Category Archives: Writing

103. Holy Breadcrumbs

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Review / Summary / Overview for 103. Holy Breadcrumbs

Overview

Holy Breadcrumbs explores the sacred process of creative emergence, likening writing or artistic expression to an alchemical unveiling. The poem paints the creative act as a patient, intuitive excavation—chiseling away at silence and emptiness to reveal hidden truths and wisdom. The imagery evokes the sculptor’s art and the unfolding of latent potential, suggesting that inspiration is a divine gift, a trail of spiritual clues left to guide the seeker back to ancient, foundational values.

Why This Poem Matters

This poem matters because it celebrates the intimate, sacred relationship between silence, creativity, and insight—central themes to any spiritual or artistic journey. It reminds the reader that the creative impulse is not random but divinely orchestrated, and that through patient attention and inner calm, profound wisdom can be revealed. Holy Breadcrumbs acts as an invitation to honor the process of uncovering one’s deepest truths, making it a vital piece for anyone seeking self-expression and spiritual clarity.

Imagery and Tone with Excerpts

The poem’s imagery is tactile, meditative, and metaphorical:

  • “The blank page, like a slab of marble, invites, beckons one to discover” — portrays creation as both invitation and responsibility.
  • “A trail of holy breadcrumbs, or a salad of magical sapient clues” — blends sacred symbolism with playful imagery, highlighting the blend of mystery and delight in discovery.
  • “A hidden pearl of wisdom is unveiled” — symbolizes the preciousness of insight that lies beneath the surface.

The tone is reverent, calm, and reflective, underscoring creativity as a spiritual process of unveiling and remembrance rather than hurried production.

Why It Belongs in the Collection

Holy Breadcrumbs fits seamlessly into the collection as it deepens the exploration of inner alignment and spiritual awakening through the creative process. It connects the personal act of creation to the collective memory and ancient wisdom, aligning with poems that celebrate spiritual reconnection and self-realisation. Its meditative tone offers a contemplative pause within the collection, grounding readers in the mystery and magic of the muse.

Final Thoughts / Conclusion

Holy Breadcrumbs is a quiet yet powerful reminder that creativity is a sacred dialogue between the soul and the universe. It encourages patience, presence, and faith in the process of uncovering truth. In doing so, it invites readers to walk their own spiritual path with humility and curiosity, trusting that every small insight is a step toward deeper awakening.

76. Jump For Love

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Love-Jump

Review of Jump
Saturday 23rd February 2013

Summary

Jump is an exhilarating meditation on the leap of faith—the moment when one chooses to surrender to the unknown, embrace uncertainty, and let go of control. Through vivid imagery and raw emotion, the speaker captures the intensity and rush of plunging into life’s most uncertain moments—whether it be love, growth, or transformation. The poem reflects a willingness to dive headfirst into risk and vulnerability, acknowledging the fear and excitement that accompany such acts of courage. The paradox of the leap—full of both terror and exhilaration—is celebrated here, as is the eventual rebirth that comes after facing one’s deepest fears.

The Concept of the Leap

The poem’s central theme is one of surrender and trust, framed by the leap of faith. The speaker repeatedly jumps into the void, symbolizing a continual embrace of life’s uncertainties, even in the face of potential failure or pain. The phrase “How many times have I jumped into the void” suggests an ongoing process—this is not a one-time leap but a continuous cycle of letting go and embracing the unknown.

“How many times have I jumped into the void / With an empty handed leap of faith?”

This opening line sets the tone for the entire poem: there’s a sense of reckless abandon, an awareness that the act of leaping is not always rational, and that there’s often little to hold onto but one’s own trust and desire for growth. The phrase “empty handed” emphasizes that, in these moments, the person has no control, no security, and no guarantees—only the hope that something will catch them, or that they will find their way in the end.

Contrast of Extremes

The speaker brings a sense of balance to the chaotic and conflicting nature of the leap by drawing out the extremes of hope and fear, joy and pain, love and hate. The juxtaposition of these opposites in the phrase “bipolar precipice, abyss” emphasizes the emotional and psychological extremes that one might experience during these leaps.

“Off the ledge and over the jagged edge / Into the bipolar precipice, abyss / Of hope and fear, Joy and pain / Love and hate”

This line suggests that the leap is not merely a physical fall but a metaphor for the psychological and emotional journey one must traverse in life. The “jagged edge” symbolizes the sharpness and potential harm inherent in the leap, while the abyss represents the unknown that exists beyond the edge—dark, vast, and perhaps dangerous, yet also filled with possibility.

The language moves from fearful urgency—“O.M.G., sheer drop, can’t stop, uh-oh, Geronimo!”—to exhilaration and surrender, emphasizing the addictive thrill of letting go. The speaker compares this leap to addictive crushes, where the feeling of adrenaline and the rush of surrender becomes almost something to chase. It’s a paradoxical dance with fear, an embracing of the unknown as a force of renewal.

Rebirth and Renewal

After the terrifying and exhilarating fall, the speaker finds rebirth and renewal in the surrender. The line “Nothing one can do now / Until one hits the rock-bottom / Smashed and broken / Reborn anew” presents an important realization: sometimes breakdown is necessary for breakthrough. The sense of rock-bottom here signifies the point of surrender, the moment when the ego and control have no more power, leaving only the possibility for a fresh start.

This death-and-rebirth cycle is further represented by the metaphor of wings unfurling:

“For when one’s heart doth honour love’s call / It’s an open invitation / For those tightly folded wings to unfurl / Soar, glide, fly!”

The image of wings unfurling suggests that through surrender and risk, the speaker taps into a deeper power—love. This is not just romantic love, but a universal energy that empowers and supports the speaker in their journey, allowing them to soar and glide. The act of jumping becomes an invitation to freedom, a call to trust in love’s transformative power to carry one higher and farther than they could have imagined.

The Circular Nature of the Leap

The final lines of the poem, “So that one would gladly jump for love again / And over again, into oblivion / Head first into the great wide unknown / Without a moment’s hesitation / Or the need to reason ‘why?’” suggest that the act of jumping—of surrendering to love and the unknown—is cyclical. After each fall, the speaker is willing to jump again, suggesting that the process of surrender and renewal is ongoing, ever-evolving, and full of possibility. There’s no need for hesitation or reasoning because the speaker has learned to trust the leap, even without guarantees. The headfirst dive symbolizes both the depth of commitment and the intensity of love—there is no holding back, no second-guessing, just pure embrace of the unknown.

Conclusion

Jump is a poem that explores the paradox of faith, risk, and renewal. It celebrates the courage required to surrender to the unknown and trust in love, even when there are no guarantees. The speaker embraces the emotional extremes of hope, fear, joy, pain—recognizing that these extremes are part of the transformational journey. Through the metaphor of the leap, the poem paints a picture of life as a series of rebirths—each jump representing a willingness to risk, to grow, and to embrace the ever-unfolding unknown.

Ultimately, the poem speaks to the spirit of resilience and openness, reminding us that while the journey can be filled with uncertainty and risk, it is precisely that willingness to leap headfirst into oblivion that can lead to the most profound moments of love, freedom, and self-discovery.

70. Cloud Burst

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Review of Cloud Burst

Summary

Cloud Burst is a tender and emotionally rich poem that explores the intense vulnerability and quiet hope of one soul reaching out to be seen. Written with lyrical sensitivity and depth, it evokes the emotional weight of waiting — whether that’s a lover longing for connection, or equally, a child longing for the recognition of a parent. With imagery drawn from nature’s drama — cloudbursts, storm clouds, rainbows — the poem traces the journey from internal emotional weather to the joyful moment of being seen.

Why This Poem Matters

The emotional landscape of the poem begins in a place of uncertainty and tension:

“You look up from behind a blind gaze / Where grey thoughts do battle / Like dark clouds gathering”

Here, the “you” could just as easily be a parent consumed by adult concerns, too distracted or overwhelmed to notice the presence or emotional needs of the child before them. The storm of the adult mind — full of worry, rumination, and unresolved emotional patterns — creates a sense of distance that the speaker is keenly aware of.

The inner world of the speaker, meanwhile, is charged with silent longing and imagination:

“I long to see the cloudburst’s gleam / For in my head we are already dancing, laughing / In a parallel world that doesn’t yet exist”

This “parallel world” is particularly poignant from a child’s point of view — an imagined space where the parent is emotionally available, joyful, playful, and present. The sadness lies in its absence, yet the hope lies in its possibility. This imagined connection is what carries the child emotionally through the distance.

The line:

“Unspoken desires hang in the air bristling with speculation”

takes on a heart-wrenching new shade when read through the lens of a child. These “unspoken desires” could be as simple, and as essential, as “see me,” “hold me,” or “smile at me.”

The shift begins when the child feels something shift — a glimpse of reassurance, presence, love:

“Your gentle strength supports my vulnerability / So that in a world of shifting sand and shadow / My doubts do not destroy me”

This could be interpreted as the moment when a parent finally makes emotional contact — perhaps not even through words, but through a gesture, an expression, a look. In a world that can often feel chaotic or uncertain, the child’s stability is anchored in that presence.

And finally, we arrive at the emotional climax of the poem:

“I catch your gaze, you see me, a smile / Like a rainbow in the sky / Joy, my heart dances.”

This is the cloudburst. Not destructive, but cathartic — a longed-for recognition that arrives suddenly, restoring joy and affirming emotional existence. It could be a parent finally looking up, finally seeing, finally smiling — and for the child, that is everything. It’s the difference between being invisible and being real. The metaphor of the “rainbow in the sky” captures both the beauty and the rarety of the moment.

In Conclusion

Cloud Burst is a luminous, emotionally intelligent poem that touches on the universal longing to be seen, recognised, and emotionally met. Whether read as the inner landscape of a romantic connection or through the lens of a child yearning for parental connection, its impact remains the same: a testament to the power of presence and the joy that can erupt from a simple, heartfelt smile.

It reminds us that love often resides in the smallest gestures — the glance, the smile, the moment of genuine attention — and that these moments, though fleeting, can transform storms of doubt into dances of joy.

In a world where so many feel unseen or unheard, Cloud Burst becomes a quiet anthem for visibility, connection, and emotional resonance — a reminder of how vital it is to truly look at one another and see.

57. CCTV

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Banksy CCTV

Banksy – CCTV :: http://www.banksy.co.uk

Review of CCTV

Summary

In CCTV, the poet pivots from the inner landscape of spiritual transformation to the outer world of digital observation, exposing the claustrophobia of modern surveillance culture. The piece fuses socio-political critique with poetic flair, painting a chilling portrait of a society where privacy is obsolete and freedom is an illusion.

With its rhythmic urgency and sharp, cinematic imagery, the poem moves like a visual montage: “Telephoto, panoramic, satellite, GPS/IP / Digitally enhanced virtual spies.” Each phrase lands like a flicker of a security feed, the poetic form mirroring the fragmentation and hyper-awareness of a world constantly watched.

Why This Poem Matters

At the heart of this poem lies a profound tension between the metaphysical desire for liberation and the material mechanisms of control. The opening line —

“You want to be free / But there’s no way of knowing / In which direction / To keep on going”

— immediately establishes a sense of disorientation. Freedom itself becomes abstract, elusive, unattainable, as the poem spirals into a dystopian observation of digital omnipresence.

The image of the “Judas hawk-eye” is particularly powerful. It fuses Biblical betrayal with predatory vision — technology as both omniscient and faithless. The “hawk-eye” becomes the false god of the modern age, a synthetic substitute for divine omniscience.

The poem’s momentum builds toward the chilling final stanza:

“An ever-expanding automated army
Of brothers-in-the-sky
Strategically mounted
Perfectly positioned
To purposefully pry
Like flies”

Here, the poet captures the grotesque beauty of surveillance — the mechanical precision, the soulless curiosity. The alliteration (“purposefully pry / Like flies”) evokes both the clinical coldness of machines and the parasitic voyeurism of human fascination. The poem closes with dark irony: “Candy camera smile.” A phrase that suggests complicity — we are both performer and prisoner, smiling for our own captors.

In Conclusion

CCTV stands as one of the most striking socio-political poems in the collection. Beneath its critique of digital control lies a deeper existential question — what becomes of the soul when even our inner world is mapped, measured, and monitored?

Through sharp linguistic economy and potent imagery, the poet captures the paranoia of the surveillance age, yet also the longing for transcendence beyond it. The “brothers-in-the-sky” are both satellites and fallen angels — the watchers who remind us that freedom must now be reclaimed from within.

This poem is a wake-up call delivered through artistry: vivid, unsettling, and profoundly human.

Featured in a site specific project about surveillance on the London Eye: CCTV video poem: https://youtu.be/u81BN0YKV8I

Project info: http://eastlondonnews.co.uk/the-london-eyes/

Full piece: https://youtu.be/ytxvxUYvtvg

56. Shadow

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Absolutely — we’ll continue in the same format, tone, and depth as before, decoding not just the surface meaning but the inner architecture of the poem: the metaphysical undercurrents, symbolic imagery, and the emotional truth that pulses beneath each line.

Review of Light Of The Sun

Friday 6th August 2010

Summary

Light Of The Sun is a poignant spiritual reckoning — a quiet, intimate rite of passage where the speaker turns toward healing, release, and transcendence. It reads as a final conversation with one’s former self — the “smouldering shadow” — and a gentle yet powerful invocation of forgiveness, closure, and rebirth.

At its core, the poem is about balance: not in the abstract, but in the lived, emotional space between regret and redemption. Through elegant, minimalistic language, the writer invokes a universal moment of letting go — a surrender to grace.

Why This Poem Matters

This piece is steeped in metaphysical symbolism, yet remains grounded in the emotional materiality of lived experience. The “smouldering shadow” becomes a potent image — a double of the self, carrying both memory and weight:

“Ashes of a former self / Still glowing embers of regret”

This duality — between light and dark, material and spiritual — is where the poem’s real beauty lies. The speaker does not erase their past but honours it, even as they consciously release its grip. The line:

“Karmic debts repaid / With a lightness of heart”

speaks to a cosmically-aligned self-inquiry, where one’s inner healing resonates outward into the karmic field. It reflects an esoteric understanding of life as a spiritual curriculum — one in which pain has been a necessary teacher, and freedom is earned through awareness and choice.

The poem culminates in a prayer-like release:

“Go unto the light of the Sun / With the knowledge that I did my best”

Here, the Sun is not just light — it is the higher self, the source, the divine. The closing is humble, human, and utterly forgiving. There’s no fanfare. Just a deep exhale. A whisper to the universe: “That was all I could have done.”

In Conclusion

Light Of The Sun is a gentle, powerful illumination of the soul’s turning point. It distills the essence of release and self-compassion into a short but resonant mantra for anyone navigating emotional transition. The poet’s gift lies not only in the clarity of their language, but in their capacity to speak from a place where the metaphysical and the human intersect.

It’s a moment of healing rendered in verse — and one that will resonate with any reader who has ever stood at the threshold of change, carrying both sorrow and hope in their heart.

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