Strider Marcus Jones

Five Poems

 

 

 

WORDING WITH A WISE OLD SHAMEN

 

i danced around a monolith

on the dark side of the moon-

waiting for the face to speak on Mars:

there was no one on earth to share it with

in the gloom-

they were going round in circles in cars.

hiking out in Arizona-

sleeping under orphaned stars

got wording with a wise old shamen in a bar-

he said: ' we have lost who we are.'

who we are, and where we come from.

what to do, and where to go-

find the crystal skulls of wisdom

for the knowledge we used to know.

back inside my human body,

all things here compute the same-

time to smoke and drink some coffee,

then skywalk in astral rain-

dissolving mechanical brain.

 

 

 

THE DANCE

 

pull the roof off

knock the walls down

touch the forest

climb those mountains

and smell the sea

again.

 

watch how life

decomposes

in death

going back to land

to reform and be reborn

as something and someone else.

 

there's no great secret to it all.

no need to overthink it through

 

food and shelter

fire and shamens

clothes and coupling

used to be enough

with musicians

artists

and poets

interpreting the dance.

 

then warriors with armies

religions with god

and minds buying and selling

stole the landscape

and changed time.

 

smash the windows

break down the doors

melt the keys

rub evil words from their spells

and puncture the lungs of their wheels

 

before they kidnap you from bed

call you dissident

hold you without charge

wheel you out on a stretcher

from waterboard torture

for years

without trial

in Guantanamo Bay.

 

they are selling

the sanctuary

we made

with our numbers

bringing back chains

making some of us slaves

outside the dance

in the five coloured rings

making winners

and losers

holding flags and flames.

 

 

 

BECOME TRANSHUMAN

mop my stain
of thoughts
from their existence,
before they grow too old
and follow me,
into disrepair
and rigid ways-
but leave one drop
of luminous ribosome
to feed its reason
if i choose to let mortality
become transhuman,
then i, so acting shaped
to mime and mummer
like a paradise peacock
in a rainy coat of chaos-
would delete myself
born blind, gone wise.

 

 

BARK

what's the point of crying into me-
but i can see,
to set you free.

don't you know-
i did this long ago,
by turning songs off the radio.

silence is the bark
around my ark,
i wear it on, to eat the dark-

and to keep out the images
of once shared symmetries,
standing, like stone circle cemeteries-

in the open air, made
for the wind and rain to fade,
for the sun's bleach and icy blade-

to erase it all,
to forget it's fall,
to remove it's face, from beauty's wall.

 

 

ON TONQUIN BEACH

moods turn with seasons
shades and sounds;
thoughts walk through reasons
ups and downs.

come sit
by the fireside
close to me,
soft fit
and confide,
watch the sea-

splashing feet break blue water
on Tonquin beach,
tall firs fill a quarter
of sight and reach-

waves wash over shoreline,
a soothing sound,
combing thoughts from time
gives them ground
to mingle and mischief
the mind into mire,
like a selfish thief-
that plays with selfless desire.

Time speaks to his daughter
through this release,
while loves lore restores her
masked belief.

 

 

 

Strider Marcus Jones is a poet, law graduate and ex civil servant from Salford / Hinckley, England with proud Celtic roots in Ireland and Wales. A member of The Poetry Society, his five published books of poetry are modern, traditional, mythical, sometimes erotic, surreal and metaphysical http//www.lulu.com/spotlight/stridermarcusjones1.

 

His poetry has been accepted for publication in 2015 by mgv2 Publishing Anthology; Earl Of Plaid Literary Journal 3rd Edition; Subterranean Blue Poetry Magazine; Deep Water Literary Journal, 2015-Issue 1; Kool Kids Press Poetry Journal; Page-A-Day Poetry Anthology 2015; Eccolinguistics Issue 3.2 January 2015; The Collapsed Lexicon Poetry Anthology 2015 and Catweazle Magazine Issue 8; Life and Legends Magazine; The Stray Branch Literary Magazine; Amomancies Poetry Magazine; The Art Of Being Human Poetry Magazine; Cahaba River Literary Journal; East Coast Literary Review; Nightchaser Ink Publishing Anthology - Autumn Reign; Crack The Spine Literary Magazine; A New Ulster/Anu Issue 29; Poems For A Liminal Age Anthology; In The Trenches Poetry Anthology; Outburst Poetry Magazine, The Galway Review, and now, DM.