Days of Hopes and Dreams

I remember days of hopes and dreams,

Of sandy shores and soft ice creams

With chocolate flakes you’d always steal;

You’d laugh and laugh, we’d squeal and squeal.

Card games played on worn formica,

The scent of petrol from your lighter

You’d spark a fag and crack the door,

We’d beg you, please, to play one more

Game of snap or trumps or gin,

though you never let us win,

We’d love to play them all the same,

Your cheating never brought you shame.

Remember rainfall on the van,

The whirling of a ceiling fan,

All four seasons in a day

But we didn’t care, we were away

And you were there and we were whole,

With moments that nobody stole.

This is the stuff we won’t forget,

The time we spent we don’t regret.

Empty Space

An empty space exists,

Where once I had a friend,

I like to turn my head

One minute to pretend

That in the corner of my eye,

I can see a hazy form 

That starts to coalesce -

My confidant, reborn.

But as I try to focus

To see him from afar

His light’s already fading,

Like a far away dead star.

That once bright bubble burst,

I tried to catch it gently

But fragile things don’t last

We all die eventually.

We’re left with nought but memories,

After-image on the retina,

Aftershave on a jumper,

An old voicemail that he left ya.

And maybe that’s all fine,

It’s the end to match the start,

But that empty space exists,

It’s the hole that’s in my heart.