The tale of the Wandering Rose

 

(A lone voice whispers)

Remembering every single incredible memory  

Of my old lover's name 

Before the sun rises

Around the clock

I think is driving me slowly insane 

As the night sky seems to smile 

As it closes in

Each delicate syllable and dulcet tone

Rings and sends out such a resounding cacophony 

And vibration of such a Trinity of Sin

Like a holy golden summoning bell

Been slowly rung

Emanating a frequency filled with Happiness  

Togetherness  

And Divinity 

Tainted by visions

Lost in throes of bedroom depravity

As it spins around in that sacred kaleidoscope 

Within my mind  

Memories of smiles and kindness  

Laying together talking for hours  

Lost in a mysterious stillness

About life  

The universe and all things in between 

Holding hands in the darkness

Before all the cruel and unkind things in life 

Came crashing in

Like Zeus's thunder and put out our beloved flame 

Which we foolishly thought would be lit forever  

  

So now I'm on this broken path 

That I'm doomed to walk 

To purge my soul of this madness

Trying to forget her

Since her soul left us

Old Henry and me

The best old hound dog to sit

With

Writing poetry

So Ma and Pa

I'm taking Old Henry and leaving this letter

Driving South

Heading somewhere

I'm pulled blindly to 

A lonely secret location 

After my own version of The Titanomachy

Towards a place deep in the Appalachian Mountain

I've seen in prophetic visions

A spot inside the darkest of unvisited woods

A place I known 

From Dreamland

A place known as 

The Land of the Black Crows in the deepest of Shadows

Where Old Gods of pagan mythology and weary Elementals gather to watch  

Unknown actors dressed in sharkskin  

Perform a twisted version of Dantes's Divine Comedy

Accompanied by a lone violin 

A path known only to other poor kindred souls  

When they're unconsciously invited by a strange magnetic pull

To The Land of the Black Crows in the deepest of Shadows

To watch strange sideshows to help dissolve their pain

After being spiritually wounded by one of Eros's many bows  

Until nothing remains

Before they too pull on the Eternal Sharkskin suit

And take center stage as all the other broken 

Stand from their seats and welcome Old Henry and me

Into their secret house of ill repute

A place where when painful emotions suddenly appear

They are shared and passed around

To be consumed 

Like a strange-tasting forbidden fruit

By new friends

Who use its energies to welcome new followers 

Who brave enough to take up the call and commute

(C) Copyright John Duffy 

Image shared under fair usage policy. 

Channelling Marvin Gaye in 2023

Press play before reading. Salute

Channelling Marvin Gaye in 2023

 

(A sad voice sings)

Holy Father

Father 

Father

Send us a prayer

For there's too many of us 

Standing by 

So many cold graves 

Crying

Holy Father

Father

Father

We know

There's far too many of us

Suddenly dying

So I know 

We've got to find a way

To bring some light 

On what's

Happening today

So yeah

Holy Father 

Father 

Father

We need to generate 

Songs 

Of debate

Debate

Before it's too late 

And things start to escalate

For war 

With the Red Bear 

To cover up 

The rise of sudden deaths 

And cancers

Aint the answer

To cover-up 

For big pharma 

And all their 

Necromancers

For only our power

Can conquer darkness

Before it's too late

Holy Father

Father

Father

Give us strength 

To generate some peace

To help us 

Find a way

To shine a light 

On the Media lies

Even though it 

Aint allowed 

With

No protest signs

For they beat you 

With their sharp sticks 

Of immorality

Holy Father

Father

Father

What's going on

Pray 

To help others 

Open their eyes

Father 

Sister 

Mothers 

Or brothers 

To really see

What's going on 

For everyone blinded

By their newspeak

Their dark music

And shout out

In the street

Or when you ask 

Questions 

Where you sit

You should trust the news

Not abuse it

Trust the news

Not abuse it

But we know its lies

What's going on

Sudden deaths

A rise in cancers

Heart attacks

What's going on

War in Russia

What's going on

Food crisis

Farming crisis

What's going on

Holy Father

Father 

Father

Help us find a way

To build a better day 

Starting today

When we all know 

What's going on

What's going on

What's going on

So we can all 

Get along

And stop what's wrong

It's why I wrote this song

What's going on

So people know 

What's really 

Going on

Right on

(C)

Copyright John Duffy

 

The Voice of Eli

 (A lone voice whispers.)

Like an army of unseen thieves

Wearing invisible black and red threads of divinity

You may steal

These words

As they are read

Into infinity

To remember old times of Beloved memories 

Of the dead

You have my now declared permission 

So go ahead

So like an army of invisible thieves

Wearing black and red threads of divinity

 

Fighting

Mentally

To stay alive

While living amongst

The living dead

Use these sacred words

As your literacy

Your Godhead

Recite after me

Silently

O sacrum

Fac me pacem et eripe me de tenebris

Da mihi vi opponendi fornicationem et tentationem

In omni- potenti nomine tuo

Amen

So they may fall like Autumn leaves 

All around 

The sacred grounds 

Where you may sit or stand

And 

Forever

Stay

As your beating band

Still plays

(C)

Copyright John Duffy

Translation: 

O Sacred One

Bring me peace and deliver me from darkness

Bestow me with the strength to oppose immorality and temptation 

In your Almighty name

Amen

Image shared under fair usage policy. 

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

 

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

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.

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

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

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. 

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.