Three short blasts Slowly sliding astern All lines in Port 20 Set speed 20 knots Midships Set course 170 Smooth sailing Fall out from leaving harbour Sun and breeze leads the way Out the river mouth Heading South Taking stowaways?
Waiting for no one
Lost and not found
The wisest counsellor
Equal to pounds
Extravagant expense
Unending relief
Bringing to pass
A robber, a thief
While quietly ticking
It takes us all
But a moment to say
As a sand grain falls
Naught to control
A gift freely given
A constant of change
The fourth dimension
Their wife for a hat
A child for a cat
A lover for a bat
A friend for a mat
Sensibilities
Surrounded by
Seratonin
Someday fades
Why not instead
See streets of gold
Homes of gingerbread
Chocolate rivers
Smooth sailing comes
When you find your crew
Will you take me
As I am?
*The Man who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, a book by Oliver Sacks.
Falling stars amaze Tumbling Out of control Time travel Hurtling through the sky Elements ablaze Random chance To ignite Secluded forest Soft landing Who knows From whence it came?
A waratah
My favourite
By far
Opening fingers
Delicious red
Planted firmly
Sandy bed
No need
For nurture
Spoil or fuss
No matter how
She tempted us
Hardy yet
Delicate
Glorious
Display
To rival
A rose
In her own
Stunning way
Not until absence
Impresses
Cold and dark
Faint light
Stark
Silent weight
Until morn
Happiest endings
Followed by
Glorious dawn
Never knowing
In still life
Sun's direction
Setting or rising
Only known
By watching
Flowers closing
People settling
Creatures stirring
Streetlights shining
In the dark
A spotlight shines
Replacing sun's rays
Reminding of what
Lies instore
Seven score and fifteen
Since the day
Dared to reclaim
Blindfold fell away
The world is a scarier place
Yet wide, vast as the sky
When pulling opinions
Down from on high
Meeting all the faces
Damp lit street and dark
Being one with them
Hitting the mark
All the things refrain
Are real for us
All of life
Abounds in us
Are we alone
Divided by love
Of mythical tree
A new year's eve
Glorious garden grows
Its beauty renewed
Breathtaking view
for Lili
In the land of Oz I've walked these streets Paved with gold Priceless wares Federation facades Heritage shades Inked pinked bodies Stand out boldly A heart grows fearless Sitting in places Undeserving spaces Unfamiliar faces Speaking into the chasm People's lives unfolding In one moment Tones waves uniting That heroic soul So rare and pure Timid and unsure Held open the door
Warm toast
Al dente
Soft inside
Buttery sweet
Daily entreat
Dew drop mornings
When dreams and
New days meet
Blue bird
Dance song
Spoonfuls
Stay long
Cup filled
Tea swilled
Moments
At one
With you
“Well, I’ve walked these streets
A virtual stage, it seemed to me
Makeup on their faces
Actors took their places next to me
Well, I’ve walked these streets
In a carnival, of sights to see
All the cheap thrill seekers vendors and the dealers
They crowded around me
Have I been blind have I been lost
Inside myself and my own mind
Hypnotized, mesmerized by what my eyes have seen?
Well, I’ve walked these streets
In a spectacle of wealth and poverty
In the diamond markets the scarlet welcome carpet
That they just rolled out for me
And I’ve walked these streets
In the madhouse asylum they can be
Where a wild-eyed misfit prophet
On a traffic island stopped and he raved of saving me
Have I been blind, have I been lost
Have I been wrong
Have I been wise
Have I been strong
Inside myself and my own mind…?”
‘Carnival’ – Natalie Merchant
Songwriters: Peter Anders Svensson / Magnus Sveningsson / Nina Persson
Carnival lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing
Count the stars of heaven 