by Nick Gisburne
The coven of her sisters casts her out
For crimes that even they will not forgive
And from the dark abyss of fear and doubt
A parasite unlocks a place to live
It twists and grows and feeds inside her chest
A creature, bound by malice to the heart
With every strangled breath, her soul, possessed
Is poisoned as the mind is pulled apart
Too sick to move, to speak, to comprehend
She knows that none who listened would believe
The thing inside, this torment without end
Is more than any mortal could conceive
Relentless, it consumes her, day by day
And only death can pull the pain away
Monday, 31 May 2021
Scarlet Flowers
by Nick Gisburne
The kingdom, and its king, must fall tonight
She spins the subtle secrets of the scheme
Betrayal, born of bitterness and spite
She blends her magic, deep inside a dream
A whisper for an audience, alone
His finger bids the servants disappear
She sighs and sits astride him on the throne
The nature of her appetite seems clear
But finding scarlet flowers in his hand
Each perfect rose a dark, delicious bloom
He looks, and sees, but does not understand
Until she summons evil to the room
The flowers twist their tendrils through the heart
The flesh, the king, the kingdom, torn apart
The kingdom, and its king, must fall tonight
She spins the subtle secrets of the scheme
Betrayal, born of bitterness and spite
She blends her magic, deep inside a dream
A whisper for an audience, alone
His finger bids the servants disappear
She sighs and sits astride him on the throne
The nature of her appetite seems clear
But finding scarlet flowers in his hand
Each perfect rose a dark, delicious bloom
He looks, and sees, but does not understand
Until she summons evil to the room
The flowers twist their tendrils through the heart
The flesh, the king, the kingdom, torn apart
Rocket to the Moon
by Nick Gisburne
A simple twist to tighten up the screw
Now all the parts and pieces are in place
I try to comprehend what must be true
That finally my ship is set for space
I touch the only photograph I own
The woman who adores me most of all
I know that I must make this trip alone
I wonder: will I fly, or will I fall?
I call upon the courage that I lack
My gaze is firmly focused on the sky
I know I must believe I’m coming back
But, leaving Earth, is this my last goodbye?
Today I launch my rocket to the Moon
From ground control, my mother, “Bed time, soon.”
A simple twist to tighten up the screw
Now all the parts and pieces are in place
I try to comprehend what must be true
That finally my ship is set for space
I touch the only photograph I own
The woman who adores me most of all
I know that I must make this trip alone
I wonder: will I fly, or will I fall?
I call upon the courage that I lack
My gaze is firmly focused on the sky
I know I must believe I’m coming back
But, leaving Earth, is this my last goodbye?
Today I launch my rocket to the Moon
From ground control, my mother, “Bed time, soon.”
Sunday, 30 May 2021
Government Guidelines: Your Trip to Mars
by Nick Gisburne
Your quarantine review has been delayed
This means you cannot safely come aboard
Although your sterile cubicle was sprayed
The travel guidelines must not be ignored
Prepare for your annihilation burst
Please wave the other passengers goodbye
And after all your atoms are dispersed
This cruiser will be certified to fly
We hope you have enjoyed your trip to Mars
The forecast for today is cold, and red
Hit ‘like’ to give your captain seven stars
Complaints will be deleted when you’re dead
Your test results acknowledge you were clean
Official termination: 10:18
Your quarantine review has been delayed
This means you cannot safely come aboard
Although your sterile cubicle was sprayed
The travel guidelines must not be ignored
Prepare for your annihilation burst
Please wave the other passengers goodbye
And after all your atoms are dispersed
This cruiser will be certified to fly
We hope you have enjoyed your trip to Mars
The forecast for today is cold, and red
Hit ‘like’ to give your captain seven stars
Complaints will be deleted when you’re dead
Your test results acknowledge you were clean
Official termination: 10:18
Saturday, 29 May 2021
A Twisted Evil
by Nick Gisburne
The chosen one is staked before the sea
A roar, elation, spills across the crowd
A nameless god, a beast that should not be
Is hurled by angels from its tainted cloud
The creature, draped in darkness, dirt, and death
Descends upon a chariot of dust
Appalling foams of filth-infected breath
Are caked upon its body in a crust
The sacrificial servant dreams a spell
An exorcism, sanctified by sleep
Malignant flesh begins to split and swell
And sinister illusions stain the deep
A twisted evil, dragged towards the trap
Extinguished as its sinews stretch and snap
The chosen one is staked before the sea
A roar, elation, spills across the crowd
A nameless god, a beast that should not be
Is hurled by angels from its tainted cloud
The creature, draped in darkness, dirt, and death
Descends upon a chariot of dust
Appalling foams of filth-infected breath
Are caked upon its body in a crust
The sacrificial servant dreams a spell
An exorcism, sanctified by sleep
Malignant flesh begins to split and swell
And sinister illusions stain the deep
A twisted evil, dragged towards the trap
Extinguished as its sinews stretch and snap
Kiss Your Fairy Ring Goodbye
by Nick Gisburne
It’s time to kiss your fairy ring goodbye
I’m here to build a barbecue, with bricks
I have a concrete mixer standing by
So don’t get pointy with your little sticks
Your toadstools are a mess, a real disgrace
You’re leaving, so you’d better start to run
Yes, all you fairies floating in my face
Are finished, cancelled, ended, over, done
Will someone tell me why I cannot move
And why I’m slowly sinking in a bog
Whatever else you think that this will prove
You didn’t have to curse me as a frog
I’d like to pay the ransom for release
I promise my construction work will cease
It’s time to kiss your fairy ring goodbye
I’m here to build a barbecue, with bricks
I have a concrete mixer standing by
So don’t get pointy with your little sticks
Your toadstools are a mess, a real disgrace
You’re leaving, so you’d better start to run
Yes, all you fairies floating in my face
Are finished, cancelled, ended, over, done
Will someone tell me why I cannot move
And why I’m slowly sinking in a bog
Whatever else you think that this will prove
You didn’t have to curse me as a frog
I’d like to pay the ransom for release
I promise my construction work will cease
A One-Way Ticket
by Nick Gisburne
Her middle finger mocks his bleeding face
She buys a one-way ticket, anywhere
A passage to an unfamiliar place
No path, no plan, no appetite to care
With every dogged bootstep she is sure
The road will end and someday she will find
A moment of serenity, a cure
For all the shit and shame she leaves behind
The station drips with filthy autumn rain
Old buses stink of misery and piss
Her seat is ripped, and sticky with a stain
Another dismal day has led to this
But while the wheels are turning she can rest
Relief, the one emotion she knows best
Her middle finger mocks his bleeding face
She buys a one-way ticket, anywhere
A passage to an unfamiliar place
No path, no plan, no appetite to care
With every dogged bootstep she is sure
The road will end and someday she will find
A moment of serenity, a cure
For all the shit and shame she leaves behind
The station drips with filthy autumn rain
Old buses stink of misery and piss
Her seat is ripped, and sticky with a stain
Another dismal day has led to this
But while the wheels are turning she can rest
Relief, the one emotion she knows best
Friday, 28 May 2021
Shadow Magic
by Nick Gisburne
The shadows twist together, smooth and slick
They writhe and ripple, rivers of the mind
Forgotten dreams, too slippery, too quick
Are buried by the world he leaves behind
Unsettled by the weight of what he knows
His powerful potential rakes the skin
The mastery of magic will expose
A dark, disturbing wonderland within
The greys are gone, the colours bake and burn
And all before this moment falls to dust
He longs to fight, to sacrifice, to learn
The shadow magic given to his trust
The spells are strong, yet these are but the first
How long before his hands release the worst?
The shadows twist together, smooth and slick
They writhe and ripple, rivers of the mind
Forgotten dreams, too slippery, too quick
Are buried by the world he leaves behind
Unsettled by the weight of what he knows
His powerful potential rakes the skin
The mastery of magic will expose
A dark, disturbing wonderland within
The greys are gone, the colours bake and burn
And all before this moment falls to dust
He longs to fight, to sacrifice, to learn
The shadow magic given to his trust
The spells are strong, yet these are but the first
How long before his hands release the worst?
Thursday, 27 May 2021
An Unexpected Diplomatic Hitch
by Nick Gisburne
The aliens were drunk and barely dressed
An unexpected diplomatic hitch
And soon they left the meeting, unimpressed
Declaring that our world was crude and kitsch
Disgusted, they prepared to go to war
If only we had understood their ways
An insult we could not have known before
Would haunt us till the end of all our days
The crack of warheads, bursting through the clouds
A shattering apocalypse from space
Delivered death upon the screaming crowds
As Armageddon smashed the human race
A grave mistake condemned us all to die:
The president had worn a purple tie
The aliens were drunk and barely dressed
An unexpected diplomatic hitch
And soon they left the meeting, unimpressed
Declaring that our world was crude and kitsch
Disgusted, they prepared to go to war
If only we had understood their ways
An insult we could not have known before
Would haunt us till the end of all our days
The crack of warheads, bursting through the clouds
A shattering apocalypse from space
Delivered death upon the screaming crowds
As Armageddon smashed the human race
A grave mistake condemned us all to die:
The president had worn a purple tie
For Luck
by Nick Gisburne
She dug up something borrowed, something blue
Her sister’s boyfriend, from a shallow grave
And staring in those empty eyes, she knew
A rotting corpse will never misbehave
The quest was on for something very old
And grandpa’s severed testicle was it
He’d left it in the fridge to keep it cold
She made some soup to thaw it out a bit
Now something new was all she had to find
She couldn’t snatch a baby - time was short
Instead, she bashed a junkie from behind
And stole the stash of heroin he’d bought
When all these gifts were given to the bride
The wedding party vomited and cried
She dug up something borrowed, something blue
Her sister’s boyfriend, from a shallow grave
And staring in those empty eyes, she knew
A rotting corpse will never misbehave
The quest was on for something very old
And grandpa’s severed testicle was it
He’d left it in the fridge to keep it cold
She made some soup to thaw it out a bit
Now something new was all she had to find
She couldn’t snatch a baby - time was short
Instead, she bashed a junkie from behind
And stole the stash of heroin he’d bought
When all these gifts were given to the bride
The wedding party vomited and cried
Click, Click
by Nick Gisburne
I sense the rhythmic clicking of a key
Discreetly winding, tightening the spring
The clock, a treasure, deep beneath the sea
Connects me to the world, to everything
I search the ocean, sailing with the tides
To look for what was lost there, long ago
The mechanism calls me, though it hides
And every night I hear it, far below
What magic turns the key? What charm or trick?
A mystery my mind must not deny
For should the timepiece ever fail to tick
In silence I am certain I will die
The ocean keeps the clockwork of my soul
And only time can give me what it stole
I sense the rhythmic clicking of a key
Discreetly winding, tightening the spring
The clock, a treasure, deep beneath the sea
Connects me to the world, to everything
I search the ocean, sailing with the tides
To look for what was lost there, long ago
The mechanism calls me, though it hides
And every night I hear it, far below
What magic turns the key? What charm or trick?
A mystery my mind must not deny
For should the timepiece ever fail to tick
In silence I am certain I will die
The ocean keeps the clockwork of my soul
And only time can give me what it stole
Wednesday, 26 May 2021
The Deadliest of Females
by Nick Gisburne
The deadliest of females is my friend
She burrows through the blood with but a glance
A dream of darkness, evil without end
She fascinates the foolish as they dance
A silver serpent writhes around a wrist
Her fingers flash with knives of stone and steel
A kiss, a crush of burning midnight mist
Compels the strong, the weak, the lost, to kneel
She strips the spirit, severed at a stroke
The mortal meat destroyed, discarded, doomed
The smears of ash and cinders, laced with smoke
Are footprints of a feast, a soul consumed
We meet at dawn, beyond the reach of night
She’s quite a lovely lady in the light
The deadliest of females is my friend
She burrows through the blood with but a glance
A dream of darkness, evil without end
She fascinates the foolish as they dance
A silver serpent writhes around a wrist
Her fingers flash with knives of stone and steel
A kiss, a crush of burning midnight mist
Compels the strong, the weak, the lost, to kneel
She strips the spirit, severed at a stroke
The mortal meat destroyed, discarded, doomed
The smears of ash and cinders, laced with smoke
Are footprints of a feast, a soul consumed
We meet at dawn, beyond the reach of night
She’s quite a lovely lady in the light
Whispers of Corruption
by Nick Gisburne
The spectral city twists among the trees
It gleams with ghostly tributes to the king
But whispers of corruption, of disease
Defile the tongues of angels as they sing
The shadows bend and break before the sound
And hordes of restless phantoms are possessed
They drag the monarch, beaten, stripped and bound
And give him life, the thing they most detest
The queen ascends to power, to the throne
Her husband’s pleas are pitiful, ignored
And as he kneels, defeated and alone
She splits his mortal body with her sword
The fight to rule this wicked place is won
Until their children learn what she has done
The spectral city twists among the trees
It gleams with ghostly tributes to the king
But whispers of corruption, of disease
Defile the tongues of angels as they sing
The shadows bend and break before the sound
And hordes of restless phantoms are possessed
They drag the monarch, beaten, stripped and bound
And give him life, the thing they most detest
The queen ascends to power, to the throne
Her husband’s pleas are pitiful, ignored
And as he kneels, defeated and alone
She splits his mortal body with her sword
The fight to rule this wicked place is won
Until their children learn what she has done
Monday, 24 May 2021
Seventeen
by Nick Gisburne
She strains to block the bedlam of the streets
Relentless shocks of thunder rip and pound
Her fingers crush her ears as she repeats
A sacred word to shield her from the sound
They lie, again, to claim there could be peace
Who listens? Not the bodies. Not the dead
Until this land is lost they will not cease
Till every inch of dirt has burned or bled
The war, a mask for murder, pure, obscene
Where every day the storms of hatred burst
Her years inside a cellar, seventeen
Have taught her she is infinitely cursed
They say that they must liberate her land
But this, her pain, they cannot understand
She strains to block the bedlam of the streets
Relentless shocks of thunder rip and pound
Her fingers crush her ears as she repeats
A sacred word to shield her from the sound
They lie, again, to claim there could be peace
Who listens? Not the bodies. Not the dead
Until this land is lost they will not cease
Till every inch of dirt has burned or bled
The war, a mask for murder, pure, obscene
Where every day the storms of hatred burst
Her years inside a cellar, seventeen
Have taught her she is infinitely cursed
They say that they must liberate her land
But this, her pain, they cannot understand
Auntie’s Body
by Nick Gisburne
With auntie’s body zipped inside a bag
The evidence is spirited away
The knife, the rope, the bloodstained piece of rag
The poisoned pills, all strangely go astray
Her two eccentric sisters kneel to mourn
Their tears are false, and few of us believe
We clutch our cups of tasteless tea with scorn
And hurry to the dining room to grieve
The meal is free of sympathy and chat
A race to reach the bottom of the plate
We mark her death, the odious old bat
A spiteful witch, deserving of her fate
They come to question all of us at three
But no one knows the murderer is me
With auntie’s body zipped inside a bag
The evidence is spirited away
The knife, the rope, the bloodstained piece of rag
The poisoned pills, all strangely go astray
Her two eccentric sisters kneel to mourn
Their tears are false, and few of us believe
We clutch our cups of tasteless tea with scorn
And hurry to the dining room to grieve
The meal is free of sympathy and chat
A race to reach the bottom of the plate
We mark her death, the odious old bat
A spiteful witch, deserving of her fate
They come to question all of us at three
But no one knows the murderer is me
Saturday, 22 May 2021
Her Photograph
by Nick Gisburne
Her photograph is what she fears the most
A portrait of the moment, of the truth
While others smile in every pose and post
She mourns the stolen mysteries of youth
No comfort will convince her she is wrong
She threatens praise, with poison and a frown
In every other way her mind is strong
But, looking through the lens, her soul will drown
She hides behind the bitterness of age
Dismissing all her beauty, all her grace
Instead, she keeps her colours in a cage
Too terrified to take their rightful place
Her photograph brings anguish to her eyes
An image she is certain to despise
Her photograph is what she fears the most
A portrait of the moment, of the truth
While others smile in every pose and post
She mourns the stolen mysteries of youth
No comfort will convince her she is wrong
She threatens praise, with poison and a frown
In every other way her mind is strong
But, looking through the lens, her soul will drown
She hides behind the bitterness of age
Dismissing all her beauty, all her grace
Instead, she keeps her colours in a cage
Too terrified to take their rightful place
Her photograph brings anguish to her eyes
An image she is certain to despise
Friday, 21 May 2021
Government Guidelines: Obey
by Nick Gisburne
Attention! With immediate effect
Your basic daily freedoms will be cut
For those who wish to query or object
Combustion crews will burn your housing hut
Hilarity, and all subversive joy
Now joins the public prohibition list
Unsanctioned smiles, while easy to deploy
Are subject to removal, with a fist
The gates to Sector Seven have been sealed
Ignore the smell of burning flesh, and smoke
Your legal right to justice is repealed
There are no bounds to what we may revoke
Your absolute consent is pre-approved
Obey, or we will have your mind removed
Attention! With immediate effect
Your basic daily freedoms will be cut
For those who wish to query or object
Combustion crews will burn your housing hut
Hilarity, and all subversive joy
Now joins the public prohibition list
Unsanctioned smiles, while easy to deploy
Are subject to removal, with a fist
The gates to Sector Seven have been sealed
Ignore the smell of burning flesh, and smoke
Your legal right to justice is repealed
There are no bounds to what we may revoke
Your absolute consent is pre-approved
Obey, or we will have your mind removed
The Maker on the Moon
by Nick Gisburne
He shapes the stars, the Maker on the Moon
But few believe the truth of what it takes
He digs beneath the surface with a spoon
And taps the silky shell until it breaks
He lifts a crop of perfect crystal crumbs
And sifts them with a silver sorting pan
The tiny sparkles, sticking to his thumbs
Have waited for his touch since time began
He spins a seed of magic, burning, blue
And speckles it with swirling shards of light
For luck he taps it twice upon his shoe
And gives it to the never-ending night
Remember, when you see the stars above
He makes them shine with secrets, and with love
He shapes the stars, the Maker on the Moon
But few believe the truth of what it takes
He digs beneath the surface with a spoon
And taps the silky shell until it breaks
He lifts a crop of perfect crystal crumbs
And sifts them with a silver sorting pan
The tiny sparkles, sticking to his thumbs
Have waited for his touch since time began
He spins a seed of magic, burning, blue
And speckles it with swirling shards of light
For luck he taps it twice upon his shoe
And gives it to the never-ending night
Remember, when you see the stars above
He makes them shine with secrets, and with love
Buy Now
by Nick Gisburne
Announcing our experimental range
Vibrating quantum boosters for the brain
Investigate the science of the strange
With exothermic oil in every vein
Diverging from humanity is cool
Embrace the super-species you could be
With easy payments, buy this simple tool
Attach it to your eyes and turn the key
Remarkable results in seven days
An alien physique, or money back
Genetic transmutation bio-rays
Now free with every nerve replacement pack
With custom clones you’ll never be alone
Utopia, directly from your phone
Announcing our experimental range
Vibrating quantum boosters for the brain
Investigate the science of the strange
With exothermic oil in every vein
Diverging from humanity is cool
Embrace the super-species you could be
With easy payments, buy this simple tool
Attach it to your eyes and turn the key
Remarkable results in seven days
An alien physique, or money back
Genetic transmutation bio-rays
Now free with every nerve replacement pack
With custom clones you’ll never be alone
Utopia, directly from your phone
Thursday, 20 May 2021
Painted Fingers
by Nick Gisburne
I climb the crimson wall to claim a seat
To see the children driven through the town
The jagged causeway mutilates their feet
And those who beg for breath are beaten down
The magistrate initiates the farce
Her smile a grimace, cynical and brief
A cleric calls the charges, swift and sparse
Conscripted to the sham by blind belief
With painted fingers clutching at the book
Authority administers the law
Her eyes too black with hate to simply look
She grants no grace to those who stain her floor
Their mothers dared to walk on hallowed ground
The sons will all be whipped, the daughters drowned
I climb the crimson wall to claim a seat
To see the children driven through the town
The jagged causeway mutilates their feet
And those who beg for breath are beaten down
The magistrate initiates the farce
Her smile a grimace, cynical and brief
A cleric calls the charges, swift and sparse
Conscripted to the sham by blind belief
With painted fingers clutching at the book
Authority administers the law
Her eyes too black with hate to simply look
She grants no grace to those who stain her floor
Their mothers dared to walk on hallowed ground
The sons will all be whipped, the daughters drowned