When I was a bit younger than I am today I spent some time hidden Behind those things in life that I had not then learned Scared of what the world believed about the man, I was False in every way, the cry is lost Now I know that my solitude is what was causing all of my pain Learning to adapt, and be comfortable in my skin Allowed the luxury of feeling closer to who I am right now Able to enjoy the knowledge That I'm really not so bad We can only know what we see The perceptions of others If I could see the world Through the eyes of another Judging all before me Or being faithful to my self Or someone other Perhaps the times I chose to hide Would prove to be worth less Than the truth of human feeling That shows me who I am But only in my mind Acquaintance Can be very harsh AGL  

A calm descends Feeling fine I've been around for a long, long time Via every twist and wind Following along The guiding line Travelling at great speed tonight The memories come rushing back Of a lifetime spent Going round in circles Keeping low Avoiding troubles   Now inside This human carriage An easier ride As yet untarnished Walking with my head held high Proud in life This life is fine   We all go through it at a different speed Occasionally We take the lead Otherwise we follow on A father can learn things From his sons   Wisdom doesn't just appear It can be quick But usually takes years Until the light bulb sparks to life Knowledge tries its best to hide Ignorance A downward slide Disregard logic For an easier ride.         AGL        

She stands by me Off to my left A hand runs slowly Down my neck An icy touch Enhanced by the chill Of a cold winters day Devoid of sun The rain comes lashing from the darkest sky Daylight is there But try's its best to hide The pregnant clouds Have reared the floods Under foot Peat sodden mud We walk together Through icy rain My forehead cold Is stung with pain A million needles Honing in Acupressure On my skin Coming towards the safety of home The kettles on Tea in the pot Kick off shoes And light the fire Always with her The sweetest desire Be it summer Or winters strains Heart's are beating But in the main Each breath that I have On earth to give Is for my love Companion Friend. AGL

Where do you go at the end of the day Reposed in bed Sleep steals you away Those dreams that transport you To far distant lands Strangers in vision Woman or man   Woodlands in autumn In Moonshine Or the rain Maybe conjured from memories Imaginings of fame   Nightmares are worries That may wake you up Chased by a demon He'll never catch up   Those gentle illusions That fill you with hope Taking you on a journey Full of wonder and awe Wishing you had wrote it In the morning, forgot   Sleep will replenish Will wash it away The strains of hard labour Poured down a drain The picture show magic Must be well meant For the hours In life, stolen That each of us spends Dreaming in colour Beginning to end     AGL   

Moving Slowly Inching Towards The edge Of reason When No reason Can be found The Abyss Lies Before you Stealing your Options Despairingly stark You feel quite prepared To leap into the dark You Can See No way Out. When you Jump It is too late NO chance to turn Change your mind A second split No hindsight The ill The vulnerable The fragile souls No escape Until They succumb No Amount Of Intervention Creative minds Full Of invention Will but delay Never stop Those who wish To end this play Don't despair If You Are Caught By an Invading maruader Who grabs Your thoughts When They Tell you That you Are safe Believe in them They care My friend When the choice To wait Or leave Is placed before you Stay right here If you don't You cannot regret What has went before you Yet Able to accept that somethings wrong If those aroun

Sweetly With comfort Ecstasy and pleasure Working together Rolling in calm waters Building   Moving forward Retreating Advancing Tightly Pressure builds   The intense The conjoined Released We subside   Relaxing In slumber Joined closely The heat The serenity The womb like darkness Soothes Heart beats slowing They beat In rhythm   After a while sleep comes upon us Dreaming of nothing Deeply inhale and exhale The morning light offers A promised new day   Sometimes you wonder Could life have been kinder With a heart that is wider Accepting your follies As well as your gifts   The personal relations Caressing and stroking Ego's being massaged Pressing the pain   Yes there's been issues Displeasure and troubles The loving is something That repairs all that strife Residues clinging Of arguments argued   They say making up Is so hard to do Its easy when I am here with you O

The pride, the passion The loyalty, the reason Anti The world Hurtful lesions We do our best to please and honour The rules of society Worth the bother Honesty in a humans nature No need to bribe Or curry favour The ability to ponder Law's and morals all of us gather If we allow ouselves to stray If the moral chip has slipped away Anarchic persuasion To weakened minds Intoxicates them as it finds Gripped and angry Pay the price For a lack of civility Mostly we try to tow the line Gripped by addiction Society hidden None of us keen to do some time Others trapped by generational angst Second nature not a chance More like taught by those who are blind Father taught the wrong way Mother sits and weeps her tears A son departed A daughter gone Opiate intoxication Was just to good Their will not strong The scourge of the hopeless Pin pricks of ecstacy Brains a fuddle Sleeping in urine soaked puddles What I

Intuitive In his understanding Of the things that have caused Mind numbing distraction   Its a guessing game When the truth is hidden Sometimes in sight Though maybe not often   Is a depression Casting a cloud Are you unhappy With all that life has brought Confidence low You're looking down Eyes on the pavement A constant frown   Crippled by falsehood You find yourself hiding Its only by chance that you are now confiding In the man who is sitting Within easy reach An ear you can borrow A suggestion may teach   You said you were happy Ten years ago The trip now to this place Has been long Its been slow   The drudgery of an existence Tarnished by fate You search for some help Before its too late   What shall be the message You wish to pass on Will they believe you Formulate plans   Will it be a secret You've been scared to release It sounds like sheer madness They'll laugh and they

When they tell you that you are not good enough When they say that you're not smart Do you accept what they are telling you Taking it to heart Confidence is shattered when someone puts us down Belief in our abilities dips below the bar Sometimes folks will tell you What they think you want to hear A skewed and twisted impression Feeds into all of our trembling fears If you think that you can manage All that is given for you to do Lift your head up proudly Work away The way you are Eventually you might be noticed As the one who should be cheered It happens that despite Having an aptitude for the role You go through life unnoticed Feeling pointless and ignored The importance in becoming That which you know you are Comes from way down inside of you Its not always about free beer Those who would deride you  Say 'man look at him' Are clearly self-important dogs Who don't command the ear Of those who see your

A statue Carved from wood Intricately detailed There it stood A figure The fairy king Or so I thought And then the apparition came Blood and bones The statues clone His back was turned Over his shoulder To me he beckoned Come follow me Spell-bound focused Just like those kids from Hamlin I followed him freely Intrigued to learn What message he had For me he'd come In a street Wide and open Conjured inside His imagination The devilish man Smiled sweetly "Don't expect..." He said to me "That luck is free to gather" "Don't expect such fortitude" "You must pay for luck, my fellow" With that he motioned me to come closer And in his fingers  Dangled A small rectangular Sliver of silver In its middle A gem of stone Sparkling, shining Light cast, thrown He placed this prize into my hand Winking as he did I was aghast "Quite soon..." He said "You

Laugh a while Tears induce sighs A million thoughts Underlie In the knowledge of memories hallowed Of the many routes Through life you have travelled Easing on since you were born School bells ring Then they are gone A working life Experience gained Many jobs Some a pain Socially You fluttered Each bar visited The sweetest flower Occasionally over indulgent Sick on nectar Rolled and stumbled Fatherhood A tiny baby Grown up now A fine young lady Imparting wisdom To painted on ears You are just like your parents A long held fear Inside You grip to hold on to youth The mirror informs A painful truth Crows feet mar middle aged features Visiting schools Older than teacher Hair escapes From way up high The grey ones remain old age calls Your middle has its own postcode Fashion sense Out of this world When you were young You did imagine A perfect life Riches Mansions Reality bites Eating those passions Living in a semi Full of inaction

A shadow Crosses the roadway before me Out of the tangle of shrubs so scary Silently it passes across Fleetingly Across the path Manlike Speeding fast The narrow lane Crossed in a flash Mysterious, Threatening Racing Gone Nervously I peer and quiver Up my spine An icy shiver Shuddering I look too eager Into the woods I wish I'd never IN your memory lurks a spectral invasion A trick of the mind? Or factual persuasion? The wonder of the natural world The menace of her twisted sister  Odd Impressions made that will last for ever Did I see what has went quickly Or did my psyche conjure up A vision sent to try me Shocked I take flight  Into the darkness of a moon less night No street light furniture Enhances the gloom The tarmacadam slides from view In the woodlands Cries are shrill Pheasants shriek like banshees from hell Imagined Or real It does not matter Inside of my head Residing, eve

Blood vessels The written representation Of a torrid Unhealthy lifestyle Invade the whites of his eyes   Up close The breath of a thousand vomits Teeth Blackened by neglectfulness Eroded by acids Long since These eyes have not witnessed a mirror   Vanity is pointless When the image you have Of you Is one of a horror show A nightmare Entered in innocence   A child Just seventeen years They offered, you took Whatever it was The toxic substance Wine Heroin A ten pound bag Or cheap apple cider The primer The hook   Life is so much easier When You remove your self From the burden filled existence That society demands of you   Free Money Seven day weekend   Friends If that's what they are Loyalty is bought Not offered Acquainted in circumstance     Its only for a while I heard you say Now 'Got any change mate' 'I need to catch a train'   Is it your fault Yes

Remember Who you are Don't ever forget   Where you have come from Is important, not shit They may try to tell you That you are nothing but the pits   But you know that your not worthless You believe in yourself Even if you CV Says Do not down load   You are so special In every thing you do Don't worry when they tell you When they say Your some kind of fool?   Those who expunge Such grotesque points of view Are clearly unhappy Its not down to you   I have been sullied By the negativity of clowns Who tried to promise me I was worthless I now know That's never been true   I'm not the most successful Of anyone I know But I am proud of my input Into this The only life That flows   Aspire to greatness If that is your wish But don't believe what they tell you When they say That your are Worth less.   Thats falsehood Its crazy Its easy to believe When confidence is low But th

Night shift had finished much earlier than expected, not many people looking for a taxi, five thirty am on this dry but cold summers morning, he let himself into the small first floor flat as quietly as possible, not wanting to disturb his wife or any of their three small children at this early hour. As is normal to some night shift workers, he opened the refrigerator where he retrieved an ice cold can on Tennents lager, the small stool became his perch by the slim kitchen window, he smoked and supped for five minutes, relaxing after the boredom of his shift, financial worries and tiredness trying their best to invade his thoughts.  The lager tasted good, as each mouthful slid down his neck he could feel the cold liquids journey inch by inch, he sighed 'haaaa' the sigh of semi-contentment. Suddenly he heard someone attempting to open the rear door of the Victorian tenement building, situated directly below the kitchen window, this door was kept locked on a permanent basis,

The Wishing Tree. Part One: Gnarled, knotted, with twisted limbs, her branches over up and out, in several arm like coils, no longer able to bear leaves or buds in the summer time, brittle if touched she may crumble and fall if pushed too suddenly by the strong coastal winds. Her position among the bulls in the field, 20 feet from the iron fence on the secluded roadway  at Glasserton, outside the Town of Whithorn, Wigtownshire, meant that those who passed by who were out for the day or walking dogs along this dry and level dirt road sometimes hardly even knew that she was there, some of course did, those who had imagined her to a mystical entity due to he unusual demeanour may have thought wishes possible, but that sort of thing is only a fairy tail. The last who had made his wish was about to receive it, she could not understand why this young man had wished for such a thing.  " I am here to serve!" her mantra ran through her structure. The time approached. Abov

In the nineteen eighties when I was but a lad, I began every Saturday to go along to various venues in Paisley, where I and many, many others were witness to some quiet incredible musicianship, from a multitude of bands, the representation of different genres was astonishing.   The blues scene in Paisley at the time was something to be very proud of for those who attended and for the many talented men and women who played an active part, Dennis McBride, Jukebox, Gordon, big Al, The Sons, Brazil, too many bands too remember.  As a regular spectator, ,usually too pished to truly appreciate the brilliance, but giving it my best shot, I started talking one Saturday to a man called Craig who along with his wife was always in and around the music scene in paisley.   Craig, despite being a bit older than myself and my friends was always a true gent, never any bother to be around, and as many of us will remember from those times that wasn't always how gigs rolled JINGS!!  Craig a

Warmth and kindness Not social blindness Charitable intentions Oppose, greed and deception Altruism Is never selfish Honour Towards all around Feet planted firmly Upon fertile fruitful ground Knowing who you are Not what others would believe you to be The true self Shines through Beauty In every aspect of life Of thought Of feeling Breaking free The false glass ceiling Limitless Being a human Not religious There is no need No false prophets In which to take any heed You are who you are They cannot say otherwise Sometimes foolish In your own heart wise Smart as a tack Blunter than a spoon As bright as the sun And as illuminated as the fullest moon You Me The man next door Or the woman down the road Your mothers child Your daughters son Grandparents who have experienced Decades Before you were born Everyone is everything In this life Here on earth Capable of loving Or of be

Why are we here Spinning so fast Working for the penny Taxed to the last What is it That says that it is OK For millions of people To pay and pay and pay Taxed for our comforts and for our care Revenue's gone crazy In every single way Levy the punters Take twenty percent of a wage The VAT man is mental He steals from us each day The wealthy Have riches and that is just fine If they've earned it they deserve it Each man to his ain A government that values Stripping away The rights of the poor man Who eke's out and scrapes Is less than inhuman Its my right to say What price to be settled How much should change hands For the honest and forthright To believe that they can When children go hungry Families seek help From charities who offer Food for their mouths Cut backs are one thing Taxation is another Utilities are expensive They will get dearer The competitionless Conglomurates raise tariffs No fear of anyone Telling them to st

Morning they call it When the alarm clock erupts Startled from sleeping Rudely, It interupts   The dream you were having About all kinds of things Faces and meetings Vividly seen Once your awake You'll forget everything     The warmth of the duvet The pillow so soft Outside the rain lashes The windows a drum A tune beat too quickly Rhythmically thrummed   You press the snooze button For nine minutes more Aware as you do so That you won't have much time to snore   Just as sleep takes you Back towards nod The shrill of the demon Awakes you, Oh god!   Dragging your carcus From out of the bed The carpet beneath you Hair wild on your head   Thoughts of your purpose Today in the world Appointments and driving This grey early dawn Overcast and down-cast This week will be long     AGL       

Solitude and The Farmed by AG Leyden,  released in 2011 is still available on amazon and from most online bookstores.

I sit here Eyes are open Sleep is far from me The morning further still   If sleep would but only come Restful, soothing, dreaming I lie here eyes alert, open Widely I stare Unblinking In quiet expectation   Sleep will come to me But I'd bet that I don't notice At least Not until wakefulness finds me   The day arrives Rested Tomorrows evening Eyes open The morning far from me Insomnia Worries Familial heartache Debt and the world Morning will arrive Light from the window Creeps up to startle me For now The morning is so far A distance immeasurable Sleep not a promise More of a wish The ability to doze The best of gifts AGL

I have ears I also have eyes I can hear I can see   I have feet Covered in shoes My socks Keep me warm Cushioning the blows     Inside of me Organs function Heart pumps blood Bowel Compels expulsion   Abuse my liver Overwork my bladder Kidneys function Aches and pains Fit and hale Summer time tanning Winter skin pale     Lungs that take Great volumes of air In and out Breathing Alive, I am aware   My fingers grasp The intricate workings Pinching Cupping Scratching Feeding   Inside of my head Beneath the toughness of my skull My brain uses information I process and feel   Like everyone No matter their colour My palest of skin Scottish in pallor     The hair on my head Unruly, grows quickly I am unique Just like you I am human   Capable of greatness Humble when relevant Happy with glee I can cry like any one Tears from me can stream   I watch the TV Or listen t

Words will sooth us For as long as they are spoken As long as in caring Sentiments unbroken Healing through thoughtfulness Observed as well meant Listened too intently Time is well spent If we are to value Each verse, considered Provoking the mind To remember an experience A memory cherished The words from a song Or a book Or from film Poetry Historically valued By all who have sampled Or studied or watched Where were you yesterday? When the world stopped turning How did you feel Were you sad In grief stricken mourning Did you sense joy As happiness took you Elated by life Experiences shared A play on words Hard to ignore A childhood story Or fathers favourite film We all have vocabularies To varying degrees All of us can muster a few words of praise We are all capable Or hurting each other A word said in haste Words will forever be Part of our lives When asking for something Or when

I dream't one night that I had taken a fall Spinning as I plummeted Out of control I fell from a mountain From way up high From then on my friends I was sure i would die. As I fell, the mists parted The green land below Rushing towards me Not soft and inviting But harshly defining Sudden and bold  Downwards I rolled The green lands exploded Coming up soon They were all that I could see Straight ahead And Peripherally The sky now a memory Of the few left to me. Arriving too fast The imminence of endings I breathed in my last The danger in falling From such a great height Adrenaline proxy Futile attentions Secreted Inside Just at that moment Before the pain arrived The alarm clock awoke me Hearing, In life Prologue: They say dreams are worries Unravelled inside Symbolic representations Of anxieties you hide I once dreamed of love The purest in form A woman, tall and slender Who wanted my

I wake up every day Glad to be alive Each breath I take I experience fully Still breathing I haven't died The monitor beeps here beside me The graph goes on and on Measuring every aspect That tells them that I'm here I heard them speak the other day As around me they all stood My children, wife and parents Tried their best to be understood A flicker caught An eyelid opened A word escaping dry dry lips An increasing heart rate An exhalation Sitting up would make them run If only I could tell them That I'm here behind this wall Soundproofed by an expert They wouldn't hear me Should I ever call The doctors send the nurses To check for any change I feel the coldness of the steel As stethoscopes listen in. They strangle my arm with BP machines They are sure that I'll survive But just for now confidence shakes For I am barely here, Inside I am conscious Of all that passes me by I hear the

If I explode with rage What difference would it make Laughing in the face of of adversity Would I be any safer Cry in pools of sorrow Would I be noticed and supported through it If I was invisible To eye and to ear If I were to shout and not be heard Screaming from the bottom of my lungs My distress falls unnoticed Frustration about injustice Concern for others Caring and humanity What does it matter If I am to be perceived as a silent voice by Those who do not listen Beauty IS visible The splendour of the natural world Imaginations captured By the simplest flowering plant Explosions of colour Cannot be ignored Seen by all Or Heard by those who listen As the owl announces her location The free, unchanged rural world She soars above our prison Miles from Cardboard cities Famine, Death Wars and Crime Hidden from view By apathy and disbelief The beggar Cup outstretched Pennies for food Under bridges Frozen

The sun comes up each morning It happens every day Sometimes her heat is hidden If the sky is full and grey When she shines upon us Her heat it soothes and heals Whenever we feel low in mood She warms us anyway Yesterday I caught her As she slipped behind the world Out of sight Arrived the night Clear sky stars way high Filled me with there splendour Every star above is unique Just as people are on earth The guiding lights above us Astronomers of old In life each day is different Even if they feel the same The humdrum of the office Or the commute on the train Life is always changing We move on as the weeks pass Decisions made for good or bad Resolved in time we hope The sun decides its morning She tells us dusk has come The cosmos does not lie She'll be there every morning So far tomorrow comes Even when full of sorrow If sadness fills your heart The rising star will shine on you Each step towards

Imagine if you can how it must feel To be trapped amid confusion Unable to envisage what is right there before you Communicating so poorly Some think you a fool The repercussions of behaviours seen as aggressive Blind to consequence, you try hard to be passive They don't understand They treat you as bad Bewildered, unfiltered ideas flow through your head They say that it is a spectrum They say you're disabled But what hope have they brought To you to your table 'Modify your anger Don't behave in that way' The invisible disability That will never go away He can count to one trillion Using prime numbers The colour of tractors Sold in their hundreds The histories of warfare The history of nations When does the 440 arrive at the station He won't ever tell you right to your face how he thinks you are feeling By the look on your face Oblivious too the nuances of politeness and grace Seen as inappropriate No matter what he says Expres

Stories of candles left there to burn Shining beacons to those cast adrift Fathers and sons The harbour light extinguishes But the taper always shines He's been gone now for a long time Maybe he will never return The faith in the candle is the strongest belief of all Its not about religion or anything imagined to be true Its more about hope Its more about longing Its all about the wish she has  That his ship has not gone down He floats adrift now The cold has taken hold Making a living In the only way he knows how The nets are freely dropped The fish are snared with ease But the ocean grabs her fancy The briny smiles with glee The light is in the window Distorted by the glass You can see it from way out far Beyond the harbour wall He's still alive and swimming Despite the weight he carries Saturated beyond what any man could carry He knows that he can see it A pin prick on the horizon It dances as if bec

They've put a horseshoe in the ground At the heart of  Paisley's Maxwell town They say that it will keep us safe That the tortured souls will be kept at bay Tormented in their final moments At a time when common lacked any sense of knowing Those in power had decreed  That consorting with Satan Was a sinful folly On the say of a very small girl A band of locals Lost their all What hideous mind decided that Anyone Cursed by deceit Faithful to witchcraft Don't talk pish Its strange how the beliefs of some folks is formed Through time and in future The end surely comes Heracy rules by the acceptance of culture's Evolving too slowly to keep up with time Rest easy Witches and continue to sleep The world has been turning around for so long  Who decides whats right or wrong Who can tell us that our ideas are false who can prove in the existence of god Or in him cast out by the fiery wrath Believe in something real

It makes no difference to me What you do or do not see I can't look through your eyes Anything you witness To me is a big surprise Sure you can describe it Using descriptive accurate prose Or show me where to look I can go and have a nose Will I see what you have seen Will I be as impressed As you have seemed My exhuberance lifts By bearing witness Or will my excitement be tempered By my own impressions Rendered To allow me to observe through the eyes of another Would be a gift indeed There are some things Undeniably startling That please huge crowds Applause exploding Do we all see what the next man does Or are we driven to see what our own eyes see It would be easy to expect That the rose once bloomed Could cause a rush Individuals wonder at its beauty Her scent caresses our innocence Do you smell what I smell Do you feel what I feel When we embrace In a world of beauty   AGL

Summertime And the rain it is falling The sound is comfort As I sit inside listening The wind causes action That pushes on the trees A hundred thousand leaves Act like odd sails Roots anchor them sturdy Rigging presented They stay where they are Green As far as the eye can see Glistens, as droplets Roll to the ground Puddles and rivulets Pour from the hills Inclines though slight Have an inevitability Gravitating downwards Rivers Gather, their swelling The cycle continues As the sea claims her prize Vapour she rises Clouds become heavy Atmosphere changes The rains come again Water We drink our fill Abundance an understatement In this pleasant land Nurture refreshes From mountain to valley Fed by our nation Quenched by her goodness Our Scotland Oor hame Summertime Sunshine tomorrow? Drying massaging In spate The rivers replenish Feeding us always This country for life AGL