(Poetry Club - Poem of the Month Winner) Butterfly Kiss A stroke of an eyelash upon a cheek A touch so soft from a child so meek Nestled close upon the dawn And from that little one, a yawn The eyes are closed upon a face The living form of silk and lace A button nose, a twitch and then A hand to rest it back again Two lips closed in resting now Such is perfection, I wonder how An artist could ever find to mix The shades upon a pallette fix As I stroke the hair upon the head Of this sweet child asleep in bed A tear of joy I shed this day And words of thanks to God I pray A stroke of an eyelash upon a cheek A touch so soft from a child so meek And all my thought flash back to this Moment in time, my Butterfly Kiss © 2000 Philip G. Bell Riding White Swans I ride the white backed swans Toward the crustacean shore But freeing myself just in time Before heading back for more My glistening exterior black Hangs ten upon the flaming sword Shock absorbed ten times ten Fallen, but connected by a chord I’ll fly the big one if I dare Face the wipe out , strike my life out I have to do it once my friend Its all that my life is really about. © 1999 Philip G. Bell (Poetry Club - Poem of the Week Winner) Infinite Gift Between the first finger and the thumb, There lies a universe so vast, That only God can comprehend, What lies between the future and the past. So why dear friend do you complain? Is there not enough for you to take? Do you live in a different world so narrow, That two cannot pass or influence make? Cast off the chains, self imposed, Free yourself, do not be afraid. Accept all the beauty that has been prepared, Gifted thus, and at your feet laid. © 2000 Philip G. Bell Mrs Brown, A Dear Old Soul. “Sitting alone at the end of my life I despair Sitting alone looking back Sitting alone with nowhere to go, only there ... I’m now at the end of the track” “Hello”, calls the voice from the hall “It’s only me Mrs Brown, Are you well after your dreadful fall? Anything needed from Town?” “My knee is quite painful It’s good that you ask how, But my larder is full, So no, I’m fine, for now” “People are kind, but they’re all out there With somewhere to go, With someone to share, All I have is memories of Joe” “I’ll be joining him soon And that makes me so, Happy yet afraid”; but at noon She was gone to her Joe Many then said That she had a good life To her husband Joe She’d been a good wife Here next to Joe, lies Emma Together Again © 1999 Philip G. Bell Watching Over You North West but just a little to the right Is where your cares go in the night Whilst sleep overtakes your wakeful mind And leaves your resting shell behind Is this sweet innocence lying here Never a care, never a fear Or do you take them all away To rest them ‘til the break of day And where is love, when you’re asleep Is it hidden, oh so deep Or does it fly, so free and wild Like you were once when just a child © 2000 Philip G. Bell The Old Railway Line In the quiet of a winters eve The crisp snow sounds under foot Nature opens a special memory For this experience to put Walking the old railway line I stop and listen for any sound That might enhance my visit To this lonely, wayside ground Perhaps the whispers of lost souls Perhaps the ghostly sound of those who passed Long gone from here as economic cuts Ripped rail from sleeper and to scrap was cast But no one is here not even a ghost No one but me and my sculpted land Waiting to be changed, waiting to be Modified by my presence by foot or hand And I walk on by, to return to home And leave this place to rest as I go Until another traveller will pass by And leave their footprints in the snow © 1999 Philip G. Bell Minds Eyes Look around you little one, Tell me what you see. Old Joe Crow sitting on the fence, Looking right at me. Look around you young one, Tell me what you see. A hole to crawl through an old broken fence, Somewhere to be free. Look around you teenager, Tell me what you see. A boring place with nothing to do, Why can’t I have a key. Look around you grown-up, Tell me what you see. A fence needs fixing, a teenager to ground, Why does it fall on me. Look around you elder, Tell me what you see. I see little and young ones eyes open wide, Once again I am free. © 1999 Philip G. Bell MacMillan So you followed me here to my kirk I am the son of the tonsured one What do you want lassie? This is no life for laughter and fun So you want me, want my body and soul, Well the latter is already sold. But I could give thee my heart, If you’d not see me as too bold. The Celtic Church may well approve, Wives allowed unlike some But life is hard, d’ye ken lassie? Is this what you want to become? Cold stone walls and simple clothes Simple food and little joy And when you bear me a child or two What life for a girl or boy? And still you follow me here to my kirk, Followed the son of the tonsured one. I’m yours if you want lassie, And maybe we’ll make some fun. © 1999 Philip G. Bell Tuesday’s child Today a child is born, In everyone to write. Open eyes and open heart, Freedom takes to flight. © 1999 Philip G. Bell   Kinderlove See the little kinderboy Select a kindergirl Takes to the kinderdance floor And there perform a swirl He bows to his kinderdarling Upon the kinderfloor She kinda kindercurtsies And he asks her “Are you sure?” She answers with a kindersmile Upon her kinderface “I’m sure my kinderboyfriend” Let’s dance with loving pace He took her kinderbody Within his kinder arms And danced, for kinderhours Enraptured by her charms © 2000 Philip G. Bell

Heart, Mind and Soul Staple my soul to my heart, For when it’s there love grows. Staple it well my friend, Staple it well. Staple my mind to my heart, For when it’s there I care. Staple it well my friend, Staple it well. Staple my soul to my mind, For when it’s there a poet is born. Staple it well my friend, Staple it well. © 1999 Philip G. Bell Proud Hawk ... Sitting at the top of a tall tree, Eyes Wide to the world. Clearly seen and clearly seeing. Proud Hawk. Soaring into the blue summer sky, Then hover with eyes scanning. Clearly seeing, but not now seen. Skyborne Hawk A morsel is spotted in the field below, Then diving with wings folded. Clearly seing the focal point. Groundward Hawk. Taken from the ground to the top of the tree, Then killing and eating its catch. Clearly full, it can rest for a while. Proud Hawk. © 1991 Philip G. Bell Times for Seasons ... Times that winds will rush, Through the stout bark shrouded trunks. Vortices shedding, cutting wild grasses, Dividing and twisting, blades of green. Times that the air will rise, Under summer sun, haze and shimmer, Focus will stray off field And fields will stray from vision. Times that leaves will fall, On downward path to ground. Browning, crisp ‘til rains make slides, On mire, glade or concrete jungle. Times that cold will chill to marrow, And white will spread over the country mantle. Now death abounds, save sleeping saves, Awaiting the kiss of the sun. © 1984 Philip G. Bell Not to cry for! I saw a dream come floating by And as it passed I gave a sigh For in its depth a vision lost That made my frozen heart defrost A wisp of soft and silken hair With eyes so blue and skin so fair A smile that burnt into my soul A memory that took its toll And as the dream it passed away And reality returned this day My heart it hurt, a stabbing pain A passing whim, it had no gain © 2000 Philip G. Bell And in the End! And in the end you meet The beginning so sweet As the great circle unwinds At the bequest of great minds Hello did I meet you here once before Or was it your future coming around for some more On the merry-go-round of all physical law Defying the rules as they’re thrown out the door And twisting the Universe inside out So the entrails of matter will start to doubt Whether they are, or whether they’re not Or whether they’re tied in a Gordian Knot Confusion is Fusion in these final things And it is all over as the Fat Lady Sings © 2000 Philip G. Bell Jacaranda Azure blue You bloom and show That love is true Jacaranda You are always there But in the spring Your beauty you share Jacaranda Is it just for me? That you return each year For my heart to see Jacaranda E’r I am old I will watch you bloom Far from winter’s cold Jacaranda © 2000 Philip G. Bell Guardian Angel I am in your past, present and future I am your memory, Your sensory perception, Your dreams. I was for you, am for you and will be for you. I was always there Am ever close Will be at your call I will cherish your past, adore your presence and desire your future. I will remember you. Will embrace you Will be there for you Look inside, for I am there. I was always with you, Am with you, Always will be. © 1999 Philip G. Bell Star Stranger In the night sky a star sparkles And in the wonder of its magnitude It speaks to me ‘You were once as I Here in the night sky Until your soul did fly’ And at that moment and as I gazed What happened next I was amazed To see a shaft of light beam down to Earth ‘And I will be as you are now Do not try to wonder how And soon I’ll make to thee my vow’ And many days passed me by When a stranger came to town And in the cafe with me sat down ‘You think I am a stranger here But we have met just this year At a place not far from here’ My mind did race but did not win And puzzlement plagued my mind within Who was this stranger sat with me ‘And now I make my vow my friend When all is dark and troubles send Light will out through to the end’ And at that point of time I blinked And he was gone, I was alone My soul felt warm © 2000 Philip G. Bell Bronze Awake Bronze child at play Upon a plinth of stone, Frozen in time and space, Do you feel as if alone? Do you long to be free? To run and dance In our spectral world, Free from your trance. At the stroke of twelve, Tonight a spell will melt Your bronze to flesh and blood, And all life around now felt. But only free until first light, Or when mortals wake. Whence to bronze again Your soul must make. This law was laid in ancient times, And so this injustice must be. Make most your time, child of bronze Make most, whilst you are free. © 2000 Philip G. Bell