Along with reams of short stories, and longer attempts at fiction, I’ve written countless poems over the decades. The bulk were written in my teens and twenties and I literally have folders full of handwritten and typewritten compositions.

I’d been threatening to put a selection into print since the mid-90’s. I remember discussing it with an old girlfriend in ’95 but a number of things always seemed to stop me. Part of that was not really being sure if I wanted to share them with the world, part was never having the time to go through what was amounting to thousands of bits of paper – ranging from typed and formatted finished compositions to hand written stanzas on the back of paper bags, or anything I had at hand when inspiration hit.

A few years ago I finally got round to sorting out a collection and published them under the title “Wild Card Symphonies”. Consisting of three smaller volumes of my work, “Wild Card Symphonies”, “Cry To Me”, and “This Graveyard Heart”, the book totaled just over 120 poems. You can buy a copy (plug plug) through Lulu on one of the links at the bottom of the page if you like what you read and want to have more.

Just Listen

Red sky with nothing

but the noise of

helicopters coming

In the darkness

of night they come

thinking of the sweetness

of the killing that will come

poisoned with freespeech

that’s not free at all

yes I’ve seen Jesus

wearing his black beret

and supporting you.

—

I….I….

Listen….

To the pouring rain

And it pours….

I can’t make it stop.

—

Must it be so easy

to destroy

what we’ve created

over-night

with crosses on fire

and jesus in rags

ten twenty ten

bring on the circus.

Yeah,

is it all we can do?

—

I believe in

a kingdom come

and I’m willing to fight

what I think is wrong

but sometimes it’s just

the truth you tell

is not all there.

Just a version of lies

which you allow no answer

and there is no reply.

There’s never any answers

just your freespeech

infecting the young.

(JUST LISTEN; By A R J Abranson; 28-11-92/22:47)

My poetry anthology, Wild Card Symphonies, is available to buy now on Lulu in both Softcover and Dust Jacket Hardcover.

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Wild Card Symphonies, Cry To Me & This Graveyard Heart are Copyright ©2015, Angus Abranson. All rights reserved.
Cover design by George C. Cotronis (Ravenkult Studios, www.ravenkult.com) Copyright © 2015 Angus Abranson
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
No reproduction in part or in whole without prior written permission from the author of the copyright owner.