Dwindling in the Downtown Eastside

🙂 To hear this poem, use the player below. 🙂 large, littered, lonely fieldsoiled, sodden, sagging tentscursed, chaotic, chemical prisonshuddled desperately onpatchy grass and mud,lit by yellow flickersunder shaking fingerschasing the dragonbitter, brutal windicy, drenching rainthere but for thegrace of Godgo I - Paul Raworth Bennett

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Let the Great World Spin

by Paul Raworth Bennett(painting: "Let the Great World Spin" by Deborah DeJong) life is just so unpredictable!here’s what always seems to happeni plan my life, work hard, get my act in gearthings seem like they’re coming together nicelyand i feel pretty good!like life is just one big partyand i’m dancing all night long and then …

Eagillac

🙂 To hear this story, use the player below. 🙂 by Paul Raworth Bennett ~ for Barb Poole ~ A '59 Cadillac named Zoom She's a sexy, magnificent eagle Her elegant scarlet fins Yearn for the sky Her enticing gullwing doors Herald lofty adventures With joy and excitement I embrace Her muscular, feathered neck My …

Winter of the Mind

🙂 To hear this story, use the player below. 🙂 Winter of the Mind The Experience of Severe Depression and Imminent Suicide one woman’s perspective, as told to Paul Raworth Bennett Although everyone with depression experiences it uniquely, a universally accurate metaphor would be “emotional winter”. Throughout this chilly time run two common themes: profound …

Bon Voyage, my Biking Buddy!

🙂 To hear this poem, use the player below. 🙂 Bon Voyage, my Biking Buddy! by Paul Raworth Bennett ~ for Janice ~ Very soon you’ll leave, dear Janice For your travels far away What an antidote for sadness To just ride your bike all day Whether zooming down from high hills Or just rolling …

Freedom Wheels

🙂 To hear this poem, use the player below. 🙂 Freedom Wheels by Paul Raworth Bennett ~ in memory of Bob Rea ~ (July 1961 - August 2019) I love to ride my freedom wheels Unbridled joy is how it feels At once when I begin to roll It stirs my mind and feeds my …

The Kiss

🙂 To hear this poem, use the player below. 🙂 The Kiss by Paul Raworth Bennett When you're nearby you spark in me desire A primal urge to have our bodies meet So we might make a lengthy moment sweet Let's join our mouths and set ourselves on fire So let us both draw near …

The Bard’s Kiss

🙂 To hear this poem, use the player below. 🙂 The Bard's Kiss by Paul Raworth Bennett When thou art near thou spark in me desire A primal urge to has’t our bodies meet And maketh now a lengthy moment sweet Let us join lips, setteth ourselves on fire Alloweth us draw near and close …

Revenge, Foiled.

by Paul Raworth Bennett Today, I almost did a terrible thing. My dog Bingo and I were taking our usual morning stroll, walking briskly west along an eastbound one-way lane. As we passed in front of a daycare centre and playground, a row of angled parking spots was on our left. Suddenly an enormous, late-model …

The Words

🙂 To hear this poem, use the player below. :-)The Wordsby Paul Raworth Bennettin my mind liveflocks of colourful wordsoffspring of thoughts and feelings and dreamsspawn of pleasure and painin kaleidoscopic swirls theyhover and dartcaptivating my awareness, lifting my spirits,derailing the train called logical thinkingdissolving my sense of timecreativity has a way ofinspiring my heartigniting …

Word Powerless

🙂 To hear this poem, use the player below. 🙂 Word Powerless by Paul Raworth Bennett Within our common heart We once savored joy’s nectars But then we tore apart A gaping hole rent my bleeding soul And my heart scarred over with Blown chances, squandered gifts, and broken dreams “She misses you!” cooed a …

Happy Birthday, Roshanak!

🙂 To hear this poem, use the player below. 🙂 Happy Birthday, Roshanak! by Paul Raworth Bennett ~~ Star of Magnificence ~~ The beauty of the zodiac God brought to earth in Roshanak Who brightened up in many ways The darkness of my winter days She can be crazy, loud and wild She can be …

My New Friend Heather!

🙂 To hear this poem, use the player below. 🙂 My New Friend Heather by Paul Raworth Bennett He loved to ride his bike, did Paul Across the land, or to the mall And normally would sunny skies Delight his nose and ears and eyes So greatly was his patience tried On yet another rain-soaked …

The Award Ceremony

by Paul Raworth Bennett Thinking briefly that he was dreaming - that he wasn't really in that packed theatre after all - Remy leaned forward in his seat, grasped the sides of his walker, and wobbled to his feet. Softly taking her husband's forearm, Anaïs began to rise as well. "I'm okay. Really, I'll be …

You!

🙂 To hear this poem, use the player below. 🙂 You! by Paul Raworth Bennett ~~~ for my son... Happy 23rd Birthday!  ~~~ My hand glided over your mother's beautiful, swollen belly Feeling your kicks and taps We sang you lullabies and read you stories while You explored your warm, liquid cocoon Nine months of excitement, …

How Many… ?

🙂 To hear this poem, use the player below. 🙂 How Many... ? by Paul Raworth Bennett (for a long-gone girlfriend who tried so hard to set me free) How many? How many ways can I ruin the eggs while you're Warming under the duvet? How many ways can I mangle the notes while I'm Singing …

Sunset over Greg Lake

🙂 To hear this poem, use the player below. 🙂 Sunset Over Greg Lake by Paul Raworth Bennett Every year, a few musical icons from our formative years will pass away.  This year, many rock music greats from the 70s and 80s (David Bowie, Prince, Glenn Frey, Keith Emerson, Leonard Cohen…) have left us to …

All Hail Canada’s Hair Apparent!

🙂 To hear this story, use the player below. 🙂 All Hail Canada's Hair Apparent! by Paul Raworth Bennett Canadian Federal politics just got a lot hairier after yesterday's landslide victory for the Liberal Party's youthful and telegenic leader, Justin "Selfie" Trudeau. Lock-dreading, tressed-out Tory supporters may just feel like curling up in knots this …

Remy, the Unwitting Electrified Jedi Army

🙂 To hear this poem, use the player below. 🙂 Remy, the Unwitting Electrified Jedi Army by Paul Raworth Bennett After decades of fruitless, frantic searching Remy finally found Heart-Kettle's electric cord, and Into a gentle current of warmth and love He finally plugged it, feeling rather chuffed that At long last, he'd conquered himself, And …

Happy Day (a poem for DH)

🙂 To hear this poem, use the player below. 🙂 Happy Day by Paul Raworth Bennett (for DH) The graceful young woman, her dreamy blue eyes Reflected the colour of heavenly skies Her hiking companion, with spirited heart Did know that their friendship had made a good start One late summer weekend that Autumn had …