Emancipation

Relaxing listening to different types of music, on this glorious

Monday.

 I rather love the blues and its emotionally driven instrumental arrangements. 

I conjured this is five minutes.

Enjoy.

Press play and let the music wash over you as you read.

Salute.

I can do what I want now

I'm owned by no one

By no one

That's what I tell myself

In the middle of the night

I'll be alright

I'll be alright

Don't need anybody else

I’ll stay on the shelf

Stay on the shelf

I now know all my feelings

I no longer need to pray

All alone

Kneeling

I gave myself a few reasons

To find happiness

In these new seasons

In these new seasons

No more being told what to do

And when I see you

Walking around in all your splendor

I’ll know then why 

I’ll never surrender

I don’t need your dam lies

Taking my dreams away anymore

Begging me to stay

Begging me to stay

Getting my hopes up so high

And making me cry

Making me cry

It's always the same lines

You say that you'll change

But you never do

It’s why I no longer need to surrender

For every time I look into your eyes

I always remember

I always remember

I’m no longer under your spell

Take your damn suitcases and just go to hell

I can do what I want

Now

 I'm owned by no one

That's what I tell myself

In the middle of this dark night

I'll be alright

I'll be alright

Don't need anybody else

I’ll stay on this shelf

I now know all my feelings

I no longer need to pray

All alone

Kneeling

For a long time ago

 I gave myself a few more reasons

To find happiness

In these new seasons

No more being told what to do

And when I see you

Walking around in all your splendor

I’ll know then

It’s why I never surrendered

Surrendered

It’s why I never surrendered

Surrendered

It’s why I never surrendered

For love hurts

Too much

Copyright John Duffy

Do you remember us?

 (A lone voice whispers.)

Freedom comes at such a high price. 

A poem

For the many who were promised

They would never be owned 

Or downtrodden 

Do you as a society, remember us in 2023?

Slavery and its many lovers.

Do they still exist today?

I think you know the answers. 

Is the worse part 

Some still ask

Gathered

In here

Standing in a

A secret church in

The Great In-Between 

Being a part of history

Dying and being forgotten

Blowing in the Four winds

Like back in good old  Tennessee

After October 24th 

In 1864

When Freedom sang such a song of emancipation 

Expressed and dressed in white cotton 

But still, corruption and greed 

Found a way

To always creep in

Even in

The Reconstruction Era 

Copyright John Duffy 

Image shared under fair usage policy via Pinterest. 

Need a prayer

 

To you

The one

Who may live within rapturous ever-changing winds

 Of old fears and eviscerating new strands and strategies of hope

To you

The one

Who needs enchanting words and magical spells to help them overcome old depressive realms to truly cope

Whisper these words
silently

Within your mind
Whenever it's time

I am powerful beyond all compare

Beyond all those old emotional shoes 

I've walked in

Filled with stories of failures

I seemingly still occasionally wear

For I'm a fighter
A midnight igniter

I shall conquer all demons
I always see

And eventually find the peace
to really be free

For I was born to always rise

So it shall be
Amen

Copyright John Duffy 

Image shared under fair usage policy via Pinterest.

All words contain magic.

It's why it's called spelling.

You just have to believe. 

Salute.

The Letter

My dearest Sophia

We are like the mythical

Adam and Eve

Walking upon grey shores

Of a lost planet

Any soul could ever conceive

Hidden in deepest of space

Our love holding us

Knee deep in grace

As we breathe

As if buried alive

While the world around us 

Greaves

Where we will witness

The birth of new Nebula's

Stars

And the rediscovered worship 

Of Old Pagan Gods

A pristine Atlantis

Awaiting destruction

Filled with wild pagan beasts 

Dressed up as jealous old men

Wearing sharp blue suits 

Designed and accepted

Through absolute corruption 

We will stride beyond the long reach 

Of the secret Masters of the Masonic Temples

Erecting their secretive

Light barriers

Using political fools 

As their courtiers

We will part the soft pages of our Papyrus

In our own Black Books of illicit Pleasure

To be perused and used

At our inquisition and leisure

We will watch the great fall of mankind

Through greed and the unquenchable quest for total power

Leading to the rise of the Cosmic Red Serpent

Many Babylonian Towers

Where we will lie upon our backs

On the soft yellow sands of time

Shoulder to shoulder

As the new crucifixions begin

To see and smell the visceral sights

Palaces

Establishments

Countries

Will all burn and be

Aflame before us

Throughout long shameful 

Days and nights

A medieval dark vision 

Of a world consumed with Corruption and sin

For as we watch 

We will know

We are riders of

The Great Red Dragon

Once foretold

For

We are some of the mythical Watchers

Who'll never grow old

We 

Who collect the hidden Universes 

Stories

For in time

To be simply retold

We 

Two

Just reborn as poets today

No longer

Citizens 

Of any known countries

Or religious ways

Just sent again

From The Great In-Between

To nourish inquisitive minds

Which are perpetually hungry

For enchanting new stories

Especially those written by us

From the Great-In Between

Not

Mere mortals

But secret cosignatories

Writing and offering poetry

In all forms 

Of its light and dark glories

To be consumed like crushed juniper berries

Over lemon and ice

Will you come over tonight 

To witness the Nato fireworks 

Heralding the beginning 

Of such sights 

So take this as my evocative invite

A slice of my inner light

You know how to reply

My beloved Sophia

Remember

What I told you 

When you last used your scrying device

When you summoned me

In that back boarded up tomb

Between southern Lebanon and southern Syria

In the Golan Heights

(C)

Copyright John Duffy

Image shared under fair usage policy via Pinterest.

Cassias Paradigm

 

Although I

For my old Love

Still quietly

In silent moments

Greave

My precious memories of her

Will never leave

For even as these brown summer leaves 

Fall

Even though she's seemed to have disappeared forever

To where I know not of

Or even fear

I know deep down inside

We'll always stand tall

Together in all seasons and weather's

In my minds

Divine Mid-Summertime Ball

For as Virgil once wrote

I feel like Gallus telling Lycoris

Omnia Vincit Amor 

For Only True Love can conquer all

(C)

Copyright John Duffy

Image shared under fair usage policy from Pinterest.

The Beloved Passenger

(A lone voice whispers.)

There's a dark hole 

In the middle of my eternal soul 

And my beloved mother  

Lives there 

And I carry her 

Around with me 

Everywhere 

I now go

She climbs out 

You know

Just after midnight 

Whenever I sleep 

To put on a truly magical show

Showing me treasured memories of old

Using her supernatural kaleidoscope 

When night time

I can no longer 

Fight 

While sitting on my chest 

Dressed in all her glorious Sunday church best

Whispering 

Strange spells 

That bind me 

In total bondage 

To an old beautiful age 

When she once lived 

And we were happy 

Together 

Especially at Christmas

But now she's died 

Instead of saying 

Goodbye 

And sending her crying  

Scurrying into

The Dark Lands of No Sound 

Where I'll forever 

Miss her

A fissure in time 

Where the Black Nightingales fly 

I now just carry her 

Around 

In that dark hole 

In the middle of my soul 

An exquisite place 

Decorated with such incredible memories 

And a new home where she's guides me to cling on to hope

And to never lose control

The true one I've always loved and known 

My mother 

Who I'll carry around 

Until I'm too called 

To The Dark Lands of No Sound

Where she can finally climb one last time 

Out of that majestic hold and we can run

Around 

Hand in hand

Singing extraordinary songs of happiness 

To echo into the stillness of eternity 

For our joy 

In togetherness will be endless

All over those holy grounds

In a new form of preciousness

© 

Copyright John Duffy

Image shared under fair usage policy via Pinterest. 

 

Reincarnation

Are we friends beyond skin

Is everything in our lives

simply meant to happen

Is it written and foretold

by the Laws of Synchronicity

Are you meant to read this

Regardless of location

or gender or city

Are we in each other's lives for a reason

A means to survive

all the ensuing seasons

Are you drawn unconsciously

to my supernatural aura

Are we but singing

the same divine lines

From an angelic chorus

Are we simply long lost members

Of the same underground tribes

Constantly reborn

to be it's scribes

I don't have no

mystical powers

For I'm only a living pen

A token bestowed

From way back when

If you share the same gift

You'll know it's deep

heartbreaks and bliss

So it's nice to finally meet you

My Synchronicity

My old once-upon-a-time 

My old Friend

To help keep the light in

 

We are now kin

Soul mates until the very end

So I wish you the  best 

In all that you do

It's why this composition

was unconsciously penned

Remember

We are all from the same tribes

An order of eternal scribes

We just meet again

in each  lifetime 

To help each other overcome

The clutches of original sin

With spreading our happiness and kindness 

That can only come

From deep within 

Salute

Copyright John Duffy

An old image from Google +.

I reached quite a few.

Salute

Requiem

Press play before reading.

Salute.

(A lone voice sings.)

I'm forever 

Forever

Feeling hot 

Hot hot

For 

These heartbreaking memories 

Don't stop 

Stop

Stop

For

I can still remember 

Remember an incredible time 

When we loved holding hands

Like we did

On that Sunday afternoon

Lost now

Somewhere 

Forever in June

So I'm forever

Feeling hot 

Hot hot

For

These heartbreaking memories

 

Don't stop 

Stop stop

Remembering

The last night we

Dipped our toes 

In exchanging prose

Following each other's souls 

Like fleeting fireflies

Into unknown deep 

Emotional places 

Where anything goes

Until the cock crowed

It's why I'm forever

Forever 

Feeling hot 

Hot hot

For these heartbreaking memories 

Don't stop 

Stop stop

So tonight 

Tonight 

Lonely and

Separated by plight

Memories of mind and spirit 

Call to me each and every night 

Like the Sirens of Anthemusa

Before I sleep 

Especially those exceptional ones 

Of walking underneath that old Willow Tree

It's why I'm forever 

Forever

Feeling hot 

Hot hot

For these beloved memories 

Don't stop 

Stop

Of exchanging precious thoughts 

Pressed together 

Real close  

Real close 

On those long walks

By the raging blue sea

Looking like the eclipse 

Of the Sun and Moon 

As we relentlessly talked

Talked and 

Dancing mentally 

To a thousand new tunes 

It's why I'm 

Forever

Forever

Feeling hot 

Hot

Hot

For

These memories 

Don't stop 

Stop

Stop

As the Shadow People 

Watch

It's why I still miss 

You so much 

So much 

Clutching onto those beloved memories 

Like a pauper 

Of the only soul 

I once followed 

Followed

It's why I'm forever

Feeling hot 

Hot hot

For

These heartbreaking memories 

Won't stop 

Stop stop

Taking me

Into true darkness 

To emerge into light 

Led by loves sweet touch 

So

"Te desidero in aeternum

Amica mea"

Even though Death 

Only makes you more faithful 

Even though 

You're in the arms of an 

Angel

My love for you 

Never changes 

For I know 

You'll watch over me 

As I face life 

And all it's quiet 

Dangers 

So I just love

Forever

Forever

Feeling hot 

Hot

Praying

These heartbreaking memories 

Don't stop 

Stop

As I find some respite tonight

While my light and darkness fight

While 

I'm feeling 

Forever

Hot hot

Hot

(C)

Copyright John Duffy 

(Latin translation :

I'll miss you forever 

My love)

Image shared under fair usage policy from Pinterest.

The Confession of Stella Maldago

  

Press play and let the music wash over you as you read.

Salute.

I once searched social media

For someone special

Through strange posts

Memes and various themes

But still, I fell short

Got

Burnt and left

Feeling anxious and

Emotionally fraught

But then I found you

Your exquisite mind which

once tasted like a Chateau Lafite Rothschild

1964

Left me perturbed

Addicted and

Just wanting so much more

Everywhere I looked 

Be it

Oversea or shore

People or places

Life blogger's on Instagram

Travelers on Twitter or

Friends on Facebook

Your sweet memories

Rolling and spinning like a broken mirrored kaleidoscope

In my heartbroken mind

Always struck a painful nerve

Oh why does it have to be this way

Oh why couldn't you just stay

I always whisper in the dark

 

Oh by the divine words

Of old pagan biblical Gods

Which now haunts me

I can see why you left

Because you'd had enough

I know I could say I'd 

change 

This time 

It will be better

I won't be like

Theseus when he

Abandoned Ariadne

I swear

I promise

I'll change all my ways

I'll stop taking all those

Dark treasures

I convert

From Hêylêl

If you'll only you'll stay

But you now see me as a 

Half being

From The Great In-Between

It's you

I still painfully miss

All that adoration from that first sweet kiss

Oh by the divine words

I still whisper at midnight

To old pagan Gods

As I drink anything

Overflowing with wetness

And smoke from

Strange rolled cigarettes

I still miss all of you

As those precious memories 

Of all our previous 

Christmas's persists

I still dream

We'll walk Armageddon's

Dangerous shores 

Hand in hand

Across its yellow and golden

Mounds

And as my old world burns

We'll just write some more

As the Moon slowly

Appears and

Rises

Like Shakespeare and Sappho

We'll sit on its fire-lit shores

And our inner realms

We'll re-explore

As the darkness blows to 

Claim those yellow

And golden flames

On its shores

Below

We'll find our way

Home

And

We'll just sit on that

Marble tiled porch

You've always dreamed of

Sipping some expensive

Cristal Methuselah

Champagne

And

Look deep into each other's eyes

And it's there

We'll always

Remain

Before we step off the stage and no longer take part

In the greatest of games

But all that's a dream

I sometimes think about 

In the half-light

For I'm just another dammed queen 

Pretending to cry

Whilst haunting the dating scene

Like delicious food needs pepper and salt

Baby in our wildest moments 

We could have been the best of all

But all houses built with cards

Are all destined to fall

Just forgive me 

Your beloved

Stella Maldago

Who you met in the wet snow

Downtown in Chicago

Copyright John Duffy

Image shared under fair usage policy via Pinterest. 

Press play.