Gary explores themes such as love, freedom and social justice. It is characterised by a musical and rythmic quality, often using rhyme that is hidden deep in the text. It sometimes has a dark and melancholic tone. His work has appeared in various publication and online magazines all around the world.
A STEP
A step is just a step
but not a step if you can see below
so far to fall, so critical
I know it must be done
eventually, regrettably
It’s now become a leap
a mammoth feat, this one straightforward step
It’s grown a spike and devil’s horns
I mourn the loss of simple pleasures
now driven from my head
And yet I can’t begin
what I once did with ease, instinctively
before it loomed with earnest weight
to bleed away my pluck and nerve
betrayed by thoughts, stiff-necked and foul
that hunt and shadow me
At last, I took the step
yet incorrect to say that fate was kind
I stumbled, fell, and looked a clown
yet courage gained I stepped again
and found at last that I could say
“This time I think I’m fine”
MY BROWN SHOES
My brown shoes fit me well
but it was a squeeze
I had to quell my instincts
but their approval I believed
was guaranteed
the colour won’t offend
and they are the latest trend in modern footwear
many greetings I’ve received
in my brown shoes
I fixed the buckles fast
that’s common sense
they’d last almost a lifetime
the salesman claimed, and corns and bunions
they’d prevent
with matching socks and a tie
you can’t deny my fair and rightful place
as part of the establishment
in my brown shoes
They support both arch and heel
a prudent choice
with broad appeal and style
I always walk with ease and pride
and perfect poise
and from those who know what’s best
they say I’ve passed the test without a hitch
there’s so much to enjoy
in my brown shoes
THIS SONG (Sonnet)
I sang this song in my tender years
locked in my room, remote and apart
a winter’s lament, a tender motif
it fell from the heavens, it fell from the stars
And through every loss, despair, and heartbreak
I sang it with spirit, it carried the load
though partners I had, are now done and departed
that song is still with me, from so long ago
So I gave up my heart, my future as well
to follow the romance, the verse and the rhyme
when you left I kept singing it, over and over
to heal what was broken and to keep what was mine
But I know if I met you, now everything’s gone
we’d remember the laughter, the joy, and the song
I TOOK A RANDOM SHOT (Villanelle)
I took a random shot I must confess
A wager made; the wheel of fortune spun
That may be how I got into this mess
A desperado’s last chance to impress
A single bullet left inside the gun
I took a random shot I must confess
I missed the mark by plenty more or less
I rolled the dice though blinded by the sun
That may be how I got into this mess
Each loss increased my longing for success
I should have stopped before I had begun
I took a random shot I must confess
I should have been a tramp with no address
Instead of seeking love where there was none
That may be how I got into this mess
I should have been a priest then I could bless
Every mother’s daughter or their son
I took a random shot instead and yes
That may be how I got into this mess