My Pride.

Those things I left with you, like my mind my heart
And every little thing that you know.."My pride".
My pride I have none when it comes down to you
The fallen leaves the sands and the dunes, up and down.
Whilst in my little cottage, I sit waiting for you
But where are you, my lovely I can not see you.
You know, you know am waiting for you
Have been since noon..
With the scent from the streets, you come running to me
Where you've been all along
Meanwhile, I sit waiting for you
Whilst you go, foraging under the streets lights
The bells the temple lights that you know, so well
Down the lanes unknown faces smiling at you
And that stranger that stops and lingers, shadowing me
The wondrous seas waiting for us, don't you see
But you my darling must bring the city lights with you.
The city, that you won't leave behind
Where we have a history, there.
Where it can still hear our whispers our, sigh's
As you recall the house at the end of the street
The sacrifices the pain and everything in between
I know you're that poet, with love in your heart
And I am that girl, that left those things behind.
I know you wouldn't, get to my seaside town
Until the moon's high in the sky gossamer, like shedding its light
I see you're shadow coming down the street
I knew you'd come, I hoped you'd come with the shining moon
The boatman repairing, its nets, by the silvery moon
Those little shanties hiding, behind the trees
The long rope bridge over water, not far to walk round  
But you carry with you the old city the old love
That's ingrained within, you're heart
Then the fallen leaves the shifting sands
The brightness of the glowing moon
With it you pick up the scent, of the woman.
That has patiently waiting for you
Within me, I have those touches
Those secret touches, that you and I share
Those silent tears, one regrets to say
Never so far away.          






       

Coming In From The Storm

In From The Storm.

The night that awful, night the storm came unexpectedly
The winds howling screaming, howling like a banshee
As if the Earth this primitive earth had fallen, of its axis.
The urgent knocking on the door,
Surprised that anyone would be out there in the eye of the storm.
Opening the door, I was faced with he standing before me
With the flash lightning behind he
It amplified the contour's of his face his eyes
He was soaked through.
Between the darkness and the lightning seeking shelter from the storm
I asked him in. Curiously I stood before he
Handing him a towel.
Thanks. Said he.rather crossly,
For allowing himself to lose his way, saying.
I've lost my way I could see not, the winds so strong
The rain lashing the lightning electrifying I knew not where I was
I saw your blue lantern twinkling so coming away from the storm
Hellishly it is out there.
I could not get a word in edgeways
It's okay said I, you're welcome.
A stranger coming in from the storm
Using the towel, I handed drying himself off
Standing by the window was he
The lantern lighting his face
I could see him in semi-darkness
How beautiful he was!
My eyes would release not his stare for he was staring at me
His hair longish rather wild curling about his eyes
Making him much more desirable
He's grey eyes staring
Wanted so much to touch his face thus, just a caress on his cheek
The storm affected him more than he let on
Standing by the window in half light
He looked like a sculpture, like David in the Roman days
A real Renaissance, of a man! I'd love to keep him.
A living human sculpture, he belongs here, with me
I can smell the scent of he, a distance of a few feet
Heightening my senses
I'd love to run my fingers through his hair
Feel his face his eyes his lips that's curved just so
He's the man I've created in my mind
The man I've sketched a real Matisse
Every line every sinew in his body
I've asked him to sit down
Not that I wanted him to
I'd rather admire his torso, so beautiful.
Living me in turmoil
The visions before my eyes,
He smouldering,
That look sending shivers through me.
Where,  indeed not in extremis.
Slowly I walked up to him that touch, that caress
As I softly touched his cheek.
And the tears in my eyes as I slowly kissed his eyes
Could believe not my actions,
And by the light the blue lantern, I kissed his lips slowly
Placing my hands thus, either side of his face
Could believe not, he came in from the storm
With bated breath, uttering let me behold you!
My words unashamedly
Before the rain,
Before the storm came in.

                                 By Connie James.

When We Made Poetry

Underneath the station lights, I saw you last night beneath the dark sky
I stopping  you so I could glance at you, not from afar. 
Mesmerised by you looking into your eyes before you passed by  
Can endure not, when you pass without a word a phrase uttered 
So difficult to entertain so hard to frame into words 
Like a phrase from a stranger, much easier to obtain 
I saw you up at the fort in the alleyway 
Between the leaves and the fog, you slowly walked to me 
Through that magnificent grand door 
Shivering looking at me so cold you were 
In that cold winter day, with the darkness seeping through 
The evening sun setting casting shadows on you 
You looked like as I've never seen you before 
So dapper so debonair. 
And I looking for a reason to get closer to you 
But a reason I needed not any excuse would do 
Just to touch you in the silence of the night 
The words came out to play
But tonight I held my hand cupping your head 
Standing close as we began to dance moving slowly
Those intricated steps the new craze, all around 
I held you tight as we shimmered to and fro 
And as the music takes hold our minds in a fog 
As we danced and danced on air, so light you were 
Our steps our minds so attuned to the music.
No time to whisper to say after such a long time together 
We're drifting away, the memories of what I never said 
Nor will say, giving me not a chance to say
Please, stay. 
Towards the river, we'd walk like, many times before 
We'd spend the night, by the lantern light 
The fort not so far away 
Just sit beside me. 
So I can see your face, inhale the scent of you 
Touch you again and again, for when you're away from me 
I shall exist not completely, nor happily without you 
In the night of my nights, when we were fancy, free 
There will never be such a night 
That night when we made poetry.             






                

To Love To Live

Those words born within me as I sit and write
By the twilight of a night, just before darkness sets in
In the beautiful twilight memorable light
As in a dream Pablo Neruda's verses, of poems
Under my skin at times, I know not why
I fill in a streak of light my thoughts within
My mind could think not my ideas were draining
The noise impossible to retain the memories lost, lost.
In the open pages, I write what's in my heart
Those that were of my blood like Papa, those that I loved
Once more all by myself writing the words breaking my heart
When I! So alone, could bear not, finding myself lonesome as can be.
By myself so hard so very hard I miss Papa
I know his roots still growing deeply within me.
In the dusty road, I walk forgotten by all
Through the evening road so wet with my thoughts
And am filled with the chorus of the streets
The red flowers of spring
Blossoming young girls so happy
Meanwhile finding myself, not an easy task you see
Where I am where I should be
In a dream's dream know not the answer exactly
But I dream he's waiting for me.
Someone's staring at me as I stand high up on the verandah
Know not who the stranger may be
He's asking me where are you my love!
Am here you know, have always been
How far?
Nearby I'd say.
It's, on the road?
The road could be anywhere near or far
By the bridge way, there's always a bridge over a river.
And the woman that's standing alone as you pass by
There is always she!
It's not so easy thinking of her
Reading you through her!
Am so alone it hurts must admit
Admitting my loneliness painfully
On my way, I must be, writing my words
Wishing you happy birthday my love
With the first rain drops
In my mind, I thought whispering Papa!
Going into my rooms
I was born again
With the words of a poet
To hope to love to live.

                   Connie James.










  

The Warmth Of A Womb

Whispering on the empty streets I stand feeling like a Queen
On the old dusty streets of my city as the midnight toll's away
Quite forgotten anything that reminded me of home
The place where once there was love
There was music there was laughter ever after there
Like coming into the warmth of a womb
Hugging me close so close
And the love forgotten the expatriate has returned once more
With the tears silently flowing  reaching that home,
Where once there was love, now an emptiness within us.
I've been away so long, as I look upon, the old homestead
That once was home to us
The strangeness the lamps on the streets
As I look at the silhouette of you
Standing there strangely looking at me
In the air the night winds flow
As I remember each touch forgotten not
The looks of love the leaves fallen carpet like
The garaged rickshaw
Standing phantom, like with unbelievable eyes
The native returning once more
Settling down to sleep on a calm, calm city
Peace reigns upon
With each breath, I take each word I speak each look I took
As I look upon my city lovingly my city my love
Whispering back at me strangely
Going forwards backwards and back again
But with the wounds still fresh in one's mind
With the nakedness of a body, with clothes not
My city will see me know me or not
My whispers it will hear softly
Whispering listening
In the darkness of the night
As it sets deeply, closer so close around me
My city uttering, I stand in pain
My sky's above the touch of love
In the night,
Whispering as we love
The sigh's of the night

 
 


       

The Scent Of You.

The scent of you remaining amongst the pages of old
The scent that only you can hold, a lifetime ago
As you touch those pages in every pour ingrained the fragrance of you
Dispersed not but ingrained in every little sense still retains the essence that's you
The rain, that night was such the freshness in the air
Like an opened book, it's like that first time that tonight
Leading through like, a door opened that first time
And you standing there, that look in your eyes was not surprised
As the rain softly falls upon my palms little by little
Closing my eyes, you stood there but in the eyes of my mind
At the bus stop remembering that's where we met that time
Long ago, standing quite alone that night
Soaked, your eyes your hair dripping
Standing in the evening shower so wet so alone
Towards you I walked slowly standing beside you
As the crowded buses stop not
I took your hands in mine you smiled as shiver went through you
Wet so wet were you, The evening of rain
You looked in silence and said once again the evening of rain,
Like music, to my ears beautifully phrased
Haven't heard the same phraseology since
Again & eloquently phrased, by you
From that moment on there was no question of me not loving you
Even sharing your umbrella with me
Such an unexplainable feeling of love, romance
Standing in the rain my arm about you
I was blowing cold so cold, it was blowing a gale
With the lightening from high above
Touching the ground below
As fork lightening splits a tree in two
I took hold of your hand in a vicious grip
Lightning makes me shake nervously it excites me
making me feel alive like that lightening across the sky's
Then falling down to earth.
But to your hands I held tightly wanting not to let go
As the bus arrived sending you on your way
Waving through the howling winds wet, through
Once more on the road
I find myself writing those pages that'll bring you to me
Scented those pages that once you touched
Whilst I was kissing you.            

                            Connie James.





   
 

Before Darkness Sets In

I sit here in a reverie, thinking about he.
My pen refuses to move from my first word,
I sit here pondering about he..
In my mind's eye, I can see he as he passes me,
I pretend not to see that shadow of he..
The beauty of his body in silhouette am mesmerised by he..
The arrogance in his walk I can not believe he's prancing before me..
My eyes follow he as I stretch to touch,
But somehow he avoids me with a grin he's, face is a picture to see..
The words of love of old,
That'll never be told,
But I so long to tell him what's in my heart..
But my mind refuses to utter not those words of love, that's deeply within me..
On the bench, I clear a space as he passes again,
I scatter the yellow the red petals with the heavenly scent.
But he cares not even as he sees me playing a game with he..
His shadow hovering over me, my heart skipping a beat.
As he knocks on my window pane and I like a gambling fool
Go and see him standing there staring at me..
I whisper..Oh lord don't do this to me.
I pick my pen again the pain within me, as he cares not for me..
Tears flowing silently as I try to write something that amuses me..
In the candle light before darkness sets in,
Am I that woman happy before that candle light that I sit and write..
Before darkness sets in.

                           Connie James.