Driven from the wastelands

There are many reasons why wolves are now an endangered species , Most people are afraid afraid of wolves and think that  they are dangerous to mankind. Long ago people would get hard cash for  bounty hunting and bringing in a dead wolf.

The Native Americans respect the wolf’s hunting abilities and honored the Wolf . To them  the wolf is seen as a wise, powerful, an instinctive hunter. There is however, a great emotional debate about wolf control, some want the wolf destroyed, while others think wolves should not be killed.  In the 21st Century wolves and man are coming  into conflict with each other and in the rural areas of Russia hunting of deer and other wild game has increased causing competition between man and wolf. With less game to hunt wolves look for other food sources and as i try to highlight in my Poem – they are continually driven from the wastelands.

 

Driven from the wastelands

 

The wolf’s been persecuted and driven to extinction

By man’s myopic vision to be leader of the pack.

Driven out and hunted by lawless inquisition,

Like an inverse repetition of Red Riding  Hood’s attack.

 

Lured away from forests and the shelter of the shrubs

Driven from the wastelands and their dens,

Severed from the scents by man’s subversive actions

Like a ligature constricting the condemned.

 

Kidnapped from society, judged without a trial

From the role that nature wanted them to play.

When in stepped man, not content until his plans

Mean the wolf cub and the pack no longer bays.

 

Al GLENDINNING

Broadsword Publications 2010

All rights reserved

Everything to Excess

Four Rooms is the gripping Channel Four UK Television series in which people who believe they have a valuable artefact get a chance to sell it to four of the country’s leading dealers. It is frequently unbearably tense, as well as funny, fascinating and full of surprises.  The 2012 series sees a new dealer, Celia Sawyer, joining the show, bringing with her an unmistakeable touch of glamour.  Celia is an interior designer -Who has been working in the business for round about seven years. Her clients are high net worth, varying from celebrities to sporting personalities to business people. And some of them have very diverse collections, She started looking around for pieces for them, that they could have in their schemes or as part of their private collections Celia confessed on a social network that if someone was to write her biography it should be named Everything to Excess…

My Poem ( with 21 Subtly crafted and cryptic references). (Hope you can fins them all) is  based on Celia V. Sawyer and Four Rooms is entitled…

 

Everything to Excess 

 

The lioness and the horse will ride as one, together through the mists and fire

Leaving only footprints on the outside to fuel an interior chic desire

As if a fragrance that would be cool in Knightsbridge, or a subtle as the Dorset air

Where the platinum beach and a soft curled blonde’s heaven could be made to share.

 

In the Kingdom where antiquity will stroke it’s thoughtful chin

Will only knock on one of four doors, where either greed or trust will win.

Four rooms with different voices with hidden choices, but one chance

Serendipity’s asking for your hand and stands, in line, awaiting the next dance.

 

With the Devil or the dealer, it’s still an awkward move in chess

But Give a girl the right shoes and she’ll compete, in everything to excess.

Pull up her chair and talk a deal, with sophisticated charm

Use her talisman of womanhood to lead you by the arm.

 

With her hand and skull ringed finger that beckons, with an attitude of steel

Superstition or fashion statement or just the way she feels.

The chilled Champagne is waiting to seal the handshake or the kiss

A deal is made; the money’s paid, no time to reminisce.

 

It’s forward in perpetual motion, as if the legendary Bessler wheel

And taking everything to excess, has an autograph that reveals,

That what you see is what you get, there is no second guess

It’s black or White, no grey between. She walks the Boardroom of Success.

 

And the corridors of power where the clientele’s polished shoes

Reflect their egos and their lifestyles and  high net-worth values too.

They put their faith and trust in a glamorous tousled blonde

To create it, as you like it and then move one step beyond.

 

 

© 2012 Al Glendinning

All Rights reserved

CeliaSawyerTv Celia Sawyer @Poetic__Al Absolutely amazing! We are all wowed, you clever man!!!!!!! THANK YOU for such a huge compliment. X Apr 11, 1:46 PM via web

 

 

Beyond The Beat !

This Award winning poem “Beyond the beat” features in the anthology “In the name of fame” ISBN 1 84460 796 0 and was also awarded by the Forward Press Editors as the second place prize winner in their Top 100 poets of the year award 2005.

It  is the story of singer / songwriter Kylie Minogue, as she emerges from the shadows of life and turns herself from the chrysalis she once was, to the butterfly that she is today and shows how her fans and followers can see how her attitudes, feelings and beliefs can help gain respect and acceptance, through perservence and hard work, in a world which is not always what it seems…

“By tracing the difficulties and pain experienced by its subject from outside her situation, Beyond the beat is a reflection of itself. Alan Glendinning closes his poem very carefully by drawing attention to the fact that we are not in a world of his subject and can but glimpse from what he has offered”.

Liz Thornbury

Member of the Forward Press Top 100 Editorial Team

 

BEYOND THE BEAT

From chrysalis to butterfly with resounding approbation

the girl next door propelled herself into a world of adoration,

that took her search beyond the beat, to an image conscious status

where sensitive emotions fulfil the natural hiatus.

 

Where sexual authenticity is not erotic dreams

and the road to self discovery is not always what it seems,

because who you are is sometimes not what you project at all,

an oasis in a desert is an urban waterfall.

 

Whose omnipotent value is the strength behind the force.

The steering mechanism that keeps her life on course.

That mixes girl and woman with the taste of loves champagne

and keeps the party bubbling beyond the last refrain.

 

Returning like the boomerangs pre determined course

she released the chains that once retained her self made ghost,

when the tears upon her pillow were the years that turned to gold

so that we should be so lucky to come into her world.

 

© Broadsword Publications

All rights reserved

“Beyond the beat” features in the anthology “In the name of fame” ISBN 1 84460 796 0 and was also awarded by the Forward Press Editors as the second place prize winner in their Top 100 poets of the year award. This poem along with the biographical poem “Key to the Kingdom” also appears in the – In our Eyes – Kylie Minogue , a fans perspective Cafe Press Book – published in January 2005 by Limbo www.kylie.co.uk

Selected by the Forward Press Editors  ISBN: 1-84602-007-7 |Poetry, being an art form, is often very hard to judge. These poets all have something different; something that makes their work stand out.

These are the poems that touched us, moved us, and made the hairs on the back of our neckstand up. From a staggering 50,000 entries we received, these are the ones that caught our attention and managed to keep their sparkle long after they were read.

They fought their way to the top and earned themselves a place within the very best collection of contemporary poetry. These are the Top 100 Poets of the Year 2005.

In Sunshine’s Pond

Natalie  Lowe was born in 1980 in Sydney, Australia. She started  ballroom dancing at the local Seven Hills RSL club in 1985. Natalie wanted to dance with her brother Glenn, even though he was 5 years older than her and went straight to the adult category.

They competed in small, intensive trips overseas and had lessons from some of the world’s best teachers. This would be the start of her Strictly story,  she was picked to be a regular dancer on Dancing With The Stars and in Series 7 appeared as a regular on the UK’s Strictly Come Dancing.

When she’s not dancing, Natalie has a whole host of hobbies and interests including fishing, surfing, camping, water skiing, walking her Labrador and relaxing on the beach with a good book.

This Poem is a tribute to Natalie, her Professionalism, her superb dancing, choreography and teaching skills and tries to cryptically paint a poetic picture of the things she also holds close to her heart. I believe I’ve captured the essence of Natalie Lowe  and hope you enjoying  reading and  fishing for the clues … In Sunshine’s Pond.

In Sunshine’s Pond

Let’s burn the dance floor with a triple step that glides

and ride with each other’s movements, so the judges can decide

That the chasse of the dancer who’s stepping lightly on her toes,

Will be as elegant and beautiful as the Hawkesbury River, as it flows

Into the hustle and the bustle of the sea at Broken Bay

And as artistic as the Dreamtime’s tribal art and the images they portray.

 

To the wishful thinker with competition in her sight

Like the honey hole that lures the angler, to where the big fish bite.

Where the Water babe who dips her toes and paddles in the sunshine’s ponds

Will be empowered by the décolletage, which is so favoured by the striking blonde.

Whose eye line is as curvaceous as a beautician’s shadowed art

Is more sensual than the little black dress, that could capture a young man’s heart.

 

To dance with flair and passion, like a lioness in the wild

Who never leaves the comfort of the pride, unless her tousled mane is styled.

Or when it’s flowing, as if a ball gown, on the hardwood ballroom floor

Then it’s showing that you can control, and simultaneously explore.

The direction of step and movement, as if a new bride waltzing with her groom,

Watching the scent of a loving kiss, as it floats across the room.

 

Toward a new adventure that destiny has planned

So the single slice of carrot cake will exceed its high demand.

Its taste will have more flavour than the manufactured bake

Like a masterful choreography, there is a wealth that self creates.

That could take you to life’s cavern, where dragons breathe their fire

And the dancers’ syncopations will awaken man’s desire.

…You’re Hired !!

RealNatalieLowe Natalie Lowe @Poetic__Al That poem really hit home Al thank you, my mum and dad loved it… very clever very funny and very moving, your a wonderful poet Mar 14, 2:56 PM via web

A Poetical story of Dancer & Choreographer -  Natalie Lowe

© 2012 Alan  Glendinning

Broadsword Publications 2012  ® All Rights reserved

Sisters of the Coven

The Witches of Oz is a fun, action-packed, family-friendly fantasy adventure. Co -Written and Directed by Leigh Scott. It’s  Full of amazing creatures and eye popping visual effects, the film brings L. Frank Baum’s wondrous world of Oz alive for a whole new generation.

In New York, Dorothy is thrust into a strange new world inhabited by slick talent agents, famous actresses, and pushy businessmen.  But things are about to get stranger.  Dorothy soon realizes that her books, and her grandfather’s stories, are based in reality.  The magical world of Oz and all of its inhabitants are very real and they are coming to New York City.  Dorothy and her friends must find the courage, the heart and the smarts to stop the inhabitants of Oz from taking over our world.  They are the only ones who can stop the evil Wicked Witch of the West aka  Billie Westbrook  played by Eliza Swenson.

This Poem is about how society in the 21st Century sees the dark world of Witchcraft and is dedicated to Eliza Swenson  and the Witches Of OZ

 

 

Sisters of the Coven

 

In the Land of  the Emerald City, looks influence your thoughts

By manipulating nature and the life that it supports.

And Witches lay a challenge for society to quell

The  ethos of their magick and the futuristic spells.

 

That have changed the patterns practised by the modern western mind.

Witchcraft’s often been dismissed and sometimes undermined

As behaviour out of favour,  just like the medieval joust

But it’s potency’s as strong as when you’re sexually aroused.

 

Erect beside great leaders, though it’s they who stand condemned.

Witchcraft is not Heresy or some old fashioned trend.

When used with understanding – divinity exists

Between both men and women, like a shared and sensual kiss.

 

That provides the equilibrium, so you may enter through love’s door

Where a Rabbit waits there patiently, with a look that’s self assured.

With a gift that’s  cultivated from the seeds deep underground

Witchcrafts blossoming flower is a sight that’s so profound.

 

That the psychic eye will channel natures’ power and will yield

A  favourable expression from the boundaries of life fields.

So then, in turn we’ll understand, just why and what life means

And upon the wings of Magick, we shall float toward our dreams.

 

To see the bigger picture, not through  mirrored, coloured glass,

The kaleidoscopic view decays and the sands of time will pass

But the berries and the fruits still grow, while the seasonal change remains

And the Wicked Witch of the West will  have, Witchcraft pulsing through her veins.

 

Al Glendinning 2012

Beyond Love’s Prayer

Katherine Jenkins is a  multi platinum selling mezzo-soprano, who will be performing up close and personal for her first theatre tour in three years in January 2012. The Daydream Theatre tour  takes  in 21 cities across the UK.

It Coincides with the release of her latest album, Daydream, released October 10th on Warner Bros Records. The album is her most personal to date drawing together music and songs she loves from across classical, traditional, folk and easy pop that have inspired her over the course of her life.

The Daydream tour will also see Katherine perform some of her best-known songs that she has performed and recorded over her last seven albums including tracks from her debut album Premiere through to her best selling album Believe.  This Poem  is my Poetic take on Katherine’s  career and has some personal, cryptic and hidden wordplay contained within, it’s entitled

Beyond Love’s Prayer

The smouldering looks could start a fire from a spark in a young man’s dream
And will always be a friend of the manor, where the river is so pure and clean,
As it flows from the hills to meander, through the mists where Cistercian stone
Echo through the land where Gwenllian dreamt to sit upon her father’s throne.

and walk the pathways where the three cliffs meet, and fairies kiss in the full moon’s light
Where St David split King Arthurs stone and the fabulous views delight.
Like a beautiful voice ascending to blend in with the spring time air
And a touch of an elegant softness will breathe beyond love’s prayer.

To speak to the soul of Cecilia who forever will, with outstretched hands
Take you one step closer to fulfil your lifelong plans
To rejoice with voice triumphant, so abundant, that it fills the Country skies
And the audience of the nation’s village hall will have tears filled in their eyes.

As their souls will be uplifted to serenade the Lord
With Arias and hymns and things, not just what the rich could once afford.
With open heart and opened mind there is a world still to be found
And a place for a sensual songstress and comely princess to be crowned.

As the British Forces sweetheart, when war has raised its shaven head
Above the bloodied battle grounds and the poppy fields so red
With blood of the fallen hero, that still stains the nation soul
One voice in a field of poppies gives warmth to a heart now cold

But beating with fond memories, to still believe that life’s a precious gift
That sometime love will have to work the mine and the treacherous graveyard shift.
In the valleys of your fathers, where the dragon breathes its flames, to say
One fine day, that daydream will be kept and not just locked away.

© Alan Glendinning

Broadsword Publications 2011

All Rights reserved

THE MAGIC OF THE FOREST

 

The forest can feature as a place of  danger, or one of refuge, or a chance at adventure and can sometimes take you to a place in History or Mythology and conjure up feelings of love  and magic from within.

I Love the smell of Forests. They are enchanting  and are a magical place for dreams and Poetry…

Underneath the starlight sky there lies … The Magic of the Forest

 

 

 

MAGIC OF THE FOREST 

I first saw your face in my dreams and the image would not fade away

Just like the fond memories from my childhood, that I still cherish everyday

I wished you would feed me from your store of grain and keep me warm in your bed of straw

Cherish each moment of tenderness that keeps me coming back for more.

 

I wished I could taste your wilderness and caress each loving tear

Dance to the rhythm  of your heartbeat and always keep you near

That I could hold your breath as if angel, that would guide you through lifes storm

Smile when our eyes communicate, as if we’re soul mates and beyond.

 

Touch the reflection in your opened eyes as if Narcissus at the sacred pool

Protect you from the angry fires and be the fan that keeps you cool,

and safe from the sharpness of the cold steel blade when wielded from the devils sheath

be the Magic of the Forest in my veridical belief.

 

I’ve imagined being the waterfall as it bathed you and cleansed my mind

Stood at the centre of it’s whirlpool and felt the power that love’s designed

And shaped from the solid bedrock as the sandstone is washed away

Talked with Mother Nature and listened to what she had to say.

 

Walked amongst the Bluebells and held out an outstretched hand

Somehow knew, you too would be, but may not understand

All of the hidden forces and how love will play its part

As the tiny seeds are planted in your mind,  then the Forests magic starts.

 

(C) Copyright AL GLENDINNING

All Rights Reserved 2011

Scales of Justice

For the past nine seasons, Emily Procter, Born  in Raleigh, North Carolina,USA  has helped to make C.S.I.: MIAMI a Top Ten staple for CBS.  She combines her innate talent, beauty, and Southern charm into her role as Detective Calleigh Duquesne. Though investigating crimes scenes may not be as cutthroat an environment as the White House, audiences also know Procter as attorney Ainsley Hayes who she portrayed on the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning THE WEST WING for two seasons.

Her  earlier big screen credits including the likes of LEAVING LAS VEGAS with Nicolas Cage and JERRY MAGUIRE with Tom Cruise.  In 1998, Procter landed her first starring role in the critically acclaimed  BREAST MEN opposite Chris Cooper and David Schwimmer with whom she later worked on FRIENDS.  She has since co-starred in the New Line drama BODY SHOTS, which reunited her with JERRY MAGUIRE co-star Jerry O’Connell, and more recently opposite Martin Lawrence in FOX’s blockbuster sequel to the comedy BIG MOMMA’S HOUSE.  Procter also filmed a cameo role opposite Patrick Wilson in the comedy BARRY MUNDAY.

When not filming, Procter enjoys interior decorating, performing with her new band, playing poker, and working with various charities for the homeless.  This is my Poetic Take on Emily Procter

SCALES OF JUSTICE  

Another shade of lipstick defines the working day

and the scene of the crime reveals the truth and a dossier

Of a marionette and puppets made of hand carved oak,

whose jaded conversation was not for ordinary folk

 

Whose image of Forensics enhanced investigations

and detailed ballistic fingerprints confirmed the accusations.

That the guilty will be uncovered so cannot hide for long.

The scales of Justice always sway to fight for right and wrong.

 

So stand high in Manolo heels, so you won’t get fooled again,

Knowledge is power for the meek and the mild and runs wild in a woman’s veins

And stains remain the focus of the high powered camera lens

and the Luminol swabs and flashlights are the tried and trusted friends.

 

That you keep close, protecting on a West Wing counsel campaign trail.

To walk and talk through the corridors of amazing size and scale

That bathes the South-faced windows, of the Oval room with light,

where the Presidential pen defines the truth in black and white.

 

From Miami where the dolphins swim and the manatee are free,

to south of the Mason –Dixon Line’s illustrious history

where personal  life’s  are private , save the fun of pranks and calls

and the bubble bath  that overflows,  each night , just like Niagra falls.

 

Into the hands of a  sweet tea girl who hunts for fine antiques,

but still is forever fabulous in Los Angeles boutiques

Though she volunteers and helps out those who are homeless and in need

Judge Not Lest Ye will Be Judged  for tomorrows greed.

 

That flows like crime in the darkened streets in downtown Miami – Dade

together they will make a difference. There will be no masquerade.

Or pretence that life is good when the evidence can be found

like the dark mascara from the night before, the signs still hang around.

 

Like a smell of vegetation’s augmentation when left alone.

The Crime Scenes Investigation seeds will have been gently sown.

To grow and fill the empty streets with the flavour of success,

that evidence will be uncovered by Forensic Science Tests.

 

And those who skills unearth the truth, sometimes beyond the grave,

who obtain and analyse the facts and restricted DNA’s.

From the Saran wrap of enzymes that are stained and left in gel,

to unlock reality from its mothers living hell.

 

From a walk through scene narration, that will never miss a trick

All will come together as if the  devils walking stick.

To walk as one through danger, to subdue the Trojan horse

to keep the scales of Justice balanced   and Liberty enforced.

 

 

A Poetical story of actress –  Emily Procter

(C)  2012 ALAN GLENDINNING All Rights reserved

Beneath the Silver Bough (A Tale of an English Huntress).

Sarah-Kayte Foster is a Mezzo soprano  member of the chart-topping classical band the Mediaeval Baebes, and has performed in concerts across the UK, Europe and the United States as well as recently developing the stageshow, Temptation, with creative director, Micha Bergese.  After writing The Poem JetLag’s Bitch ( in response to some Social Network Banter).  I was given the Title Of Knight Poet  to Sarah’s  Twitter alter- Ego  Daisy and the Dark.  The first quest  in my 21st Century Medieval Troupadour role was to write a poem for Sarah, losely related to ” The Huntress” – to accompany the new Mediaeval Baebes  Album  as it was being recorded throught the latter part of October  and November 2011.  The Following Poem Entitled “Beneath the Silver Bough”  is a tale of an English Huntress  and has a number of hidden trails and references within the Poem for Sarah Kayte  and those who know her, to unravel.

 

Beneath the Silver Bough  (A Tale of an English Huntress).

It takes a modern mind and medieval skills

To capture a distant love that floats, gently from the hills

And the smell of Amaretto and candle wax perfume,

To know that, where there’s darkness, there’s still light within the room.

 

When there’s magic in the dragon’s breath, it would have fired the forge that formed

The Chimera engraved on the golden hilt of the sword that a King adorned.

In Avalon, where the gargoyles smiled, high in the chapel arch

To protect the Devil from the darkness and the evil he despatched

 

To the traveller, fatigued and with elf locked hair

And to the Huntress, with her arrowed quiver and abundant love to share

With Knights and Kings and Poets, whose spoken words of rhyme

Would fall into her Daisy gaze and earthly pleasures, so divine.

 

To help fight the social stigmas that leaves the maiden tired

As my Lady sleeps at heaven’s door, temptation fuels desire

With lust and sensual wakening, of a Huntress stalking prey

As if a Peregrine Falcon leaving the scrape, on an English Summers day.

 

To soar high in the cloudless sky upon the thermals, as they rise

To swoop down, when she’s ready, like a Huntress in disguise

Poised with arrows soaked in love, to steal a dreamer’s soul

As he walked beneath the Silver Bough on a Summer Woodland stroll.

 

Once caught, no spell from Wizards or Pagan rituals, be undone

The Huntress has techniques that make enchantment more than fun

‘til daylight fades and the candles light and the Amaretto glass

Lies empty and the fragrance, is just a memory, Alas…

 

 

© Alan Glendinning

Broadsword Publications 2011

All Rights reserved

JetLags Bitch

This Poem was Inspired  from a Social Network conversation with Actress and Mezzo Soprano Sarah Kayte Foster.

Sarah is a member of the chart-topping classical band the Mediaeval Baebes, and has performed in concerts across the UK, Europe and the United States as well as recently developing the stageshow, Temptation, with creative director, Micha Bergese.

A natural screen actress, she has played leading roles in BBC and ITV dramas and numerous films: winning Best Actress at the 2005 Greenwich Film Festival for her role as school bully-turned-celebrity in Devil Makes Work, starring as Kara Tointon’s love-rival in the feature film, Never Play With The Dead, and having the unequivocal pleasure of playing Simon Callow’s mouse in animated feature film,A Christmas Carol. She recently returned from tour and said she felt like a Jetlag Bitch, an unusual and Inspirational quote that led to the poem below:-

Jetlags bitch

I don’t want to fight it any more I just go with the ebb and flow
I sleep when I’m tired and all bothered and wired, then I’m inspired and ready to go
The circadian rhythm is driven like the seasonal and tidal change
Though the daylight thoughts and nightime urges that have to be rearranged.

Right is left and up is down my lips and throat are dry
My body just feels like a jetlag bitch And I, know the reason why
Lunch and brunch lacks the breakfast crunch, the caffeine keeps my eyes alive
And stimulates my senses when all but love’s denied.

The jet lag bitch is crying from the pain that’s felt inside
And the afterburn from the dragons breath is a badge that’s worn with pride
To protect the fragile body from the cat o nine tails lash
That hides the deep scarred tissues that mask the body rash

Where lack of sleep Is hidden ‘ neath the eyelines tinted glow
the jetlag Bitch controls the stitch that the seamstresses needle sews .

Al Glendinning 2011

All Rights reserved