades
Theme: Art
Subject: A cigarette

She wore her hair cut short
Smoking on cigarettes
Seeking consent in law
So to wear male attire
Stepping out into art
Strutting paint on canvas
Statements of masculine

Author’s Note: Rosa Bonheur ( 16 March 1822 – 25 May 1899) dressed as a man, she painted like a man, and she was one of the most successful women of her time. She was the first female artist awarded the Legion of Honour (1865) and the first woman to become an Officer of the Legion of Honour (1895).

©JGFarmer2021

Boaters and School Ties

Boaters and School Ties
Form: Octaves

I meet the youth of old school ways
and weep an aging tear.
The city lights and rushing days
in white and amber gear,
The whitewash walls meet Itchen shore
as cargo waits its ship,
in dreams of teens for love and more
my journal's ink lets slip.
The time has gone to denim skies
to see a wizened crone
as docks, silenced in grief's demise
the planes above now drone.
Where is the boater dressed in blue
that trailed common ground?
I bid farewell to things I knew
No tears it’s time I’m found

©JGFarmer2008

Stormy Landscape with Ruins

Stormy Landscape with Ruins on a Plain by Georges Michel, 1830s. Oil on paper mounted on canvas. National Gallery, London, UK

Stormy Landscape with Ruins
Form: Petrarchan Sonnet
Theme: Art
Subject: Stormy Landscape with Ruins on a Plain by Georges Michel

Alone except for the gathering cloud
The moody sky darkening above me
Buffeting winds roaring loud in their glee
And I pull my coat tighter like a shroud
Of protection; and still I won’t be cowed
By winds and clouds threatening and gloomy
For today is the day I’m walking free
Away from the ever maddening crowd
My destiny may have dark days ahead
When all I do, think or say will go wrong
Yet if I keep going towards the light
I will never regret the path I tread
As now my heart rejoices in its own song
Even on dark days the future is bright

©JGFarmer2021

First Moments

First Moments
Form: Sonnetina Cinque
Theme: Sunrise/sunset
Subject: Birdsong

What is it about the sunrise
And the dimly lit skies
As life slowly wakens with the first rays
Why is it that birds sing to the days
Before rising on the thermal highs
Sipping coffee I think on this
Rain or shine it is what it is
A new day, a fresh start
And like the sun I want to take part
As my soul awakens to this bliss

©JGFarmer2021

A Lover’s Reflection

A Lover’s Reflection
Form: Sonnetina Tre
Theme: Love
Subject: A mirror

Grey hair and skin aged by time
And the mirror reflects I’m getting old
I didn’t notice when in my prime
But I still love you when all is told
And feel the need to hold you near
To kiss you gently, my dear
For such treasure, time cannot take
For love that great gift divine
In you, love I could not forsake
From the day I said my heart is thine

©JGFarmer2021

Jittery Jottery

Jittery Jottery
Form: Raven’s Rovi Sonnet 21
Theme: Love
Subject: Note pad

The odd notations from a poet’s pen
That cross the lines that once were read between
His random thoughts that visit now and then
Outside the box he sees different skies
All those jottings that read like thinking’s mad
From crazy humour to profound and wise
From a joyful soul to a heart cold and sad
He notes it all down for the sometime when
His muse is ready with rhymes him to share
And he makes use of his old jotter pad
Declaring his heart that was once unseen
The unspoken words once shimmered in his eyes
Unspoken words his lips can’t say when there
But as he writes his heart is thus laid bare

©JGFarmer2021

Truth

Truth
Form: Abstract Poetry

Truth is purity.
Truth feels like a soft downy feather.
Truth smells of citric fruit on a warm day.
Truth looks like a baby.
Truth sounds like a breeze in the trees.
Truth tastes like polo mints.
Truth is the mother of trust.
Truth keeps the heart clean.
Truth sleeps with the angels

©JGFarmer2008

When Eyes Meet

When Eyes Meet
Form: Raven’s Rovi Sonnet 20
Theme: Love
Subject: Eyes

Once we were just strangers out on the streets
Two lost souls seeking the promise of love
You sipped wine, I drank beer to music’s beats
Just passing strangers but for that first glance
When souls meet in the glimpsing of an eye
And then my lips somehow asked ‘shall we dance’
So we swayed to the music, thigh to thigh
Now as we lay here between cotton sheets
And wonder how one brief glance changed the game
To a promise of love we both dreamed of
And now as I kiss you I hear you sigh
As our eyes speak love in their own romance
And as we make love I whisper your name
Two lost souls setting our passions aflame

©JGFarmer2021

Magic Bullet

Magic Bullet
Form: Free Verse
Theme: Identity
Subject: A gun

I don’t need a gun to prove identity
a bullet don’t make a man
the threat of death claiming power
belongs to the bullies and thugs
but a gentleman shows his strength
with manners and grace
and for the poet
his weapon of choice
is a beautiful rose

©JGFarmer2021

Lunar Vapours

Lunar Vapours
Form: Epistle
Theme: The moon
Subject: Clouds

Tonight the moon seems to hang
suspended in fullness
as the clouds scatter away
drifting on the warm summer breeze
we lay here amid the meadow grass
where the sounds of the night echo
and you rest your head on my arm
on a night designed for love
made for lips to kiss
and delicately dance on your skin
kisses chilling the heat
stirring the heat within
and you whisper my name
to float on the summer breeze
your sighs draw me closer
and I feel your breath awaken
to the gentle caresses
exploring your desire
as gentle moonlit kisses
delicate and gentle evolve
into demanding passion
and your soft whispers turn to cries
echoing across the meadow
and the moon in her suspense
seems slightly fuller

all ways, always
your crazy-assed poet

©JGFarmer2021