. Poetry from The Great In-Between

Friday, September 22, 2023

The Voice of Malachy


 

I've searched

So many once long forgotten rooms 


Hidden in this cathedral of my mind

My old worldly kingdom


Looked in faded memory tombs

For freedom


Visited death and birth

Laughter and mirth


Mementos of life on Earth 


Endless light

And dark cloaks


Worn by

Recollections

Of folks

Invoked


Now 

I'm here 


In this all consuming darkness 

And as I reside


Sitting by this 

Always burning 

Old oak


The only truths

I now know


Sharpened by the Blacksmiths  

Of Time's

Anvils


As it flows


It's why 

My soul


Now bleeds

In rhymes


Looking down to the walking flesh coffins

Beyond 


Filled to the brim

With greed and sin


Just awaiting a home

When gravediggers


Are summoned 

By lone priests

To dig


I've watched love turn to hate and burnt to ash 


As foolish lovers

Took the Devils cold cash


Looked upon empty bedrooms 


As angels were cast out by new practices

From loving homes


Seen red roses

Crushed in concrete

To never regrow 


As their leaves 

Withered in sorry defeat

In snow


Saw Straw Men

In red clouds 


Ride in

Smiling


To rain down on those 

Praying to sin


But through it all


No matter how many

Pieces have to fall


Have faith

To break the bullpen 

You'll know when


For one day 

We


The true believers

Will stand shoulder


To shoulder

Arm in arm


And sing this

Our battle song 


O LORD

O LORD


Keep us

O LORD


Safe 

Safe

Safe


From the wicked


O LORD

O LORD


Protect us from storms of violence 


O LORD

O LORD


By planners

Hiding in the silence


O LORD

O LORD


Come our Way

For

You are the Way


The Ford


Hear us

O LORD


Hear us


O LORD

O LORD


Glory Glory

Hallelujah


Hallelujah


O LORD

O LORD


Glory Glory

Hallelujah  

 

Do you believe 

You'll stand and sing


Arm in arm

When the Great Tribulation 


Comes and

Begins


I hope so

For when the trials come


I'll look for you 

To take 

Your arm


To sing


O LORD

O LORD


Keep us

O LORD


Safe

 Safe

From harm


From the wicked

Protect us from storms of violence 


O LORD


By planners

Hiding in the silence


O LORD


Come our Way

For

You are the Way


Hear us

O LORD


Glory Glory

Hallelujah  


Glory Glory

Hallelujah  


You are the Ford


Hallelujah


Glory Glory

O Lord 


You are the Ford

 

(C)

Copyright John Duffy

 

Thursday, September 21, 2023

The Calling.


(A lone voice whispers.)


Run wildly

To me


My only love


Through all of life's wild woods

To reach my secret mountain glade


Come to your destiny 


Join the parade

Of all the poets around me

As I stand chanting 


In my circle of salt


Sending out spells to enchant and call to you

Each night


Even when you kneelled 

Bowed 


Cried 

Smiled or prayed


For I still wait in these dark woods

Just hidden in the shade


Will you surrender and just come to me

Spiritually 


For I will help you build a new poetic temple


With a gleaming white altar

As its centre piece


To absolve all your fears

With a baptism of words

In ink


Do you wish to enter into my Red Church


To sit 

Kneel or perched 


To be baptised and ordained

By its tear stained glass window panels


Will you walk through the ceremonial grey smoke that chokes

The normal folks

Who lack imagination 


Past that enticing pit fires


Surrounded by Temptations

Many crowds of enticing liars


When you hear 

Me calling


To finally cross the metaphorical wet sands and swim through the dark waters


To reach my mountains of emotions 

Woodland glade


Where we can finally dance freely

Like Masonic Knights 

On their Seventh Crusade


Amongst the deadly nightshade

And face the rise of the Full Winters Moon


Totally unafraid

As the rest of the world

Is falling


With the rise

Of a custom made

Remodeling 


By concealed AI

Weapons of decay 


(C)

Copyright John Duffy


Wednesday, September 20, 2023

The Call of The Ala--Kai


 

We burn

This


Rare and

Expensive DMT infused incense 


Throughout all our inner temples


Here 

In Tulsa

Oklahoma


To see with new

Eyes 

Wide open


All Hidden 

In-between 


Here to the faint heartbeats 

Controlled by the medulla oblongata


In the broken 

Frequencies of Green


Come to us

Our Winter's Queen


From The 

Frey Void


To speak 

From Lands of Swirling Smoke


Above this 

World's noise


Announce

Yourself


With music of pipe and ringing golden bells


As watching 

Spirits


In shadow coats

Gather and Yell


Praise us

With your divine wisdom


To the beat 

Of our higher self's

Drums


Ignite a furious flame

Within us


So we can 

Dance in fever

And wildly run


We 

Your blessed

Children


The Ala--Kai


Counting down

These Aquarius Days


In this Great Play


Of newer portals

And ancient ways


To be opened

Or reopened


So this incense 

We light

Tonight 


Throughout

This 


Mid

September cold night


To tempt you

To call and stay


And walk 


From In-Between 

Spaces 


Of fractured dreams


As we summon you

To learn


So appear now

We beseech


Goddess Diana 


To reach

And teach


As these midnight candles 

Burn


So mote it be

From all in-between 

So mote it be


(C)

Copyright John Duffy


Image shared under fair usage policy via Pinterest.

Monday, September 18, 2023

Ty e Long Goodbyes

 


 

 #poetslineprompts

Hosted by the effervescent +Shrikriti B.N.​


Invited by many.

A prompt from a community I moderate of 39,000+ #poets on Google Plus.


The Lone Wanderer


I still miss her

Deep inside


Below

The facade

Bravado and jest


Deeper still

It's my unswallowable

Pill


The last time

I saw her

Was eight


At the

Piccadilly station


She seemed so

Happy

Carefree and full

Of smiles


That was

Ten years ago

Before she

Lost her patience


A sad indicator

Of how life changes and

Relentlessly flows


And the inner

Turmoil

That inevitably

Grows


She's gone now

To newer

Places


Met a new guy down

At York races


Me

I'm still living

In a world

Of Long Goodbyes


A reverie of endless

Sonnets

From

Ever-growing souls


Who beseech and cry


Copyright John Duffy 

22 NOVEMBER 2017


Sunday, September 17, 2023

The Midnight Voice

 


I can see

All the way from in here


The fate of the world is on a precarious knife edge


The black-robed vultures

Are gathering 


In secret covens and lodges


For their Great Cull


Carefully planned and patiently waiting


On their gilded governmental ledges


For The Last Harvest

The Great Play


Paradise

For the nuclear family

Has been torn asunder


Religion 

Family values

Gender


By the throw 

Of a black and white dice


Announcing new agendas


As in boats

Missed placed nations

Sail and wonder 


Will I find freedom 

From my old kingdom


Just to drown and freeze

To death

In cold waters


As politicians 

Ponder


Argue

Reflect


And hatred 

Interject


Faith in a 

Higher Power


In retrospect


Seems

Demeaned and hated

By those with no nerves


Churches

Closed

By Elites


Leaving Christians with

Nowhere to go


Musing

In silence

In defeat


But they


The Elites

They'll get what they deserve


When Hell opens

Up its doors


And they are duly

Served 


You may feel

Alone


Scared

Insecure

Or in pain


Moving slowly 

In-between jagged lines


But God knows

Who's lost their faith

And needs a boost


A touch of The Almighty's grace


Through a sickness

Delivered by followers of darkness


So all I can say

Is pray



Pray

Pray everyday 


And God will try to remedy


All that comes 

Whatever may 

 

For as Jeremiah 29:11 says


For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, 


plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.


As Deuteronomy 31:6 says


Be strong and courageous. 


Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. 


He will not leave you or forsake you.”


So in Proverbs 3:5-6 


Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 


In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.


Quoting Lamentations 3:22-23


 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;


his mercies never come to an end; 


they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.


So to Isaiah 41:10 


Fear not, for I am with you; 


be not dismayed, 

for I am your God; 

I will strengthen you, 


I will help you, 

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.


And ending with Corinthians 4:16-18 


So we do not lose heart.


Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 


For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. 


For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.


Be strong. 

The light must keep shining


For kindness and compassion


To keep winning

Against those swimming


In The Devil's Dark

Unforgiving 

Waters


By constantly

Sinning


(C)

Copyright John Duffy

Friday, September 15, 2023

The voice of Tanaka

 I can subliminally feel 

All those sad fears


Rhythmically swirling like sharpened kitchen knives


Within all your world choices


Which cuts me so deep

Like cold Tamahagane steel


Above all this new

Life's 


Now old noises


I can just see you 

Sitting there


In your darkened bedroom


Somewhere


Dressed in that familiar soft white lace


With translucent tears


Running down 

Your beautiful face


Thinking of me


As a lone crone

In a faraway forest


In triumph 

Sings 


And rejoices


Overjoyed by her spells

Creating turmoil 


Of fake excuses and tragic surprises


In you


For

I know

It's not fair


What you're going through


But trust me


I'm 

Going through it

Too


For 

This thing we started

This inexplicable thing


This molten fire that still burns

 

Like it's taboo

Since we parted


Reaches so deep

Inside


I can't sleep


Can't work

Can't recall


How many times

I've cried


Brokenhearted


For I remember

Those sweet salad days


Before our love

Died


When we parted ways


Walking on the beach

With the girl next door


Who came to me

Unexpectedly


Like a serene gift 

From The Holy Sea


Gently fluttering by

To say hello


Like a rare beautiful Glasswing Butterfly


But now

We are 


But two 

Lost souls


With nowhere to go


Just wondering round

In familiar round circles


And looking into 

This purple haze


The very mouth of this black abyss


Before me


Looking at the mistakes

We once made


In my scrying mirror


As our tarot cards 

Were first laid


When we first kissed


While we walked

Its tired pavements


In its maze


I pray and hope you still

Think of me


The ghost


Who still loves his beautiful rare Glasswing  butterfly


From the Realms

Of The

Great In-Between


Sent to love you

To remind you


You're so special


An astral envoy

Sent like a 


Spiritual Kestrel

To inspire others 


Especially those

That suffer in silence


So turn that Southern Country music up high


To drown out your world's violence 


For a light like yours

Must shine


And it's why

This old ghost


Can never say goodbye


For our old love

Lives beyond


The seas of this black abyss


Forever 

Spinning


In my memories

Of our



First poetic kiss


(C)

Copyright John Duffy


Image shared under fair usage policy via Pinterest. 


Monday, September 11, 2023

The voice of SM.


(A lone voice whispers.)


 Call to me


Be it on high mountains

Or by faraway stars


In silent musical thoughts

While you savour a few bars


Spread out your altar cloth


Before

Minutes

And seconds


Of life


Demand 

To play


Light up 

Your peace ceremonial candle


And bind fear

Onto Urvi's glass mirror


So 

Beauty and

Temperance


Can conjure up new experiences 


For the adventurous 

To lead the way


And through

Red currents of benevolence


In September

I'll guide you


To your deliverance


So

Dance inside

Now


To four beats

On four


Pray to me

To open that tightly shut door


To a new form of self-reverence

So I can

Come


To embrace you


From the shores 

Of two Suns

And no guns


From here


Beyond the hills

Of The Great In-Between


(C)

Copyright John Duffy 


Image shared under fair usage policy via Pinterest.


Sunday, September 10, 2023

The Rite of The Sibyls

 Press play before reading. 

Salute. 


(A lone voice chants.)


Three candles lit

Burning in fire


Nature's flute

Singing in corner


Chanting for love

To adorn us


Nikaa Taa

Nikaa Taa


Oh 

Spirits

Hear us


Nikaa Taa

Nikaa Taa


Oh 

Spirits

Hear us


Send us signs

Send us signs


From the Great Smoke


Nikaa Taa

Nikaa Taa


Oh 

Spirits

Hear us


And when bell rings

Help us sing


Nikaa Taa

Nikaa Taa


Oh 

Spirits

Hear us


Your children

Who needs saving


Nikaa Taa

Nikaa Taa


Oh 

Spirits

Hear us


Oh 

Spirits

Hear us


Your children

Who needs saving


Nikaa Taa

Nikaa Taa


Send us 

A sign


For your children

Who needs saving


Nikaa Taa

Nikaa Taa


Oh 

Spirits

Hear us


Send us signs

Send us signs


From the Great Smoke


Nikaa Taa

Nikaa Taa


Oh 

Spirits

Hear us


Send us

Signs

From The Great Smoke


For your children

Who needs 

Saving


(C), 

Copyright John Duffy




Saturday, September 9, 2023

The Ember Fields


Every clock in here 

These old wooden ones


As they tick

They remind me of you


Every single second

Every single minute 


Carries luminescent memories 


Of all the wild but adorable things

We used to do


As they suddenly manifest


Like a magician's trick

Right out of the blue


And if my broken heart could beat


It would carry drum beats of revelations

So true


I would die once more

In palpable bliss


If I could write a parable

It would only be


I yearned once for a touch of your silky skin


And a taste of your red Guerlain lipstick


But got distracted

By the sweet voice


In the darkness

That strives


All good things to 

Underpin


Through sin


And now

In The Great In-Between 


My parable 


If deciphered by an illuminated one would read


If love is offered

Freely and

Willing 


Clasp it

Hold it and treasure it


And it's why now these sparkling twinkling lights


Reflections of you


Shine so bright in this ever-hot dust


From dawn to dusk


Showcasing your image

To the empty husks of the Ascended Ones


Night and day

That litter The Lord's Way

Come what may


So while the Baylore energies 


Magnify my thoughts into these words


Like a soft fingertip across your warm spine


I'll see you soon

Skyclad in blue


In your deepest of dreams


And wide-eyed

Mighty and free


We'll be reunited once more


But not like Orpheus and Eurydice


To be snatched away by a lack of trust


But forevermore


And that's why 

My love


I still see your reflection 

In these Embers Fields


In this everlasting dust


In every single second

And minute


As these tired wooden clocks tick


From dawn to dusk


To remind me I miss you

And that's why I'll never yield


For now, I know true love

And all emotions 

It reveals


(C)

Copyright John Duffy


Image shared under fair usage policy. 


 

Friday, September 8, 2023

A soft whisper from The Ether


You know

Who you are 


If this reaches you


The one 

I still love at the core


Lit inside 

Like a divine cathedral candle


Forevermore


So let the serpents

Come 


For like Moses

I'll stand strong


My mighty rod

Will open up a new road


To Damascus 


Guided to you

My own Euonymus alatus


Who still burns me 

Inside


So much

With such love


My soul cries


For although our paths 

Are divided by fate


By vultures and lions

Which prowl 

Hidden 


Restless

Unseen


Just outside our spiritual gates


Ours is a sacred pact

One 


No fowl knoweth


And which the vultures and lions


With eyes green

Hath seen


And it's why they prowl

For they know


We have been endowed

By The  Almighty Flame


From The Great In-Between


(C)

Copyright John Duffy