A Magical Land

A Magical Land

I opened my eyes to a magical land,

                Took a moment for my mind to expand,

                                Smiled at the things close at hand,

                                                Rummaged in the attic to taste what’s planned;

Another day for a desperate stand.

She stirred beside me without a care,

                Opened her eyes on everywhere,

                                Reached out to cuddle me close

With the healing touch that means the most.

Then up to it with the tea and toast.

The sun smiled,

                Green leaves throbbed,

                                Butterflies capered,

                                                Bees bobbed,

Crows cawed

                Swifts screamed

                                But nothing much

                                                Was as it seemed.

Outside the door the battle loomed.

                Casualties sagged with ideals entombed.

                                                I took my place in the front line,

                                                                Hanging on to what was mine:

A ragged warrior lost in time.

Hard to remember what and why

                As years pass and friends fly by;

                                Dreams perish and babies cry.

Ensnared by the eternal slice of the pie.

But the dream’s alive

                Amid greed and hate.

                                Embers flare

                                                At the edge of the gate.

The spirit still roars from under the weight

She touches my hand

                All twinkling eyes

                                Full of love

                                                And morning skies.

The strength flows,

                Tenacity grows.

Where we’re going

                No-one knows!

We ran through the forests

                Danced on the plains,

                                Conquered the seas

                                                Crossed the mountain range.

Roamed the deserts,

                Through the strength of our brains.

We filled the air

                With the joy of our song,

                                Praising the sun,

                                                The land and the sky.

Filling our minds with the where, what and why?

In all of this we belong

                Yet that is where it all went wrong.

Creating leaders,

                Inventing gods

                                Possessions and armies

                                                Rockers and Mods.

In an endless sequence of agony and gore

                Tragic stupidity; endless war;

We live in the days of mindless hordes,

                Fake news, propaganda and threat of the spores.

We’ve lost our connection to the bees and the trees,

                Brought Mother Nature down to her knees.

In the senseless game that we play

                Where a few get everything

                                And the mindless just pray.

Our inventions betray us

                Rob us of life.

Cut from reality

                With the stroke of a knife.

The future a blizzard,

                The past a blood bath.

Looking for purpose

                You must be having a laugh!!

Opher – 2.8.2024

It’s a little epic; stretching from the personal to the universal and crossing time. More than a passing nod to the great Roy Harper – Me And My Woman, The Lord’s Prayer, The Game – though I do not claim to warrant any comparison.

The stupidity and gullibility of mankind never ceases to amaze me.

Our propensity for violence, endless wars; our blind ignorance.

An amazing, magical land; a mysterious journey, marred by tribalism, greed and hate. We deploy our inventions of leaders, gods, politics and lust against ourselves.

Born in a magical land we ignore the abundant treasure for a pocket full of fool’s gold.