My poetry can best be termed 'Post Modern Formalism'. It is an aesthetic poetry returning to the mainstream of classical English Prosody as a reaction against today's overworked prosaic free verse, which as Robert Frost succinctly stated 'is like playing tennis without a net'.

I respect the principles of musicality, and wherever possible, similes are rooted in Nature. As mystical poems, they demand an elevated language. My main influential educators have been Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Algernon Swinburne.

16. MOUNTAIN SONG

Ravens love to raven among ripening purple grapes so fine,
But beware of little foxes or there'll be no sparkling wine
Of ecstasy this morn; ushered in by radiant ruby dawn,
When prayer and meditation declare the soul's to be reborn.

Striding up the sacred roseate mountain path, laughing aloud,
Far away from the noisy, hurried, bustling maddening crowd,
While lucid dew drops, rainbow edged, grace the heavenly scene,
Pilgrim laughs, striving hard to wake up from his daunting dream
Of worldly life, which prisons sleeping mankind's restless throng.
So now he fills his lungs with air and sings a joyful song.

"Trust that great magnificent power which truly knows the way,
It thrives inside our own dear Self. If we honour 'That' each day,
All will be well, very, very well, unfolding as it should,
Then we’re free, walking out of dream world’s wood. Oh so Good”!

17. EGOECHTEMY

The laser beam of finely tuned attention
Dives inwards with breath and thought retention,
Searching for the source of 'phantom me'
It cuts though all the sheaths and veils we see,
Of  habits, thought forms and selfish will,
Formed over daring dream affairs often ill.
The Pearl Diver finds nothing on the floor
Of this deep interior ocean bed, what’s more,
One day his head falls right into his  Heart,
He sees the ego source and watches it depart.
Boom! Boom, it shakes and flies right out the door.
The binding knot’s been severed and for ever more,

Successful open heart surgery, has been performed
Liberation! Poor suffering soul’s no more deformed.

18. THE ARCH USURPER

To claim I am the sole doer all alone,
Is the cardinal crime of woman and man;
It means that ego's usurped God's throne.
To be free of this grave sin, if we can,
Surrender monkey mind at His lotus feet,
Then Self Enquire with all of one's might.
This way we'll soon be whole and complete,
Revealing Self, source of truth and light.

The Universe rests in God Almighty’s arms,
In joy of pure existence, reality, bliss,
Aspirants are blest by heavens charms,
Inside our heart we receive God’s kiss.
Let Him take over the burden of our life,
To end all mental storm and strife.

19. AUGUST ROSE

I caught the lustre of a radiant dawn,
Reflected in august summer roses;
Gold, yellow, orange, ravishing reds,
Blended to form the blazing flame of morn.
I held the fiery flowers up to my nose,
To sense the fragrance of their perfumed heads,
Bewitched by all the colours of that form.
Then I deeply turned my gaze inside,
To see what dwelt there, in my inner soul;
What impression had those roses made on me?
I waited some while, at heart I did abide.
That roses were a pointer to make me whole,
Reflecting that great dawn when I'd be free
And ego, in penitential fire, had truly died.

20. AUBURN AUTUMN

An awesome auburn dawn stripes billowing clouds,
Pebbling, pie balding them in piece meal array,
Like grace removes our puzzled mind's grey shrouds,
We're set to welcome yet one more auspicious day.
Are we like the Egyptian scarab beetle's state,
Shovelling our dung before us until wings sprout,
And we learn to speed away to freedom, and await
A transformed life, in  purer peaceful calm no doubt?

Autumn comes and auburn leaves fall from weeping trees,
According to God’s predestined heavenly will;
Their radiant tones remind us that we please
Him most, when we engage enquiry, up to our fill.
Fiery red and gold flare autumn's burnished tones,
Our scarab shell falls dead, our soul now flies back home!

22. FORGET-ME-NOT

Pretty petulant petals of brightest blue,
Petty adornment gracing gardens of love,
Emblem of Adoration to our Great God above,
For Remembering Him is right worship true;
Prayer will bring Him ever closer to you,
As Noah’s praise, when he saw a snow white dove,
That showed the end of the flood, which drove
Righteousness from Earth, except for a few.

When man falls into a dark ditch too low,
God in his mercy sends His messenger down,
To lift up the level in country and town.
Thus we’ll never forget Him, even more so,
Remain loyal as His flock, in order to show
Salvation; when we gain Enlightenment’ s crown.

23. SUN FLOWER

Radiant floral emblem of my Real Self,
Hiding behind her veil. Try then to find
Her, not mischievous monkey mind,
Nor dark demonic perverted elf,
Avaricious for his material pelf,
Egotistic and spiritually blind,
Ever spinning thoughts to weave and wind,
Piling up more luggage on his mental shelf.

The Great Sun in my Self is not like these,
But the Source of Conscious-Awareness Light
Dispersing  dark gloom of sad ignorant night,
God-like, the immortal power that frees
Bound soul from its malevolent disease,
Bringing  her back home to new heavenly height.

24. PINK LOTUS

Pink lotus, emblem of Hindu wisdom sage,
Greatest aid to spiritual growth for man.
If one learns their teachings and carefully scan
The practise needed for this Kali Yuga age,
An inner struggle the aspirant must wage.
Pink lotus is rooted in muddy mire, but can
Still open as a bloom of beauty better than
Known by those who’re blind to God’s Almighty plan.
A soul lived a life of gross indulgence,
But tired of pleasure she turned to learn
Truth necessary for her repentance,
Self Realisation to surely earn.
Her ignorance and sin were fertile ground
To turn within. True wisdom she quickly found.

25. ROSE GARDEN

In my rose garden warmly rouged by dawn,
There grow white arum lilies shining too,
Prinked with iris, softly clad in blue.
Radiant roses glow crimson like the morn,
I stroll amongst the fountains; in my view
Such Lady Beauty spoke as Being True.
True in the sense that Art is Beauty born,
To waken souls of men to God divine.

That garden was the threshold to that place,
Well enriched by brilliant bright sunshine.
I felt the gentle hand of blessed grace,
That rose garden was truly Highest Art,
A joy that moved me to the depth of heart.

26. DAFFODIL

Easter Lily, named by those whose blooms we love,
Golden yellow, surging wild in wood or field,
They open fresh  perfumed petals to yield
To sunlight, shining down from high above.
We wait for the sign of the peaceful dove
To save us from Noah’s  flood when soul is healed,
And our covenant with God is truly sealed,
Mad  demon ego receives his killing shove.

Emblem of all that’s  good in Christ’s Teaching,
The Easter Lily shines as floral light,
The Christian Way of Love is ever reaching
The hearts of those who for redemption fight.
This flower of Beauty feeds the yearning soul,
Of those who crave salvation, to be made whole.

27. BLUEBELL WOOD

I took a walk in nearby Bluebell wood,
A wild flower garden arched by aspen trees,
When sunshine casts its searchlight beam on these,
We’re raised to God, the blessed and the Good.
This is the home of Beauty if it’s understood;
Art without Her will always cease to please
Nor  take Soul back to worship on her knees,
As poetry, music, painting truly should.

A painter came to Bluebell Wood to catch
Its wonder on his canvas in due course;
Try as he might his skill could never match
The magic marvel of Mother Nature’s force.
He realised there was a limit to his power
To capture the God-like beauty of that sacred hour.

28. JOY RIDE

Joyful jubilation is the jester's song,
Sweet tonic to right all doleful wrong.
From the heart it rings a happy chime,
And rescues mind from dull depression time.
So roar from the roof tops with all ones might,
God shines from His heaven and all’s quite right!
Bury mad melancholy in a deep black hole,
And much sooner we'll save our aching soul.

Laughter makes us loose our worry and care,
So unbutton our coats and let down our hair!
The world's not a place for shame or for woe,
That’s the quick route to hell as we know.
'Row, row, row, the boat gently down the stream,
Merrily, merrily for life is but a dream'!

1. ALL BEINGS YEARN TO BE HAPPY

All beings yearn to be happy, always;
Happiness without a tinge of sorrow,
To enjoy a life of carefree days,
Taking no burden of thought for tomorrow.
When restless mind’s at peace in deep sleep,
What glimpse of worry, grief or despair?
So happiness lies within, buried down deep.
How to find this treasure, awake, aware?
Ask the question, who am I, and from where?
That’s the essential means of the holy task,
Ending ego’s ‘me’ and ‘my’, that’s there.
No pleasure endures in things of this Earth,
Enquire within, who basks behind our mask?
To regain that Selfhood we lost at birth.

2. TO REGAIN THAT SELFHOOD

To regain that Selfhood we lost at birth,
First consider well the cinema screen,
To understand that, gains merit and worth.
On the screen there appears a tense drama,
The film begins and we enjoy the show.
Fire, flood, sex, death, a vast panorama;
The screen’s unchanging, but the film’s a shadow.
The simile teaches, strange as it may be,
That both seer and seen make up the mind.
On Consciousness as screen, all action’s based.
To know that is true, is the clue to be free,
A guiding beacon that’s so rare to find.
That’s the Sage wisdom by which we are graced.

3. SAGE WISDOM

That’s the Sage wisdom by which we are graced,
We’re taught the silver screen as a metaphor.
Seated in theatre stalls, now we are placed,
To proceed with clarity and enquire some more.
The bright theatre lamp is the light supreme,
Illuminating both actors and the scene.
We see stage and the play only by light,
Yet when action ends, the lamp remains bright.
Just as woven cloth and its colour white
Are never, ever perceived as apart,
So when mind and light both unite,
They form ego, knotted and bound in the heart.
Of all that we’ve ever learned since birth,
That’s the high wisdom proclaimed on Earth.

4. HIGH WISDOM

That’s the high wisdom proclaimed on Earth,
How to make mind to merge in its source?
Only by enquiring with all of one’s force,
The central question regarding its birth,
The ultimate scrutiny of “Who Am I”?
As thoughts froth forth like waves on the ocean,
They’ll all be slain by such introspection,
Unveiling the Self, the lost inward eye.
Pearls lay buried on the deep ocean floor,
Attracting divers to search for this goal.
Holding their breath they plunge to the core
Of the ocean bed, for the pearl oyster’s soul.
To gain this gem in the heart’s sacred place,
Just seek for the source where mind is based.

5. SEEK FOR THE SOURCE

Just seek for the source where mind is based.
You travel alone on a mystery train;
By this metaphor we’re comfortably placed,
To travel by providence free from pain.
So put all your heavy luggage on the rack,
Only a fool carries it on his head!
Be glad, accept the predestined track,
Rest quietly, safe at home on your bed!
Surrender in joyful jubilation!
Surrender utterly to God’s almighty will,
Surrender with total resignation,
Surrender knowing all will be well,
Surrender whole heartedly with one accord,
Take safe refuge in the all loving Lord!

6. TAKE SAFE REFUGE

Take safe refuge in the all loving Lord!
For life’s a dream and sleeping dreams are short,
The waking dream is long; both stem from thought.
The Real is beyond both this waking and sleep.
The sword of enquiry slays dream states deep,
So reaching their substratum, numinous,
The state of pure consciousness, Self luminous!
Blissfully aware, yet awake in sleep.
As the cockerel crows ready to sup,
At the roseate dawn of first morning light,
Awareness pours into the near empty cup,
Granting a moment’s taste of Self insight.
This light is the eye that forever sees,
Who can be known by enquiring “who frees?”

7. WHO CAN BE KNOWN BY ENQUIRY

Who can be known by enquiring “who frees?”
The Master who lives in the cave of the heart,
Not separate from one’s Self, being the start,
Of the final search from bond to release.
The Sage appears when the soul is ready,
With strong gaze of grace he says “be aware
That God and his wisdom are already there!”
He acts as a brake to make the mind steady,
While mercy flows freely in sunshine and air,
Hindered only by our being unready.
If you come to him, meekly with an empty cup,
His grace is then bound to fill it up.
The Master’s glance is the grace of the Lord,
He cuts you free with his mighty sword.

8. HE CUTS YOU FREE

He cuts you free with his mighty sword,
To guide you surely, on the upward way
To Self Realisation, your real birthday!
Consummation of “That” the Sage’s word,
Is “rest in the Self,” which is always heard.
In him, place great trust and affirm, say yea
As certainty! Our Real Self blazes away,
Ever surrendered to the almighty Lord,
Revealing great peace for Realisation’s sake,
Renouncing belief that a rope is a snake.
The seeker surely becomes “the great find”,
His own blissful being, the summit in kind,
This great Teaching eternally frees,
One with the Self, as the Absolute sees.

9. ONE WITH THE SELF

One with the Self, as the Absolute sees,
He answers all our prayers and our pleas;
We must first enter that dear sacred part,
Not the fleshy pump that throbs on the left,
But the sacred core: by being skilful and deft,
We find that on the right; is the real Heart!
By harnessing breath, being adept and bright,
We dive with great skill and all of our might,.
There dwelling in depths of our true Heart’s cave,
Lives the shining ”Unity” blazing as Self,
Pulsation of I-I, where all shadows cease.
So fixing gaze there, finally, off we stave,
Perverted, wandering, demonic mind elf,
Returning to “Self”, our birthright of peace.

10. RETURNING TO SELF

Returning to Self, our birthright of peace,
Is knowing that all this vile body performs
Was predestined before it ever took form.
So from stress, despair and fretting, pray cease!
Our freedom dwells in our natural State,
Renouncing  “I Am The Doer” notion,
Detached from fruit of form’s puppet motion,
Yet grace can avert even predestined fate!
Be like a skilled actor on this stage of strife!
Play with goodwill the part you’ve been given,
No matter how strangely you find you are driven,
Knowing who, truly you are, in this life.
Until fate pulls down the final curtain,
Know you’re Self not body, know that is certain!

11. KNOW YOU’RE THE SELF

Know you’re Self not body, know that is certain!
In this Realisation, there’s no cause to leave home,
You can strive in the city, there’s no need to roam.
To change style of life would all be in vain,
For mind remains with you, until it is slain.
Demonic ghost ego, source and fabric of thought,
Create body and world, whereby we are caught.
Change of place, never changed the way we behave,
Whether living at home, in a forest or cave.
There are two ways by which our bonds may be freed:
Either ask “to whom is this strange fate decreed?”
Or surrender false ‘me’ to be then stricken down,
So praying intensely for ‘my will’ to cease,
We leave it to grace, to grant us release.

12. WE LEAVE IT TO GRACE

We leave it to grace, to grant us release.
God will do this through the gaze of his Sage,
He sends down His messenger for every age,
To those who yearn and pray for great peace.
The Realised Sage lives on here and now,
Without confusing the Self with the mind.
Humble, compassionate, loving and kind,
Wisely profound, as his way clearly shows.
He steers the vessel of firm devotees,
Fulfilling everyone’s spiritual need.
In deep silence, he sits, with perfect ease,
To awaken those, whom his teaching well heed.
Graciously, his great glance of initiation,
Drives the mind inwards, to Self Realisation!

13. DRIVE THE MIND INWARDS

Driving the mind inwards, to Self Realisation,
He grants safe passage through life’s stormy ocean;
What frail soul will ever be excluded
From the presence of the holy Supreme?
No matter how depraved or deluded,
His mercy never ends, and will always redeem,
Raising the soul from the depth of depression,
To free one from the ‘I am this body’ obsession.
From passions that churn desire and aversion,
His fair breeze wafts clear equanimity;
Enmeshed no more in worldly adversity,
Never perturbed by praise nor foul enmity,
We learn that there’s the greatest giving
In knowing all are Self, and so truly living.

14. KNOW ALL ARE THE SELF

In knowing all are Self, and so truly living,
We thank the great Sage who is ever giving.
We praise the Lord, who leads us to his feet,
His gracious gaze is eternally sweet,
Without ceasing, he’s forever reviving,
He grants that freedom, our real surviving.
He severs the grip of bondage’s chains,
He frees the soul, where confusion reigns,
He bestows both compassion and deep peace,
He sends out his grace to grant us release.
He teaches the truth that Consciousness is all,
And Self Enquiry to raise us up from our fall.
We praise God Almighty whom is ever living,
This crown of my verses is our thanksgiving!

15. REGAIN THAT SELFHOOD

To regain that Selfhood we lost from birth,
That’s the Sage wisdom by which we are graced,
This is the high wisdom proclaimed on Earth.
Just seek for the source where mind is based.
Take refuge in the all loving Lord,
Who can be known by enquiring ‘who frees?’
He cuts you loose with his mighty sword,
One with the Self, as the Absolute sees.
Returning to Self, our birthright of peace,
Know you’re Self, not body, know that is certain!
We leave it to grace, to grant us release.
He drives the mind inwards, to Self Realisation,
In knowing all are Self, and so truly living,
This crown of my verses is our thanksgiving!