Paul Sand.

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Many of the hundreds of poems – written over the last 30 years – originated as song lyrics. Others – personal outpourings or gallows humour – forced their way into my mind while I was supposed to be getting on with longer work (music scores, novels, etc.). If I lived in the 19th or 24th century, I’d’ve stuck to poems, I think. They’re immediate, compressed (you just unzip’em) and colloquial. Here are 3: Two Of A Kind -written a few months ago. A friend turned up late because another friend was traumatised. Why the trauma? Well, she’d been pregnant, had gone into hospital, given birth and come home to find a note from her husband… Two Of A Kind I’ll Share My Life – written last year. My partner, Denise and I went to Brighton Marina to have a meal and had a row instead. I ended up in the car (in the concrete car park, level 5) with the windows up, smoking as heavily as possible. 20 minutes later, Denise turned up, yanked open the side door and yelled in my face “Do you want to spend your life with me or not?!” “Yes!” I shouted, not to be outdone… I’ll Share My Life Please Let Me Stay – written sometime in my 30s, when I began to understand that I was mortal and would someday die. This news appalled me. Furthermore, I noticed that old people’s bodies stop working properly – and their minds tend to go silly. Some of them even poo in their own pants and can’t even remember their own names! - What a way to treat people after a lifetime’s service! Outrageous! What’s the point of all that work and learning and getting good at things, if it’s all to end in a stinky mess? Please Let Me Stay I’m presently putting the poems together into a series of books, and will make them available, as soon as I’ve worked out how to do it. Two Of A Kind Mary and John fall in love at first sight The way that they look - like they’ve just seen the light Their heads full of dreams and their eyes shining bright Floating along and everything’s right No harm can befall them Lives full of fun Two of a kind Mary and John Sharing a dream of what’s going to be They rent a cottage way down by the sea They’re working hard but they’re feeling free Next thing you know she’s having a baby No harm can befall them Lives full of fun Two of a kind Mary and John In the night with Mary away John awakes from a dream, his head bright as day From the pit of his gut, a fit of despair He shouldn’t be there He shouldn’t be there He shouldn’t be there… She returns to the cottage, babe on her arm Note on the table but she’s feeling calm The note says ‘I’ve left you, I’m full of alarm I can’t be a father, I mean you no harm’ No harm? No harm? No harm can befall them Lives full of fun Two of a kind Mary and son Back to top My life with you through good & bad times, ups & downs and through the foggy dew through fields and villages and towns and birds that sing cuckoo I’ll share my life - I’ll share my life - I’ll share my life with you the idle stoat, the fragrant flower the wild beasts that moo or howl upon the witching hour proclaim my vow anew to share my life - to share my life - to share my life with you when things aren’t right, we have a fight until I hear the voice lay down your fists, the voice insists no choice, no choice… this little planet’s barking mad and no one’s got a clue what’s wrong goes right, what’s good goes bad but you’re my point of view I’ll share my life - I’ll share my life - I’ll share my life with you we met, it must be years ago in a big room with a small piano you played the flute and sang so sweet my heart wanted to soar but it just - skipped a beat we kissed on the steps of the old town hall kissed on the steps - that was all I’d no idea how things would go but you were so lovely, I wanted you to know and I still want you so through thick and thin, through cold and hot inner peace or in a stew I’ll be there whether you like it or not the first one in the queue to share my life - to share my life - to share my life with you we row, we shout, we stomp about on and on we go but oh the love, the love sweet love we know, we know… from mountain tops to marshy ground across the oceans blue you’re the one joy I have found with you I feel I’m homeward-bound the sight that makes my poor heart pound the one note that rings true I’ll share my life - I’ll share my life - I’ll share my life with you Back to top Please Let Me Stay recently in bed at night I’ve felt quite downcast I’ve only just learned how to live but half my life is past half my life is over it fills me full of dread cos when I’ve lived the other half then I will be dead it’s made me very frightened it’s made me very cross it’s such a stupid system I demand to see the boss and I will say please let me stay please let me stay I’d like to stay that’s what I’ll say if there is a heaven it seems a bad idea and as my prize for being good I want to stay right here give me life and lots of it and more and more and more and if I live forever it will never be a bore there are fish and fields and mountains high and animals that hop there are sunny days with trees and sky oh please don’t let it stop and so I say please let me stay I’d like to stay I want to stay that’s what I say how I’d leap and laugh and chortle if I found I was immortal please don’t make my teeth fall out don’t make me shrink and bend it’s cheap of you to wear me out till I accept the end how dare you make me hobble with arthritis in each leg till I fall down and don’t get up so on my knees I beg please make me immortal make my friends immortal too I want to go on doing the kind of things I do day after day come what may and so I say please let me stay I’d like to stay I need to stay please let me stay stay stay stay stay stay Back to top
paulsand@hotmail.co.uk, 07896 251 994.
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