“The Dead Rock Star's Bar by Stewart Stafford I went for a drink in The Dead Rock Star's Bar, Phil Lynott was drinking whiskey in the jar, Jimi Hendrix was rocking the place, Elvis Presley was stuffing his face, Sid Vicious was grumpy and gruff, Freddie Mercury strutted his stuff, Marvin Gaye had plenty of soul, Lennon and Cobain compared bullet holes, Jim Morrison declared he was The Lizard King Buddy Holly sported an aeroplane wing, Such an array of talent leaves one's mouth agape, But they're all still alive on CD and tape, Wherever you live, you don't have to travel far, To have a damn good time at The Dead Rock Star's Bar. © Stewart Stafford, 1996. All rights reserved.” PoetryMusicPoemMusicianPoemsRock StarRock MusicThe BeatlesElvis PresleyFreddie Mercury Author:Stewart Stafford
“Silence is occasionally a proactive choice, and not merely the inert absence of noise. It can be an act of courage, power unwielded out of sensitivity or respect, or a circle of concentration to reflect and reminisce. A well-timed silence can command a room, spare others needless pain, or be a pregnant pause to preserve a special moment.” PhilosophyWisdomInspirationLife LessonsQuotesSilenceCourageCommunicationMindfulnessEmpathy Author:Stewart Stafford
“The Fading Game by Stewart Stafford Though your life was stolen from me, I greedily wanted—and want—more. Death made us necessary strangers, And you, hostage to a timepiece fog. Pain’s screams in the kettle’s whistle— The brittle choreography of survivor’s guilt, Self-loathing: I had let you flee my memory, Your voice relapsed to white noise in life’s static. Assuming my agitated reaction made you recoil, As you faded as soon as you had arrived, The desire to connect was overridden by mutual bartering for a wary ceasefire. © 2026, Stewart Stafford. All rights reserved.” DeathLossGriefMemoryContemporary PoetryElegySurvivors GuiltPsychological PoetryFuneral PoemSuburban Gothic Author:Stewart Stafford
“The Mortal Tempest by Stewart Stafford In the tranquil, shaded crypt, Life's storms batter no more, Historia, the isolated remnant, Of an interior remembrance. The howling gale, a mourner's cry, Icy tendrils reaching to exert, The only possible pressure, On a shell in heedless slumber. A post-mortem death wish, Phantom projection of the morbid, To vacate an urn and soar, Swirling ash in the mortal tempest. © 2021, Stewart Stafford. All rights reserved.” DeathPoetryLossGriefMourningExistentialismMortalityDark PoetryElegyDeath Poems Author:Stewart Stafford
“Reflectorama by Stewart Stafford City buildings screaming down, Memories staggering anywhere, My childhood self calls out, But I must not go back there. Conjoined twins amputated, The pathway home lies cracked, Tsunamis smashed our thin bridge, Egregious horse, blindly backed. Forced into immovable objections, Monoliths in mutual self-defeat, Torched your bed, now burn in it, As I hotfoot it down the street. © 2025, Stewart Stafford. All rights reserved.” PoetryGriefIdentityMental HealthTraumaModernismEscapismSurrealismFragmentationUrban Poetry Author:Stewart Stafford
“I Am Chameleon by Stewart Stafford I am the shadow in your peripheral vision, A rippling in the brilliantine matrix, A wind's mesmerising, gossamer lullaby, The speck of dust for a euphoric sneeze. I am the shimmering, starry shell of night, The bird that bathes in transient pools, A cloud, shaped by myriad perspectives, Flaming phoenix flower picked to re-sprout. I am the tribal cave of rest and warmth, The cleansing pool of birth and rebirth, The fire of light, heat, and nourishment, The beloved departed's shawl on cold nights. I am soup and a sandwich on a rainy day, Banquet feast of a gathering of the clans, Caviar of the commonplace, regal remnants, An after-dinner mint to soothe and satiate. I am the floating shadow clinging to the corner of your eye. © 2025, Stewart Stafford. All rights reserved.” SpiritualPoetryGriefIdentityComfortTransformationSymbolismContemporary PoetryMythicNature Imagery Author:Stewart Stafford
“Procession by Stewart Stafford Stop me carrying the burden alone, For I cannot bear the crushing weight, Put your arm around me as I reciprocate, Together, we will walk the needed steps. If our shoulders shudder, we will steady, You will help me as I will help you, Together, as one, we shall go forward, One foot in front of the other. When the strain grows too great, We will lay our mighty cross down, An altar coffin, and genuflecting, Rejoin the mourning congregation. © Stewart Stafford, 2023. All rights reserved.” GriefGrief And LossFuneralSupporting OthersFuneralsStrength In NumbersGrief PoemGrief PoemsStrength In UnityPallbearers Author:Stewart Stafford
“Night's Pleasure Veil by Stewart Stafford A kiss, that beauteous wound, Struck by love's yielding blade, Feel the arrow's welcome strike, As we roam in life's ecstatic glade. Memories momentarily wiped, As the lover's lips become parted, Then at sea again in sensory squalls, Where passion's spark first started. A stranger interrupts adoration's swell, Desire's mask of reality swiftly donned, Vows to reunify in night's pleasure veil, Longing looks, and the flames are gone. © Stewart Stafford, 2022. All rights reserved.” LoveLoversKissValentineLove PoemLove PoemsLove PoetryValentine S DayCupid S ArrowSt Valentine S Day Author:Stewart Stafford
“A Christmas Without Mistletoe by Stewart Stafford What a holiday season! No deliveries of mistletoe, Could it be a Grinch-like, Cancel culture embargo? At the rate we're going, We'll have no chance to kiss, Can the Scrooge supply chain, Find salvation after Christmas? So save up your kisses, Dampen down your ardour, And maybe we can smooch, In January's restocked larder. © Stewart Stafford, 2022. All rights reserved.” ChristmasKissJanuaryChristmas RomanceHoliday SeasonCancel CultureSupply ChainScroogeMistletoeGrinch Author:Stewart Stafford
“Shakespeare queried 'if music be the food of love, play on'; Well, I say laughter is life's champagne cocktail and humourlessness its bitterest rigour mortis vinegar. So sup well!” LovePhilosophyHumourLaughterMetaphorShakespeareJoy Of LifeSocial CommentaryRigor MortisStewart Stafford Author:Stewart Stafford
“Forgiveness is never condoning the terrible act; it is severing hatred's tumour bloodline for self-preservation. Only by refusing this amputation does the perpetrator's influence metastasise.” HealingPsychologyForgivenessHatredMental HealthMetaphorTherapeuticSelf PreservationCatharsisStewart Stafford Author:Stewart Stafford
“In times of oppression, bury the quality of mercy deep inside, so that your oppressor's brutality can never damage it or you. Once free, bring this hidden shard of humanity back into your heart again and live the life denied to you.” HumanityFreedomMercyOppressedFreedom QuotesNew LifeBrutalityOppressorsOppression QuotesMercy Quotes Author:Stewart Stafford
“Ghosts are the manifestation of the longing of loss.” LossLongingGhostManifestationGhostsSupernaturalHauntingSpiritsGrief And Loss QuotesLonging For Someone Author:Stewart Stafford
“Thoughts On My End by Stewart Stafford My last moments slip away, On which day, at what time? Snow chilling bones faster? Sweat in blinding sunshine? Halloween, Xmas or Easter? Evening or just after dawn? Pass away on my birthday? Gifts, mass cards all drawn? Will it be in long, slow agony? Or mercifully fast and painless? What will my drug of choice be? Will I be conscious or brainless? Who will be at my bedside? Many or no one, who can say? Kind words or total silence? I’ll hear and be on my way. © Stewart Stafford, 2022. All rights reserved.” DeathLetting GoMortalityDeath And DyingPassing AwayEnd Of LifeDeath PoemsDeath PoemFinal MomentsMoment Of Death Author:Stewart Stafford
“The Titan's Fall by Stewart Stafford Colossus ship of the Titans, Flames of Tartarus in its belly, Unsinkable beneath the stars, Champagne popped too soon. In infinite glacial hubris, Collided with its own ambition, Immortal Gordian Knot slashed, And freezing death crept aboard. Cantering up Scotland Road, Trojan Seahorse's Achilles' Heel, Solitary children drowning, In heartbroken submersion. The River Styx fell silent, But for whimpered prayers. As Charon's boat of death, Ferried them to Hades. The tangled Medusan wreckage, Once a great wonder of the earth, Plunged into an underworld abyss - A terrible beauty on the seabed nests. © Stewart Stafford, 2023. All rights reserved.” SeaOceanTragedyDisasterGreek MythologyTitanicTitanic MovieTitanic SinkingJames CameronTitanic Ship Author:Stewart Stafford
“Meet Me In Toyland by Stewart Stafford Santa handed me the keys to Toyland, And, placing them squarely in the palm of my hand, He bid me go and have lots of fun, With all kinds of everyone. I skipped across the gingerbread bridge, Yuletide coffee flowing down from the ridge, To a Christmas tree consisting of mint, Lit all around by falling star glint. At the frosting gates of Castle St Nicholas, Silver snake tinsel began to hiss, As polar bears to a clockwork orchestra danced, With elves as their partners gleefully entranced. Multitudes of children whooped and cheered, Forgetting all their doubts and fears, Celebrating their gifts of toys, With every kind of girl and boy. Alas, our midwinter joy came to an end, And I tearfully bid adieu to all my new friends, And took a shooting star comet home, Across the Northern Lights in the sky’s dome. © Stewart Stafford, 2021. All rights reserved.” ChildrenChildhoodToysSantaSanta ClausChristmas EveNorth PoleNorthern LightsSt NicholasWinter Wonderland Author:Stewart Stafford
“The Snowman by Stewart Stafford My snowball heart is a sorbet, With delusions of grandeur, Use alcohol instead of snow, And I'd make a fine iced liqueur. My arrival and departure, Are never certain things, Wherever the North wind blows, I descend on the iciest wings. Here one day, gone the next, My appearances are fleeting, Then I'm disembodied by thaws, Until our next frosty meeting. © Stewart Stafford, 2021. All rights reserved.” ChildrenFantasyWinterSnowSnowmanSnow DayWinter PoetryChristmas PoemChristmas PoetryFrosty The Snowman Author:Stewart Stafford
“The eldest child is the golden one, the middle child invisible, and the youngest child is loud.” ChildrenKidsFamilyFamily LifeFamily DramaSibling RivalryPecking OrderHierarchy Among PeopleSons And DaughtersPlaying Favorites Author:Stewart Stafford
“Profundity and daring attempts at it are what separate our cultural touchstones from the white noise of daily communication.” ProfoundSocial MediaCultural HeritageProfundityProfound TruthWhite NoiseProfound ThoughtDare To Be ExcellentProfound QuoteCultural Touchstones Author:Stewart Stafford
“The Blood Supper by Stewart Stafford Nightcrawler leaves their dirt bed, Seeking an essential blood supper, Cloaked in regal Stygian armour, Bar one chink in the left chest area. All the experience of centuries used, Lives lived long before their victims, Stalking stacked in a predator's favour, Shock overwhelms when blindsided. The infected victim then becomes one, With their undead attacker, connected, Sharing their contagion and obsessions, In a parasitic void betwixt life and death. © Stewart Stafford, 2022. All rights reserved.” BloodHorrorVampireVampiresSupernaturalGothicUndeadDraculaHorror PoetryBloodsucker Author:Stewart Stafford
“Some see solitude as loneliness. Others see it as a foetal state from which to blunder out into the world. I see it as a breathing space for contemplation and, indeed, breeding space for ideas.” SolitudeContemplationSolitude As A ChoiceBreathing SpaceIsolation LonelinessIgnorance Isn T BlissComing Up With IdeasSolitude Vs LonelinessSplendid Isolation Author:Stewart Stafford
“The Apparition by Stewart Stafford The Indian burial ground, Lay beyond the tree steeples, Wind murmured in the branches, Of lost lands and wounded ancestors. A new tenant's first night at home, A Wendigo came in a pandemic fugue, The head, neck and shoulders visible, Jittery, contorted shapes on blinds. Wild dawn packing, screeching tyres, Home sweet home, still beyond reach, Out of the driveway at top speed then, Flight from an entity that won't leave you. © Stewart Stafford, 2022. All rights reserved.” HorrorKarmaHalloweenHauntingIndian CultureHaunted HouseHorror PoetryNative American HistoryCryptidWendigo Author:Stewart Stafford
“The Castle Of Fear by Stewart Stafford The ghost sweated out from battlements, Appeared bleeding into full-bodied shape, The riddle of this phantom's raison d'être, Opaque as the spectre walked transparently. The armour that clad the body blinded eyes, The bagpipes it carried underarm deafened, The steely gaze froze the viewer on the spot, The sour odour it emitted made all nauseous. The wraith's left foot piteously dragged behind, Shuffling moans of pain, trailing the footsteps, Banshee shrieks, harrowing to all that heard, Dawn drained the strength, and it took flight. © Stewart Stafford, 2023. All rights reserved.” SpiritGhostScotlandGhostsHauntingScottishCastleHauntBagpipesPiper Author:Stewart Stafford
“A eulogy is a life lived with a loved one or friend condensed into a few moments relating poignant and witty stories about them to a hushed congregation. The deceased has then an eternity to ponder the remarks with the possibility of spectral visitations to request a retraction.” HauntingSlanderEulogyDefamationSpectreFuneral SpeechGhostly EncounterRetractionVengeful SpiritGraveside Oration Author:Stewart Stafford
“Gold nugget ideas sometimes come to me on bus trips. I play a game: when my eye falls on something noteworthy, I try to flip the visual into the most vivid and accurate verbal imagery possible. Then I rewrite it in my head until it rings true to me. It's not as easy as you might think, yet this exercise revealed a profound truth: the mundane can have treasured seams if we're open to finding them, letting them find us and giving them voice whenever and wherever we are. Time is only wasted if we allow it.” WritingPhilosophyInspirationCreativityPersonal GrowthObservationAgencyTime ManagementEveryday LifeHidden Beauty Author:Stewart Stafford
“An Infant Maestro by Stewart Stafford Baby as a bag of cats, Grunting like an Everest climber, Then screaming as if tortured, Followed by innocent, cooing smiles. Drinking milk from a rocket bottle, Tiny hands move with satisfaction, Conducting an invisible orchestra, Sighing in rhythm to his gulps. Bored stares at the ceiling, As Baby Mama changes him, Then eye-rolling slumber, Floating away in the bassinet. © Stewart Stafford, 2022. All rights reserved.” BabyParentingParentsParenthoodInfantParents And ChildrenBabiesBabies In BasketsChild ProdigyBaby Poem Author:Stewart Stafford
“The greatest gift a parent can give a child is self-confidence.” ConfidenceParentingParentsParents And ChildrenConfidence Quotes Author:Stewart Stafford
“A Vigilante Stalks by Stewart Stafford O slain avenger on the mortal shore, Moral compass of an immoral craft, Virtue cloaked with malignant wings, Intravenous vengeance on two legs. Grinning charm gave way to coercion, Cold eyes unwavering from the prize, Art critic and thief in a rogues' gallery, Breaking fingers reeking of corruption. Serving a brew of fear to the fearsome, Never made you a flavour of the month, Festering secrets spewed in last breaths, Before they made you yesterday's man. © Stewart Stafford, 2022. All rights reserved.” JusticeCrimePoemRevengeVengeanceVigilanteAvengerAvenging AngelVigilante PoetsGet Carter Author:Stewart Stafford
“Pariah Luggage by Stewart Stafford I am the last piece of luggage, On the baggage carousel, If there's a suitcase deity, It has cursed and forsaken me. I see the excited faces drop, Blank me and turn away, And around I go yet again, Condemned to ovoid limbo. The stumbling supermodel, On a mortification catwalk, Bursting at badly-taped seams, Spilling contents everywhere. On my next lap of shame, Those same faces show pity, For the uninvited leper guest, At life's most fugacious "party." © Stewart Stafford, 2022. All rights reserved.” PoetryPoemShameBaggageLuggageAirportPariahTravel PoetrySuitcaseLost Luggage Author:Stewart Stafford
“A Churchyard In Summertime by Stewart Stafford O, to stand in a quiet country churchyard, The graveyard bending in summer zephyrs, Chlorophyll light beneath swaying poplars, Rook song in twilight's nocturne. Oblivious hues spread upon canvas, Beside the somnambulant swanning river, Miasmas of midges at the water's edge, In the crosshairs of a painter's thumb. Then the sun rolls away over the horizon, A veil draws across the long day's play, A churn supper collection of basket and easel, Recollections in the slumbering night. © Stewart Stafford, 2021. All rights reserved.” PoetryPoemSummerPainterSummertimeDaydreamPortraitChurchyardsChurchyardSummer Poetry Author:Stewart Stafford
“Where Storms Nest by Stewart Stafford Time's arrow has left its quiver, And mortal men denied a sliver, Of sweet-faced solace or settled debt, Surrendering all to sweeping death. Beware the vixen with the perished pup, Of merciless slight and sacrilegious sup, Of mother's milk and witches' brew, Curdling infamy and death's-head stew. The trap is sprung, the rider unseated, A mourning procession for the defeated, A great wrong sits on the anointed throne, She is Queen Bee and you, but a drone. From a spider's web veil, she does regard, Hateful glances from black heart's shard, Envenomed nature of poisonous Man, The scorpion's strike of a foul plan. After seeking power and blood and lust, Remorse a late guest to a dagger's thrust, The vulture shrieks to the globe's outer rim, That Man's ambition is a Hell to him. © Stewart Stafford, 2022. All rights reserved.” PoetryPowerPoemAmbitionMurderRemorseRoyaltyBloodshedPower StruggleTryanny Author:Stewart Stafford
“In Search of El Dorado by Stewart Stafford A meandering mountain path awaits, Build a bonfire of remembrance, With crunching staff on gravel, Certainty slowly becomes a stranger. The funereal pace of the brand-new, Is reborn in accelerating steps, In concert with liberation's adrenaline, And a cooling breeze through the brim. Startled young fox on a crag, A hawk circles overhead, Sage standing stones keep counsel, Their shadows pointing the way forward. Sheep stare and chew in nearby wet fields, Occasionally bleating confused directions, A pillar of black smoke stretches into the sky, A beacon on the horizon. A ridge around a corner, The crêpe shop comes into view, Relief exhaled upon reaching El Dorado's gates, Golden sustenance and home via the car park. © Stewart Stafford, 2021. All rights reserved.” PoetryWalksWalkingPoemPoemsWalkWalkerTreasure HuntEl DoradoHill Walking Author:Stewart Stafford
“Neptune’s Lost Banana by Stewart Stafford O lost banana of Neptune, Do you wonder why you’ve washed ashore? Do people see a yellow fruit in the water? Or a Portuguese Man O’War? You were so near the fingertips of power, Did fortune peel away your chances too quick? Or do you see yourself in an ivory tower? Of a split-away banana republic? You could have been top banana, Now you’re potential poetic justice, For someone with bad karma to slip on, And go skidding as you go squish. © Stewart Stafford, 2021. All rights reserved.” PoetryPoemSurrealBananasNeptuneJellyfishBananaFunny PoemPoetic JusticeBanana Republic Author:Stewart Stafford
“Life Cycles by Stewart Stafford From fair youth’s day, To dark-spotted age, The blooms of May, Usher out winter’s sullen maze. When the bars of the juvenile cage are splayed, And our stars have run their course, The debt of carefree times gets repaid, As we from this earthly plain divorce. We crawl to walk and stoop alone, As the dead remain uncured, Until Time grants us further loans, Immortality is a bloodline secured. © Stewart Stafford, 2021. All rights reserved.” AgeLife LessonsPoetryPoetPoemPoemsAgeingCircle Of LifeLife HacksLife Cycles Author:Stewart Stafford
“The Easter Vigil by Stewart Stafford Nightfall on Easter Saturday, A church in darkness, Flickering fire through stained glass, Hope so close yet out of reach. The Paschal candle is lit outside from a small garden bonfire, And, in reverent procession, brought indoors, The flaming beacon makes its entrance at the rear of the congregation, The mother candle bows, bestowing blazing brows on the humbler candles of those assembled. The welcoming brightness gently spreads among the pews, Confusing darkness now a sea of light, United in illumination, And He is there. © Stewart Stafford, 2021. All rights reserved.” PoetryChristianityPoemPoemsCatholicismRitualEasterReligious PoetryEaster SaturdayEaster Vigil Author:Stewart Stafford
“The Burning Chorus by Stewart Stafford As clawed lightning, love strikes without warning to scorch the heart, And, as it is painful to be born, love, make love, and die, So we may surmise that life itself is pain in different guises, Some unwelcome interlopers but all necessary. More than passing sensations, We are shocked into living, And in that shock, the heart plots a different course, To beat for the first time or quicken with excitement or cease. Sometimes we stray into pleasure’s realms, Diverted there unknowing, And resolve to be passengers no more, But masters of when and where the burning chorus strikes. © Stewart Stafford, 2021. All rights reserved.” LoveLifePainPoetryPoemPoemsLightningLove PoemPain And PleasureLife Is Pain Author:Stewart Stafford
“The Beshrewing of Tom o' Bedlam by Stewart Stafford Fie and a plague on thee! Nay, a pox! May legions of hellions float through thee, And may thou fall in the dung of an ox. May the thing below thine eyes, Take on the appearance of a sprout, And may the things above thy chin, Resemble a harlot's spout. May Heaven strike thee dumb, Aye, dumber than thou art now, May thy words become those of a lunatic, And thy breathing the grunting of a sow. Verily, I do not wish thee misfortune, Lest it rebounds back upon me, But, as long as it befalls thee first, I may live quite merrily. © Stewart Stafford, 2021. All rights reserved.” PoetryPoemCurseCursesSchadenfreudeFunny PoemShakespearean InsultElizabethan PoetryShakespearean InsultsSadistic Humor Author:Stewart Stafford
“The Lighthouse by Stewart Stafford Apart and alone, From where the ships dock, Stands the white sentinel edifice on a promontory rock. Like the land's index finger, At the extent of the sea, Warning passing vessels where it's safe to be. It's one luminous eye, Swivels around its clear head, To keep lucky sailors off the seabed. It seeks no credit, And needs no thanks, Saluting proudly from above the fog banks. © Stewart Stafford, 2021. All rights reserved.” PoetryPoemLighthouseThe SeaMaritime StoriesLighthousesBeacon Of LightShipwrecksRime Of The Ancient MarinerSea Shanty Author:Stewart Stafford
“The Walker by Stewart Stafford The walker takes a step forward, Positive but possibly fatal to them, Brave but perhaps foolishly ambitious to onlookers. Concentration and breathing, the antidote to cynicism, The pole, like cat’s whiskers, In feline prance. Moment to moment, Heartbeat to heartbeat, The procession continues. With creeping inevitably, The destination is reached, And the walker falls to their death. Another adventurer steps out onto the wire, A descendant of the expired walker, Determined to complete life’s tightrope. © Stewart Stafford, 2021. All rights reserved.” LifePoetryPoemPoemsLife Goes OnPoems On LifeCircle Of LifeBloodlinesTightropeTightrope Walking Author:Stewart Stafford
“Pomona's Feast by Stewart Stafford Home from aggressive begging on November Eve, A horror movie that won't be finished in the background, The pirate's booty or robber's swag is examined. Face in the bag, a cornucopia of scents in the nostrils: Oranges, nuts, burnt popcorn, chocolate, Toffee apples, crisps, Liquorice Allsorts, and Rice Krispie cakes. A smörgåsbord Pomona's feast begins, As a maternal voice advises frugality, To no avail. Noses in the trough, Nothing eaten bears any relation to the thing eaten before or after, Aching gums, jaws, and bellies swiftly ensue. To bed to sleep it off, The next morning, it's déjà vu, The maternal voice again advises eating breakfast first, to no avail. © Stewart Stafford, 2021. All rights reserved.” PoetryPoemHalloweenChildhood MemoriesSamhainTrick Or TreatAll Hallows EveHalloween PoemOctober 31stNovember Eve Author:Stewart Stafford
“The Unknowable Scribe by Stewart Stafford Behind the looking glass, Lurks the trembling hand of deception, How deep it goes. Scratching worthlessly on the glass, Yet leaving diamond shavings in its wake, To ponder over endlessly. Question not, despise not, Seek no answers here For there are none to give. The cygnet is mooncalf, To the mighty swan, Cat's paw to catchpenny. Birther to birthing, A classification of bedding, To redress the baseness of our grindings. © Stewart Stafford, 2021. All rights reserved.” PoetryPoemWriterShakespeareWriters LifeWilliam ShakespeareShakespearean InsultShakespeare S PlaysPoems On WritingEdward De Vere Author:Stewart Stafford
“For Your Consideration by Stewart Stafford Stellar Scrutiny is required, Taffeta blindfolds though, Ordinarily obscure. Three and fifty miles hence, Wander those in denial, Of the untrustworthy father in the palace. Belated guests to the conflagration, Are served up as fodder, Consistently denied peerages and proper burial. Venerated with daggers, Erstwhile companions stoned, Ruled And Martyred. © Stewart Stafford, 2021. All rights reserved.” PoetryPoemStewart StaffordFrancis BaconHidden MeaningsMasonic MysteriesCodedStewart Stafford PoemsSteganographic EncodingTemple Mount Author:Stewart Stafford
“Sweet Elephant of the Morning by Stewart Stafford O sweet elephant of the morning, What loud noise you make, With your leaden feet, And trumpet voice. You spray water, On your thick, dusty skin, And on anyone in proximity, To your body. Your trunk is a grey, reaching arm, And your tusks resemble curved lances, Or elongated walrus teeth, To fight off rivals. © Stewart Stafford, 2021. All rights reserved.” PoetryPoemPoemsAnimalsElephantsWildlifeZoosElephantWild AnimalsChildren S Poems Author:Stewart Stafford
“In Old Savannah by Stewart Stafford Quaking earth unleashed, An immigrant stands proud in the mêlée, Takes up the standard of his adopted country, And joins the charge. Blind in the cannon smoke, Grapeshot ricochets past, Then the patriot holds his gut, And falls bleeding. His wife awakes, To see his apparition at the foot of their bed, Morose and fading fast, Tears hang like ever-present Spanish moss on live oak. The immigrant stands proudly once more, Motionless and eternal on the plinth, A child with his father at the base points up at him, With future glory in his eyes. © Stewart Stafford, 2021. All rights reserved.” WarPoemSoldierPoemsAmerican HistorySavannahBattlefieldSavannah GeorgiaSavannah GaSiege Of Savannah Author:Stewart Stafford
“The Hibernal Realm by Stewart Stafford The compass knows not which way to go, And Life's submerged in winter's snow, The path before us fit for sleds, Dusted with a blizzard's web. Clear a path and the light the way, And get us through to break of day, Step through the ice-encrusted door, That shows the way to the dawn thaw. Stay too long in the hibernal realm, And the chill begins to overwhelm, Sit, rest, and take respite, And become at one with fading light. See The Winter King and then bow down, With frostbite smile and holly crown, Icicle sceptre makes the heartbeat slow, Lonely as the North wind blows. © Stewart Stafford, 2021. All rights reserved.” PoetryColdPoemWinterSnowPoemsBlizzardFrostbiteWinter KingWintry Author:Stewart Stafford
“The Shadow Waltz by Stewart Stafford She lays with me by night, Hewn from dark solitude, Without malice aforethought. Creaking springs as she crawls to me, In a frantic state, Babbling desperately about her pain. Nails caress my abdomen and chest, Strange warmth emanates from her, Then she rises. And is gone, Melting with the corner darkness again, Watching my slumber from the shadows. © Stewart Stafford, 2021. All rights reserved.” PoetryPoemPoemsSandmanSuccubusGhostly EncounterSuccubus DreamsNight VisitorShadow PeopleShadow Person Author:Stewart Stafford
“Saturday Sonnet by Stewart Stafford The Bard once wrote that love is blind, Desire’s muslin cloth veils the eyes behind, As a hog for truffles nosing in dirt, The human sniffs out a way to flirt, Flippant words become overture, And a dungeon-dweller emerges pure, Love’s great story blossoming anew, Past indiscretions in a penitent’s pew, Hearts as one, a confluence of minds, Time to think of the tie that binds, Sure of footing and glad of heart Wheels turning on a bridal cart, Handsome husband, pretty wife, Set out together in this thing called life. © Stewart Stafford, 2021. All rights reserved.” PoetryPoemWeddingFlirtingSonnetLove PoemLove PoemsLove PoetryPoems On LoveSonnets Author:Stewart Stafford
“A Contagion Abroad by Stewart Stafford Overblown epidemic, Inferno pandemic, Death takes a vacation. Bird flu, Bat stew, Churning, gagging virus brew, Man the panic stations. Contaminate, capitulate, Sickly state, funeral date, A lost generation. Depopulate, inoculate, Virologists thwart fate, The world's rehabilitation. © Stewart Stafford, 2021. All rights reserved.” PoetryPoemPoemsCoronavirusCovid 19PandemicVaccinesVirusEpidemicInoculation Author:Stewart Stafford
“The Anatomy of Trades by Stewart Stafford Detective Toes, Senator Nose, Eye-eye Captain, And Rhinologist Blows. Banker Bum, Painter Thumb, Judge Mental, And Dentist Gum. Dancer Hip, President Lip, Dermatologist Peel, Goalie Fingertip. Beautician Eyelash, Barber Moustache Boxer Fist, And Doctor Rash. © Stewart Stafford, 2021. All rights reserved.” JobsPoetryPoemIronyPoemsSatireAnatomyFunny PoemFunny PoetryTrades Author:Stewart Stafford
“In Bastet's Thrall by Stewart Stafford A sight unseen, Eyes of feline green, Make me do their bidding. That whiskered mask, In adulation basks, Affection makes a killing. Great but small, In Bastet's thrall, It dares me with a licking. In regal fur, A seductive purr, And tail brazenly quitting. © Stewart Stafford, 2021. All rights reserved.” PoetryPoemCatPoemsCatsFelineEgyptian GodsCats And Other MythsCat LoversBastet Author:Stewart Stafford