Poems by Graham Craven

When demons pick at my troubled mind
And the passage to sleep becomes harder to find,
I close my eyes, turn out the light
And listen to the music of the night.

First there's the silence, looming and menacing,
The audience lies waiting, patiently listening.
My heart is racing; it's pounding and deafening.
The taste of tension is sour and sickening.

Outside the wind blows a sweet, sad refrain
That plays on repeat again and again.
It builds to a crescendo, stormy and wild
Until it blows over and breathes like a child.

The rhythm of the night train's clickety-clack,
'The Moonlight Sonata' for insomniacs.
It's a song of love and another heart broken
When so much is said without a single word spoken.

A dripping tap becomes a cacophony,
The percussion in my moonlight symphony.
Every drip...drip...drop performed in the overture
Is a well-rehearsed line in my sleepless torture.

The hymns of miners lost in the gloom
Are sang by angels as they circle my room.
Voices that flicker like light from a flame
Are swallowed by the coal-black from which they came.

Birdsong at dawn, a heavenly choir,
Brings me to rest and my eyes start to tire.
While sunlight chases my demons away,
I fall asleep gently to the sounds of the Day.

Grandma's on the dancefloor
Shaking what she's got.
If it don't shake, it wobbles,
And boy, does it wobble a lot.

The old moves don't come easy
Even though she's got new hips.
She swings them almost freely now,
And you can barely hear them click.

Grandad's in the corner,
Sipping on his beer.
Will he shake his booty?
My Grandad - No fear!

Grandma means the world to him,
And he's her Mr. Right.
He's the one who'll walk her home,
The one she'll kiss goodnight.

My sister just got married,
And the party's in full sway.
She's hand in hand with Grandma
Twisting the night away.

Sister pulls Gran closer
To make sure that she's listening.
Then Grandma stops and shouts aloud
"We're going to have a Christening."

Back in the day when we were young,
Risking our necks on some great adventure,
Others would mock our idea of fun,
Telling tall tales or hiding Gran's dentures.
Hungry bellies fueled our ambition.
Each of us choosing a professional path,
Receiving awards and peer recognition.
Sibling rivals we may be, but we're always game for a laugh.

There's a tree in every window
Gardens twinkle with lights
Signs are displayed in frosty lawns
'Santa, please stop here tonight'.

Children are listening for sleigh bells
And a cheery 'ho, ho, ho
Through endless hours until daybreak
Why must time travel so slow?

Every creaking floorboard
Or footstep on the street
Sounds like Santa oh my, oh Lord
Or the sound of reindeer feet.

Creep along the landing
Full of wonder, full of dread
Tiptoe half way down the stairs
Before mum shouts 'children, go to bed'

Did I hear a whisper
Or see a shadow on the floor
Was that a magical light I saw
Through the gap of the open lounge door?

Perhaps I drifted off to sleep
And the magic was just a dream
But as I opened up my eyes
I knew that he had been.

Racing down the stairs
Past the stockings on the wall
To the lounge where lights were blinking
On the tree stood proud and tall.

I knew right then that Santa
In red suit trimmed with white gloves
Had left me the best gift of all
And that's the gift of love.