Four sides to squares
Phillip Overton
Copyright 2012 by Phillip Overton
Smashwords Edition
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www.phillipoverton.blogspot.com
For Tanya
For always finding the right words
Four sides to squares
4 New Beginnings
5 World Part One
6 World Part Two
7 Growing Up
8 Growing Old
9 Tadpoles
10 Bottles
11 Anything, Everything
12 Justify
13 Not learning
14 Falling Down
15 Earth Scar
16 Society Nine Seven
17 In an Outback Drought
18 Cinders on the Doormat
19 Probably Anything
20 Friend
21 Spring Clean
22 Places I’ve never been
23 Paradise
24 Trampoline
27 Honestly
28 Make Do
33 Void
New Beginnings
I think I’m addicted to new beginnings.
That’s why I’m never interested in how anything ends.
I’m already planning the next moment,
The next episode,
The next big thing,
Or at least how it will begin.
I tell myself that next time will be different,
And usually it is.
And so is the time after,
And the time after that.
Perhaps one day will seem all too familiar.
And then I’ll have to do something about it.
I’m never starting over.
I always start afresh.
John Lennon would be ashamed.
But I’m sure if he were still around
He’d want to try things differently.
Otherwise you only end up back where you started.
I like to highlight road atlases,
To see where I’ve been.
So I’ll never end up there again.
If I find somewhere I like,
I know I can invent new ways of getting there.
There are other roads to travel.
The most exciting step we take is our first.
No-one ever recognises our one millionth.
If they did, there would be certificates for it.
But there isn’t.
So when we fall over,
People seem pleased when we try again.
I think I may try something new.
Something different.
Let’s begin.
World Part One
I wonder,
Staring at the stars by night,
Where the sun is shining?
While the moon rests overhead,
While I lay here in my bed,
Where is the morning calling?
Evening erases the day,
But where the day,
Is underway,
What events are people facing?
I guess it’s just the sun,
I’m chasing.
World Part Two
Somewhere in another land,
People will wake like you and I,
Unaware of you and I,
And the daily things we do.
Turn to me, as I to you.
Ask the question as we do.
Why we are here,
And they are there, not you.
Growing Up
In my life, what will I learn?
By touching the fire and feeling its burn.
It’s for my own good, or so I’ve been told.
But what will I learn by the time I’ve grown old?
If rules are binding, will it all come apart,
If the horse turns around and there is no cart?
If youth is blind and we are led through life,
Where comes the point when rope meets knife?
One day when I’m older, I’ll make my stand,
As the video game hero of a cartoon land.
But I hear it takes money, and I haven’t enough.
And without experience I think it’s too tough.
Perhaps there’s a reason we first must be young
To discover life isn’t just all about fun.
So I guess I’ll retire, to a world of my own,
And leave all life’s worries until when I am grown.
Growing Old
The age that I am,
Seems to me,
An old, old age to be.
As days roll by,
It’s clearer to see,
The wisdom years have given me.
When I was ten,
The plans I had the,
Were too simple to achieve.
But the highest heights,
Often rise from depths,
Once impossible to believe.
That man on the street,
It could have been me.
He’s a millionaire, so I’ve been told.
But he’s younger than me,
So how could it be,
That I happened to grow old?
Tadpoles
There are no more tadpoles
They grew into frogs
And hopped away
There are no more frogs
So the flies
Multiplied
There are no more children
The flies drove them away
So they are out catching tadpoles
Bottles
Old bottle washed away
Bobbing in a creek
Torn from the river bank
And floating in the drink
Long forgotten secrets
Eerily pour out
Into the creek that years ago
Had knocked some drunkard out
A stranger with a sin to hide
Leaves a reminder of his past
For reasons we may never know
In an ancient, dirty glass
Anything Everything
There is no point talking to someone who knows everything.
They’ve heard it all before.
They’ve been there, done that,
And usually tell the same story better.
There is little you can say to impress them.
It only reminds them of something else.
Something better than you could have imagined,
Something better than you will ever achieve.
Even if they are completely wrong,
They still put up a convincing argument.
Sometimes it is just easier to agree.
Without listening to anything they say.
But as you and I know,
Anything and everything are two very different things.
There is no point asking them anything.
They only know everything.
Justify
I did it again
The same thing as I did before
And I don’t know why.
Perhaps it was instinctual
Although I can’t see how
My instincts tell me otherwise.
Some say it’s habitual
But I don’t know how
Although it has become a habit lately.
It certainly came natural
It felt natural
And happened naturally.
I know it was consensual
I asked myself first
And told myself yes.
It was purely logical
An automatic response
To something I wasn’t aware of.
It must be theoretical
There’s a theory for everything
There must be one for this.
It’s simply philosophical
I’ve been thinking of it from all angles
And I’ve come to a conclusion.
In every decision we make
We choose conscientiously
To justify our response.
There, I did it again.
Not learning
Don’t sail your boat into the storm
Thinking you’ll return safe and warm
To the arms of the one who loves you
If a woman’s desire flickers like a flame
There is no lighthouse on the rocks of a dame
Only tales of sunken ships
Take a moment while the earth’s still turning
To think of what you’ll learn, by not learning
By not playing with matches
Falling Down
Leave me here,
By my river,
By my fire,
Under my moon,
In my night,
Tonight.
Leave me here,
Don’t even speak.
Go your way now,
Into the night,
Forever more,
Rest your thoughts.
Leave my fence,
It’s fallen down.
It’s broken,
It’s rotten,
It cannot ever
Be repaired.
Leave my garden,
Leave my weeds.
Spare the dust,
The water it craves.
My desolation.
My happy thoughts.
Leave my castle,
It’s falling down.
It’s not for sale,
Don’t trespass on it.
It’s not fit,
To inhabit.
But lay me to rest,
When I’m departed.
Guard my castle,
Paint my fence.
From rust and thieves,
My memories keep.
Earth Scar
The earth holds secrets,
Mankind’s defects.
Covered,
Buried,
So others can’t see them.
Electric gadgets,
Technological rejects.
Replaced
By the latest,
Flawless features.
The earth keeps secrets,
Inner sweetness.
Healed by
Time.
Nurtured in meekness.
Rusting defects,
Useless relics.
Man won’t
Learn,
Until it’s perfect.
Society Nine Seven
We all either
Admire or envy
Those around us.
Their life to mine
Seems a bore,
As mine to theirs
Does not compare.
We all live in boxes.
Some have windows
To peek at others.
We exist in vain,
Embedded in chairs.
We always like to think
That for those above us,
There are two downstairs.
In an Outback Drought
If the well runs dry
From a rainless sky
Then the grass won’t grow
And the livestock die
When the storm clouds hide
Though the farmers try
Dead bones are no comfort
To fourth generation pride
If the trees go without
From a violent drought
Then the leaves will fall
‘Till the shade runs out
You can scream and shout
But can’t forget about
A summer in Australia
In an outback drought
Cinders on the Doormat
The fire alarm sounded
But I turned it off
And didn’t investigate the fire
The smoke came into the kitchen
But I pretended not to smell it
And held my breath
The flames crept up the walls
But I tried not to feel its heat
And turned the fan on
The room was engulfed by fire
But I left and closed the door
So I didn’t have to see it
The roof started to collapse
But I stepped outside
To avoid becoming trapped in a burning inferno
The house burnt to the ground
But I didn’t care
I went and watered the flowers instead
Probably Anything
It’s probably a sense of frustration
That stems from deep within
It’s probably the thoughts gathered from reflection
Or the desire to throw the towel in
It could have been anything
It could have been chance
The last roll of the dice
Last stand, last hope, last summer night’s dance
Perhaps one final moment to capture
One final song we must sing
But if the truth were to be known
It was probably anything
It normally ends here
And it probably would
But no-one notices when you fall behind
When things rarely go the way you expect they should
So you throw it away with nothing to say
Over something said that left a bad taste
A small, sad affair that got out of control
So much promise lay to waste
Until it’s easier to give up than it is to give in
Sinking deeper until you’re in over your neck
When forgiveness is your life boat
But your soul is a wreck
Before you hit bottom and stumble and fall
Before you lose sight of the win and fumble the ball
Always remember a switch can be turned off
And it probably all started over nothing at all
Friend
Moments only happen
For a moment then they’re over
Flowers only flower
For a fraction of their life
Strangers only meet
In the instant that they’re strangers
But a friend is always there
To talk to day or night
Spring Clean
Cleaning my wardrobe
Is like cleaning my soul
The things we keep
The things we hide
Jewels or junk
Trinkets or trash
Salvation or secrets
It’s time
Time gone
Time forgotten
Time to let go
Thrown out memories
Goodbye Bob
Years after the America’s Cup
Had come
Had gone
There you were
Our 23rd Prime Minister
On a magazine cover in 1983
Now forgotten
Now thrown out
Like the Eighties
The Nineties
The Millennium Bug that never arrived
And the years since that have gradually disappeared
Erasing the path back to 1983
For no particular reason
But to distance the grown from the child
And to lose the in-between
The growing up
Now tidied up
In a spring clean
Places I’ve never been
I’ve never been to Boston.
Never had a cold beer
In a bar they call Cheers,
No I’ve never done that at all.
I’ve never been to Miami.
Having cocktails on ice
Looking cool like Miami Vice,
I’ve never tried that at all.
I’ve never been to Alaska.
Haven’t stopped over
For some Northern Exposure,
Because I can’t find Cicely on the map.
I’ve never seen San Francisco.
With a girl on each arm
Like the witches from Charmed,
Seems that won’t happen at all.
I’ve never been to LA.
Never caught a swatch
Of the girls from Baywatch,
Because my wife won’t let me.
I’ve never set foot in Hawaii.
Never said book ‘em Danno
Like in Hawaii Five-O
Because that would infringe copyright.
I’ve never been to Cleveland.
Never said Cleveland rocks
And pinched Drew Carey’s socks,
Because that girl in the show scares me.
And I’ve never been to New York.
Never took a day off work
For coffee at Central Perk,
Because I haven’t that many Friends.
Paradise
I found heaven at the gates of hell
Where the sun rises and the sinners dwell
It took some time, it took me as well
So I slept with the Angels between heaven and hell
I took a dip into the watery deep
With no self-esteem, only bare feet
And I lost myself in eternity
Between the shells on the shore and shipwrecks in the sea
From the lighthouse I saw with my own eyes
That the Devil now lives in paradise
On the evening train, he came by surprise
Now the Angels stand guard over heaven’s prize
Each morning we wake beside the beach
Far from a heaven that has slipped from reach
Where the Devil leaves no footprints and does not preach
But the sinners still follow and his job is a synch
By the ocean where retribution gleams
Where Angels mend their broken wings
We crossed the tracks, or so it seems
And found paradise in a hell redeemed
Trampoline
Try explaining to a kid who just discovered he cannot fly
That what goes up must come down
That’s why trampolines were invented
So that when we fall we rebound
They cushion our fall each and every time
I suppose it’s a crime that makes sense
It brings a sense of elation on our return to the air
So we can peek over the neighbour’s fence
I’d often admired my neighbour’s lawn
The grass truly was greener on the other side
Only he didn’t appreciate the stares at his wife by the pool
By the boy on the trampoline with eyes wide
I suppose it was just curiosity
The act of keeping myself in the air
But she’d sit there all summer and smile
At the boy with the long mop of hair
Late one summer’s afternoon
Our neighbour came to his wife’s defence
Who was sunbaking naked by the pool
So my trampoline came away from the fence
After spending a summer in the air
It seemed I had grown quite tall
My father thought it would be best
To move the trampoline over by the wall
I never saw her after that
I could never bounce that high
The view of the wall was quite boring
So I lay there and stared at the sky
The next summer I spent watching clouds
I just lay there on the mat
The trampoline springs grew rusty
And if you don’t bounce you feel flat
The following summer, new neighbours moved in
They had a boy who was just my age
He invited me over for a swim in the pool
And summer it seemed was saved
After growing tired of walking next door
Every time that I wanted to swim
The other kid had an idea too good to refuse
And it came with a devilish grin
When you’re fourteen years old you’re invincible
And this idea just made perfect sense
One day when our parents weren’t looking
We moved our trampolines to the fence
Once more my trampoline’s springs stretched
For reasons other than a girl
When I was sure I was higher than heaven
It was time to give our idea a whirl
An excited “you’re clear” was all I needed to hear
And the boy eagerly awaited my landing
I leapt and cleared the neighbour’s fence
The sight was simply outstanding
Forget what they say about gravity
For a moment in time I defied it
His trampoline was waiting on the other side
And it felt wonderful when my feet found it
What we’d yet learnt at school involved trajectory
I should have read all about it I know
I only remember catapulting forward
Until I crashed through my neighbour’s window
Some parents smother their kids in excuses
Mine never covered my back
My trampoline went straight to the back of the yard
And summer was over, like that
Summers went by without my head in the sky
As each passing year made me older
The faded black mat finally tore through in time
And it went to the dump on a trailer
I look back on those days that I spent in the clouds
The memories of which made me wise
Someday before I grow older
I’ll climb back on the mat with wide eyes
I’ll bounce high once more on a trampoline
Remember a youth that was sweet
When I was a boy without a care in the world
Only the air beneath my feet
Honestly
Maybe someday in life I’ll happen to pass,
Someone I disliked from my high school class.
And we’ll stop and we’ll talk like nothing has changed,
And discover that really we’re both quite the same.
We’ll talk about issues that perhaps are a bore,
But dodge all the questions that cut to the core.
We’ll paint perfect pictures of how well we are,
Talk of our houses, our boats and our cars.
Ours kids are both scholars, what else would they be?
You can ask anything, just don’t ask about me.
We don’t mention how life never mirrored our dreams,
And how kids have more money than manners it seems.
When the house has a mortgage and the boat’s a canoe,
When the family car’s nearly rusted right through,
We’ll shine what is dull before truth’s ever told,
We say we’ll be rich before we are old.
We exaggerate greatly what we do at our work,
We’ll remember the old days, and laugh ‘till it hurts.
Because we probably won’t see them, not ever again,
So the truth can stay hidden, ‘till we farewell them.
Then we’ll say our goodbyes and maybe shake hands,
Say wasn’t that marvellous, wasn’t that grand.
We’ll turn tail and leave feeling good in our heads,
Until we realise we’ve cheated ourselves instead.
And the wives at our side who now laugh at our pride,
Who are in love with the truth that we tried to hide,
Ask us how we would feel if they did the same?
And we cannot answer from the weight of the shame.
Then we wonder if her dreams have fallen short too,
If she meets an old friend, now what will she do?
Make do
We make phone calls to friends
To make excuses for going out
To make new friends
To make something happen
To make time for ourselves
And make the most of the moment
So we make our hair straight
And put on make-up
Perhaps make up a good story
To make ourselves feel good
And make sure we leave on time
We make sure we have our phone
Make our car start with the first turn of the key
Then make our way to the bar
Make a left turn, a right turn
And always make it there on time
We make sure to avoid the curious glances
Make eye contact with the lingering stares
Make sure our first drink is a statement
And watch the barman as he makes it
He makes it in flash
We never try to make it last
And it generally makes us feel better
It often makes us loosen up
Makes us forget the reality we left behind
It will always make us order another
Eventually it makes us want to dance
Even if we make fools of ourselves
So we make our way to the dance floor
Make a foot of space our own
And make our best moves
We make perfunctory glances at others
Who are trying to make sense of what we’re doing
We make as though we don’t care
While our feet make time with the beat
And our eyes make contact with the opposite sex
We make a smile that is lost in the crowd
And make excuses for why they didn’t see it
Because rejection makes us nervous
And that makes for a dull evening
It doesn’t make any sense
But someone will make a questioning smile
Make their way over to us
And make us answer if we’ve met before
It makes for an introduction
We make believe they do look familiar
It seems to make perfect sense
And makes them wonder where
So we make our way back to the bar
Make sure we order the same drinks
It makes for an instant connection
Then we make a little time to talk
We make up a story
We make little white lies
We make believe we are a doctor
We make them think we like puppies
We make them think we are waiting for the right person
But until then are afraid to make a commitment
We both don’t want to make our lives complicated
It makes for tempting offer
So we make our way back to the dance floor
We make different moves
We make different smiles
We make excuses for why it’s suddenly time to leave
One will make an offer too good to refuse
One will make their way home to a different bed
To make out
To make love
To make something happen
To make the most of the moment
To make it last until the morning
Before we make a decision
To make an excuse to leave
Or to make it work
We choose to make it work
Knowing it will make our lives complicated
We make a call for honesty
We make a new start
We make them believe we still like puppies
And we make changes
It makes us slow down
We make an effort to build a relationship
It makes us discover more about each other
It makes our time lonely when they are not there
We make excuses for not calling friends
We make excuses for not going out
We make plans together
And we make time for each other
Until one makes a decision to get down on one knee
The proposal makes her smile
Our plans make us happy
So we make a date on the calendar
We make phone calls to planners
We make invitations for our friends
We make decisions on musicians
And we make and break wedding budgets
We make sure we plan the honeymoon
And we make sure we get to the Church on time
She makes her way down the aisle
It makes him smile
He makes sure the best man has the ring
He makes sure to put it on gently
They make vows
They make sure it is the perfect kiss
It makes for a pretty picture
She re-touches her make-up for the photographer
They make an album full of memories
They make it to the reception venue
They make the rounds of well-wishers
Who make speeches
Her father makes a toast
Before they make their way to the dance floor
And make the evening last until midnight
When they make their getaway
They make it home to a different bed
And make love as husband and wife
It makes them remember their first time
The honeymoon makes the time go quickly
Returning home makes for a dose of reality
It makes it hard to return to work
But it makes it easier to come home at night
They make a home together
The baby-bump makes for no surprise
They make room for a nursery
They make a list of baby names
He makes the decision to sell his sports car
It makes the nine months pass slowly
Until they need to make their way to the hospital
It makes him panic
He makes sure he remembers the bag
It makes for a long night
It makes her exhausted
He makes an effort not to pass out
He makes it to the second push
The floor makes a hard landing
Later they’ll make jokes
They make promises to be good parents
Their new daughter makes noises
It makes them cry with joy
He makes calls
They make congratulatory remarks
They make their way home
They make their new daughter feel welcome
She makes noises when she is hungry
She makes a mess every three hours
She makes them take turns getting up in the night
It makes him tired at work
It makes her cranky at home
It makes them work together as a team
Her first words make them excited
Her first steps make them nervous
Her curiosity makes them child-proof the kitchen
She will still make a mess
She will still make them get up in the night
They will still make time for each other
Watching her grow makes them proud
Watching her start school makes them worry
She makes her daughter take dancing lessons
She makes him promise to be at her dance recital on time
He makes an excuse to leave work early
His employer makes him redundant anyway
He makes it there on time
He makes an effort to smile
Seeing her dance makes it all worthwhile
They make changes
She makes a decision to go back to work
He makes a decision to take a lesser-paid job
They make a list of things they can go without
They make time for their daughter
They still make time for each other
They make their payments on time
It makes the teenage years creep up on them
Their daughter does her best to make life difficult
She discovers new ways to make noise
She discovers new ways to make a mess
She starts wearing make-up
Her friends make us worried
She makes up convincing stories about them
They’re not enough to make us feel comfortable
She’ll somehow make it through high school
And then she will make phone calls to friends
To make excuses for going out
To make new friends
To make something happen
To make the most of the moment
Because she can now make her own decisions
It makes us hold our breath
It makes us stay up late waiting for her to come home
It makes us remember when we were young
It makes think of how far we’ve come
It makes a reminder of all we’ve been through
And come what may, we’ll still make do
Void
Thoughts fade to nowhere,
With nowhere to run.
Cornered in confusion,
And forgotten.
Don’t remind me of what I was thinking,
I’ve lost my thoughts.
Maybe one day I’ll find them,
In silence.
Also by Phillip Overton
Poetry
Things we once loved
Twice around the block
Three times a lady
Four sides to squares
Novels
Last Wish of Summer
A Walk Before Sunrise
The Long Way Home
Visit the author at
www.phillipoverton.blogspot.com