I heard sirens and birds
As I stood
In the darkening wood.
Later, when the sirens where gone
The birds sang on
As I passed through
The churchyard
Pondering on what is true
I heard sirens and birds
As I stood
In the darkening wood.
Later, when the sirens where gone
The birds sang on
As I passed through
The churchyard
Pondering on what is true
“The trees are bare”, you said.
The sun shone
And our 2 dogs ran on
Unaware their autumn
Must come. And a gentle breeze
Blew through grasses.
When young lovers kiss amidst spring flowers
In their urgent need
They fail to heed
How our hours are fragile as glass.
Spring and summer pass.
We come to autumn
And the bare tree speaks of mortality.
I know a young lady named Spink
Who is extremely fond of a drink.
Her and Miss Mabel
Dance on the table
When we gentlemen buy them a drink …
I have been kissed
By passing lips.
They soon move on,
And are gone.
I have met ships
At midnight
Who sail at dawn.
How forlorn
Is the cold light
Of morn
After a sultry night
Of pleasure
In indifferent weather.
When I am gone
My poetry may live on.
And when I go
Others will know
Whether it is so.
While in the cold ground
There is nothing profound
For worms have no time
For fleeting rhyme.
But love to dine …
When I met the infamous Professor Moriarty
Who said, “come along to my party!”
The great Homes was there
With a big dancing bear.
And Watson danced nude at that party!
The wind blew chill
In the darkening woods.
I heard an owl’s cry
And for a moment stood
As the daylight
Continued into night.
Sometimes, in dreams, it seems
To me
That what I feel and see
Is reality.
But, when I awake
I realise my mistake,
And partake in what we designate as reality.
Yet I may dream
And the solid things I feel and see
May merely seem to be
As Poe saw long ago
On 4 December, I appeared on the World Poetry Café. During my segment, I read Ernest Dowson’s “They are Not Long” and Sir Walter Ralegh’s “Even Such is Time”. In addition, I read a number of my own poems and talked about my writing process.
To listen to the show please follow this link World Poetry Cafe Dec 4 2025 with Kevin Morris by VictorSchwartzman | Mixcloud. My bit appears approximately 20 minutes into the podcast.
My thanks to Ariadne Sawyer for hosting me on the World Poetry Café.
The Autumn dark is coming down.
One day I will drown
And leave the night
And the light.
For I am bound by dark
And will not fight
The inevitable night.