Hounds Of Winter

Published by Fontana

First published in Great Britain by Kindlight 2013

Copyright ©Mark Binmore 2013

This edition published in Great Britain by Fontana 2020. www.markbinmore.com

The right of Anonymous to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and publisher of this book

All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

Taking you on a journey through the dark season.

The Painting

Watching the painter painting

And all the time

the painter is painting and he keeps painting and we keep watching

Little bit there

little piece there

He looks surprised

it’s the best painting he could make

And it’s my favourite piece

it’s just great

The flick of a wrist

the spill of the paint

the swirl of the brush

It's like lovers beginning with a kiss in a tryst

It’s just a painting but what it has become in his hands

Circling and sweeping rising and reaching

I could imagine what he was thinking about I could dream what love he was thinking all concealed within the painting

The First Of Autumn

Summer has drained into an emptying autumn

The smell of the mist and the soil

the sharp bite of winter on my lip

See how natures death shroud

mourns the passing sun

It is in these days that I sit here and think of you

A thought sent out on the curl of the wind

a vapour

Once when we sat here

the winter sun pierced my eyes

And your gaze held pierced my heart

Now

Fallen thoughts trembles on a falling leaf

slipping through the whispers in October light

YesterYears

There’s a chill in the morning breeze as the frost begins to lift and there in the distance are birds with heavy gifts

We catch the sun shining down on the dew wash away the dawn as the morning turns new Old days

remembering as a child someone half your age

Old days when I was a child

As I glance back on years gone by it feels like yesterday

Yesteryears when I was a child

As a boy when I was young

I remember stories that you read falling asleep on the floor and being carried back to bed

As I watch the people go by with their everyday shores remembering as a child as days gone before Old days

remembering as a child someone half your age

Old days when I was a child

As I glance back on years gone by it feels like yesterday

Yesteryears when I was a child

There’s a chill in the dusk sky as the mood begins to rest

Glancing back on past times placing birds back in their nest

I stand on the shoreline as the waves wash back to shore

Remembering daydreams

and all what’s forgotten before Old days

remembering as a child someone half your age

Old days when I was a child

As I glance back on years gone by it feels like yesterday

Preying Of The White Witch

There in the shadows

only after dark

Keep my soul from sleeping not awake nor dreaming

There is no exit from her too tired

I cannot escape

She knows she can drive me down

she will not let me lie down

I sit and close my eyes

guess who’s coming a-hunting?

Run lonely one run

Doesn’t she know whom she’s taunting?

Does she know my fate?

The hand I cannot hold

Take one foot off balance waiting for daylight

After The Storm.

After the storm

the days are getting late

You stand there with your mate and see the damage that it has caused

It’s no use crying

there is no point anymore

It’s no use denying

somehow, we have all been here before

After the storm

the dust is settling down

The trees are all falling scattering around

The smoke is all fading

it is time to go

Our minds have gone crazy

our heats sink low

No wasted silence

there is no doubt

No false pretence

the storm has the last shout

After the storm

the night-lights fade away

You ask your mate to stay until the break of dawn

It’s no use of denying

there’s no point today

Forget about lying

they all know anymore

No wasted silence there is no doubt

No false pretense the storm has the last shout

Forgive me

Always

Summer sands have lost their charm we let them go

Autumn winds will do no harm we let them blow

Save up all your dreams to live beyond your means

But I keep my dreams don't you?

The future is not so bleak from this wasteland we call home

Always always

summer comes

Always with you by my side always

You're too over-sensitive and that is my charge

Any criticism starts is to loom too large

We throw caution to the winds don't cash in your dreams you may blow it

Resolution is sometimes weak but we're not all damned

The future is not so bleak from this wasteland we call home Always always summer comes always

And Dream Of Sheep

I went to sleep last night staring at your picture

But I'm so sorry

it’s now wet with tears

It's so hard to go to sleep gazing at a picture

My eyes get so heavy and blur so much

As burdensome as stones as blind as dust

It's so hard to let go of you to the darkest touches of sleep

But let me sleep let me drift and dream of sheep

Shimmer Like Mirrors

Only you can do something about it

There is no one else here

only you, just you

Nobody listened when you said you were falling apart

I guess we are all just the same in and out of doubt

But there are angels standing around you

I can see angels standing around you

They shimmer like mirrors in the woodlands of summer

they shimmer like mirrors in the gardens of summer

But you just cannot see them

They will carry you further and further if you need them, just call

Rest your weary head in their feathery light hands

lay your broken laugh at their feet

Lay down your arms and surrender to the roses

I can see angels standing around you

They shimmer like mirrors in the woodlands of summer

they shimmer like mirrors in the gardens of summer

But you just cannot see them

There's someone waiting for you who has loved you forever but you don't know it

You just cannot see them anymore

Snowflake

I was born in a snowdrift one cold winter night see how I fall

I need you to catch me look up and you'll see me

I know you can hear me

I will keep falling

I know you will find me

I am flying over fields

I am floating by the river

I'm just one in million snowflakes look up and see me dancing

I know you can hear me

I will keep falling

I know you will find me

I will settle on the ice

I won't ever turn to dust

I fall from the sky for you

I can see horses in the fields

I can see the dogs running in the hills

I know you can hear me

I will keep falling

I know you will find me

I am ice and dust

I am light not rust

I float through the sky to be with you

I can hear people

I think you are near me now

I know you can hear me

I will keep falling

I know you will find me

I am floating over a forest

I can hear the church bells chime Christmas

Keep falling

I'll find you

Keep falling

I'll find you

Just a pause for a moment or two

and I will be with you

Keep falling

I'll find you

be ready to catch me

Keep falling

I'll find you

Porcelain

Down by the river

cold winter water

Don't ever swim there don't ever jump in Just stand on the edge and look in there and tell me what you see

You may see a woman you may see the light

Is she wearing linen?

Is she dark as night?

They say some days

she comes up through the water crying her children’s names

She is the woman of the lake a drowned woman of the lake floating like a cracked porcelain doll In the sewer in the drain

Her eyes are open but no-one's home

The clock has stopped the hands have stood still

She is here but she has gone her children are no longer here

Her time is over but when she dreams they run

The children run back across the water and ice through the murky dark water as they search for her

The beds are made

the table is laid

Her home is open

her children are calling…

'Hey mummy, you've come home

Miss me? Did you miss me?

Here's the kitchen

there is dinner on the table

Here's the bedroom

time for a sleep later

Here's the garden

the flowers you planted are growing

Here's our love

we thought you were never coming back

It doesn't matter what has happened

it doesn't matter that you left us

Because You've come home you've come home'

Footprints In The Snow

They call you an animal

they call you a wild man

Outside I thought I heard someone jump

Outside in the drift

we found footprints in the snow

People say they have seen you people say there are photographs of your face

I think you’re just playing in the snow

I think you’re waiting to be found

They say you were pulling up the rhododendrons they say you live on the mountain

People think they want to see you but they just want to hunt you down

They just want to hunt you down they just want to kill you so run away just run away

Outside in the snowdrift

we found your footprints in the snow we brushed them all away so no one could find you your secret is safe with us

From the foothills of the Garo from the shepherds of the mount

They want to see you drowned

they want to take you far away

They just want to hunt you down

they just want to kill you so run away just run away

You’re not an animal you’re not a wild man

The Dancer

At midnight

when the moon hides from view

I can see you

I can feel you

And when my eyes close you dance you fall

You hide in your own secret place

I know you

I love you

though I have never met you

You are the dancer in my dreams

the dancer in my dreams

And sometimes

when I am waiting for the record to start

And when my train begins to depart

I think you can set me free

Like a bird

like the wind-tossed autumn leaves that fall in my garden

I hear you

I see you

And though we have never spoken you are the dancer in my dreams

the dancer in my dreams

There is no need to worry

there is no need to cry

Unspoken emotion

this is how I feel

And on winter nights

as I am lying in the dark

I see your shadows in the room

I see you glide across the floor

I touch you

Though I have never held you you are the dancer in my dreams

the dancer in my dreams

The Waxing And The Waning Wave

We walked up to the top of the highest hill and stopped still

We saw the dawning sun as it rose from the dark we saw the moon dip down and hide

It was just so beautiful it was just so beautiful

This is where the shadows come to play crossing the time between night and day dancing and skipping as the sun shows a new light

Sometime this morning

the waxing and the waning wave

somewhere we felt what the sun and silence say Sometime this morning

we heard the trickles of the first autumn rains stood on a hill between sleep and waking up

Somewhere in between the summer has ended

Stood on a hill top

it's neither night nor morning

Not one of us would dare to speak as we hovered on the horizon

This silence

this stillness

Oh how we have longed to touch

how we longed to feel

but we didn't dare make a move

Sometime this morning

the waxing and the waning wave

somewhere we felt what the sun and silence say

Sometime this morning

we heard the trickles of the first autumn rains stood on a hill between sleep and waking up

Somewhere in between

the summer has ended

Stood on a hill top

it's neither night nor morning

A Hundred Thousand Years

I've seen hope turn to pain

I've seen joy fall down again

I've seen rivers turn to dust all my memories begin to rust

I would walk for a thousand miles to be where you are

I will wait for a hundred thousand years to be in your arms

A gift of gold

a Shepherd moon of blue

Across the ocean

I will search for you

A tree with no leaves would never shelter me a heart unbending will not last I would walk for a thousand miles to be where you are

I will wait for a hundred thousand years to be in your arms

I would walk for a thousand miles to be where you are

I will wait for a thousand years until you come home until you came home

Seasons Will Change

When the summer warmth of the day becomes the autumn night

I think

who could sleep beneath a strange moonlight?

There is no guiding star

there is no summer sun

As we sleep so far from home

lazy days are gone as we wake to find snow

The heat has vanished

and the voice of the winds brings nothing more

There is no guiding star

there is no summer sun

as we sleep so far from home

Even when I was a child, a wish was never enough for me the seasons will change

And even from a child when my dreams were never enough it could be, it could be

The seasons will change it could be, could be

The night that ends all no rains could weep as I have wept

I know now my childhood dreams will no longer be kept

I am a child so far from home but with the rain

I am no longer alone

The Morning Fog

Hold onto your clever little lines let go the easy rhymes

Silence everything this silence always wins

It's perfect no one needs to say a word it will be alright

We sit through the longest night just silence everywhere

And you know this is how it all begins

And you know no one can touch my soul inside

So keep those clever lines hide away

Stay away from me through the longest night

It will be alright in the morning fog

Just silence everything this is how it all begins

And you know no one can touch my soul inside

So keep those clever lines hide away

Stay away from me through the longest night

We will soon wake

our breath will be warm in the morning light

I smell like sleep

heavy with seed

Deeper taking me deeper

Stranded At The Moonbase

A long way a far place to go a million or so light-years away Just a beacon in space just a star in your eyes just a pinpoint in space

In a world of cloudbusting storms we are stranded at the moon base and the air is getting low and we struggling to breath and we're trying to keep alive for you

Looking out at the roof-window

I can see so many strange things shooting stars and a flicker of lights

For a while I thought I could see heaven but the air is getting low but the air is getting low and we struggling to breath struggling to breathe And we're trying to keep alive for you

I thought I could see a white dove

I thought I could see paradise

But there was no dove just space

just the dark with flickering white stars

Looking way down below me

I think I can see you

I think I can feel you

The air is getting low

I'm struggling to breath

trying to keep alive for you

I leave my body behind me

I think I am being carried forward

All I can smell is dust and rust

The air is getting low

the air is getting low

the air is getting low

I thought I could see a white dove

I thought I could see paradise

I think I am being kept waiting

Keeping me waiting, keeping me waiting

Keeping me waiting, keeping me waiting for you

Winter Rose Is Falling

Say goodbye to the summer watch the waves wash back to shore

Smells of unsweetened success leave you as enlightened as before

Autumn was to blame

no one spoke its name

Approaching east is winter

wipe away a tear

Leave behind the colours

the taste, the smell, the fear

Autumn was to blame

no one spoke its name

The winter rose is falling when the streets are all empty and all the people have gone home

Everywhere is so silent beaches are so alone

You are waiting for the sunshine one misses the warm summer breeze

You long for the spring mist to add colour to the leaves

Take me away with you take away my tears

Fill me with golden sunshine

don’t steal away my years

Never See The Light

I think I have touched the light and I have seen the flame

I know I have been here before

I know I am sure to be this way again For I've been refused and I've been regained

And I've seen your eyes before and I'm sure to see your eyes again Just once again for I've been released

Regained

I feel I have walked this place before And I am sure I will walk this way again just once again

Some people, they laugh

Some people always sigh

Some people got to make it through by never wondering why

Some people sing

Some people sigh

Some people never see the light until the day they die

But I have been released and I have been regained

And I have been this way before

And I'm sure to be this way before just once again

Winter Skies

My heart is calling

My heart is calling

my heart has fallen in the rain

Who knows

life grows

Hollow sorrow

Wandering under winter skies

the wicked and the sane bare witness to salvation

and my life starts over again

Now the clear sky is all around you

your lovers shadow will surround you all through the night

There are stars glowing in the night

the moon glows in the twilight

Tell me the truth

whisper me some hope and I will follow

Tears Of Ivy

Your memories are ebony

the smell of your perfume sends me to sleep

The red tinted walls of the boudoir a place of scented secrets

My beloved lover

you saw a thousand loves

You saw a thousand sunsets

from your window the dark lights of the city

From your window a desperate lover

Your dreams shine into a sea of stars but the memory will stay with a silent lover

Tears of ivy will weep for the vanquished as the night dawns into the day

The flowers will bud and bloom again for my beloved lover all saved in my memory, my savior of grace

There is a light shining over the river like the light from the sun

I dream of Arabia

my beloved lover

The Sky Darkened

The sky darkened as the night took control

Of all our destinies cloud cover thickened and I was afraid truly afraid that I should never see another dawn Winds gathered stirring the trees and the last trace of sun was obliterated I drew the curtains afraid after a while to look out

Upon a world which appeared to be dying a temporary illusion, I knew

But, given the news articles I keep on reading maybe I am wrong to presume that things can continue to go on this way And that night shall indeed be followed by day as it has done,

for trillions upon trillions of sunsets

Ink-black succeeded blue as immediately as if fresh paint was daubed

High, high upon the ceiling of the Earth

My friends should have picked a more compassionate shade

I would even have preferred the beige

as opposed to the silhouette of death which surrounded us

All was silent as a grave, outside not a bird or child to be heard anywhere Depressing deeply distressing since if it had been a grave I could have fought my way out

When There Is Winter, There Is Doubt

Stranger

I have a tale to tell

Now that this wind has made me cold

can’t you tell that I am a lonely guy?

Stranger

the clock has frozen time

Strangers linger in the rain

maybe I was to blame

like a storm washing over

I have no way of telling

I have no way of knowing

I tried so hard to understand

My heart has seen better days when there is winter

there is doubt

Stranger

How did I suffer?

I worked all that I could

All through my life as I was told, I should

Stranger

As proud as I am to be blessed with too much fate

My heart echoes times of hate

like winter sun over the horizon

I can vision a new dawn

I know which path to lead

Maybe it was not that hard after all

In dark times I did so wonder

Maybe my mind had the last shout but forever in the back of my mind whenever when there is winter there is doubt

Rocket Night.

Early one November night

we watch the rockets fly by so bright

Hey!

I wish that was me up there in a sky of crimson in a sky of light

As I hold a sparkler in my hands thoughts of you come crashing through my mind The stars shine all around

we watch the people as they fall and stumble down to the ground Well listen to me

I guess it is time I set myself free You say that I am crazy and only believe in one thing

How I look up and wish I could be like you I tried so hard but there was nothing more I could do So into the night I come out in force

Let me go watch how I shine

I want to run away from old enemies

I will run away from you all

Look at my smile

delight at my decline

I point to the sky with my black and silver wand

Do you think I was crazy for wishing such uncertain things?

And into the night

I sparkle and dance

Everyone can see see how they disbelieve

Watch how I tumble catch me if I fall

My heart explodes into such tiny fragment bits

And like a rocket launch in outer space

Look at me

Am I crazy?

Apollo nine smacking Venus in the face

I am a rocket

Five times one lightening boy to strengthen my soul

I am a rocket

Cold. Colder. Coldest

It's a cold day

it's colder than in winter

it's coldest right here in my heart

Yes, I'm going to miss him

you know that he has torn my soul apart

I couldn't make you love me and couldn't give you any more

It's a cold day,

it's colder than in winter

it's coldest right here in my heart since you closed the door

Every time the sun sets I pull warmth towards me

I shed another tear

and the lonelier that I get I wish you were still here with me

It's a cold day

it's colder than in winter

it's coldest right here in my heart

Yes, I'm going to miss him

you know that he has torn my soul apart

It's colder than winter

I'm freezing inside my tears won't be bitter even though our love has died

Wild Poppies On The Hill

Another day there are no more wars to fight

The white flags fly tonight you are out of danger now

The battlefield is still there are wild poppies on the hill peace can only come when you surrender

The fires are lighting up the sky but I will fight unto the end

So let them send their armies because I will never bend

I won't see you now till I surrender

I'll see you again when I surrender

The battle field is still there are wild poppies on the hill peace can only come when you surrender

The fires are lighting up the sky but I will fight unto the end

So let them send their armies because I will never bend

I won't see you now till I surrender

I'll see you again when I surrender

Dust In The Wind

I close my eyes only for a moment

But when they open the moment's gone

All my dreams pass before my eyes in curiosity

I'm locked away in the kasbah and all my dreams are thrown into the wind

Same old song just a drop of water in an endless sea

All we try to achieve crumbles to the ground though we refuse to see

I'm locked away in the kasbah

and all my dreams are thrown into the wind

Don't hang on nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky

It will slip away like dust in the wind

all we are is dust in the wind

I'm locked away in the kasbah and all my dreams are thrown into the wind

And there so many things I thought I had forgotten in a world that we shared with so many things for the asking

Strange how I find myself so often in this bar alone there is only one thing that is confusing

Was it you?

Was

it me?

With so many questions unanswered or was that part of your mystery?

Strange how I find myself so often in this bar alone so many things I'd forgotten so many things for the asking

Strange how I find myself so often in this bar alone

how I find myself in the kasbah all alone at night

Night Whispers Goodbye

The night falls

Silence

The darkness breathes quietly

Just the moon

always awake

It will cover us in silver

it will shine from the great sky

Just the moon

always awake

The night falls

and it is there

It reigns over the whole sky

It will watch us with kindness

illuminating the evening

It will watch us with its brightness

illuminating the dark sky

The moon will not be awake

it will flee

and the moon will vanish

Darkness goes

already day is made

so night whispers goodbye