High Society

 High Society 

(A conversation between an elderly man in a nursing home, and his caring nurse)

I can still see her now

You know

Especially at night

Everywhere I look or go 

Eyes twinkling with a touch of salacious wild mischief 

Dressed in white

In this, my favourite picture

Look at her

Look at her with her bright brown eyes devouring each detail of my face

Look how her hand held my hand so gently like one of Love's legendary 

Heart Thieves 

Oh, she had such style

You should have seen us dance and laugh like Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly in High Society

But now as my heart grieves

What still lifts me to newer heights of acceptance is the thought 

That through these old pictures of us behaving with such impropriety

I'll always have something magical that will always connect us

Whenever I remember

My one and only love, who was once so 

Beautifully infectious

(C)

Copyright John Duffy 

Foundation.

Do photographs hold a more significant connection, when reviewed, when really required?

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The Sinners Redemption Prayer

 The Sinners Redemption Prayer

(A lone figure, kneels and prays. Watched by his faithful cat, Rudolph)

I was born a sinner

Lord

For all us triers are

Blindly sent to live by You

An unknown higher power

To try to defeat the Devil's temptations and sin

But now at 75 and slowly dying

It's no use crying 

Wishing I had done better

I've sinned all my life to live

Sinned 

Staying out late looking for another with whom to live

Drank anything to get my soul wetter with all I could give

Gambled

Loved and lied

Been cheated on and cried

As inside I died

Cleaning up everything that was on my plate

So Lord it's now too late, and I know Saint Peter won't open your gates

But you know what

I still feel pride

About how I lived

So going to your purgatory with these feelings and sins

I'm sure I'll find other lost souls like me to continue the party

Because they'll be able to relate 

For now, to change

As my end approaches 

I still haven't got what it takes to be loyal

Since my Martha left me

After

For the millionth time, 

I stayed out

Drinking and playing cards with the Gecko brothers 

 

Watching strippers at the Titty Twister 

Too late

Please forgive me Lord 

Amen

(C)

Copyright John Duffy 

Foundation.

At the end, what would your last prayer be?

Did you live a good life or like the man above, give in to the Devils seductive powers?

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The Crow

 

(A lone voice whispers)

No happiness for me and my best friend

Tony the pony today

For we lost our beloved muse

At 2 pm

One minute she was in full view 

Perched on our old Oak tree

Watching us with beady black eyes like a true devotee

Then just like the uptake in poetry 

In the 21st Century 

By the younger generation

 

We were old news

She must have flew away to better things, we both thought

As we walked home

Past the village post office

Thinking of our old muse

With the crow like black hair

Lost to us forever 

After getting us addicted to reading writing and listening to poetry

Underneath that old Oak tree

Now flying alone

Somewhere 

Out there

Looking down below 

For a new home 

Like it once had 

With Tony the pony

And me

(C)

Copyright John Duffy 

Foundation.

Is poetry like a bird flying around looking for somewhere new to land, after introducing others to its mysterious pleasures?

But as the newer generations get addicted to gaming platforms, and social media.

Will it eventually find landing, harder and more and more rarer? 

Press play

 

The Red Gallows

 

The Red Gallows

(A rebuilt person whispers)

Before I knew Love

I was once so pure

With a heart so free

Carefree for all to see

Everyone loved and smiled at me

But one day Love came calling 

And offered me the chance to take a risk 

Offered me her spiritual red gallows with rope and chair

Smiled and said 

Climb up there

Put on the rope and stand on chair

But beware 

With just one soft push

From something unknown in the shadows

You could lose all your mind

And all you own

Standing on my metaphorical chair 

Beneath my spiritual red gallows

Like many before you

What do you want to do?

Risk all for my love

And climb up

To experience a feeling where emotions don't stop

Or stay down there, 

Stuck in your rut

Well, that was so long ago

And I still see Love

Everywhere I go

Repeating what she said before

But this time 

I'd rather stay slightly pure

With a heartbreaking free

Trying to be carefree for all to see

For even though Love still smiles at me

She can keep her red spiritual gallows and metaphorical chair

For sometimes she tempts 

Only fools 

To proudly 

Stand up there

(C)

Copyright John Duffy 

Foundation.

Do the broken abandon the chance of love again, after going through a painful heartbreak?

Has it happened to you?

Want to know something true

 

I write about many themes. Light and dark.

After a recent post regarding using a dark word, which I won't mention, but in the bible it's a gigantic dragon starting with L.

I needed a word to rhyme with candelabra, so elected for abracadabra.

Unknown to me, a summoning word used in real life magic

At around 2 to 4 am I entered a lucid state and a white flickering light appeared

Darkness chilled my bones and I was paralyzed 

An evil presence filled my view

A strange face flickered into existence 

Scared I prayed 

Speaking these words

In the name of God 

Begone

After the third repetition 

A bright light appeared with wings like an angel and made the entity go

It looked female, but the light was white and flickering, and I couldn't make out its glorious face 

The atmosphere changed, and I woke

Calm

Did an angel save me

Was it real

Well, I astral travel every night, so I know that dimension. 

It was as vivid as you're reading this

Trust in the power of prayer

Hopefully, it will save you too, as it saved me

Sending love and light

Your wanderer in The Great In-Between 

Poet 

John Duffy

P. S

My beloved mum was a psychic and it's probably why I have a gift 

I've been in 6 serious car crashes

Been electrocuted 

Had a near-death experience 

I have been in the tunnel of light

Walked the smoke-filled surface at the top of the golden tunnel of light as I died

Seen ghosts

Watched a witch doctor in a seance 

And many more unbelievable things to the normal person 

It's why I traverse such bizarre themes

Expressions like whispers 

Enter my mind

Hence 

A lone voice whispers

Abracadabra and

Thanks for reading

May the power of love and light keep you safe and those you love at peace

I now release you

Copyright John Duffy 

Good night 

(The picture represents my self image as I astral travel. 

Other realms exist. 

Sometimes, it feels as if in some places, people are waiting for my return. 

I've been chased.

Flew 

Destroyed demons with fire

Jumped miles in a leap

And created storms and force fields

Who said the power of our inner self isn't real

Did you know your unconscious mind works even harder when you sleep

REM

Where do you think it takes you

To a field to count sheep or to other realities 

I believe when you astral travel

You possess other versions of you in other realities 

But have powers for you are the original you

If you know how to conjure them

Who knows

I may visit you tonight

Call me

I'll be wearing a white flower pinned to my shawl dressed as above

Salute

Madam Astor The Dream Enchanter

 Madam Astor 

The Dream Enchanter

(A lone voice whispers by candlelight)

In a dark dream, 

Every night

In The Great In-Between, 

Whenever I dream

It's always the same

I hear you scream

"I'm here"

In your soft pulsating voice

Just hidden unseen

Not wanting to be seen

Then right out of the darkness and void

Above that darkness's noise emanating such fantastical heat

You appear like a half ghost in my midnight street and as my heart beats faster

You take my hand and lead me deeper in The Hereafter

Hidden still by the shadows, 

Bend low and whisper

"Call me Madam Astor

This realm's Pastor"

And as your sharp fingertips play a deep country tune across my skin 

As my astral sweat drips faster

Whenever my eyes start to spin and my soul speaks out and pleads to sin

You dig your nails in 

Even deeper into my skin and whisper

"Soon

So soon, I'll come to you in that quiet bedroom

For the last time

In two days after the fall of the midnight king, and the rise of the morning spring

I'll return to sing in this realm's unspoken rhymes, to make your spirit and eyes spin

One last time

Then fireworks will announce you're mine"

And then you're gone

Letting go of my hand

Leaving me standing alone at the gateway to The Blue Portal 

The way back to the land of living mortals

Gone with that soft pulsating goodbye ringing throughout my mind

Like church bells

But I can feel it's going to be soon you'll return

As time undeniably does fly

When you've been marked by a spell

Somewhere in that places darkness

The Hereafter 

For I've got goose pimples on my skin 

And tonights the fall of the midnight king and the rise of the morning spring

And deep down I know

You'll soon return

So hear this my call

I'm ready to take one last walk

With you

My dream enchanter from The Great In-Between 

Madam Astor

My soul's attractor and captor

The Great In-Between's

Ghostly Pastor 

My beloved wife

Who I once loved in the land of the living before Death 

Quietly crept up and grabbed her

(C)

Copyright John Duffy 

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Grief

I still visit you

Somewhere deep inside 

You know

For our old memories together 

Carry me still

Everywhere I go

(C)

Copyright John Duffy 

Image shared under fair usage policy 

Foundation.

In brief moments of reflection, do you still remember those you still love through introspection?

Need some inspiration?

 Beyond these dark days of ever-growing political dystopia

Social and claustrophobic phobia's 

Find something or someone to love and try to absorb that feeling like 

illicit opium 

Why

It could be the way to survive this life cycle's current pandemonium

(C) Copyright John Duffy 

The Soldiers' Wedding Vow

 

The Soldiers' Wedding Vow

We mark this as our hallowed oath

A mark, O Lord, for us both

To forever carry

For together

We stand

Eye to eye

Heart and hand

Now we're married 

And by this mark, we swear by peace and love to forever trust each other 

And always try to understand 

For this, the seal upon our hearts is real

As it carries deep inside

All we feel

Amen

(C)

Copyright John Duffy 

Image shared under fair usage policy