Stories
Samaritan
There was quite a storm brewing the night the call came through. I was spending Friday night the way I'd become accustomed to spending it; delivered pizza on my pyjama-clad legs and a crappy action movie on the TV. When my house phone rang I knew the call wasn’t intentional. No one dialled that number on purpose. Even the telesales people had given up trying. The phone rang and rang and I just stared at it. I'd almost forgotten that it could even do that. I begrudgingly sat aside my pizza and crossed the room to the phone. Casting one look back at my dinner, rapidly cooling on the sofa, I answered the call.
Oppenheimer
Seven years of work had led him to this moment. Seven years of staying in the lab for days on end. Untold gallons of coffee consumed and cartons of cigarettes smoked between tasks. One failed marriage. One broken home. Two children who were now only allowed to see their dad every other weekend. Billions of dollars spent getting to where they were today. Right here. Ready to flick the switch that would help to usher in a new era for mankind. That had been both the plan and the dream, only it wouldn’t come true. Not anymore.
A Beautiful Day for Bad News
The sun blazed in the bright blue sky on the day that she left me. Really it was a perfect day. I mean because of the weather. You know, meteorologically. It was just like her to end our relationship on such a wonderful day. She couldn’t have just waited for rain and allowed my mood to match the sky. Nope. Instead she gave me one parting shot and delivered our love's killer blow on the warmest, most glorious day of the year.
Empyrean
Our expedition had been deep within the Amazon for two weeks, camping in the jungle, keeping away predators and canoeing down rivers and streams. Take away the biting insects and heatstroke and the trip could have been almost idyllic; sun piercing through the canopy and regular rain showers pouring through and refreshing us during our long hikes. One morning, barely a third of the time into our planned trip, we encountered an unexpected and insurmountable obstacle; the Joveños tribe. We hadn't expected to find them and they certainly didn't wish to be found.
Static
He wondered whether anyone remembered that he was up here. He wondered whether anyone was left who would care. Every time he looked out of the window the view was new and yet also somehow worse than before. There had been a family down there, all of his own, but now he didn't know if they were still there to miss him as badly as he missed them. The loneliness was becoming a problem.
Poetry
The Pen and The Sword
Once I picked up a pen and the ink I let run
Little did I know an arduous journey had begun
A quest for credibility, a long walk for fame
For others to know me as more than a name
A collection of notebooks gathered on my shelf
A selection of words to learn more of my self
The pen is mightier than the sword it is said
Only one can be used to get the words from my head
Characters abound in my brain and prove hard to wrangle
When attempting to put them through the literary mangle
Once they’re given a name and allowed the chance to talk
My grey matter goes blank, my pen lowers and I walk
Such a difficult task to be known as a writer
Tis a harder thing still when one must be a fighter
Wrestling stories untold from within one’s own mind
To share tales with the world of the fictional kind
The Wonderers
Everyone needs a home
Whether that's where you live or where you've grown
Sometimes maybe you just don't want to be alone
And that's fine because somewhere you can definitely be shown
The value of kindness, of friendship
of peace and of knowledge
The wanderers, the wonderers
The strangers, the lost
The building welcomes all comers
But it isn't the bricks and mortar that will keep you
It isn't the frosted glass that will feed you
Nor will the floorboards ever treat you
To the hospitality that's waiting
When the people inside greet you
The walls and doors may keep the warmth in
But they're not what generate it
Love and joy emanate from within
But it isn't the foundations that create it
The masonry contains the brilliance
Of those that work inside
Whether that work is with notes in the air
Or with a paintbrush that glides over canvasses and brickwork
Or whether it's a story or poem that takes your imagination for a ride
You can get all of that if you take a chance and explore
Maybe you'll find much more
Maybe you'll try something you never considered before
What if you found that one simple thing that made your heart soar?
Wouldn't that be worth stepping foot through the door?
You don't have to believe in magic
Or anything else really
It doesn't matter if you're spiritual
or not very 'touchy-feely'
There is something here for you
It doesn't matter who you are
Perhaps you're here for the yoga
Or if not, don't despair, there's a well-stocked bar
The building will not judge you
It has been around a while
It's seen a lot of changes
It's seen a lot of people
And to some now it stands
Like a church without a steeple
But don't worry if that's not your thing
The folks inside are kind
Their main goal here is to help you
find your best possible state of mind
The wonderers, the wanderers
You've found a place to be
What it is to you it might not be to me
But that's the beauty of the place
With that you can surely agree
The strangers can be known
And the lost can be found
Forget the worries that you cling to
Let the majesty of the bricks and glass and floorboards lure you in
But let the wonder inside keep you