1. |
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A cry signals morning
Biscuit haired child
Brighter than sunshine
My turn, so tired
Your older mothers
Are gripping the sides
Composure all of asunder
Worn out and full of wonder
One, two, three
Waltzing so easily
Three, two, one
Two mothers under one son
Worn out and full of wonder
Boundlessly buoyant
Hijacked canoe
Attacking the oars
As we take turns to snooze
Bend in the river
Stronger the pull
Niagara just round the corner
Worn out and full of wonder
And with a one, two, three
Waltzing so easily
Three, two, one
Two mothers under one son
Worn out and full of wonder
Solitary magpie
His eye meets mine
Cautious, curiously
Pecks at my mind
Inclement weather
It’s too late to nest
In spite and despite the warnings
Worn out and full of wonder
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2. |
Little Crumb
00:32
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Goodnight little crumb
Sleep well outside your Mummy’s tum
And we’ll see you again in the morning
There’ll be coffee and fruit
And maybe an egg
And we’ll all be together in the dawning
Good night, sleep tight
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3. |
The Song Thrush
03:13
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Two glorious days
Sun-dried grassy paths
Birdsong, a thrush
Returns to familiar perch
The tree I can see from my window
Complicated cadences sung easily
All this winged to me
Most days, perched up that tree
More familiar than family
For in that space, I am safe
Branches hold me more frequently than her
I don’t sing for others yet
Though the caws and cries
Unsanitised
Claw at the carrion trapped inside
Working its way through my middle age
The song thrush calls
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4. |
Cloudheads
04:27
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Between the lines
I’m Princess & the Pea
Awkward, itchy, dopey
Smile and say ‘hello’
You’ll think I’ve understood
Lifetime learning
How to be good
To pass as one of you
When underneath
Interaction feels like
Too loud, too bright
Just not quite right
Everybody’s talking in riddles and rhymes
I need more time
To process and find
She’s got her head in the clouds
She’s on another planet
We’re on another planet together
Two loners walking side by side
Not streetwise
Each other’s guide
To life outside the door
I listen to ‘Sleep’
To dampen my brain
4 x 4 x 4 again
Crawl outside the door
Avoiding the eyes
Drown her at birth
Let her count cards
Defective genius, still a child
Her head’s in the clouds
Neuron - neuron we collide
The pathways of our minds
Semibreve
Outpourings of sadness
Outpourings of fury, grief, anger, bright
Just not quite right
Everybody’s talking in riddles and rhymes
I need more time
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5. |
Peel House
02:04
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6. |
Matthew & Ted
04:46
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Waking up in the half light
Our baby’s feet above his head
Awake to a new day
Matthew and Ted
Heading up the back road
Deep into the woods
Symphonic chorus
While others dream of work
Familiar tread
In the High North
Ted’s adventure begins
Whilst our son
Dandles in his sling
A seam of good weather
Ourselves and boy take shape
Ted runs unfettered
Steep summits reached
As our little laddie sleeps
We’re all animals, searching for a lead
Someone to follow home
Belong and be
Sun warms the trodden
As we witness Ted’s last day
Unable
His back legs gave way
Looking at his faithful friend
Trusting in his gaze
Tenderly carried
Whilst our boy
Takes his first steps any day
And we talk and wonder
Of this most tender of men
With no need to overpower
His best friend
When I think of love
And I ask what love is
I think of Matthew and Ted
Matthew and Ted
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7. |
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I found myself in a wood
Because I could
Because I couldn’t go anywhere else
Little things in my head
Hunker down and divide
Little griefs around a fire
Spreading outwards drifting far
Scorching everything in sight
Breathing out
Our places don’t fit the bill
Too much concrete, urban spill
Rawtenstall to Shibden Hall
Chimneys, moors and me
Too industrial, so much rain
Bursts of green against the grey
From the window of this train
Bringing us home again
I realised I’m still outdoors
Flat topped hills and drystone walls
I am free on this burning moor
River valleys with wooded sides
Lunar landscape at Stoodley Pike
Who decides where beauty lies
Crowded peaks, or a home-made pie
Mushy peas on the side
When its damp outside
Our places don’t fit the bill
Too much concrete, urban spill
Scammy Dam to Heptonstall
Chimneys, moors and me
Too industrial, so much rain
Bursts of green against the grey
From the window of this train
Bringing us home again
Fish n chips without the sea
A hankie of sand at the reservoir
Millionaires without the cash
Cheers, we’re happy as we are!
How the wind feels on my face
All the things I cannot say
All the tears I cannot mend
All the tears I cannot shed
Hide the feelings from myself
Beneath this hug of trees
I’m breathing in
Our places don’t fit the bill
The brutal beauty of mills and hills
Black Dyke brass to Gracie Fields
Chimneys, moors and me
Water, grit, blood and dirt
We’re the proudest folk on earth
Pennines pulsing through our veins
Bringing us home again
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8. |
Woman in Space
04:28
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I am the keeper of secrets
I keep my back to the wall
I am their mother and their daughter
They think I know nothing at all
Assertion is aggressive
Ambition a barren place
Pink is our prison
Language honed to subjugate
A right to education
Like fearless Malala
I am a woman in space
We've been choke chained and muted
Fitted with concrete shoes
Wings clipped and tethered
Assembled to be consumed
When we look at Earth from above
Swimming in the silent sea
There are no borders or limits
A pale blue dot is all we see
Holding it in tension
Like Valentina Tereshkova
Refusal to surrender
Just like Rosa Parkes
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9. |
The Road to Monalea
04:16
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10. |
Polly
04:01
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Heartbeat refrain
Punctuates the sky
Laid in constellation
Against a shifting tide
Body bruised black
Had to comply
Polly
Not what she seems
Clutching at dreams
Removed from the scene
You pushed out five
Only to find
You’re the first of five
In a different line
Did you contemplate
As a fleeting child
What would end your life?
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11. |
The Ballad of Anne & Ann
04:08
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All the words I write to hide
The feelings others can’t abide
Buried down beneath the light
Is it better to be alone?
Command, contain, stride, control
Constant striving takes its toll
Uncompromising as I am
Am I afraid to fall?
You’re everything they cannot see
A warrior beneath the veil
Of femininity
The finest china made from bone
You’ll be the one to carry me home
We met before but not like this
You lift my hand in a formal kiss
Why can’t I meet your direct gaze?
A crowded room demands restraint
I’ve been warned from the glow
So I need you to take control
A fire can’t burn without its fuel
It takes madness and courage to live as we do
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12. |
Fiacre Ryan
03:55
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O'Hooley & Tidow Huddersfield, UK
ENGLAND'S ANSWER TO THE MCGARRIGLES
* * * * *
GUARDIAN
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